Full disclosure: Murray Newlands is an associate of Search Engine Journal. We’ve received no compensation for this post, other than Murray’s love and devotion. 🙂
Search Engine Journal’s Deputy Editor Murray Newlands recently released his own comprehensive guide on mobile marketing strategies, available for free. Murray and I had a short chat about why he wrote it and what it has to offer.
Why the mobile marketing strategies guide now and what are the basics?
Many of my friends are now seeing 50% or more of their traffic coming from mobile devices, and yet, when I was looking for great information about mobile marketing, there were few resources available online. I set out to create a digital marketing practice guide for those that employ performance-based advertising techniques to drive traffic, downloads, app installs, and sales via cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
In the first chapter I cover the ins and outs of mobile networks, carriers, and manufacturers. I also discuss the various types of mobile devices on the market today. Mobile is not one audience—the iPad audience is, for example, very different from the Android phone market.
I know that buying mobile traffic is different from buying desktop traffic—can you tell me more about that?
In the third chapter I tackle tactics for buying traffic to your website or landing pages by setting up mobile display ads. Studies have shown that mobile display ads are not only seen by more users, but also have higher conversion rates as well. There are two types of mobile advertising: on-device advertising and off-device advertising. As well as advanced topics, I also cover the basics, including the difference between CPM, CPC, and CPA, as well as the multitude of ways in which you can target a mobile ad.
What can you tell me about mobile tracking?
Just as there are many ways to target a mobile ad, there are also many ways to track its performance. It’s all a question of setting up the right software and evaluating the metrics of your mobile marketing campaigns. Many of the traditional marketing platforms such as HasOffers also have mobile options.
With click fraud running rampant in the mobile industry, I also talk about click blocking and click filtering. You’re going to want to know about these in order to protect yourself against click fraud.
Is mobile optimization similar to desktop optimization?
Perfecting your mobile marketing campaigns takes time and often many revisions, which is why I have a whole chapter dedicated to mobile optimization. With every mobile marketing campaign you should expect to spend time optimizing it. The more people you are able to reach with your ads, the more clicks and conversions you are going to receive, which will ultimately turn into more revenue as well. The best way to optimize your mobile marketing campaigns is through a technique called split testing, which I explain in depth in the guide as well. I also spend a lot of time offering advice on ways to optimize CPC campaigns, how to scale campaigns, and how to generate more volume.
Conclusion
Mobile advertising is still not a strong suit for many marketers. With the rise of mobile Internet usage though, it’s important for marketers to become just as familiar with mobile advertising as they are with desktop advertising.
This guide provides a great introduction to mobile marketing for beginners as well as advanced tactics for experienced users. You can download Murray’s free guide here.
