Mobile advertising - develop a strategy for a successful campaign!

The smartphoneization of Poland, as the sudden increase in sales of mobile devices in our country is called, has opened wide horizons for mobile marketing. Mobile advertising began to be more and more popular. Marketing via mobile devices has ceased to be an addition to other campaigns, and has become an independent and effective promotional activity. In this text, we will look at some types of mobile advertising and show what you should pay attention to during your advertising strategy in mobile campaigns.

The specificity of mobile advertising

Mobile advertising is a type of digital advertising, but follows slightly different principles than Internet advertising. The differences result primarily from the specificity of using mobile devices - there are certain limitations as well as many additional possibilities. Before you start implementing any mobile campaign, you should take a look at the ways in which marketing activities for the so-called third screen. How do we use the internet on smartphones and tablets?

According to research conducted by Google, 66% of Poles use the Internet on mobile devices. First of all, the time spent on a smartphone or tablet is divided into a browser and mobile applications. We'll take a close look at two ways to advertise in mobile browsers - through search engine advertising and through displays.

The use of browsers on mobile devices is largely based on the use of search engines, tracking news, checking information that is interesting and needed at the moment. However, more and more activities are shifting from browsers to mobile applications, e.g. activity in social media. Browsers, however, have not become a thing of the past, although their importance has decreased compared to applications. Experts say this is an evolution, the origins of which could be seen with the advent of mobile devices.

Mobile advertising in search engines

How do we most often use search engines on mobile devices? First of all, we search for specific services, products or try to use search engines to locate a specific point in the near or more distant surroundings. Andy Chu, representing Bing, believes that 70% of mobile search results result in a specific action being taken within an hour. However, this does not always apply to online actions - sometimes it may be, for example, making a purchase in a stationary store whose website was viewed on a mobile device by the user.

Placing an advertisement in a mobile search engine - and such actions are allowed by Google AdWords - allows the use of many functions that cannot be used in advertisements for a stationary device. Of course, when planning an AdWords campaign for mobile devices, you need to define your audience and determine the content of the displayed ads. However, you can add two essential extensions to your ad.

The first is an option in Google AdWords called Call Only. It allows you to include a phone number for your company in the ad. After clicking on the number, the user will be able to call your company immediately or send a message. The second - is the advertisement of the application. If you have an app, encourage its download via a search ad. For users who already have your application on their devices, create an ad that will contain a link to a specific place in this application.

You have to consider which option will be of greater benefit to you. Also remember about other facilities for searchers - if an action is performed by 70% of users within an hour after a search, try to simplify it as much as possible for them. Often, this action takes place outside the network, so if you have a stationary store, attach a map to your ad, where you will mark the location of your store. A link to a marked map can also be effective.

Your ads may appear not only in the search engine. If you've also tagged your AdWords campaign on an Display Network, they'll also appear on other sites or even apps (such as YouTube). You can also create mobile image ads, but they are not only related to Google AdWords.

Mobile advertising in the display version

What is the specificity of display advertising for mobile devices? It is often indicated that mobile image ads have a lower conversion rate than desktop displays, but have a higher click-through rate. What does this mean in practice? This means that display ads for mobile devices may pursue goals other than, for example, sales or lead generation. However, they are perfect as traffic catalysts for websites, tools for building brand awareness or recognizing a new product.

What types of image ads can you encounter when using the internet for mobile devices? The first thing to keep in mind is that mobile devices do not support Flash ads (content). Rather, it is worth sticking with the .gif, .jpg or .png formats. The second important question is whether the ads are to be adapted to tablets or smartphones. Tablets easily support formats known from stationary devices, such as skycraper (120x600px) or billboard (750x100px). Smartphones, however, require smaller formats. Among the types of display advertising for mobile devices, we distinguish:

• banners (320x50 on smartphones, 768x90 on tablets),

• sliders (320x50 to 320x480px),

• mobile rectangle (300x250px),

• interstatiale (full-screen ads, appearing while waiting for a specific page to load),

• rich media - an extremely specific format of full-screen advertising, using interactive elements, as well as functions typical for smartphones (e.g. geolocation). This type of advertisement is focused on clear interaction with the user, thanks to which it is easier to remember, and also - as research proves - generates a higher conversion than a classic banner.

It is also important to choose the ad network where you want to place your display ads. We already mentioned that it is well suited for Google AdWords image ads with campaign extension to the Display Network. However, you can choose a different type of mobile advertising network. How do these kinds of networks work? Service providers buy resources from publishers - mobile websites and applications - and sell them to advertisers. According to the division made by Pasqua and Elkin in the book Hour a day with mobile marketing, the following types of ad networks can be distinguished:

1. Premium mobile ad networks - include the resources of publishers running well-known websites and highly popular mobile applications.

2. Blind networks - includes resources from less known sites and applications. Usually, however, it is not known where the ads will appear, although it can be assumed that they will be displayed on pages matching the targeting criteria you have set earlier.

3. Blind premium networks - This is what makes them different from regular premium networks in that you cannot determine where your ads will appear. Such networks take into account the targeting set by you and the selected billing model.

4. Incentive networks - effective in promoting the application - are sent to users, e.g. e-mails encouraging them to use the application for a small fee. This creates a network of users that is not based on network resources.

Different networks have different costs. Blind networks are the cheapest, while premium mobile networks are the most expensive. You have to choose the network according to your requirements and budget. If you already know what the form of your ad will be and where you will place it, it is worth considering how you will determine its effectiveness and what will constitute the conversion.

Accounting for the effectiveness of mobile advertising

A KPI for mobile-browser ads can vary, but will most often be determined by different types of clicks. These can be clicks leading to a phone call, to a landing page, to a map, to the application store, to specific places in the application, etc. Then you need to define what you will consider as a conversion - here you can pre-set goals such as placing an order , using a discount coupon (in a stationary store), making a purchase in a mobile store, obtaining a lead, making an appointment with a consultant, etc.

If you already set the efficiency index and the expected conversion, you can easily measure the effectiveness of your actions in mobile browsers. Mobile advertising can also be used in social media - Facebook Ads gives you the opportunity to promote your website on a social network or company website. It may turn out to be a bull's eye, because a significant part of mobile internet users often kills boredom by browsing social media.