Every year we see headlines declaring that it’s “The Year of Mobile!”  Seems like it’s been “The Year of Mobile” for a long time now, hasn’t it? Clearly, mobile isn’t going anywhere. In fact, it’s taking over in a very big way and it grows every year. Recently, we got a super handy little book called Mobile Fact Pack: A Guide to Mobile Marketing that was put together by the folks over at AdvertisingAge. It explores everything from mobile ad spending and social media marketing to mobile OS market-share info and consumer behavior trends. Today we’re going to share a few take-aways from that book–just in case you were thinking that having a mobile marketing plan isn’t a priority.

More than in previous years, online audiences have been abandoning their PCs in favor of smartphones. In fact, smartphones account for a large percentage of all phones in circulation right now. People who now use their phones or tablets more than their PCs are, however, sticking with the same brands they used on their PCs. What this means though is that brands need to up their mobile marketing efforts or they’re going to lose those customers who have shifted from PCs to mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

What’s challenging businesses now is that for every user who switches from PC to mobile is one less set of eyeballs looking at advertisements. Phones have much less real estate available for ad space than PCs do, so it’s hard to advertise on mobile. Adding to the complication is that browser-based cookies don’t work on the mobile web, so when a user switches to mobile, they cannot be tracked by advertisers.

But all is not lost. Every day, more and more brands are coming up with ways to intelligently design ads for mobile, and new strategies for reaching the roaming consumer are being invented as we sit here today. By the end of 2013, there will certainly be some brands who make the leap to mobile successfully and those that haven’t. We want your brand to be on the winning side, so here are some facts we thought might help you get your head in the game and fired up to take on the mobile market.

• Mobile ad spending in the US will increase by 75% this year. Google will claim at least half of the profits
• By the end of 2013, mobile ads will account for more than half of Facebook’s revenue for the year
• In the US, mobile ad spending for 2013 will be $8 billion
• US mobile ad revenue for Google is projected to top out at $4 billion
• 77.9% of the total US population uses a mobile phone
• 39.2% of US smartphones run on Apple iOS
• The projected share of the US population with smartphones for next year is 50%
• 110 million unique visitors in the US access Facebook via mobile devices
• The average adult spends 141 minutes a day using a mobile device

These are just a few facts that we pulled out to whet your appetite. Clearly, mobile is taking over in a big way and smart brands are taking note and developing strategies. If you want to learn more, you can download the entire Fact Pack here for free until September 23^rd.

PS: The folks over at topmarketingschools.net sent us this cool infographic just in time to go along with this post!

Source: Mobile Marketing: No Longer a Spam & Pop-up World