INCOME ACCESS
SPONSORED EDITORIAL
MARKETING FOCUS
Break into mobile marketing
With mobile seeing remarkable growth, Deanna Dobson of Income Access examines the methods and bene?ts of entering the mobile marketing space
If you’re still on the fence about mobile marketing, consider this: within the next two years, mobile web traffic will surpass desktop traffic. Already, by the end of 2012, the number of predicted online searches for mobile devices was estimated to be at 30 billion. While this is a jaw-dropping ?gure, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise. According to recent estimates, there are currently more than 1.2 billion unique mobile web users, and this is growing with every new smartphone and tablet. Just in the last year, mobile (including tablet) searches have quadrupled, accounting for one out of every seven searches. More importantly, however, is how these devices are being used – just think how often you’ve searched for something on your phone or tablet after seeing an ad on TV. Affiliates and affiliate managers can ill afford to neglect non-desktop traffic. The time is now to take your affiliate campaigns mobile. Don’t get left behind! Here are some tips on how to break into mobile affiliate marketing. Understand what’s involved The term ‘mobile’ involves a number of different channels and tactics for both smartphones and tablets. These can include: Mobile-friendly websites (customised for mobile devices, with smaller screens, simple navigation, and so forth) Mobile apps Mobile ads optimised for portable devices Local mobile search optimisation SMS advertising Do your research There are hundreds of mobile affiliate networks, programmes, tools and offers. Take the time to determine what the competition is doing, using and offering, and you will come to understand what best suits your needs. More importantly, though, comprehensive
Deanna Dobson is part of the client relations team at Income Access. With a degree in marketing, and having previously worked as a senior affiliate manager, Deanna is focused on optimising affiliate marketing relationships and leading affiliate programme strategy development.
research will help you identify what mobile device is most relevant to your needs. Once you know if you want to focus on tablets, or a speci?c phone (for instance iPhone vs. Android or both), you can then ?ne tune ROI by targeting speci?c audience groups and products optimised for those mobile devices. You wouldn’t, for example, want to promote an Android game to iPhone users. With speci?c devices targeted, you can then adapt online content and messaging strategies for non-desktop traffic. Quizzes, surveys and trivia, for example, all work well on mobile platforms, and can be spun off from most online content. Mobilespeci?c promotions, coupons and PPC ads can also be quite useful to retain audience and attract new eyes. Make sure, though, to link to a mobile site with a unique tracking code. User experience is king Speed may kill, but on mobile devices, it’s a killer. Messages, actions and products have to be simple, with quick loading, mobile-speci?c sites and landing pages. Don’t make it hard for your audience. Utilise tactics that let them take action directly from their mobile device. Using mobile-speci?c call to actions, for example, can help users know what to do next on their mobile device (for instance a “call now to ?nd out more” or “swipe the page to enter the contest”). Mobile content, meanwhile, should be optimised with relevant keywords. Users behave differently on mobile devices, and the keywords you use should re?ect those differences. Start your mobile campaigns with your current keyword list, but look out for low CTRs and conversions. Google Analytics data can then help you get a better idea of what mobile users are searching for to get to your site. It’s also a good idea to make use of mobile ad extensions, which allow you to link maps and stores directly to your ads. Test and track Much like the multivariate and split A/B testing required in SEM and web design development, testing in mobile marketing is fundamental. The more you test keywords, landing pages, ad copy, site content and navigation (as well as their combinations), the more likely you’ll be able to develop an effective mobile affiliate marketing strategy. Once you’ve found something that works, stay on top of it, leveraging analytics to maximise performance and ROI. The mobile marketing sector will continue to develop in the next few years, and getting in on the ground ?oor now, while it’s still in its infancy, is essential. So don’t be left behind...go mobile!
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