In my last post I focused on social-media marketing for business audiences, but in this post I’m squarely focused on MOBILE marketing, and I'll be regularly covering the remarkable B2B marketing opportunities of both of these emerging technologies in my columns. Because where social media gives everyone a voice, mobile gives everyone access to one another and, through Web-enabled smartphones, access to a wealth of online content, communities and data.

Moreover, with 4.6 billion current mobile subscriptions projected to surge to 6.5 billion mobile connections by 2014, there's no denying it: Mobile has arrived—and it's changing how (and where) business professionals communicate with each other, and how (and WHY!) audiences interact with B2B brands.

Fellow marketers, I ask you to take a moment to reflect (and respect!) these mind-blowing numbers, because they equate to over HALF the planet already owning a mobile phone... with mobile being the *one* piece of technology that business professionals always have turned on and, more to the point, always keep on them, no matter where they are located. The fact is, consumer and business marketers alike have never witnessed this stunning scale of ubiquitous adoption coupled with a unique communications channel that is at once instantaneous and intimate due to its anywhere-anytime, one-to-one nature.

Mark my words, mobile will be a game-changer for B2Bs who never want to miss a purchasing opportunity, no matter the marketing channel. But while B2C marketers are tapping mobile tools and technologies in earnest, B2B marketers have not yet fully recognized *WHY* mobile poses a robust, revenue-generating channel for their efforts.

To be sure, with a new set of media comes a brand new learning curve. And as with all emerging technologies, building the business case begins with answering the fundamental questions of "Why Mobile for B2B companies? How do business professionals benefit from mobile marketing programs? And what type of business value do B2Bs stand to gain from integrating mobile tools, technologies and approaches into their marketing activities?"

To best answer these important questions, I've created a slideshow primer (which is located directly below this post). Due to text-heavy nature of many of the slides, the slideshow is best viewed in FULL-screen format, and there is an option for enlarging the viewing area underneath the slides on the left. Or, if you prefer to download these slides, just go here for a PDF version.

I hope you find the content helpful in your mobile marketing planning and for building the business case for mobile within your own organizations.