How Facebook App Developers Can Maintain Momentum After The Holidays

Facebook reminded application developers that the end of the holiday season does not mean their efforts to attract more users must end, as well, and the social network also offered tips on successful engagement strategies for mobile apps. A post on the Facebook for Business page offered five ways for mobile app marketers to stay on track after the holidays: After people unwrap their new mobile devices this holiday season, the weeks that follow become a crucial time for marketers looking to drive awareness and installs of their mobile apps. Here are some ways mobile advertisers can use Facebook mobile app ads to reach people on the lookout for new apps after the holidays. Find new device owners: Marketers can reach people on Facebook who have recently used Facebook on a new device. Reach specific device owners: Marketers can also reach people who use specific devices, like Samsung phones or the iPad Air. Reach people using specific software: It’s also possible to reach people using specific versions of software, like Android version 3.2. This lets you make sure your ads are shown to people who have the software that’s compatible with your app. Showcase relevant mobile devices: Pairing the correct image to the correct audience can boost the performance of mobile app ads. Mobile app ads that feature images of mobile devices generally outperform ads that do not. Use cost-per-action (CPA) bidding to improve your ad’s performance: Through CPA bidding, businesses are only charged when a user downloads and installs their app, offering greater control over spend on mobile app ads. Facebook also discussed two apps that have successfully used the mobile app ads it debuted in October -- YPlan and Movile -- in a post on its developer blog, which also contrasted push notifications and mobile app ads. The social network said YPlan, which offers users short lists of the best events in their areas on each night, used its mobile app ads to encourage users to return to their app and purchase new ticket deals, and it saw a 20 percent increase in paid bookings and a return on investment of 215 percent. Meanwhile, Latin American mobile entertainment provider Movile focused on bringing users back to its Play Kids app, and it found that 16 percent of its premium subscriptions were driven by its engagement campaign with Facebook, and it saw a 60 percent lower cost per app purchase on the social network when compared with other channels. As for the debate over whether to use push notifications or mobile app ads, Facebook provided the infographic below, and it wrote in the blog post: Due to their immediate, attention-grabbing nature, push notifications should be reserved for highly relevant messages that are time- or location-sensitive or that are related to the app’s functionality. Parse offers automated segmentation, geolocational push, and time-sensitive release, so your push strategy is more effective. Further, with Parse Analytics, you can track the effectiveness of your push campaigns easily, and use customizable options to drill down into how your users are engaging with your push content. Facebook's mobile app ads are better for longer engagement or retention campaigns. Since they appear in News Feed alongside organic content, you can show them more frequently, matching user expectations. Users can also comment on, like, and share your ads, making your engagement strategy social and conversational. In addition, you can also show a beautiful, compelling image, text copy, and any of seven different customized calls to action. If you want deep measurement, use app events for iOS or for Android, and see downstream actions taken as a result of your engagement campaigns -- for instance, how many purchases resulted from your campaign. Apps vending machine image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Social Pro Daily

How Facebook App Developers Can Maintain Momentum After The Holidays

Facebook reminded application developers that the end of the holiday season does not mean their efforts to attract more users must end, as well, and the social network also offered tips on successful engagement strategies for mobile apps.

David Cohen

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David Cohen