By Brian Deagan

Though direct digital marketing encompasses a variety of different channels, mobile marketing is rightly garnering a great deal of attention, and not just from those predicting its eminent explosion in adoption.
No doubt, mobile marketing programs are becoming more robust and powerful, and going beyond one-off pilots and short-lived efforts. However, the day-to-day, tactical reality of successful mobile marketing is still difficult for many to grasp and execute.

For mobile to continue growing, it is important to identify three key elements to successfully leverage mobile as a channel strategy deserving of its increasingly larger voice in the overall direct digital marketing landscape.

The first key to developing a successful mobile channel strategy is data. It is vital not just to have good strategies for collecting data, but smart strategies for segmenting the data.

Mobile data is like email data in that there are myriad opportunities to create segments around specific user groups. The ability to store and access data points that are not exclusive to mobile activity is also important.

For example, if a consumer already has a stored email coupon preference in the database, extending that same coupon type to her mobile device increases the likelihood of redemption.

The second key is to seek out mobile marketing software that can successfully interact with existing business systems and data repositories.

Not only will a successful partnership preserve the ability to extend the email and Web experience to the mobile device, it opens the door for additional channel programs such as triggered SMS-messages.

For example, getting a next-purchase savings offer to retail customers before they walk out of the store is an effective mobile tactic that directly affects important retail metrics such as sales-per-customer-visit.

Accessing the customer data in real-time unlocks the immediacy and true power of the mobile channel.

The third key is support.

Navigating the common short code provisioning and carrier approval ecosystem can be challenging and time-consuming.

As a result, treating mobile marketing as an important direct digital marketing strategy means making a long-term commitment to scalable programs that a good mobile partner helps to design and implement.

A good mobile partner will help migrate away from short-term programs with shaky results and build long-term program strategies that are a wise investment of time and resources.

The popularity and feasibility of mobile marketing will grow in tandem with the consumer adoption of various mobile devices and practices.

Text messaging is still the most popular consumer use of a mobile device, behind voice. Therefore, a text-centric mobile strategy is an easy way to engage and communicate with consumers.

While short codes and text-centric strategies are important factors to consider, remember that quality data is what enables the personalization and message relevance necessary for mobile to take its rightful place as a full-scale channel strategy in the direct digital marketing mix.

Brian Deagan is CEO of Knotice, a direct digital marketing services company in Akron, OH. Reach him at .