​Brands will invest in mobile content to take advantage of mobile's ROI capabilities.

​As technology advances, mobile devices will embed themselves in Americans’ lives permanently. People already turn to their smartphones and tablets to access their email accounts, social networking profiles and the mobile web, and marketers see these actions as clear avenues for lead generation success.

The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) evaluated U.S. mobile marketing spend over the past year in partnership with IHS Global Insight. The subsequent study, “Mobile Marketing Impact,” found that mobile ad, mobile customer-relationship management and mobile direct-response marketing on non-mobile devices will total $10.46 billion by the end of this year. The report expects spend to reach $20 billion by 2015.

While marketing spend will rise, so will brands’ content ROI, according to the source. The spending on mobile outreach will have an economywide impact of $216.9 billion in sales this year, a ratio of $1 in spend to $20 in sales, according to the MMA. This is known as the marketing impact ratio (MIR), and it suggests companies will generate significant profits for every dollar spent on mobile internet marketing.

The MMA’s data shows that advertising on smartphones and tablets help businesses achieve their brand goals, drive website conversions and increase awareness. This should encourage even more brands to explore various types of mobile marketing.

InsightExpress noted in a recent report that mobile investments generate healthy brand metrics, increased awareness and purchase intent. For example, the mobile web will see a hefty increase in spending – approximately $3.16 billion by the end of this year – and companies will optimize their mobile content and social media content for search on smaller screens.

Similar to how many American organizations have taken to SEO content for desktop lead generation and nurturing, mobile remains the next frontier, and marketers will have no choice but to venture onward. Content marketing is a broad strategy that helps brand increase search visibility across all channels and devices. While optimizing media for mobile search requires a different approach, the same editorial prowess and vision can be applied, and that saves resources for many brands.

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.