Understanding the difference between mobile and desktop-based searchers is paramount, because they simply are not the same. Your business must use this knowledge to construct mobile marketing initiatives. If you’ve been putting this off, know that virtually everyone now has a mobile phone, and nearly half of us have smartphones. It’s time for your business to “go mobile,” too.

Here are four considerations to create competitive, effective mobile marketing:

The internet may be global, but mobile is local

Mobile users are an online community within your physical community. They’re in your backyard, and they’re out and about.

Regardless of whether your business is very small or you have multiple locations, mobile marketing’s local focus requires a significantly different approach than other forms of online marketing. Your mobile marketing goal is to entice local customers to visit (or come back) and share content and comments about your business. Here and now.

That will happen only if they can find you - meaning your website has to be specifically optimized for mobile users. If you don’t do this, nothing else will matter.

Think like your customer

Mobile offers tremendous measurement opportunities, but metrics are only good if you use the right ones. Selecting the most insightful analytics will help you understand your unique mobile audience.

Conduct your own research, using short surveys and directly asking customers what they want, to create a smart engagement strategy.

Mobile is social

Recent studies show mobile social networkers check in almost every day with social media sites and blogs. So make it easy for people to share about your business on Facebook, Twitter and  Foursquare. Monitor your pages to reward those who promote  your business and quickly address problems.

Mobile is extremely personal

Mobile devices are almost an extension of our persona, so users expect to be treated individually. Respect their time by knowing their interests and not over-communicating with them. With mobile marketing, subtlety is key.

Thanks to mobile devices, how and where we connect with content is changing rapidly and radically. Still puzzled about how to proceed? You can call on our team of experts here at Social Strategy1 to help craft a mobile marketing strategy that meets your specific engagement, optimization and monitoring needs.