While mobile advertising is relatively new in the marketing world, many individuals will praise its wonder and lucrative nature. Since it’s still somewhat new however, it’s also somewhat disorganized.
In an attempt to help guide those who are new to mobile, I wanted to provide some basic guidelines and tips that I hope will help you figure out the puzzle that is mobile.
Tip #1 – Know Your Traffic Sources
It’s important to do a little bit of research on your traffic sources before you just dive in. Keep in mind that not all mobile traffic sources possess carrier targeting, and while some traffic sources perform really well with certain carriers, others may not.
That said, while there certainly are more, here is a short list of some traffic networks which provide carrier targeting:
Additionally, there are mobile traffic sources that specialize in certain types of mobile traffic. For instance, Airpush specializes in push notifications while TrafficJunky and Exoclick specialize in adult traffic.
In short, make sure you research and ask questions before diving into any traffic network because your campaign performance will vary.
Tip#2 – Proper Tracking
Mobile tracking is a fickle thing. Performance metrics apply just the same to mobile traffic as it does to your typical desktop traffic, but with the added complexity of mobile devices, carriers, and operating systems. Of course, this means you’ll want adequate tracking software to get a proper slant on your data.
When trying to determine the performance of specific mobile carriers, devices, and operating system you may want to go with more comprehensive mobile tracking systems like our very own Thrive Tracker.
Tip#3 – Optimize Properly
It seems that the biggest hurdle every performance marketers comes across is knowing how to test and optimize their campaigns. This is especially true for anyone running any mobile traffic and can get a little hectic if you don’t have a system. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you’re getting the most out of your offers.
- Split-Test Devices/Carriers/Operating Systems Alone– When initially running an offer, don’t worry about angles or landing pages right away. In addition to the variables in performance you may typically see on desktop campaigns, a mobile campaign’s performance can be determined by the targeted carrier, type of device, and operating system. Yet, while landing pages may increase conversions and performance, landing pages and angles will only add to the chaos when first testing an offer.
- Test a Few Different Types of Creatives– It’s important that after you’ve found a winning OS/Carrier/Device combination for your offer, you test right out the gate with a few different angles. Rotate a landing page in there to see if performance picks up.
- Cut Non-Performing Angles– By this point, you should be able to determine which combination of the aforementioned variables performs best. Obtain a sufficient amount of volume and you’re ready to scale.
- Test Other Traffic Sources– Once your offer sticks, you can test your targeting/angles on other traffic sources. As mentioned before, various sources specialize in various types of traffic.
- Test Other Countries – While testing other traffic sources, you can also test other countries. Keep in mind that a majority of the global population also speaks English, so while you can put time into translating your creatives/landing pages, you may be surprised at how well your campaign performs in other countries.
It should be mentioned that before you scale your campaign, you make sure you’ve cut out all other non-performing variables. This way you’ve completely trimmed out the fat of your campaigns before introducing them to another demographic. In summary, don’t be too quick to scale out.
Additionally, some offer types will almost always work better with landing pages while others are just the opposite. So, for example, if you’re advertising a sweepstakes type of offer, you’ll want to use a landing page right away.
If you’re advertising something simple like ringtones or a game though, a landing page may never be necessary.
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