Mobile is Crucial ! Over the past couple of years, we all heard that mobile traffic is increasing, that UX on mobile is super important, that having a mobile responsive website or an app is a standard. In short, having a mobile presence is not a luxury anymore. In the last year, many companies have developed a mobile presence, which typically consists of having a mobile (responsive) website and/or mobile app.
We are all aware that people are spending more and more time on their mobile devices. In April of this year we witnessed mobile traffic overtaking tablet traffic for the first time (howwebrowse.be). Moreover, according to Google, mobile queries should outmatch desktop queries around Q4 2016.
The ‘Mobile Revolution’ is in full flight and even if mobile search volumes are still below desktop, companies should already have a clear mobile presence in place. An important part of this is developing a mobile website or app. Even though this is a very interesting subject, our talk on ‘Mobile Day’ is going to focus on the next steps: how should I promote my app and/or mobile (responsive) website? Indeed, having a mobile presence is one thing, getting your customers to be aware of it and consequently make use of it are far more important. To that end, this talk will highlight the possibilities, techniques and methodologies in the promotion of your mobile app and mobile (responsive) website. Furthermore, it will highlight the possibilities for driving ROI and retention on said mobile platforms.
It all starts by focussing on your customer’s online behaviour. Depending on their online behaviour, different advertising formats can be used. Both for your mobile application as your mobile website a myriad of advertising formats are available.
When looking to promote your mobile application in Belgium, we identify 3 main platforms that dominate the online advertising market: Google, Facebook & Twitter. These platforms offer enough advertising formats to suit your every objective.
As mentioned above, an excellent way to approach your mobile app promotion strategy is by analysing your users online behaviour. Are they mainly active on search and surfing websites? Go for App Promotion ads on Google Search and add a GDN layer for awareness. Are they a social bunch that roams the social networks? Throw in some Facebook and Twitter ads. When defining your mix, it’s important to remember that every channel has it’s own objective. Some offer excellent reach and awareness (GDN, YouTube) while others entice user engagement (Facebook, Twitter, Lightbox), while even others focus on generating leads & conversions (Search). An optimal approach is to have a well-balanced mix between these different channels that matches your objective.
When looking to promote your mobile website and drive ROI on said platform, Google search (or Bing for that matter) is a very good place to start. People that are actively looking for products and services on the search platform are much more advanced in their customer journey. Furthermore, when they are looking via mobile devices, these users are often comparing products in the shop and thus really close to buying. Take advantage of this and make sure you are present.
The first step will obviously be to enable your ads to appear on mobile. Some advertisers are still using -100% mobile bid adjustment. Starting with a slightly lower negative mobile bid adjustment will help you start appearing on mobile while controlling your costs.
Another important step is the use of mobile optimized ads, which are optimized to appear on mobile screens. If your business allows it, why not choosing for call extensions or even specific call-only campaigns where clicks become phone calls, and conversions are based on the call’s duration. Those ensure a quick engagement with your business while customers are searching on their mobile.
Next to the ‘standard’ mobile ads, a lot of interesting things are being developed for product-focussed businesses (e-commerces, etc.). Google has been working a lot on shopping campaigns for mobile (local inventory ads, expanding ads, etc.).
As mobile is evolving most of the big platforms are improving and expanding their services and advertising formats for Mobile.
Authors: Maxime Vandenbussche & Julien De Visscher
