NEW YORK - As more consumers use their smartphones for communication, social networking and shopping, companies must optimize their Web site for mobile.

The ?Why Direct Marketers Must Embrace the Mobile Marketing Opportunity? panel at DMA Mobile Marketing Day 2010, hosted by Mobile Marketer and the Direct Marketing Association, was moderated by Mobile Marketer editor in chief Mickey Alam Khan. Mobile has proven to be an effective marketing channel across various sectors, and direct marketers ignore that fact at their peril.

?If you look at the industry and you just take a look at the different trends that are happening, more people are buying more smartphones with better browsing capabilities,? said Richard Ting, vice president and executive creative director for mobile and emerging technologies at Interpublic Group?s R/GA, New York.

?Carrier networks are getting better, [they are] speeding up, but then also, data plans are becoming cheaper, so people are paying for the plans,? he said.

?If you add all of these trends, more people are going to be accessing Web-based content from their device.?

Retail marketing
Several brands have incorporated its company and user interaction to create an environment for consumers

Porsche had a program last year, which gave away test drives to users and those that wanted to test drive a Porsche car, for example.

?To me that?s a huge value to the consumer,? Mr. Ting said. ?Once a user clicks on that, it goes to that environment where the user is going to get something out of that click.

?You just have to focus on what that post click experience is,? he said.

Consumers are spending a lot of time on their device, but the mobile browser is different from a PC browser.

Several major media companies, including ESPN, have taken their Web site from online and abbreviated it to a manageable mobile device site.

With mobile sites, companies are trying to give consumers access. Reportedly by 2013, there will be more smartphones than PCs and consumers will use their smartphones as their day-to-day devices.

Several panelists have compared mobile Web sites to the Internet. If a company does not have a mobile Web site now, it is the same as not having a Web site in 2000.

?Listen to your consumers,? said Eric Harber, president and chief operating officer of HipCricket, Kirkland, WA. ?How many people are coming to your Web site with mobile devices?

?Now is the time,? he said. ?That does not mean you have to jump in with both feet.

?There are multiple platforms out there. You can take it in steps and experience and move forward.?

HipCricket generates revenue and consumer engagement for hundreds of broadcast stations and consumer brands.

The company claims that it can take weeks to get a short code provision and suggests that brands use a guide to do it and choose someone to help them through their mobile beginnings.

?Pick someone that you trust,? Mr. Harber said. ?I would suggest getting some guidance in the beginning and if you want to do that yourself then that is fine too.

?Integrate mobile into every marketing thing that you do,? he said. ?Think about it every sing time you do something in marketing.?

Marketing demographic
In terms of demographics, the younger population is over indexing when it comes to smartphone usage.

The panelists agree that there is no one size fits all solution for mobile, but claim that eventually people will begin to use their smartphone as their day-to-day devices.

?I?m not convinced that the utility in the older demographic is there,? said Michael Bayle, vice president pf monetization and marketing at Amobee, Redwood City, CA. ?Text is ubiquitous, it will often work.?

Bango provides the technology that powers commerce for businesses targeting the growing market of Internet-enabled mobile phone users.

The company suggests putting some market towards a mobile Web site and to make sure that the site has the basics to work across for the devices that matter.

The company also likes certain mobile Web sites from different brands.

?I like the focus that Proctor & Gamble created,? Mr. Bayle said. ?In travel, I respect Orbit, they have a medium that has transaction.

?Amazon is easy now because you can buy a book with one click,? he said. ?I can be here talking about a book and ten seconds later, I own it.?