How to get the most out of mobile marketing

The movement to access content on mobile platforms is gathering pace: 57 per cent of mobile phone users will have 3G internet access by 2011, according to Forrester Research.

So far, the speed of the mobile internet has limited its development. But the popularity of flat-rate data plans, the proliferation of services and applications, and the emergence of high-speed devices such as the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Bold, have made the technology viable and accessible.

Marketing group Nielsen estimates that going mobile will extend the audience reach of many internet sites by an average of 13 per cent. To get their hands on this ever-growing market, search providers are introducing applications and services, and opening up new possibilities to market on a personal level.

For marketers looking to use mobile web browsers, it is critical that their offering is presented in a practical, consumable way. For media-driven sites such as Disney.co.uk, this is a straightforward proposition - making a 'snack-sized' portal that balances advertising with content. Retailers have been more cautious, given the difficulty in displaying sufficient quantities of information to encourage a purchase.

But, unlike the fixed internet, the mobile web has no established models by which to measure success or failure, which makes it difficult to justify its slice of the marketing budget. It is therefore important for marketers to start to obtain a view of how their customers are interacting with their brand over this channel. Are visitors viewing more than one page on the site? Are their browsers capable of handling video? What screen size do most visitors use?

The mobile internet is reaching critical mass. Digital marketers need to understand its value and how to communicate with visitors accessing their sites with handheld devices. Maximising its potential begins with analytics, and using the lessons of the internet will help us understand how to deliver value.