By Steen Andersson, 5th Finger

Think about the way you feel when you forget your phone or PDA at home for the day. Alone? Disconnected? Unprepared? That’s the true test right there. Mobile is more than just cool. Frankly, it’s a necessity. Mobile has gone from novelty to true utility for the 4 billion people who use it.

Just as the mobile phone has evolved, so has mobile marketing. With the advent of devices like DVR, and the wealth of information appearing on the Internet, traditional forms of advertising are losing the panache they once had. The tides are turning, and mobile marketing seems to be the channel that’s really staying afloat. Brands are starting to catch on and clients are starting to ask questions about mobile.

But in order for mobile to be successful, you have to think human about technology. You have to uncover insights and make demographic and psychographic conclusions that inform the mobile idea. To engage with mobile consumers, you have to think like them and bring their on-the-go mentality into the process. You start by analyzing the brand’s target audience. Who they are. How they connect with the brand. How, where and why they use technology. What kind of devices they use.

The things we buy, the places we go, the activities we participate in— all these say something about who we are. Even the place where you buy your coffee suggests who you are, what you care about, and how to communicate with you. In the same way, we can draw conclusions about mobile users based on the technology in their pockets and how they are used.

Consider for a moment, some of the following profiles:

The Mobilista. This is a person who is constantly using the mobile phone to connect, and is an early adopter of the latest technology. He or she is constantly emailing, Twittering, and Facebooking. The Mobilista downloads applications that enable him or her to upload content and photos to blogs and photo-sharing sites like Flickr. For the Mobilista, mobile is a lifestyle, a way to fuel creativity and spark ideas.

The Searcher. On the other hand, The Searcher doesn’t use the mobile phone for connecting, so much as for collecting (information, that is.) The Searcher uses mobile to find information instantly—from directions, to restaurants, to the name of the actor that she just can’t think of. Searchers are they type of people who need to satisfy their curiosities immediately.

The Worker. This person is all about productivity, using mobile for work-related affairs rather than social or personal use. He or she checks email constantly and uses applications with practical uses like mobile banking and note taking. The worker, for all intents and purposes, is all business.

These are just a few of consumer profile examples. There are SO many more out there. But these profiles show that people can be grouped meaningfully according to utility. It could be to connect with others, access the web, remain productive, maintain community… the list goes on and on. But once you determine who you are talking to, you can figure out how to best communicate with them through the mobile channel.

At the end of the day, content has to be relevant, useful and an extension of the big idea. One of the most important things to keep in mind is that mobile advertising MUST ADD VALUE. If it doesn’t do anything for the consumer, it’s not going to do anything for the brand.

If mobile makes sense for your target audience (and most likely it does), partner with a mobile specialist. Find someone who has been deeply engaged in mobility and technology for a while, with their finger on its pulse and the ability to read technology in the moment and anticipate where it’s headed. So when it comes to mobile, if you’re going to put it in the hands of your consumers, you’ve got to put it in the hands of the experts.