Mobile PPC Strategy – Get Results

Mobile Moxie on the Road, Part 7
Presented in Sydney, Australia; April 2011

Mobile ad spending is growing at breakneck speed.  In 2009 approximately $416 million was spent on mobile paid advertising, and by 2014 a projected $2.55 billion will be spent in the same channel.  Now is the time to educate yourself and start getting results with paid mobile marketing.  Search display ads are growing, and by 2013 mobile search is projected to encompass 73% of the mobile ad market.  The bottom line is, it’s time to get in the game.

So, what is mobile PPC?  Very similar to traditional PPC, mobile PPC (or Pay-Per-Click) ads display within the search results when a user searches for something on their mobile phone.  They appear on both feature phones and smart phones when a user is searching via a mobile browser.  Refer to the slide presentation to see visual examples of mobile PPC ads on different devices. Mobile devices are, obviously, much smaller than desktop and laptop computers, so the space for displayed ads is much more limited than what you see in traditional PPC.  Consider this when building a mobile PPC campaign, and be sure to test it out on multiple devices.

Main Things to Know about Mobile PPC

1. How to set up mobile ads:

ο Using Google AdWords, create a new campaign and select the campaign type, ‘Mobile Devices Only.’
ο Select a geo-location where you want the ads to be served.  This could be a country, a state, province, city, or a combination.
ο Choose the networks where you want your ads to display.  You will likely want to choose all mobile networks in your area.
ο You can also choose what devices you want your ads to show on.  If you know that your target demographic is mainly users of the iPhone, or if you are promoting an iPhone app, you can select to show ads only on iPhones.
ο If you are a brick and mortar business, connect your ads to your Local Business Center account in Google places.
ο Create your ad and use compelling calls to action.
ο Refer to the slide show for more screen shots on setting up AdWords Mobile PPC ads.

2. What is Click-to-Call?

ο This feature used to only apply to feature phones, but it is now available on smart phones as well
ο This is a great feature because it can be tracked. You can set up separate phone numbers for different ad campaigns and track incoming calls tied to each phone number.  Also, AdWords will show your click thru rate (CTR) on click to calls.
ο Also consider making click-to-call ads geo-specific.  Tie a local number with local ad campaigns.

3. Import local address and phone numbers:

ο Use ‘settings’ in AdWords to ensure your mobile listings are geo-specific.  Mobile users want to find your location and your phone number when on the go, so make this information easy to access.

Successful Strategies for Mobile PPC

Now that you’ve learned how to create mobile ads, you want to know how to make them a success.  Here are some best practices to consider when creating your mobile ad campaigns.

• Keyword building strategies: Keep the keywords short and more generic. There is less need for exact or phrase match.  Keep in mind that the click-thru rate is often high, especially if you provide a unique mobile service. If your conversion rates aren’t as high as you hope, remember that people are still learning about your service. Do mobile-specific keyword research using the Mobile Moxie keyword tool.

• Messaging strategies: Popular mobile searches include Sports, Celebrity, News, Wallpapers, Ringtones and Videos. Craft your message around these categories if possible. Also, consider using text (txt) speak, and abbreviations if it is appropriate for your audience. Also, use messaging ensuring users that your content is mobile friendly. Consider phrases like, ‘mobile optimized,’ ‘4 ur phone’ or ‘iPhone ready.’

• After-the-click strategies: Make sure users find what they are looking for after they click your ad. Send them to a mobile-optimized landing page that is compatible with all devices you are serving ads to. Include mobile forms for email sign-up, SMS sign-up, or contact forms. Consider including mobile coupons, click to call opportunities, and click to download opportunities directly from the landing page.

• After-the-click strategies for landing elsewhere: If you are driving traffic somewhere other than your website, say, to an app store to download your app, make sure to segment ads for specific devices.  You don’t want to send iPhone users to the Android Marketplace or vice versa. Another good thing to know is that app downloads are heaviest on the weekends, so consider this when setting your click maximums on the weekends. If you are driving traffic to a Google Places page, make sure it is optimized for local visitors and includes all relevant information: map, address, phone number, and hours of operation.

There’s no time too soon to get into mobile advertising. If you’re going to get started tomorrow, make sure you do a few things:

• Turn off current PPC ads to iPhones unless you are sending them to mobile pages.

• Bid in position 1-4 or you won’t be seen.

• Know that your quality score is more based on your CTR, so write compelling ad copy.

• Finally, make sure your domain URLs inspire confidence, for example: www.yoursite.com/iPhone or www.yoursite.com/mobile.