Cipher Media

There are many reasons to try mobile search when you are thinking about promoting your App. The mobile advertising market is exploding and people are using smartphones more and more in their everyday lives.

For companies with limited advertising budgets paid mobile search marketing campaigns can be highly effective for driving app downloads. Paid search advertising works well for mobile apps as many apps are inexpensive and readily available – people are looking to consume the content fairly quickly. Popular mobile verticals include sports, celebrity news, news, wallpapers and videos.

Mobile paid search is similar to online paid search. Image and text ads are displayed in organic search engine results and in the content of mobile sites. And, advertisers pay when their ad is clicked. There are however, some differences that require a new approach. Below are some of App-Promo’s best practices:

* Create and manage separate campaigns. This enables you to segment mobile devices and customize your messaging to the user.
* Specify carrier and device options. For example, with Google you can “select all” or choose specific mobile devices such as Android, iPhone and Palm. You can also choose specific carriers such as AT&T, Sprint etc.
* Tailor your message to your audience. Different features of an app will appeal more to some customers than others and this should be reflected in your messaging. For example, Pizza Hut’s mobile App includes a game that is embedded in its ordering system, which is of interest to gamers and orderers.
* Use short queries. With mobile devices, searchers typically use shorter queries that they can easily type on their phones.
* Keep local in mind. Mobile search queries are more local in nature. According to a 2009 report by The Kelsey Group, 15% of queries have a local modifier.
* Aim for higher positioning. Mobile web pages have limited space and often only show one or two ads. Mobile ads in the top two positions perform best as they consistently show in the mobile search results.
* Test multiple landing pages and messaging. As mobile screens are limited in size, your landing pages should be optimized for mobile devices. Create multiple landing pages with varying designs and messaging to determine what resonates most with your target audiences.