As mobile adoption continues to skyrocket and consumers rely more heavily on smartphones and tablets to research and immediately act on purchases, there is a broadened opportunity to help businesses track and monetize consumers’ forward movement in the buying cycle. To capitalize on this opportunity, marketers must harness the valuable feedback offered through the action-driven nature of mobile search and ad content.
For example, someone traveling in an unfamiliar area may be searching for a nearby restaurant or auto repair shop via a mobile browser or within an app like Yelp or YPMobile. Once they locate the business, the next step may be calling, clicking on maps or driving directions, or accessing business hours. By capturing and analyzing these purchase-related actions, marketers can leverage the knowledge gained to optimize their companies’ mobile ad results for increased ROI.
Ensure Content Is Mobile Friendly
To lay the foundation for strong consumer engagement with your mobile content and encourage a purchase-related action, make sure the main phone number, address, hours of operation, maps/directions, and any specials/coupons are not only front and center, but hyperlinked. This also facilitates the ability to track responses. Additionally, optimize your website for mobile browsers to ensure that the highest priority business details mentioned above are conveyed as concisely as possible to facilitate a quick decision. This rule applies to in-app display or search ads as well, which should always be clutter-free and easy to interact with.
Track Responses And Demographics For Different Types Of Ads
Just as you evaluate customer response to various types of traditional and online ads, marketers must activate proper tracking tools to capture mobile response. Calls are the dominant response to mobile ads — not surprisingly, given that the primary use of a mobile device is as a phone — so they represent a key currency for mobile ad performance.
Call measurement is valuable for measuring response based on mobile ad type, geographic region, distribution partner, etc. This is especially important for service-based businesses that involve booking appointments or placing inquiries. However, don’t forget to widen the net to track volume of clicks on maps/driving directions, hours of operation, coupons, and other relevant actionable items, as these types of information could be meaningful for other kinds of businesses like gas stations or coffee shops, where someone may go straight to the location rather than placing a call.
All response types should be categorized — e.g., smartphone vs. tablet, mobile browser vs. mobile app, display vs. search ad, geographic region and specific distribution partner — to determine whether ad spend and ad copy are generating intended results.
Segment Mobile Browser Vs. App Users
Taking the mobile browser vs. mobile app user comparison a step further, it’s important to consider that each of these audiences behaves differently. For the mobile browser user crowd, take the time to assess particular click patterns within mobile search ads and whether their engagement resulted in a call or other purchase-related actions. Also track the ad pages where users tend to end their visit and assess whether users are navigating through the ad content as effectively as possible.
Do multiple users appear to defect for a specific reason? For app users — who are typically more loyal, repeat users — be sure to track which types of in-app ads receive the strongest usage traction and which information users tend to click on most often. This data can then be used to tweak ad design, content and mobile budget allocation for the most effective user experience possible — ultimately translating into more mobile-driven leads.
Monitor Call Durations And Times
Calls continue to be a critical cross-platform ad performance metric, and calls placed to mobile ads are statistically longer than those placed to traditional ads — thus illustrating a higher level of engagement. Knowing your business’ average mobile call durations will help you evaluate the number of qualified leads you’ve received when you compare your overall call durations with this baseline.
Additionally, be sure to track the times of day when you receive inbound calls, including missed calls due to busy periods or before/after-hours calls, to address staffing needs and hours of operation. Call durations vary across categories, so ask your mobile ad provider about call duration averages for your particular type of business. This will help benchmark your results and better validate qualified leads.
Mobile devices have become the “action” platform for buying decisions as consumers always have the device — or multiple mobile devices — nearby and are often on-the-go. As such, marketers looking to capitalize on this monetization opportunity must optimize all forms of their business’ mobile presence and closely monitor mobile purchase-related actions. This is key to determining which mobile devices, distribution channels, creative, and content are driving mobile traffic and where program changes may be needed or further leveraged. A mobile ad strategy that includes concrete performance metrics and intelligence on mobile response is vital to maximizing mobile lead generation.
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