A lot of research coming out these days will show you that people are turning more and more to their phones for information, and less and less to their PCs. That impacts how and when you want to buy advertising as well.

There are a few reasons, beyond the fact your target audience spends a lot time there, to consider Mobile Advertising; Mobile banners and search ads give a higher performance at a lower cost than regular banner ads, in many cases. This is due to the fact that people are not as blind to banners on a phone screen as they are on a desktop browser as well as the higher impact your banner creative makes on a small screen. Because of this, click rates go up to 0.5%, far higher than the 0.11% recorded for regular banner ads. A similar lift in performance can be found when comparing cost per lead and cost per acquisition for Mobile versus Desktop.

In order to benefit from this tactic, make sure that your ad or site looks great on a mobile screen or tablet. 

Here are some additional tips on targeting mobile/tablet in your advertising:

• Tablets can show full desktop websites well, but they have limitations when it comes to installing desktop applications and filling out forms, so plan accordingly. It’s not a bad move to target only tablet users, because they have above-average response rates and incomes.
• One size does not fit all when going after mobile phone users. Screen sizes vary, as do operating systems (IOS, Blackberry, Android). You need to decide which type(s) of devices you want to target, as well as what audience with what content. 

Once you have made those decisions, you can choose from one or more of the following methods of advertising:

• App advertising via networks or by direct contact with app owners. This is probably the least effective method of advertising unless you can find a snug fit with a given app or create your own entirely. If you do, you can promote it directly and garner a lot of downloads, which puts you face-to-screen with users. Don’t forget that you will need a separate tracking arrangement to compile results indicating response, and other helpful data.
• Advertising on mobile/tablet websites and exposing your wares to their traffic.
• Advertising on “regular” sites via publishers in the industry. These sites can often specifically target mobile and tablet devices as well.
• Mobile RTB advertising, which means Real Time Bidding in an ‘electronic auction’ for unsold mobile and tablet banner impressions. This can give you scale and the possibility of easily optimizing results, always a good thing.
• Advertising in-stream or as a pre-roll on mobile devices. This can get a little pricey but is very impactful.

Whatever choices you make regarding adverts on mobile/tablet devices, rest assured that the traffic on these phones and iPads is beginning to easily outpace the traffic generated via radio, TV print and eventually desktop Web usage. But, when you go mobile, make sure that you go strong, because your brand can be severely harmed through a poor mobile experience for the user.