Consumers aren't ready to trust mobile advertising.

In the Content Marketing Institute’s recent B2C report, 43 percent of survey respondents plan to use mobile marketing in 2013. More, 42 percent of B2C marketers will develop mobile applications to engage with prospects. Overall, 85 percent of B2C professionals expect to tailor branded content to appeal to more leads; however, studies show marketers continue to miss out on a plethora of opportunities on the mobile web and social marketing might be best for engaging on-the-go audiences.

Mobile AdoptionA new AdReaction study from Millward Brown, Dynamic Logic and Firefly evaluated mobile marketing adoption and the effects it had on consumers. Interestingly, the study found a paradox – people don’t favor mobile advertising, but research shows it has the potential to be more effective than traditional online promotional programs. The researchers suggest that, while mobile may not be the most popular channel in consumers’ eyes right now, it represents unique opportunities, and marketers must dedicate time to perfecting their mobile experiences to earn the trust of consumers.

The report found that only 9 percent of Americans view mobile advertising “very” or “somewhat” favorably. In fact, consumers listed the practice at the bottom of eight online ad segments, below opt-in display, online display and online video. Custom content posted on social media received the highest rating, with 18 percent of smartphone users and 22 percent of tablet owners engage with content on social networks.

Content marketing could be the most effective method for reaching on-the-go consumers – blog content posted to social sites like Twitter encourage engagement and compel readers to share the articles with their own networks. As Brafton has reported, fat fingers contributed to 38 percent of clicks on static banner ads and 13 percent of click on rich-media banners in October 2012. Instead of funneling resources toward mobile-specific ads, social media might be the most effective channel to reach on-the-go users, as people tend to check their social accounts regularly for engaging and new media.The AdReaction survey shows that consumers aren’t quite ready to embrace mobile marketing. But CMI’s report indicates that a high percentage of marketers will use mobile in 2013, and Brafton has covered reports that mobile social media access is ascending. Businesses must exploit opportunities to deliver media to consumers that’s easy to digest and access via mobile devices.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.