Mobile Advertising: The Key to High-Quality Leads Online

When you think about mobile advertising, what comes to mind? For many people, it’s those pesky banner ads that pop up, fill your screen, and generate accidental clicks. But the reality is that mobile advertising is much more sophisticated.

As marketers, we are always looking for new, less invasive mobile ads that generate high-quality leads. According to Comscore, users spend on average 69 percent of their media time on smartphones. With all this time being spent on mobile devices, marketers are looking for ways to capitalize on that attention.

It’s not just the amount of time spent on mobile devices that appeals to marketers. It’s that mobile users tend to search for things they need right now. Like a repair shop, a 24-hour pharmacy, or the nearest taco truck. They’re already further down the conversion funnel and know what they want. According to Search Engine Land, 50 percent of consumers who conduct a local search on their smartphone visit a store within a day.

It should go without saying that the first step in any great mobile advertising campaign is to optimize your website for mobile. After all, 61 percent of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site. (We have some tips on responsive web design here.) But once your mobile site is up and running, how do you draw in the customers?

4 Common Types of Mobile Advertising

Video Advertising. Video is a powerful storytelling mechanism. It allows you to quickly convey your brand story and provide product information that’s easy to digest. Plus, one-third of consumers watch videos on mobile devices – and research shows that millennials spend more time watching video on mobile than TV.

Pay-Per-Click Campaigns. We recently talked about the future of PPC advertising, which should give you a good idea of the up-and-coming PPC trends in 2019. It’s one of the top mobile advertising categories for a reason, with 41 percent of clicks going to the top three paid ads on the search results page on average.

Native Advertising. With native advertising, paid content is packaged in such a way that it blends with the online content around it, without masking the fact that it’s a paid placement. They match the visual design and function just like the natural content and come in many formats:

• In-Feed (Social) – Sponsored content from advertisers is injected directly into your social feed.
• In-Feed (Content) – Editorial feeds often blend paid and unpaid content.
• In-Feed (Commerce) – Commercial feeds on sites like Amazon, App Store, and others contain promoted product ads that look and behave like other product listings.
• In-Map – Organizations can pay to promote their business alongside organically-generated business listings.
• In-Game – Opt-in video advertisements invite players to watch an advertisement to win digital currency or a reward.

Business Insider predicts that native ads will drive 74 percent of all ad revenue by 2021, so this is one mobile trend you cannot overlook.

Social Media Advertising. When it comes to social media, Facebook is still king, with more than two billion active monthly users. However, all of the major social networks can provide a great source of high-quality mobile advertising leads. DoubleClick reports that mobile ads on social networks have more than a one percent click-through rate, while traditional display ads have a click-through rate of only 0.05 percent.

How to Get Started with Mobile Ads
Now that you know a bit about the different options available, you can start building your next mobile ad campaign. Here are a few tips to guide your efforts:

• Consider your audience. With any ad campaign, it’s important to do your homework to know what your target audience likes and where they typically spend their time. Looking to attract gamers? Try an in-game ad. Going after fitness enthusiasts in your area? Consider an in-map promotion.
• Be concise. Mobile screens are small, which means you need clear, concise ad copy. The fewer words you can use to convey your message the better. Otherwise, potential customers may scroll on by.
• Experiment and benchmark your results. When it comes to mobile marketing, there are plenty of options to try. And many of them may not be quite right for your business. It’s important to track your results to see what works, and what doesn’t, for your business.