There’s a huge shift underway in the way people use the Internet. Going online from a mobile device has gone from a relative rarity to an everyday occurrence for every Internet user. Accounting for this change is vitally important if you intend to protect the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts. Check out the information below so that you’re prepared to get into mobile marketing properly.

First of all, you need to understand the powerful capabilities of modern mobile devices. If you don’t already have a smartphone yourself, it’s time to invest in one. You can read endlessly about the difference between using the Internet on a desktop and using it on a phone, but nothing will educate you as quickly and thoroughly as a little hands-on experience.

In order to do effective mobile marketing, you should narrow down your focus early on in your campaign. Setting up a strong mobile campaign costs money and requires plenty of time. You don’t want to waste your resources trying to do everything under the sun. Think about your customers and what they’ll want to do with your marketing messages and your mobile site. Concentrate on doing a few things well instead of trying to do everything.

In the world of mobile browsing, users are currently less sensitive about their personal information than they are when they use traditional computers. This doesn’t mean you should be thinking up ways to abuse their openness; instead you should go above and beyond to respect their privacy. Always be upfront about any and all data you collect, and explain to your visitors how you get it and what you do with it. You’ll build a reputation for trustworthiness and stick in your visitors’ memories.

Like many forms of marketing, mobile marketing allows you to do both active and passive advertising. On the passive side, you need to have a website designed for mobile browsing. Your site should be promoted to bring it to potential customers’ attention.

Make sure you’re easy to locate with mobile search engines and local directories like Google+ and Yelp. When it comes to active marketing, you’ll be able to send emails, links, and even text messages to customers who sign up to receive them. Make sure that you respect such customers’ attention; your opt-out procedures need to be clear and simple.

Although you have plenty of ways to reach out to customers using mobile devices, from text messages to emails to mobile sites, they all have one thing in common: the hardware your audience uses to receive them. Every part of your mobile marketing message needs to be crafted with the limitations of the device in mind. This is another reason why it’s so important to do your own mobile browsing; you’ll rapidly develop an intuitive feel for good and bad mobile design.

Many advertisers are already racking up negative experiences in the mobile arena, while others are experiencing great success. The difference is in understand and adapting to the unique features of this new medium.

Hopefully, the points raised in this article will get you thinking productively about how to tailor your next marketing campaign to a mobile audience. Learn what makes mobile online activity different, and you’ll be ready to craft effective marketing for this new frontier.