Mobile Marketing Tools: Top Picks Resource Center 

Got questions about the mobile web? This white paper has plenty of answers. Published by Knotice, which develops software for digital Direct Marketing platforms, the paper explains the whys and wherefores of the mobile web from a marketer's perspective. You don't need a PhD. in geekspeak to understand the concepts, thanks to a liberal use of infographics, definitions and plain speaking.

Besides the technical aspects of mobile web design and usability, the paper offers guidelines for executing and evaluating mobile campaigns, choosing technical service partners and platforms and other relevant topics.

If you haven't optimized your website for mobile visitors yet, you can see how it might render in different environments with this emulator, provided by dotMobi. This firm is the registrar for the ".mobi" suffix.

The emulator gives you skins for two common feature phones, the Sony Ericsson K750 and the Nokia N70. Yes, we know smartphones are gaining on feature phones in the marketplace at time of writing, but feature phones still predominate.

Type in your website's URL. Then, click the "Submit" button and wait for the emulator to load your page. If your site looks unusable, it's time to redesign.

Google provides one of the best resources for m-commerce news, information and best practices with this blog, which supports its mobile advertising business, including the AdMob network, which Google bought in 2010.

Posts are written to help users understand and get more out of their mobile ad spend and to understand the mobile culture better. Expect to see a mix of hands-on, how-to advice, news from the world of m-commerce and easy links to other Google ad programs.

One recent post, "mCommerce best practices: Engaging the mobile shopper," lists "do it now" steps to better engage mobile shoppers, such as using seller ratings and click-to-call services.

Is anybody actually making money in mobile marketing? Millennial Media has a few numbers for you. The research department for this mobile ad network features a host of reports, but we suggest you go first to its collection of case histories. Click "Campaign Summaries" in column 1 or column 3.

Each summary, delivered as a PDF download, is an attractive infographic featuring thumbnails of campaign creative and key case history data: issues, goals, strategies and results. Clients include Buick, Zales and McDonald's. Use the information to benchmark your own campaigns or to bolster your request for additional budget resources.

Millennial Media offers other research as well, including monthly research reports drawn from its own network activity and the annual "State of the Apps Industry" report, also a complimentary downloadable PDF.

Who's doing the coolest mobile campaigns, and what do they really look like on the smallest screens? This website presents a curated list of campaigns in all their full-color/actual-size glory.

Campaigns for products such as Red Bull, Kraft and GoDaddy show you not just how to design for the limitations of the small screen but also how to exploit the advantages smartphones have over their desktop/laptop counterparts.

After you scroll around through the campaigns posted on Mobile Awesomeness (a project of the Brightwurks web development company), sign up for the email newsletter, which sends one example of a campaign to your inbox every business day.

QR ("Quick Response") codes are popping up everywhere, in blogs, print ads, even transit ads. If you're ready to test the waters, begin with this code generator to create your own scannable code in minutes.

The QR code generator produces the small black and white squares of encoded data that can launch a mobile website, download apps, songs and movies, or deliver coupons or other goodies when scanned with a smartphone.

This code generator is the most accessible of all the code generators we checked. The notes below the gray generator form also provide detailed background information and assistance, all written in plain English.

This location-based app, the newest iteration in a field already populated by Foursquare, Yelp and Gowalla, goes one better by actively helping marketers connect the dots to the money.

On one hand, it's an online scavenger hunt (hence the name: SCVNGR) where users go from place to place looking for clues and tips left by other players. But, it's also a location service where you as a business owner can leave a little surprise like a special offer or other incentive. Players promote your business by posting their discoveries and tweeting your location with the hashtag #scvngr.

SCVNGR has both complimentary and paid platforms that allow you to access the site and place offers at your listed location. You can offer up to five "game elements," such as rewards and offers, for free. If you want to do more, prices start at $80 a month.