Cameron Hulett, senior vice president of publisher solutions at Acceleration, argues that you can have your cake and eat it with mobile ads and apps.
As a tech-savvy society, we have slowly become extremely nomadic in the way that we now consume content. A typical morning consists of firstly digesting the day’s news, weather and traffic reports via a radio or television, then looking to our smartphone or traditional newspapers as we commute to work. Computers then offer a plethora of content-driven sites within easy reach, allowing us to access anything our heart desires - lengthy articles, 140 character updates, streaming music, radio, TV, and any number of video clips - all in a single click.
Publishers have got a handle on most of the channels mentioned above, but the one that crosses all borders – mobile - is still under-utilised. The estimate is that the number of UK 3G mobile internet users ranges from over seven million to over seventeen million subscribers, which equates at the lowest level to 12% of all mobile users. For publishers not yet working within this space, now is the time to start considering a mobile strategy, drive content to mobile sites and then most importantly, monetize them.
Monetization can be attempted in a number of ways, the first being advertising, as mobile ad serving is available through different platforms and the technology is improving fast. The second strategy is building mobile applications that users can download and install on their phones. The popularity of this approach is growing, and publishers should try to establish which applications will fit with their brand or content offering, and what type of services their readers would engage with.
Another trend that traditional print publishers have been using for a while - and the online world is also beginning to learn from - is ‘hyper local’. Mobile applications are perfectly suited to hyper local publishing, as users are provided with the ability to find local shops and services while on the move.
Let’s look at these two strategies in more detail:
Mobile ad serving
By extending the reach of content by also making it available to be read via the mobile internet, you can create more advertising inventory, make it available to a more varied spread of people, all while strengthening your brand.
Many marketers are unaware of the advertising opportunities in the mobile space, or simply dismiss it as an unproven, risky environment. In fact, the benefits of the mobile internet, including its reach, rapid growth and interactivity are now more secure than ever – as both the audience and technology is in place.
Now, you can deploy mobile advertising with the same confidence and control as online display ads. When someone clicks your ad via a mobile handset, they’ll be taken to a jump page hosted either on your existing mobile internet site, or a landing page specifically built for customers who click through. A ‘click to call’ ad puts potential customers directly in touch with you. You can programme ads that automatically detect different screen sizes and various abilities of the device its being looked at through, so that ads are displayed clearly no matter which handset is used.
Hyper local and applications
The consumer mobile application trend has created a real buzz in the industry over the past year. The number one driver behind this phenomenon has to be the Apple iPhone App store which hit 1.5 billion downloads within its first year.
Early market adopters by publishers include the likes of The New York Times with their application launched in July 2008, USA Today in December 2008 and the Wall Street Journal soon after.
However, you don’t have to be a media juggernaut to include mobile applications in your strategy. In fact, there’s a huge opportunity for regional publishers to create hyper local applications full of relevant, tailored content. By doing this, you can create your own market/category in the application game, and competition is irrelevant.
A local newspaper can make a big difference to one of their reader’s lives if they develop something that tells them about any potential traffic jams before they leave for work, sends them special offers in their area or any other relevant updates.
The same goes for magazines and other forms of traditional media; find your niche within an audience, engage with them, involve them and find a strategy to monetise the relationship. Mass is important and by no means are we saying only focus on your niche market, but mobile marketing should be personal so any activity should reflect that.
There are over 3.6 billion handsets in use globally, and the majority of these phones are still used for voice or text alone. However, Gartner expects that the continuous innovation of mobile devices, increasing penetration of smartphones, availability of higher-speed networks and new pricing models will fast track the consumer to use the mobile phone for a multipurpose device.
It’s important to remember the personal nature of a mobile device. In the case of apps, everything is opt in, because the user has already made the choice to download and view it every day – far different than being online or occasionally watching TV. As such, an advertiser is paying for engagement with users, not necessarily how many impressions they can get.
