Today, it would be grossly negligent to try to run any business without computers, internet access and a web presence. More recently, social media seemed like a strange experiment and many businesses hesitated to join Facebook, Twitter and other outlets. The businesses who hopped on board and built friend lists, gained Facebook “likes” and developed a following benefitted greatly while the naysayers simply colored themselves irrelevant.

So, what is the next big marketing innovation for small business owners? Many experts see targeted mobile marketing as the newest frontier. If this is true, what strategies can be used to succeed in the new world of mobile web based marketing? And, what are benefits of being one of the renegade few companies who jump in first?

(Courtesy of Flickr User: jenny downing)

Mobile phones have become as near and dear to most individuals as their wallets and handbags. The International Telecommunication Union reports that over 5 billion people are subscribed to cell phone plans worldwide and in the United States, 9 out of every 10 people uses a mobile phone. Mobile phones, unlike television sets, radios and computers are almost always within arm’s length.

Marketing to potential customers via their mobile phone begins to make alot of sense when research studies report that at least 10% of all online searches, one of the most popular ways people seek information about products and services, are performed on mobile phones. Over 95% of new phones are equipped with mobile web browsers and, in the United States, 70 million or more consumers use their mobile device to browse the web regularly.

The mobile web is already currently used by 120 million people and experts predict that, in the next three years, all purchasing decisions made by United States consumers will be influenced in some way by the mobile internet. This will be an interesting trend to watch because, in general, mobile web users have a different customer profile than traditional web users and catering to them requires non-traditional thinking. Rather than a fancy website with rich graphics and complicated animation features, mobile web users prefer to see a basic template with the simple facts about a product or service.

(Courtesy of Flickr User: ccstbp)

 Instant gratification features, such as a button that makes restaurant reservations in real time or immediate mapping from the mobile device to your location, appeal to the mobile web user demographic. Google Maps and the review site Yelp are popular mobile web applications and most experts say that having a social media presence is also seen as very favorable among mobile web users.

A very exciting trend, custom mobile apps, gives individuals and businesses the opportunity to create their own program for download. By designing a custom app, you will impress your potential customers, promote your brand and possibly even make an additional income from download sales.

Mobile marketing, which generally utilizes text messaging to send product or promotional information to potential customers, can target a specific customer base via the mobile web. Text messaging is one of the hottest trends in communication worldwide.

With over one trillion text messages sent through cell phone plans in 2008, and that number growing daily, it can be assumed that most consumers are comfortable and web savvy enough to respond favorable to text message marketing. In fact, research from Mobile Marketing Watch suggests that 70% of consumers respond to text message marketing while only 30% respond to email marketing.

Considering how important mobile web usage is predicted to become in the next few years, and the influence it is expected to have on shoppers, one might assume that small businesses were jumping in the gap between old online shopping and new mobile web commerce. But, they are not. In fact, according to some surveys, less than 7% of small businesses have optimized their website for mobile web users and more than 60% view mobile marketing as a newfangled idea that is too cutting edge to actually be successful.

We are at a unique forefront in the world of commerce and technology. The small businesses and companies who jump in wholeheartedly and embrace the new world of mobile web browsing by catering to the needs of this growing customer base will likely reap huge rewards. By utlizing the focused power of text message marketing, taking simple steps to optimize their websites for mobile browsers, installing mobile commerce features and mobile apps that make information gathering easy for consumers and utilizing social media features like Facebook’s “Likes” and “check-ins”, these cutting edge businesses will dare to succeed in the new age of technology driven commerce.

This is a guest article by Ruben Corbo, a writer for the website Cell Phone Expert where you can compare cell phone plans. When Ruben is not writing he’s composing or producing music for short films or visual arts.