Income level and mobile media consumption appear to be related with wealthier device owners engaging in the use of mobile media more than their less wealthy peers according to a recent study released by Nielsen. While the numbers are not that surprising, it is good information to have as you plan or think about your mobile marketing activities. Are you targeting the right people with the right messages?

Some highlights from the study:

In Q4 2011, 54% of wealthier (household income of $100k+) smartphone users accessed the internet compared to 44% with a HHI between $30k and $100k and 40% of those with a HHI under $30k.

Similar patterns were reported for other mobile uses with percentages listed from wealthy users (household income $100k+), middle income users (HHI $30k to $100k) and  less affluent users (less than $30k HHI).

Application usage (42%, 32%, 26%)

Location based services (35%, 25%, 20%)

Mobile shopping (20%, 15%, 11%)

Mobile video and TV (16%, 14%, 12%)

Mobile social networking (36%, 34% 32%)

The study also found that mobile web use is trending upward for all groups, which is not surprising with the availability of more advanced devices and better connection speeds and coverage.

While all of these present huge opportunities for marketers, it’s important to stop and think about what you are promoting and who you are promoting to. For example, with only 11% of the lower income users taking part in mobile shopping, maybe you would be better served focusing your efforts on apps or search ads for products that appeal to wealthier users. Conversely, the competition might be thinking the same thing and competition might be lower in areas of (perceived) lower competition. In the private forum there is a lot of discussion on targeting both on consumer demographics and mobile devices. If you are interested in the space I would urge you to check it out.

The chart below illustrates some interesting information, check it out.