Facebook’s mobile platform has developed rapidly since their IPO last year. In particular the launching of Facebook Mobile Ads allowed them to begin targeting, and monetizing, their enormous audience on mobile, and opened up a huge new source of inventory for mobile advertisers. At Postback today, Steven Yarger of Trulia, Sambou Makalou of Nanigans, Jesse Pujji of Ampush, David Serfaty of Adotomi and Mandy Majchrzak of SHIFT discussed the launch of Facebook Mobile Ads, the evolution of the Facebook mobile marketing platform, and the future of mobile on Facebook.
One of the biggest shifts in Facebook the past few years is how advertisers can now reach Facebook users via mobile. Jesse explained that not only has the platform scaled, but now you can reach people much more accurately with new types of ads using what he called “referred intent.” Sambou said that at Nanigans, they think of ads in terms of creative, targeting and optimization. When Mobile Ads was launched there was a big shift in Facebook’s approach to performance marketing, and as a result a greater emphasis was placed on measuring the value of campaigns.
The panelists at Postback discussed what they think about the future of Facebook, especially in light of the recent acquisition of Instagram. Jesse said that Facebook moves “at an incredible pace and is an incredibly engaging platform that can drive engagement for any type of campaign”. Because of this it has become an incredibly powerful solution for advertisers. Sambou added that while video advertising on Facebook is in its infancy, it’s sure to be more important in the future. That being said he’s most excited about FBX retargeting, particularly when it becomes available on mobile, as well as the ability to use custom audiences and location to target audiences. Additionally, David is looking forward to leveraging graph search, as he believes it will help advertisers target users better.
Echoing the advice of Postback panelists earlier in the day, Mandy cautioned that you should know your KPIs before you begin your campaigns. Sambou also advised advertisers to keep in mind the long term value of customers, instead of aiming for a large volume of installs when working with Facebook mobile ads. Finally, Jesse said it is important for new advertisers to keep it simple. He suggested targeting only two segments and recognizing that creative is an important component of any successful campaign on Facebook mobile. New advertisers should consider creating a small, successful campaign first and then scale it out.
As Facebook continues to evolve and shifts its focus to mobile, it’s important that advertisers understand that advertising on mobile requires different types of creatives and KPIs. As Sambou said, “Facebook drives the highest quality users. However, it is not necessarily about CPIs and getting the cheapest installs possible, but getting the most for your ad spend.” Advertisers who play by these evolving rules will find that advertising with Facebook mobile is an extremely effective way to reach new users – users that are shifting their focus to mobile as well.
Watch the full “Postback 2013: Facebook Mobile User Acquisition” session below:
Author
Becky is the Senior Content Marketing Manager at TUNE. Before TUNE, she handled content strategy and marketing communications at several tech startups in the Bay Area. Becky received her bachelor's degree in English from Wake Forest University. After a decade in San Francisco and Seattle, she has returned home to Charleston, SC, where you can find her strolling through Hampton Park with her pup and enjoying the simple things between adventures with friends and family.
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