In today’s world, mobile is king. Whether it’s phones, watches, or tablets, consumers have become virtually inseparable from their mobile devices. For businesses, that means having a solid mobile advertising strategy is essential. There’s a mountain of data to support the effectiveness of mobile advertising and it has become big business. Experts predict spending on mobile advertising to reach $240 billion this year. But what about small businesses? Is it worth competing in such a cutthroat space on a small business budget? The short answer – absolutely, because all businesses need mobile advertising.

Here are 3 reasons why small businesses need mobile advertising.

mobile first adviertising

  1. Go Where The Consumer Is

If you want your ad budget to yield worthwhile conversion rates, you have to make your ads highly targeted. This means serving the right ad, to the right person, at the right time. Combining a tailored mobile advertisement with location-based marketing technology like geofencing or geotargeting ensures that your message is delivered to the most valuable prospects exactly when it will have the greatest impact. This also allows you to get more strategic over time with your messaging when segmenting your target market. In short – mobile advertising dollars just go farther.

  1. Own Your Voice

One of the most effective forms of mobile advertising is SMS. According to Business2Community, 98% of users open SMS messages – and usually within just a few minutes. That sort of delivery rate is unheard of with other mediums. Not only will your SMS ad reach the consumer, but the beauty of text as a medium is that it’s delivered with minimal distraction. As a small business, this gives you the opportunity to own your voice and serve your message to consumers away from all the noise and clutter that is likely filling their screens at any given moment. When your targeted consumer opens your text, your message will stand alone.

  1. Call Them To Action – And Then Track It

Maybe the biggest benefit of any digital marketing is the ability to track click-through and conversion rates. It helps businesses better understand where their advertising dollars are best spent. Now add in the pixel-friendly nature of a mobile advertising, throw in a compelling call to action, and mix it with a mobile optimized website and you get an ultra-effective way of measuring advertising success. If it’s working, you’ll know it. If not? Tweak the strategy and try again.

According to GlobalStats’ statcounter, mobile and tablet account for 50.42% of screen time market share in America. Globally, that number reaches higher than 53%. With the continued rollout of 5G, that number is likely to increase. Despite the tidal shift toward mobile advertising, there is still room for small businesses to make waves in the space. With the help of targeted