Neil-Strother [Posted by Neil Strother]

Heads-up on a new report up on our site on mobile marketing gaining strength, even in this down economy: "Best Practices: Mobile Marketing." (If you're a Forrester client, it's available in full.)

First, many mobile marketing budgets are growing, according to a survey of U.S. interactive marketers we conducted:
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Also, the other takeaway is not only are mobile budgets growing, the number of marketers looking to leverage mobile is on the rise, with nearly one third of interactive marketers we surveyed using mobile and another third planning to do so.

If you're among those planning to use mobile, or you've tested it and could still use some help, this report offers a guide to best practices which can make the effort less daunting. We recommend starting with the "POST" methodology (People, Objectives, Strategy and Technology) to frame a mobile effort. For example, Sears noticed more people accessing its online site from mobile phones, but they weren't sticking around or converting into customers. So the retailer deployed a mobile-optimized site and now drives traffic to that site with mobile and online advertising. That's the People part of POST. We interviewed 23 agencies and mobile marketing experts, so there are plenty of other examples in the report.

Mobile marketing is still emerging as a channel, and there remain challenges, like standards for campaign measurement and developing broader reach. But current practitioners have learned valuable lessons, and their best practices can help anyone who is just getting started.

How has your company used mobile marketing? Are there lessons you can share? I'd like to hear from you. Post a comment below.