Are you ready to embrace the power of mobile advertising? There is no doubt that smartphones are changing the way we consume information and navigate through our lives. In an independent study by IPSOS OTX in 2011, 82% of smartphone users notice mobile ads and 71% searched because of that advertising. The big news is that 9 out of 10 of the people that searched took some type of action as a result of that search. Watch this video to better understand this mobile movement. Mobil advertising trends indicate that 2012 will continue to set new standards. Mobile marketers agree that the time is now to optimize your mobile website presence for both search and m-Commerce.

We have seen some of the best success using mobile ads on the Google network. If you are trying to drive traffic into your local retail store, restaurant or entertainment venue, nothing works better than the hyper local search ads. Most smartphones integrate the geo IP technology of the device (iPads and tablets included) with the search feature. The advertising for mobile in Adwords also uses this information to display ads. Therefore your mobile ads are only served to users that are in a close proximity to your business if you have set up your mobile campaign properly. In this example, the client has some strong mobile SEO combined with a hyper local mobile ad that dominates the smartphone screen.

The key ingredient to your mobile advertising success or failure lies in the user experience after the click through from the search page. In many cases, the “Click to Call” feature or mapping feature of a local extension campaign will remove the need to click through to a website. When there is a click through or your goal is to drive other actions like m-Commerce, content delivery or a download…there is the need for a well thought out mobile website. Here are a few things to consider when designing your mobile website or landing page.

• Make it Easy – Prioritize content into short bite size units and do away with unnecessary information. Mobile users are starved for time so don’t waste their time or they will bounce.

• Simple Thumb Friendly Navigation – Use large buttons, check boxes and clickable text for all actions and be sure to have white space around these actions for us with big thumbs.

• Multiple Device Friendly – iPads, Tablets and smartphones come in different shapes, sizes and use different operating systems. Use HTML5 instead of Flash whenever possible for animation and interactivity. Test and retest on as many different devices before you launch your mobile friendly web pages.

• Clean Visibility in Design – Create contrast between text and backgrounds and remove the need for a visitor to zoom or pinch the screen. Less is more in the mobile world.

• Clear Calls to Action – Get to the point…what do you want your mobile visitors to do when they arrive? Use information that helps conversion. Use short forms for data collection. Keep the number of steps to complete a transaction to a minimum.

Search advertising on mobile devices requires a well thought out mobile strategy. Start with your objectives, define some goals and get some help if this is all new to you. You only have one shot to make a first impression. Let’s make your first impression in mobile advertising a lasting one.

eXplorations Marketing Inc. serves clients in Philadelphia, Montgomery County and Bucks County in Pennsylvania. In New Jersey we work with clients in Princeton, Cherry Hill and South Jersey. Contact us today to begin using mobile advertising for your local business.