Mobile apps are getting increasingly important in the world dominated by smartphone users. With over 3.5 billion smartphone owners all around the globe, it’s not a surprise to see that Google and Apple stores combined contain more than five million apps.
Smartphone users are now spending 89% of their total time spent on any media in mobile apps, compared to only 11% on the mobile Web. At the same time, a study shows that users recall mobile in-app ads almost 50% of the time.
It is definitely a lucrative advertising resource for businesses targeting mobile users, but you need to think through your strategy and place ads that have the highest conversion potential. We will help you with that by explaining the top 11 principles of implementing ads through mobile apps. Let’s check it out!
1. UX comes first
The main rule of in-app advertising is to respect user experience (UX) more than anything else. Jake Gardner, an essay writer online, says the reason is clear: “Smartphone screens are not too large and poorly placed ads will interfere with users’ primary activities. In order to avoid it, you must follow the best practices of in-app advertising.”
2. Make your ads fast and functional
Speed is the name of the game in the online realm since all users expect developers and marketers to create lightning-fast products. For instance, 46% of people say waiting for pages to load is what they dislike most about browsing the web on mobile. The same goes for in-app ads, so you better make sure to craft fast and highly functional advertisements.
3. Think about the most suitable ad format
Smartphone apps give you a variety of advertising formats, so you should be careful and choose the one that seems to be most suitable for your campaign and audience interests. Here are the most popular options:
- Interstitial ads
- Rewarded video ads
- Out-stream video ads
- Instream pre-roll video ads
- Native ads
- Banners
- Medium rectangle ads
4. Test new formats as soon as they appear
Mobile-focused advertising is changing rapidly and you’ll see new features and formats every year. Our suggestion is to test new solutions as soon as they become available as it will help you outperform competitors and impress the target audience.
5. Create ads that suit your audience
Let’s say you are promoting a new gaming app. In that case, your goal is to impress young gamers with eye-pleasing visuals and dynamic content. The point is to create ads that suit the needs and interests of the target audience instead of focusing on what matters to you and your branding strategy.
6. Stick to just one mobile advertising platform
We know it can be tempting to test multiple mobile advertising platforms, but experience taught us that the best solution is to stick to just one network. This is important because you get to know it well and figure out every trick, so setting up new campaigns will only get easier.
7. Take advantage of targeting
Another thing you should know is that mobile advertising platforms are massive data libraries that you can use to target app users very precisely. It’s easy to pinpoint a specific audience group based on various parameters such as location, age, gender, app usage, and many more.
8. Video is a synonym for engagement
If your only goal is to drive user engagement through in-app advertising, rest assured video ads are the way to go. Videos are exciting and actionable, so you can expect them to inspire viewers and convince them to respond to your promo message instantly.
9. Add incentives to your ads
Believe it or not, people love free stuff and all sorts of perks and incentives. It’s a great way to make app users interested in your offer, so do not hesitate to add some sort of incentive to your ads. Such a tactic is usually affordable for all advertisers and it makes a huge impact on viewers.
10. Include a CTA button
This tip is universal for all types of advertising campaigns, but we have to mention calls to action (CTA) because they are the ultimate purpose of your ads. Your goal must be to drive action from ad viewers, so make sure to include a CTA button and give users the chance to engage the way you want it.
11. Measure achievements and analyze results
Finally, it is important to keep an eye on your in-app advertising campaigns because it gives you valuable insights on how to improve or adjust the existing content.
Up to You!
In-app advertising has become a big deal in the marketing universe lately because billions of people use smartphone apps every day. A well-planned advertising strategy can help you to raise awareness and drive user engagement, but the whole process definitely forces you to utilize the best practices.
In this post, we analyzed 11 ways to execute a perfect in-app advertising campaign. Will it help you to promote your products among mobile users?
AUTHOR BIO
Paul White is an IT blogger and one of the best dissertation writers in San Francisco, CA. He is mostly interested in app development, IT trends, blockchain, and new technologies. Besides writing, Paul loves traveling and long-distance running. You can find him on Facebook