Google has seen mobile search grow at an exponential rate, increasing five-fold worldwide in just the past two years. This is a rate comparable to the early days of Google’s desktop search. Because of this, Google has released new updates to their mobile search page, which now makes mobile searching faster, easier, and more intuitive. Google has introduced features like autocomplete, Voice Search, Google Goggles, Google Instant and Instant Previews.

With continuous updates being rolled out, this is just the beginning of what is to come. You can gain a more in depth look into Google’s mobile focus by visiting Inside Search. As you will see, the mobile world offers new marketing possibilities that combine the physical and virtual worlds, enable webmasters to streamline processes, and allow businesses to become more interactive with their customers.

A good example of how Google is adapting their search platform to the mobile world is by their new icon features. On Google’s mobile search page, visitors are now offered the option to simply click a respective icon to get instant, local results. In the image below, you’ll see an example of using the restaurant search icon: 

On the results page, users will see a map with markers for local establishments in conjunction with their current location. Scrolling through the results, the map remains at the top of the page and adjusts automatically to the listings.

Such improvements to mobile search are sure to mean that even more people will turn to their phones to discover solutions to their queries. For businesses that have been wavering on initiating a mobile marketing strategy, now is the time. The opportunity is wide open to take the lessons from the desktop age and combine them with the creative marketing potential that lies ahead.

I, for one, am very excited about this new frontier and look forward to helping businesses develop a strategy to hit the ground running. We will keep you posted on future developments of the mobile arena.

Is it possible that mobile marketers are neglecting individuals who don’t own a Smartphone? We all know by now that mobile marketing is the dawn of the new age and before we know it everyone will have a Smartphone, but until that day how do we make sure to capitalize on all mobile users?

Despite the extreme growth in Smartphones, standard text messaging is still the standard in the majority of mobile contracts. According to ABI Research, more than 7 trillion text messages will be sent around the world in 2011. Until the day that flip phones become extinct, the most effective way to obtain and carry on a two-way engagement via a mobile device with a large audience is through text messaging.

Successful SMS campaigns require strategic planning and consideration, but when executed properly you can achieve great success. SMS campaigns allow businesses to interact with customers on all different levels, whether it’s supplying them with advance notice of an upcoming promotion, a reminder of an event, or a special exclusive offer only for them, you can achieve instant communication on all levels.

The more you know about each of your consumers the more effectively you can target them. Ask your database for additional demographic information, personal interests, location and/or behavioral habits. This will make it easier for you to market to a person rather than just a number. Making sure the message is pertinent to your customer is key; otherwise you will become an annoyance and potentially lose fans.

Effectively segmenting out your audience and delivering them unique messages based on the profiles you created will help you most effectively capitalize on their needs and wants. Knowing your customers will help you maximize your marketing spend; create higher customer engagement and loyalty. Just be sure to monitor your frequency of messaging and avoid bombarding or overwhelming your customers.