by Claudia Bruemmer

A new report by Borrell Associates states that “Main Street is embracing mobile marketing at a stunning rate.” Adoption of mobile advertising by small businesses was faster than any media adoption rates of the past, including cable in the ‘80s and the Internet in the ‘90s. There is no doubt that wholesalers, general merchandise vendors and retailers can also benefit from mobile advertising, but B2B marketers have been slow to adopt mobile.

The Borrell report estimates local advertisers will spend $800 million this year on mobile and over $400 million on mobile promotions like contests, coupons and deals. Not only that, it’s predicted those numbers will double every year for he next five years. If that happens, local mobile ad spending would surpass $18 billion for advertising and $4 billion for promotions. That’s more than SMBs spend on traditional online advertising today.

Mobile devices are on track to surpass PCs in a few years. Mobile devices include smartphones, tablets, PDAs and e-readers. In 2011, 500 million smartphones and tablets will be sold, versus only 380 million PCs. When it comes to apps, there are 1.3 million mobile apps today, versus 50,000 to 75,000 PC apps. Nationwide, the transition from PC to mobile devices is happening rather rapidly. And it is preempting yellow pages look-up behavior as well as TV viewing, radio listening, magazine and newspaper reading and traditional PC-based web surfing and email monitoring. Some websites report that over one-third of their traffic is viewed on mobile devices.

B2B differs from B2C mobile engagement. Unlike B2C marketers who must use innovative ways to engage consumers, business audiences are driven by efficiency rather than entertainment. Also, consumers have time to spare, but professionals can’t find enough of it. And while consumers set their own priorities, professionals are accountable to their superiors, with priorities determined by the company’s bottom line.

Whether the goal is to generate leads or to retain customers, mobile gives B2B companies an amazing new way to reach their business audiences. But in order to get the attention of busy professionals, B2Bs must develop mobile programs that can make their target audience’s work activities better, faster and easier − the mantra of all B2Bs. So, it’s essential to send the right messaging for any mobile initiative to be successful and deliver ROI.

However, according to The Mobile Revolution and B2B, B2B companies have been slow to adopt mobile. This is ironical because mobile is the one media that is most used by their target audience. With 72 percent of the U.S. workforce on mobile, 64 percent of B2B decision makers reading their email via mobile devices, and over 70 percent of executives under 40 considering mobile their primary communications tool, it’s clear that B2B professionals view their mobile devices essential to their livelihood.

Here’s why B2B companies need to consider mobile:

• B2B mobile marketing will grow from $26 million in 2009 to $106 million in 2014.
• $2.2 billion of physical goods were purchased via mobile device in 2010.
• There are 285.6 million mobile subscribers in the United States, 91% of the population.
• Mobile devices will pass PCs as the access device of choice by 2013.
• Mobile search will represent 40 percent of all search traffic by 2012.
• $2.2 billion of physical goods were purchased via mobile device in 2010.

If you are a B2B marketer, you can move ahead of your competitors by aligning your marketing efforts with the changing landscape that mobile is creating within your core audience. Those who hesitate risk their company’s relevance in a business world that has been changed forever by anytime, anywhere, always-on media.