With a user base that is expected to grow to 462 million by 2012, mobile television is heating up phone circuits everywhere. But the latest developments have local mobile marketing experts excited . . . as mobile TV goes local.

According to Fierce Mobile Content, not one, but TWO companies are vying for the position of local mobile television provider.

Independent telcos seeking a competitive edge against cable and satellite providers have long made local programming a cornerstone of their IPTV efforts–after all, any cable or satellite service can deliver network sitcoms, premium dramas and Hollywood blockbusters, but only a broadcaster rooted in its community will offer on-demand viewing of the high school football team’s thrashing of its cross-town rival or a particularly heated city council meeting. It’s a situation mirrored in the current mobile TV environment, where operator-backed services deliver programming selected for maximum demographic-wide appeal, offering little that isn’t already available via other national broadcast platforms.

A-VSB and MPH promise something truly different, expanding the personal relevancy of what mobile subscribers watch as well as when and how they watch it. For example, a local affiliate could make the latest headlines, traffic and weather available on-demand immediately after the traditional newscast airs, enabling viewers to tune in and catch up via mobile whenever the opportunity presents itself. Add search and advertising revenues to the mix, and local-centric mobile TV seems even more lucrative.

It may not be Super Bowl coverage, but the ability of local mobile marketing to place ads during live coverage of the college football game offers unlimited possibilities! Or have shots of your restaurant and delicious food come up around dinner time, when your potential patrons are looking for a place to eat.

While the majority of local mobile marketing is done on a text message level, there´s no question that mobile phones are rapidly improving and local mobile marketing can only follow it on the upward curve, of which, video ads are the next logical step. This is definitely something to keep an eye on.

One third of Americans with mobile phones have noticed ads on their phones in the past few months. That´s about 78 million people, not an insignificant number! This data was reported by mobile entertainment company Limbo, which teamed up with GfK NOP Research, a British marketing research company, to analyze local mobile marketing.

You can read more about the report at MediaPost Publications, but here is an interesting tidbit:

Among other key findings, the report confirmed that SMS text messaging remains the dominant non-voice service used by U.S. mobile subscribers, with 56% tapping away on phones. Mobile gaming and surfing the mobile Web were both about half that percentage, while less than 10% watch mobile TV.

Of the one-third of cell customers who have seen mobile ads, most received them via SMS or MMS text messaging. “A third of mobile phone owners saying they’ve seen advertising on their phones is significant,” said Rob Lawson, CMO at Limbo, which creates games and other mobile content. “It means the first hurdle has been crossed to reaching the mass market.”

For small businesses who are still hesitant about local mobile marketing, the proof is in the pudding. It´s time to jump in now, or you´ll quickly become a straggler as local mobile marketing starts to go through the roof. The simple fact that 78 million people are seeing and paying attention to ads on their phones lets us know that this is a marketing medium that simply won´t be going away.

Local mobile marketing allows you to reach consumers where they are, literally anywhere. This has great benefits and if you market correctly, you´ll end up with a very successful campaign. However, when operating in a medium that is so intimate, such as local mobile marketing, there is always the risk of problems.

Creating a successful campaign is obviously the goal in local mobile marketing. The problem is when your local mobile marketing interferes with what your potential clients are trying to do. They will get annoyed and fed up and rather than buy your product or invest in your service, they are far more likely to hate you! So, this is a pretty delicate situation.

Ideally, your local mobile marketing ads should be useful and interesting so they don´t irritate mobile users. Also, you want to be careful that you don´t send anything that could be construed as inappropriate. Keep in mind that people are going to be accessing your ads in public places, like the subway or at the office. Avoid using images that could be construed as racy or insulting.

Local mobile marketing should be something that fits seamlessly into mobile browsing and doesn´t interfere with the user´s tasks. Once you manage that, you will be quite successful.

While local online advertising is something that has been around for quite some time, local mobile marketing is relatively new and promising. As more and more people rely on their mobile phones to surf the net while commuting or waiting in a doctor´s office, more possibilities in the world of local mobile marketing are opening up.

It is estimated that by 2010, there will be about 3.3 billion mobile users world-wide, which means your target market will most likely have a cell phone and will probably be surfing the web on it. More people have access to a mobile than they do to a PC, plus with such easy usability, they will be more likely to look things up online using their phones. This can only improve as phones do, making local mobile marketing one of the top ways to advertise your business in the near future.

One of the benefits of local mobile marketing is that your messages are far more likely to be actually read by the recipient. On a PC, these messages might be flagged as spam for certain words, but on a mobile, you can get straight to the user, at least for now.

Experts agree that while local mobile marketing is just getting started now, it will shortly be a very popular and useful medium for local advertising. It is well worth it to start looking into local mobile marketing now.