Showing posts with label Mobile advertising. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mobile advertising. Show all posts
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Search Ad Revenues Hit Record $16.9 Billion in 2012 [Report]
Search ad revenues once again broke records in 2012. Search remained the revenue leader at $16.9 billion, accounting for 46 percent of all Internet advertising revenue, although this figure doesn't even include mobile search ads in the Internet Advertising Bureau's 2012 report.
In 2011, search advertising accounted for $14.8 billion (46.3 percent of all digital advertising).
The IAB noted this year's 14.5 percent increase in revenue was "slightly below the overall industry growth of 15.2%, likely due to a shift to Mobile Search, now captured in the Mobile format."
The new Mobile advertising format ($3.4 billion, 9 percent of revenues) basically lumps together any ads that appear on mobile devices (smartphones, feature phones, and tablets), including display, text messaging, search, and audio/video ads. So while "search" was "slightly below" industry growth, it's likely due to the IAB's own format change.
Overall, the IAB reported total U.S. advertising profits of $36.6 billion for 2012 – up from $31.7 billion in 2011. Also noteworthy: Q4 2012 revenues surpassed $10 billion for the first time.
Elsewhere, display advertising revenues accounted for $12 billion (33 percent) of revenues in 2012, up from $11.1 billion (dropping from 34.8 percent overall) in 2011.
The IAB's numbers come from its twice annual Internet Advertising Revenue Report. IAB officials sponsor the study, which is performed independently by the new media group PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
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Friday, April 20, 2012
Mobile Email-Marketing Tips
There are many mobile devices that consumers can choose from: basic feature phones, smartphones, tablets, e-readers and more. Consumers have their own preferences as to what combination of devices to use and whether to use them on cellular connections, Wi-Fi networks, or both. For ecommerce merchants that cater to these consumers, there's seemingly an endless combination of devices and potential connectivity arrangements, all of which affect consumers' overall ecommerce shopping experiences, including how they receive and respond to emails.
Here are four basic tips to help ecommerce merchants better understand mobile email marketing. As you will see, consumer behavior on mobile devices has, in a way, simplified email messaging.
1. Your 'From:' Line Is More Important Than Ever
Many ecommerce merchants don’t think much about their "From:" lines. They agonize over the subject lines as being the most important element. However, when viewing on a mobile device, it is the "From:" line that gets the most attention. Making sure the From line is a basic representation of your company — and that your recipient will recognize it — is vital to your message getting read or simply being scrolled by. Never repeat what is in the From line again in the subject line. Many ecommerce merchants do this and it is a waste of precious subject-line characters. The recipient knows the email is from you; there's no need to repeat it.
In this mobile screenshot of emails, the "From:" names are much more prominent than the subject lines.
Also, consider different From lines for different types of messaging. For example, if you have transactional emails related to an actual order the customer placed, the From line should reflect that to differentiate it from normal promotional messages that the recipients may be receiving from you. In addition, using a recipient’s name as the From line always helps to increase the open rate and the ultimate response rate.
2. Design For Mobile
A few years ago, using beautiful images with Adobe Flash was popular for websites and email. Many large retailers wanted graphically appealing websites. However, in reality heavy graphics are not functional for consumers who want to just fill their shopping carts and check out. In terms of converting visitors, having a functional website that conveys information and is easy to use is the most important goal.
In short, web and email design is trending back to the original basics. This includes a balance of images-to-text and ensuring the most important messaging in the email is still visible with images turned off. In fact, when viewing on a mobile device, most email recipients will display only text-based elements, preferring the avoid the extra steps of downloading graphics.
3. Make the Email Appealing
More consumers are using their mobile devices to preview emails and delete those that are not valuable to them. They may then look at the remaining emails later, perhaps on their desktop computers. What does this mean? Bringing value to a consumer is more important than ever. Great offers, good products or a call to action that is time sensitive are all effective content strategies that will increase the chances your email makes it past the first-round cuts.
This also impacts your frequency strategy. Depending on how often your recipients are previewing their emails on their devices, you don’t want a large grouping of emails from you with no differentiator between them. Emails that look the same will likely get deleted.
