Mobile marketing has been defined into two categories. The traditional definition involved marketing that is done in a moving fashion. A billboard that involves the use of animation is an example of a traditional mobile marketing. The second and more recent definition involves marketing using a mobile device such as a cell phone. Mobile marketing like this is an example of horizontal telecommunication convergence.

Recent advances in mobile phone technology have attracted more people to use a mobile phone. The popularity of short message service or SMS came with the cell phone and had given advertisers a new venue for marketing their business or expertise. An advantage of the short message service for mobile marketing is that it is governed by a regulating body unlike the internet in which anybody could do or say anything without any fear of a threatened sanction. This is primarily done by the network carriers themselves although an established guideline for the use of mobile phones as a marketing tool has been set up by the Mobile Marketing Association or MMA and by the Interactive Advertising Bureau or IAB. Aside from the regulating aspect these two bodies also review advertising formats and focuses on consumer protection and privacy. Mobile marketing has initially been met with negative criticism since advertisers frequently sent unsolicited messages to a mobile phone. But as network providers police their own network short message service advertising became a major form of marketing throughout the world.

Billions of people around the world now use a cell phone and advertisers should start learning how to use mobile marketing to their best advantage. Many have heard of the wonders mobile web and short messaging service can do to a business but they just do not know how. Getting into mobile marketing might involve acquiring a few quick tools to get you on the right track. As with other business endeavors an initial expenditure is required but the return on investment could be quite high. Not only will you be able to reach more people, you could also target your advertisement to your target audience more accurately than the internet. Large multinational companies are also starting to integrate mobile marketing into their promotional strategies. The proof that giant firms have been enticed into using this new form of advertising can be attested by the large attendance from this group of the Mobile Marketing Forum which will be held in Germany this year.

Although giant multinational corporations have realized the need for mobile advertising small and medium enterprises has the advantage of personalizing their ads more than these large firms. Getting down to a more personal level with your target market can help you acquire more market share thereby increasing your productivity and profit. Mobile marketing has given smaller players in the market a chance to catch up on advertising which their larger business counterparts seem to monopolize and this has the tendency of leveling the playing field. More equality can now be enjoyed by small time business firms. The disparity removed by short messages that goes right into the client.

Before going into your own mobile marketing campaign though, make sure that you already have a subscriber list. This is a list of people that you know would want to hear from you. Not identifying who your target market is can result to sending useless messages to the wrong people, making your campaign more expensive and resulting to your business losing profit instead of acquiring it. Also, to make your advertisement more effective, offer some form of incentive to people who will reply to your sent messages.