Mobile marketing campaigns are marketing campaigns targeting mobile devices. This can include a massive array of choices and options from a simple pay per impression to a highly specific targeted ad looking for 25 year old male college sophomores on Tuesdays between 10am and noon. Prices will vary.

Mobile ad networks are basically entities that work between you, your mobile marketing company and the mobile system your audience uses. A mobile ad network collects the advertiser's ads and sends them out to customers identified by device type and profile as matching the advertiser's requirement. Mobile ad networks may be exclusive to their own brand, or wide reaching across many platforms.

Considerations when deciding on a mobile marketing campaign:

• Budget. It's important to decide at the get-go to know how much you can spend on a campaign. Without a general idea at a campaign's inception, you're doomed for failure. Have concrete definitions in mind so you don't blow your entire company's marketing budget on one thing.

• Spend that budget. Knowing your budget will help you to determine which mobile ad network(s) to work with; establishing a "baseline" to refine that budget into a real actionable plan. If you are determined to use a campaign driven by social media then hire specialists in that area. Perhaps you are interested in a single company that can handle everything - social media and SMS campaigns to YouTube and traditional advertising. With the right budget, anything is possible.

• Target. Work on defining your demographics. Age, gender, marital status, etc. Know your target audience. Narrow it down as much as possible. Later, when you are comfortable with your mobile marketing companies, you can always expand.

• Target location. Local mobile marketing campaigns or regional full blown marketing campaigns? Or world-wide? Geography is important to include in any mobile marketing campaign spending plan to ensure you get the most for your advertising dollars. How about a split campaign? Consider a business installing commercial Christmas decorations. The core business is geographically limited. They also sell and lease decorations. Why not set up 2 different campaigns marketing to two different geographic and demographic targets?

• Tone. How do you want to come across in your mobile marketing campaigns? Friendly and family oriented? Or business and no-nonsense? What is the tone of your organization as a whole? You may not want to market your law team like you a theme park. This seems simple on the surface, but thinking about this in a data driven way can add complexity.

• Will you need a mobile ad network? The short answer is most likely. Even if you do not deal with them directly, a mobile ad network will factor into your mobile marketing campaign somehow.

• What measurements will you use? Maximum views, also known as impressions impressions, of your mobile marketing campaigns or performance-based, like pay per click? Or mixed? This will help to define which mobile marketing companies you will work with best.

• How will you track the performance of your mobile marketing companies? Just like everything else in business, ROI is important so you will want to know and monitor for that.

Any reputable mobile marketing company will be happy to consult with you to help you determine your parameters. Establish a trust. You need to go in with the basics (like your budget) to get things rolling but a viable working relationship based on trust in the expertise of your marketing company is your best ally.