There are an estimated 2 billion smartphone users in the world. In the US, 223 million (more than two-thirds of the entire population) have one including 92% of millennials and 88% of those aged 30 to 49. Even the 65 and up demographic is embracing mobile with 42% owning smartphones; the 65 and up demographic is also the fastest growing one for smartphone ownership. All of these numbers are going to continue climbing in the coming years and companies are investing in mobile marketing at a feverish pace to try and keep up with the mobile trend. But in their hurry, they often make mistakes. The following mobile marketing mistakes are the most common ones.

Assuming a mobile app is a must

Many business owners and marketers view having a mobile app as the pinnacle of mobile marketing success and mistakenly believe they have to develop one. Statistics show that half of all mobile users download on average exactly zero new apps each month. In short, the majority of users have a handful of select apps that they regularly use. When they get a new device, they download those and only those. To develop a successful app that’s worth the investment, it needs to offer real value that other apps don’t. If it doesn’t have utility, people won’t download it or they’ll never use it or delete it soon after. Don’t make an app unless a need for it exists.

Treating mobile like digital advertising but smaller

Many business owners approach mobile marketing by just trying to scale down existing digital marketing efforts for smaller screens. But smartphones and tablets differ from computer monitors and laptops in more than just screen size. For one, most computer monitors and laptops still aren’t touch-enabled. People interact with and use smartphones and tablets in completely different ways than they use desktop computers or laptops so just because marketing efforts work on one doesn’t mean they’ll work on the other.

Too much reliance on responsive design

Responsive design is a relatively new format for web design and virtually all website building platforms use it. Responsive design can recognize the type of device being used to access the site and display either a mobile version or a desktop version. But responsive design isn’t everything and there may still be non-mobile friendly features that display on the mobile site and the mobile friendly version may not use the medium to its full advantage. Responsive design is good for the business owner on a tight budget but it’s worth considering having a completely separate mobile website and desktop site.

No SMS marketing

SMS marketing is the oldest mobile marketing channel and many ignore it in favor of newer or trendier mobile marketing strategies. But there’s a good reasons SMS has stuck around even after all these many years. People are still doing a lot of texting and it remains the most cost effective mobile marketing strategy there is. SMS marketing needs to be the foundation for any effective mobile marketing strategy.