Nowadays, marketers are incorporating mobile into their efforts to stay ahead of the game and drive engagement. However, companies are still making several common mistakes such as leading consumers to a non-optimized site, which can deteriorate the user experience.

Mobile provides great opportunities for companies to reach as many consumers as possible on a device that is personal to them. With the explosion of new technologies such as augmented reality and QR codes, marketers are adding them into the marketing mix to reach tech-savvy consumers.

Here, industry experts sound off on the five common mobile marketing mistakes.

Poor execution
Last year alone, companies such as Target, Boar?s Head, P.F. Chang?s and Chipotle ran mobile advertising campaigns.

However, they all had one thing in common ? they were not optimized for mobile.

While creative for a campaign may be great, without a properly executed mobile-optimized landing page it is nothing.

Marketers need to realize that if they are running a mobile campaign ? it has to be optimized throughout.

Consumers no longer want to pinch-and-zoom.

?In my opinion, the biggest mistake marketers make in mobile is not linking the campaign to tracked performance metrics,? said Wilson Kerr, vice president of sales and business development at Unbound Commerce, Boston.

?Online, performance is measured by clicks and likes and other non-monetized engagement,? he said. ?Mobile, on the other hand, is all about capturing that contextual here-and-now, real-world moment when consumers are most likely to buy.

?When we build a mobile commerce site for a retailer or brand, we sell our services via the inclusion of integrated marketing tools that drive sales and connect the dots between mobile marketing and mobile commerce.?

Chasing shiny objects
For many big brands, mobile is all about the new shiny objects ? many of the technologies that their competitors are using.

However, companies are forgetting the No. 1 rule: Keep it simple.

?Marketers often forget that with mobile the job is the same as it always was ? to sell more stuff,? said Jeff Hasen, chief marketing officer of Hipcricket, New York.

?The what remains the same, it's the how that's different,? he said. ?Some who fail chase shiny objects rather than go for mobile products and tactics that work.

?Ford saw a 15.4 percent lead-generation rate by adding a simple SMS call to action to traditional media. In my mind, that case is what's cool with mobile ? not the pixie dust stuff we might get at SXSW that can move a marketer's business backward."

Following the path of online advertising
Mobile seems to be following the well-traveled path of online advertising with the same old strategy of placing ads around the experience taking up valuable real estate with irrelevant, interruptive and ignored advertising, rather within it.

It is important that marketers understand what their target consumers are doing.

?Mobile marketing holds tremendous promise for marketers and the medium is experiencing a fever pitch,? said Chris Cunningham, cofounder/CEO of adtivity by appsavvy, New York. ?We continue to ignore activity behaviors, while advertising to have association with premium sites.

?The definition of premium has changed,? he said. ?If mobile publishers and advertisers continue down this path, we?ll be left with another broken digital marketing promise.

?How do we fix it before it?s too late? We need to change our mindset and think beyond what we already know and for the first time in the Internet?s history think about the user ? the people.

Measurement
For years, marketers have been talking about the dilemma of measuring their campaigns and, many times, companies simply run an initiative without tracking their results.

Companies spend a great deal of money and effort to executive and effective mobile campaign. However, those that do not track it are not only missing a big opportunity to better connect with consumers, but better reach them in the future.

"Marketers are jumping into mobile without tracking the effectiveness of certain tools,? said Mike Wehrs, president/CEO of ScanLife, New York.

?Mobile can deliver some amazing business intelligence that marketers never had access to,? he said.

?Marketers need to use technology to help them decide what is effectively delivering the best ROI.?

No promotions
Another mistake mobile marketers make is not promoting their mobile programs effectively across all promotional platforms.

Every successful mobile marketing is based on the number of consumers who participate in it, so promoting the program to drive opt-ins is key. 

"Many unsuccessful programs can be tied to a poor call to actions such as using small text to promote opt-in information, lumping the program call to action with the promotion of other mobile programs or limiting promotion to just the Web, banner ads or simple in-store signage," said James Citron, cofounder/CEO of Mogreet, Venice, CA.

"The greater the promotion of the program, the greater the awareness of the program and the stronger the chance of increasing opt-ins and participation," he said.

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Marketer, New York