Is mobile marketing suitable for small businesses? Do the benefits outweigh the costs and the efforts? Mobile marketing is a strategy that many business companies use in order to make their products more bankable. However, most small businesses are not willing to engage in mobile marketing. Some are afraid to take the risk, while some of them perceive it as invaluable.

Most owners of small businesses are aware of the different mobile marketing schemes, but only a few implement the strategy. Many of them consider mobile marketing as invaluable to their business. Based on the January 2011 Index, only 15% of small business owners conceded mobile marketing as highly essential to their business and 20% considered it to be “sort of” valuable. However, these small businesses may be missing the good points. Small businesses do not embrace mobile marketing for the reason that hardly any of them (19%) thought it as “proven” and “mature” strategy. More than a third (36%) believes that mobile is an innovative move for small businesses or advanced of its time (24%).

There are three top initiatives that could help small businesses when it comes to mobile marketing.

• Mobile Social Media
• Mobile Friendly Websites
• Text Marketing

The year 2010 had a huge growth in consumer usage of mobile devices, and with smartphones increasing to over 51 million users. The year 2011 is then perceived to be a year of mobile expansion and innovation. Small businesses should now pay more attention to mobile and begin planning their strategy as soon as now.

Use Social Media Marketing

There are now more users of social networks than e-mails. Mobile Social Media options include Facebook, which is by far the most widely used social networking site with over half a billion users all over the world. With Facebook, small business can make use of the Facebook Places and Deals to create mobile area-based loyalty program through offering discounts and special and promoting event and sales to customers and potential clients. In this way, small businesses are able to reach customers by delivering messages that are geographically location-based, which in turn can increase profits.

Mobile-Friendly Websites

It is now sensible for small businesses to create Mobile-Friendly Websites to assure that they do not get behind on mobile traffic and marketing. There are services that can make creating mobile-formatted website faster and easier. Examples of these are Mofuse and Instant Mobilizer. Investing in creating and designing a website for mobile users can now be considered reliable and efficient way to implement mobile marketing.

Text Message Marketing

Simple Messaging System (SMS) or commonly known as the Text Message Marketing is one of the most widely used mobile marketing strategy, whether for big businesses or the small ones. According to a survey, 73% of mobile phone users declared that text messaging is the most essential feature on their phones. People nowadays send more text messages than phone calls. Communicating with clients through text messaging creates a great opportunity to reach customers with news events, special offers, promos, coupons, and notifications. SMS is probably the most efficient way to get customers’ attention.

Small businesses, no matter how small, still need to take chances on marketing. It is one way of expounding and strengthening the business. It is predicted that by 2015, the mobile web will completely overtake the desktop Internet. Thus, it is just about time for small business to engage in mobile marketing, leaving aside their inhibitions and fears. As this strategy can reach thousands and thousands of people and customers easier and faster, mobile marketing may just be the key to their awaited success.

How have you used social media marketing?  Ever tried text message marketing?  Share with other small business owners.