Ed O'Keefe, Vice President, Product Management, Marchex

As a society, Americans are constantly on the go. It's all about having access in real time, precisely when you want or need something. I often catch myself searching for a local business using an application on my mobile phone. As a result, the number of searches I do online have dramatically decreased.

Recent research has shown that my personal actions are a mere reflection of a complete shift in consumer behavior as a whole: The number of mobile Web users is expected to grow from 54.5 million today to as many as 95 million by 2013, while the use of mobile handsets is projected to grow from 266.4 million to 274.7 million, according to The Kelsey Group's 2008 mobile local media forecast.

The quality of the user experience has improved to the point where mobile devices now provide the freedom to communicate and browse the Web from anywhere at any time — and consumers are adopting this behavior in droves. In fact, consumers from age 18 to 41 now spend more time online (25 percent) than watching TV (22 percent), according to a recent study by Morgan Stanley. And, amazingly, they spend almost as much time on their mobile devices (15 percent).

Given this behavioral shift, advertisers are struggling to learn how to capitalize on this opportunity. As a result, mobile marketing represents a vast — and growing — untapped reservoir of potential customers and business.

Now Is the Time to Jump In
With mobile advertising still in its infancy, and millions of consumers adopting new mobile technologies every day, now is the time for advertisers to jump in. Mobile is where consumers are headed, and marketers and advertisers that already excel with traditional media might consider adding mobile to their media mix in order to remain in touch with their target audiences.

Consumer behavior on mobile devices presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in sifting through the vast applications and Web sites that consumers use — and through which advertisers will send messages. The opportunity with mobile is that consumers are often already using it to look for information on goods and services. Therefore, they are much more receptive to an advertisement relevant to their search.

As consumers spend more time on mobile devices, they expect access to relevant information at the moment they need it. For instance, a man walking down the street who suddenly becomes hungry can use his mobile device to find a pizza place and receive a coupon for a nearby restaurant on his screen. Or a woman driving on a road trip can use her mobile device to find directions, a map and a hotel for the evening, as well as dial directly from her screen to make reservations.

Consumers now have the power of search at their fingertips and, as such, they expect instant gratification and access to highly relevant information.

Right Here, Right Now
Application developers are also jumping on this trend and offering consumers incredibly useful and efficient tools to find exactly what they want quickly and easily on their mobile devices. For example, an application for the iPhone, called "iWant," uses the device's GPS function to help consumers find businesses near their exact location. In addition to instant — and highly relevant — results, the application provides maps and contact information, reviews, ratings, and options to call or send the information to a friend.

Consumers are living their digital lives in real time; they are more educated and demanding, and they want the relevant information to come to them when they want and need it. This gives businesses the opportunity to establish strong ties with their customers. By creating interactive, mobile-optimized landing pages that encourage customers to send the listing to a friend or save the contact information for later, businesses can build a level of permanence with customers not before possible.

Not only are consumers adopting mobile, they are also becoming quickly dependent on it. According to a study by Morgan Stanley, if faced with tough choices on how to spend discretionary income, consumers would give up most purchases before cutting their mobile phone, including going out to eat, books and music, travel, organic groceries, and even clothes and shoes.

In addition, mobile advertising offers incredible advantages for businesses, including higher conversion rates, clearly measurable metrics, the ability to better customize and target consumers, and the potential for stickier, long-lasting customer connections. When added to a diversified mix of traditional media, mobile will help companies significantly increase their return on investment.

Success Depends on Targeting and Precision
And some advertisers have already caught on. Though total U.S. ad spending is projected to fall by more than 6 percent in 2009, mobile is the only medium projected to grow this year.

For advertisers ready to try mobile, it's important to recognize that it requires a different approach. Successful mobile marketing should be targeted and precise. It's also very important to know your customers and how to reach them. It's hard for your customers to find you if you're not moving your ads to where they spend their time.

Clearly, mobile will be a big part of the future of marketing. Just a few years ago, mobile Web browsing meant a painfully slow, frustrating exercise that only occasionally worked. Today, we have the ability to do almost anything that a computer can do from the palms of our hands. By taking advantage of this perfect storm of technological innovation and rapidly shifting consumer behavior, advertisers can establish even stronger and longer-lasting relationships with their customers.

Ed O'Keefe is vice president, product management, at Marchex, a leading local search and performance advertising company, with headquarters in Seattle.