Mobile Internet use is expected to surpass desktop usage by 2014. Today, there are more people who own mobile phones (4.8 billion) than toothbrushes (4.2 billion). While the prospects of making money from those who don’t own a toothbrush may be discouraging, the opportunities are ripe for companies engaging now in the development of mobile applications for their business.

According to Deloitte, about 22.5% of businesses are seeing the most traction in B2B mobile solutions while 33.7% are building apps for the B2C sector. The question is how to achieve relevance through mobile? Here are some tips:

1. Think like your target. Think about location, time of day to improve relevance. For example, does your app alert customers who have taken the effort to download your apps to the fact that your retail store is nearby and that you are offering 30% off on selected items right now? Brands should direct consumers to the closest place where they can take action. Nearly 29% of consumers who research a product in a retail location end up buying the product.

2. Mine the analytics. We have a new client for e-commerce and a mobile app is in their future. The client’s back end of the company’s e-commerce site will determine when we push out special offers via their mobile devices to make purchases. Know your customers and use e-commerce data to drive your marketing techniques.

3. Don’t forget text. Texting is still the best use of mobile marketing. Especially for lower end purchases, like a convenience store offering deep discounts on energy drinks or a gasoline promotion, don’t forget that a ton of cell phone users with disposable income still don’t own smartphones and text is the best way to reach them.