Guest post written by Matt Lawson
Matt Lawson is the VP of Marketing for Marin Software.
Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are everywhere and have fundamentally changed how consumers search for products, consume media and make purchases. So why do most brands still treat mobile marketing as an afterthought?
The truth is many brands don’t know how to best approach the mobile channel and have been caught off guard by how quickly consumers have shifted from the desktop to the handheld. How do you communicate with an always-on audience? Is it better to focus on mobile search ads, display, location-based ads or social media? How much do you budget for mobile vs. other channels? How can you measure success of mobile campaigns when the line between online, offline, desktop, and mobile has become so blurred?
These are just some of the questions marketers have about mobile advertising. One of the best places to start with mobile marketing is mobile paid search. By the end of this year, 25% of all paid search clicks will come from mobile devices – with this number rising in leaps and bounds every month. Marketers that want to reach mobile users should focus first and foremost on building a comprehensive mobile paid search program.
Brands don’t have to start from scratch with mobile paid search; they can adapt their existing online paid search programs to the mobile channel. Here are six tips to keep in mind when optimizing paid search campaigns for mobile devices.
- Think Like Mobile Searchers
People search differently on their smartphones and tablets than they do on their computers. For example, a consumer might be in a store and do a quick search to see if a product they’re considering buying is cheaper online, or they’ll search for a nearby restaurant or a local business. When optimizing paid search campaigns for mobile, think about what consumers will be looking for and how – then adapt keywords and creative to fit mobile behaviors. Brands can also use relevant ad extensions, such as click-to-call or location-extensions, to fulfill mobile searchers needs for offline engagement.
- Separate Mobile and Desktop Campaigns
While it may increase operational overhead, there are good reasons to run mobile paid search campaigns separately from desktop campaigns. The main reason to do so is to ensure accurate measurement of both channels, which in turn allows for better optimization. Mobile costs per click (CPC) and click-through rates (CTR) differ from their desktop counterparts – since people search and click differently on mobile devices. Blending desktop and mobile together would cause mobile metrics to be drowned out.
Similarly, ad creative should be different than its desktop counterpart. Due to the small form factor of mobile devices, ad copy needs to be shorter. Local intent should also to be taken into consideration when developing copy as mobile users are typically search while on the go.
- Write Device-Specific Copy
People are loyal to their devices – iPhones, Android and more. So when crafting mobile search ad copy, think about using words that attract users of specific devices. Incorporating device-specific ad copy into paid search ads gives consumers the assurance their device will “work” with your mobile-optimized landing pages. Tests have shown that mobile copy incorporating specific popular device names typically outperforms even the best desktop copy.
- Make Ad Position a Priority
The “real estate” for paid search ads is smaller on mobile devices, making ad position much more important. For mobile phones, only 5 ad slots exist – two at the top and three at the bottom. On desktops, there are more than a dozen slots along the right rail. Consequently, when bidding on mobile paid search ads, marketers should set parameters so ads appear in position 1 or 2. As a rule of thumb, set bids for mobile campaigns at the outset to twice that of desktop campaigns, and then adjust downward if necessary. While Google doesn’t allow for position-based bidding anymore, advertisers can test different bids while monitoring ad position to ensure the average position of mobile paid search ads remains between 1 and 2.
- Create a Great User Experience
One of the main reasons people don’t convert after clicking on mobile paid search ads is the lack of mobile-optimized websites. In other words, many marketers get people to click on mobile paid search ads then leave them stranded with a desktop experience. Most websites are still difficult to view on smartphone browsers, frustrating mobile users and resulting in above average bounce rates. To get the most out of a mobile paid search program, marketers should make sure to create mobile-optimized landing pages that are easy to browse on small screens and offer simple calls-to-action. Don’t forget to test your landing pages on both desktop and mobile devices every time you launch a new campaign.
- Track Mobile Conversions
Accounting for conversions from mobile paid search clicks is a tricky business, as many mobile searches result in conversions that happen via a call or in-store. Marketers should start by estimating their mobile-influenced revenue through the use of popular mobile ad formats such as click-to-call. By combining the typical conversion rate for in-store and phone-based transactions with the average revenue-per-transaction, marketers can get a baseline to estimate revenue-per-click for mobile devices, and adjust their mobile CPCs and budget accordingly.
Mobile paid search is marketers’ first line of action in a today’s mobile world. Get paid search right on mobile devices, and marketers are well on their way to connecting with the on-the-go consumer.
