Mobile phone advertising will soon become as critical to the small business owner’s marketing campaign as Internet marketing is now.  Over five in six homes have one or more mobile phones, and studies have shown that mobile phone advertising can be significantly more effective than online advertising, at times up to 3-5 times more effective.

But, many people find it hard to understand how mobile advertising works. You hear a lot about how chains and large companies use mobile advertising, which a small business owner might be able to do, but often not.  Below you will find a short description of the two most prevalent types of mobile advertising today. 

SMS Advertising. 

This form of mobile advertising begins with a current or potential customer requesting to receive text phone advertisements from you, the merchant.  You ask them to text a special keyword that you have used in your other marketing efforts, and by doing so they “opt in” to your mobile advertising list.  You will generally engage a special mobile ad vendor to manage your text messaging program, and you typically have the option to purchase packages or just pay as you go.   

Once a customer has opted into your mobile advertisements, you send phone ads to them through text messages (SMS).  This form of mobile advertisement works especially well for sending coupons and limited time discounts.  Markets that have found good success with this type of mobile advertising are retail, entertainment venues, and restaurants. 

Search Engine Mobile Advertising.

The other major type of mobile advertising has its roots in the standard search engine you use on the Internet.  Basically, a potential customer is looking for something in particular and does a mobile search for the information.  if your mobile advertisement is relevant, it will appear in the consumer’s search. 

Search engine databases are typically made up of merchants who are subscribers to the mobile search engine.  This form of advertising can help a merchant on a budget, as they usually charge a set monthly subscription fee to be in the database. 

Affordable options are available to you for both SMS text advertising and In Page mobile advertising, so you will be able to find an option that is right for your business and your budget. 

Be sure to visit SmallBusinessMobileAdvertising.com to learn much more about how small businesses can use mobile phone advertising to grow their business. Make sure to get your free mobile advertising trial (and mention the promo code “mobilenow” and receive double the credits during your free trial period).

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