There are four main ways for affiliates to get into the mobile performance marketing arena. Click-to-call, smartphone applications, mobile landing pages, and SMS campaigns provide different channels where affiliates can profit in this growing industry.
Click-to-call campaigns are used with pay-per-call offers. Affiliates who have access to pay-per-call campaigns place ads for tracked phone numbers, and, as the name implies, are paid per call.
In combination, pay-per-call and click-to-call are well-suited for mobile advertising. The one-step call process when a consumer clicks on the ad increases conversions. Banners, text ads, display ads, search ads and mobile landing pages dedicated to displaying the tracked phone number are all great ways to promote pay-per-call offers.
Unlike pay-per-call campaigns, which are not widely available, smartphone applications are probably the most well-known advertising media when it comes to the mobile industry.
Consulting firm Chetan Sharma estimates in a recent study that mobile app downloads will reach almost 50 billion by 2012. This overabundance of impressions available means low competition for affiliates.
It is easy to target the right audience, as most applications are popular with specific demographics, and structured around particular activities. Affiliates can buy ads on applications using services like appdog.com, or Apple’s iAds platform.
Affiliates who favor organic (free) marketing on the Web might be interested in creating mobile sites that attract visitors for specific niches. This is a great time to get involved, as the rules in this industry are still being written!
Mobile search is quite different from regular Web search, so affiliates should take the time to do appropriate research. Also, note that mobile devices vary widely in their display abilities, so be sure to use the mobile preview tool to check your site’s compatibility.
Mobile sites are a great way to build a list, which is why SMS campaigns work so well with this type of marketing. Affiliates who are tired of the low open rates on their emails will be glad to know that on average, according to Nielsen ratings, 90% of SMS messages are opened within 15 minutes.
This gives list builders the ability to target their prospects at a specific time of the day – or even in specific geographic areas. Note that consumers are more sensitive about text messages, so it is important to be very relevant in your SMS marketing.
Click-to-call, application ads, mobile search and SMS campaigns are all great ways to get involved in mobile affiliate marketing. Those who get in on the action today are likely to find themselves profiting greatly from this growing industry.
Jim Lillig, Vice President of Business Development, and Liane Carmi, Project Manager at Offermobi.com, the first US-Based mobile performance network.
Download the entire FeedFront issue 11 here – http://www.scribd.com/doc/29057000/FeedFront-Magazine-Issue-11
FeedFront issue 11 articles can be found here as well: http://feedfront.com/archives/article00date/2010/07
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
For more information on Mobile Affiliate Marketing check out my website jimlillig.com