4. Get Realistic about Measurement
Many ecommerce professionals have seen a decline in the overall open rate of some of their email programs. Remember, an "open" only registers with an image load. Therefore, with more people previewing on mobile, the likelihood of the images actually being loaded decreases. The reality is many more people have actually viewed that email than is actually stated on an open report.
So how do you judge success? As open rates have declined, conversion rates have conversely increased. This means the recipients that are opening and clicking are truly interested in your product and service and, oftentimes, follow through with an ultimate conversion. Open and click rates, therefore, are becoming less important in the overall measurement of the success of an email campaign as the use of mobile becomes more widespread.
Summary
With the increasing complexity of mobile devices and mobile connections, ecommerce merchants need to understand how consumers view and interact with their emails. This will ultimately dictate how to develop email creative content, messaging and frequency.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Make Mine Mobile: Seven Reasons to Add Video to Your Mobile Marketing
Consumers are becoming more mobile. Mobile-phone subscriptions outnumber the fixed-line variety by nearly 2-to-1 in the United States as reported by Slate and the New America Foundation. Technology research firm Gartner projects that, by 2015, total mobile advertising revenue will reach $20.6 billion. The opportunity for us marketers is staggering.
Some brands already are seizing opportunities. For example, ESPN recently said it considers mobile the “first screen.” According to Michael Bayle, vice president and general manager of ESPN mobile, mobile is the most effective way to reach an audience “from an international standpoint.”
So, what’s the best way to approach this opportunity? First, we need to see how mobile compares to other screens.
The Mobile Screen vs. Computer Screens
Marketers tend to think of mobile as an extension of the Web. That’s a natural leap to make, considering the sophisticated
functionality of smartphones, tablets, and even some feature phones. But it’s not exactly right.
User behavior is different on a mobile than it is on a laptop. For example, people who multitask at a computer are more distracted and less engaged than mobile users. Say I’m watching a video; I’m likely to check a few emails while the previews roll then go back to the video once they are done. This is less likely to happen on a mobile. During commutes and in-between meetings, the mobile device is my only screen.
Also, users respond differently to media on mobile than they do on the Web. Mobile users remember more. In 2011, Rhythm NewMedia reportedthat the mobile video retention rate is superior to online. The company found that the viewer retention rate after 60 seconds was 81% on its mobile ad network compared to 55% online.
The Mobile Screen vs. the Television Screen
So, how does mobile compare to television? Both are transient mediums that offer rich media experiences and that are controlled by users. Unlike television, however, mobile enables interaction. Mobile isn’t just about reach—it’s about interaction. Plus, mobile users can share preferred video clips instantly via social networking platforms and sharing tools—unlike television viewers can. This kind of sharing drives virality and bonds consumers in a spontaneous community experience.
Why Use Video on the Mobile Screen?
The recent Invisible Children Kony 2012 campaign reveals the power of social media and video—and demonstrates how quickly compelling content can go viral. For consumer branding, such businesses as Corning, T-Mobile and dtac have also benefited from this powerful combination. All placed video ads that went viral globally. The common thread for videos that go viral is an emotional theme with universal appeal and no dependency on dialog or captions. Sometimes, the best creative ideas are the simplest ones.
So, what does this mean for marketers, who already know about television and online advertising? It means marketers should seize the myriad opportunities for their marketing efforts on mobiles.
Here are seven reasons to use video in your mobile marketing.
- Video delivers a higher return on investment than other media, such as banner ads.
- Cisco predicts that video consumption will dominate the mobile experience. (Learn about mobile video now to keep pace with your customers’ viewing habits and to keep your brand relevant.)
- Context is critical. Expect to tailor your communications to a location, handset, or device.
- Fifteen-second videos are the ideal duration. Consumers gravitate towards clips rather than long-form content on mobile.
- All existing media placement rules apply in the mobile video space. It’s just that the grazing consumer tires faster, so plan multiple creative refreshes and space them carefully. Look for a partner or platform that can provide user profiles for segmented campaign targeting.
- In addition to segmentation, use data analytics and consumer insights gathered by quick exit survey polls to help predict what will prove popular for your users.
- Stay nimble. We are just at the beginning of a new world of mobile video consumption.
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