The smartphone is one of the fastest growing advertising channels globally. UK advertising spend will hit £6.1 billion ($9.63bn), rising to £8.36 billion (nearly $13.3bn) by 2017 according to a recent report from eMarketer.

However, there are still many advertisers out there who are reluctant to run campaigns on smartphones. This is often due to a lack of knowledge and education of both the advertisers and their agencies. Advertising on mobile platforms is actually very simple - and usually has better results than other digital advertising channels.

You don’t need a mobile site to advertise on smartphones

Advertising on a smartphone doesn’t mean you need to have a specifc mobile site. Only 11% of UKs 100 highest spending advertisers have a fully responsive mobile site. The purpose of an advertisement is not necessarily a click to the company's site. The smartphone is a noise-free advertising environment with high observation values on the ads, and it need not be more complicated than to simply convey a message directed at a certain place or a certain time.

Be careful where your ad appears

The cheapest is rarely best. "Brand safety" is all about protecting your brand, and never risking being exposed in a problematic environment. Appearing in well-known apps and mobile sites enhances the advertiser's brand. Quality over quantity!

Take advantage of mobile

The smartphone is unique in that we carry it with us all day, from the moment we wake up, until we go to bed. A mobile campaign can be in control over the time and place that an ad appears. Thus making the advertisement more relevant to the reader at that very moment in time. Why not take advantage of the built-in GPS, to guide the customer to the nearest store - directly in the ad?

Where is your audience?

Media habits are changing rapidly. Social media is challenging traditional media while analog is being challenged by digital. The most important thing for you is that your message is visible to your target audience. Research showsthat a third of web traffic is mobile - is a third of your digital campaignmobile?

The smartphone is not a PC

Although smartphones are able to perform as computers with today’s technology - people use them quite differently and this is key when it comes to advertising. International studies show that games, social networking, entertainment and service apps dominate mobile usage, while traditional news accounts for a relatively small portion. Your mix of channels is therefore likely to look quite different in mobile than in your other advertising formats.

Low production costs

Today there are a large number of ready-made creative mobile ad formats, ranging from ads that show a map to the nearest store when clicked, ads which can add a calendar reminder on the user's phone and video ads. These formats are ready to use and require no production other than adding the text, image or video that the ad is based on.

Your own app is not enough

Many companies have an app, and therefore think that they have a mobile presence. The odds of getting frequent usage of an app after it is first downloaded is very low, and even the companies that succeeded need to rely on the customers own initiative to use the app. With mobile advertising the marketing manager takes control and can steer the advertisement to the times, places and times that are most relevant.

Is your mobile advertising campaign heading in the direction of success?

 

By Henric Ehrenblad, Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder & COO of Widespace.

 

You can see Henric at 10:15 in the Mobile Theatre at the Digital Marketing Show on the 28th November. You can register for your FREE ticket here.

PrivSec Conferences will bring together leading speakers and experts from privacy and security to deliver compelling content via solo presentations, panel discussions, debates, roundtables and workshops.
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