The impact of the recent Global Financial Crisis have made businesses rethink the way they operate and market their brand, products and services. Gone are the days of lavish spending on tri-media campaigns that deliver just a fraction of targeted ROI. Every business, from small and medium businesses to large conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies are looking for efficient and cost-effective means to market their brand – and many are finding the solutions they seek in mobile marketing.

Data indicates that more than 23% of the total mobile subscribers in the United States have already been exposed to mobile advertising. These figures would continue to rise in the coming years as the number of subscribers escalates relentlessly and at the same time more and more brands are moving towards mobile marketing strategies as part of their media marketing mix – or even as their mainstream marketing campaign strategy.

Many companies have started executing their mobile marketing campaigns, not only due to marketing budgets constraints (due to the low-cost nature of this channel), but also due to the power and effectiveness that mobile marketing can present. With over 213 million users from the more than 270 million total subscribers in the United States using or have been exposed to text messages, there is a highly significant potential for businesses to take advantage and market to these numbers – a figure that is more than the total number of computers and TV screens combined.

Aside from that, over 115 million of these users already have access to mobile internet, with over 64 million actually using mobile web to download mobile content, 31 million using mobile email, 29 million exploring applications, 14 million on games, and another 16 million using premium SMS services. If combined with an effective mobile marketing campaign this could spell substantially viable results – which studies show can be five times more effective than even online campaigns – and eventually be translated to more revenues for any brand or business.

One classic example that shows the substantial power of mobile marketing can be seen from the more than 2.9 million that opted into the SMS database of the Obama campaign, the main reason why President Barack Obama was named the 2008 Mobile Marketer of the Year. While it is true that the Internet, television and other media channels catapulted Obama to be the next American president, mobile marketing brought him even more closer to the people on a one-to-one basis.

Despite the evidence posted by the Obama campaign and the mobile market figures, many brand marketing and ad agency executives are still wary of using mobile marketing as part of their marketing media mix, prompting them to look for more substantial evidences. These managers and executives should realize that mobile devices are still the fastest growing and expanding communication tool in all of marketing history – and they would do well by tapping into these resources.

These days, more and more major brands are jumping onto the mobile marketing bandwagon and are completely rethinking the way they market their products and services. One such brand is Jaguar which relied heavily on mobile marketing to market their new Luxury XF models. The results – 1.1 million page views of their mobile web site; over 190,000 videos viewed; 83,000 wallpapers downloaded; and the most significant result of all – 6,600 dealer requests! Marriot had the same significant results when they generated 1.2 million bookings in their hotels for one quarter of the year, with a third of these bookings responding on the same night the SMS campaigns were sent out.

If that would not make marketing managers rethink the way they see the power of mobile marketing, then they should explore further and look at even more brands implementing this marketing solution. Starbucks is utilizing mobile applications to provide customers with an easy-to-use store locator in addition to their mobile coupon loyalty program, while Pizza Hut has made it easier for customers to get deliveries from more than 6,200 stores by allowing them ordering facilities through mobile web or by text messages( SMS). The list of brands keeps getting longer and longer!

Marketing managers and brand executives can make use of several mobile marketing solutions from various providers, like CellForce, to beef up or even overhaul their brand marketing campaigns. Using effective mobile marketing platforms like ExCELLence, brands can finally reach out to a wider customer base and get more significant targeted results – even more than what they have achieved from their previous marketing channels.

There are various mobile marketing techniques that brand managers can make use of to have effective interactions with their customers and potential clientele. It would all depend on what they want to achieve with their brands or product, and how they would like to engage their customers. With mobile marketing platforms like ExCELLence that can help them easily manage their mobile campaigns, brands can now have a cost-effective means of reaching more targeted customers – globally!

Brand managers can start with basic autoresponder campaign to start off their mobile marketing strategies. They can get a better pulse read of their customers wants and needs by conducting text2vote surveys; engage their loyal clientele via raffles and prizes using a text2win campaigns; or make these promotional campaigns more interesting and engaging by asking compelling questions that users can answer using a text2quiz campaign! Users can simply text a keyword and then follow the instructions as they are sent to them via text messages. Best of all? Throughout any campaign path, ExCELLence is mining data and storing it in a targetable database for future marketing use.

These days, businesses and brands must optimize their websites to allow web mobile visibility and even get more interaction from existing and potential client and throw in a compelling audio, video or other rich media components (via Multi-Media Messaging, MMS) to make their mobile program even more attractive to consumers. Include social networking elements in these campaigns and you’ll get even more personalized interaction with your users.

Bottom Line: It is clear that these days brand managers must engage their consumer base via mobile marketing technology!