Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Let's Talk Mobile for a Minute


Mobile Madness has finally hit.  I've been anticipating it since 2004!  Here are a few thoughts on how to take advantage of this trend (that is here to stay) and how Rex Direct Net can support you.

There are variety of ways to get and monetize mobile traffic.  Let's start with the getting...

The easiest way to get traffic is to leverage mobile ad networks. Some are better than others, you will need to decide for yourself. These are a few I've tested. They are not listed in any particular order.

1. Mojiva.com
2. Admob.com
3. Adfonic.com
4. BuzzCity.com
5. Webmoblink.com
6. Google.com
7. Jumptap.com
8. Airpush.com


How do I decide which network is best? Here are a few things I look for when evaluating them:
- How fast they approve my ad
- How responsive customer service is
- How well does traffic perform
- How effective are their targeting capabilities
- Do they have variable insertion for my links
- How transparent is their reporting. 

It takes money, patience and meticulous organization to make these campaigns profitable, but once you find the magic formula you will be set for a long while.

What is the magic formula - well...here are few hints:
- Make sure you track using subid variables in cake to ensure you know what the formula is when you find it!  - Test and track variations in: source, carrier, and handset (to name the most important in my opinion).
- Test various ad copy to boost click through rates.

Rextopia helps you find the magic formula by giving you these tools you need to start and by optimizing landing pages associated with our exclusive offers.  In this way we can increase your conversion rates real time.

Creatives are typically text or image. Test at least 2 creatives at once. Separate campaigns by creative type. Optimize based on performance until click through rates are where you want them to be (typically .1 or higher.)  We have loaded a few banners in REXTOPIA, but if you want to create your own, feel free.  Just pass the designs by your affiliate manager prior to promoting.

What about the click to call options in these mobile ad networks? How do they compare with sending traffic direct to landing pages? I've played with click to call via mobile on some of these networks, but have had limited success.  Maybe you can do better?  Seems that people are more responsive to filling out a form, than clicking and calling.  Perhaps in the near future that will change.

Real tracking with mobile offers can be tricky for some affiliates that have their own systems.  The only way to know if a transaction went through is with a S2S pixel or post back URL.  That is why some mobile pubs prefer to host their own landing pages.  Our exclusive mobile offers can be hosted by our publishers provided that the landing page is approved prior to going live.  If you fall into this group, ask your affiliate manager for more information.

We don't have a TON of mobile offers right now, but we DO HAVE A FEW.  Join REXTOPIA to get more information on the latest available.

Here's to a super successful 2012 in the mobile space.
Jennine