3 Steps to Leverage Mobile Marketing through Facebook

Photo Credit: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

Have you read anything about the mobile market lately? If not, you’re really behind the curve here. The fact is that the mobile market is absolutely exploding, and 2013 is going to be the biggest year yet for mobile users and subscriptions. So if you’ve been wondering how to leverage the mobile market, now’s the time to find out.

One of the best ways to leverage any market online is through Facebook, and this certainly holds true for a mobile market. With eight hours and four minutes spent on Facebook a month per user on average, that’s nearly double the next social platform on the list (Google). And of the top 10 mobile properties in the US, 30% of users spend the most time on Facebook.

Needless to say, Facebook is the medium with which to reach your market. The only question now is how. Learning how to market the right way is imperative, and the steps below will paint a more detailed picture for you to use.

 

A Three-Step Approach for Leveraging the Mobile Market through Facebook

Step 1: Give Your Audience Something of Value

You’re only going to be able to reach your mobile audience via their News Feed, so you have to think about providing something that really comes across as newsworthy to those you advertise to. High-quality content is always imperative in any type of social media marketing, but it takes on a new level of importance when attempting to reach the mobile market.

When you think of something of value, you should think of something your contacts, fans and/or customers can instantly use (and you can offer something different for each subsection of your target market). Think contests and promotions, coupons and insider information. Give your audience a good reason to engage with you. Below you’ll see an example of a Facebook fans exclusive promo of Sephora. This is a great way to keep your fans engaged and happy.

Editor’s Note: Use visual content to improve fans engagement and tweak a few settings to optimize your facebook page.

Step 2: Increase Your Reach Through Multiple Ad Formats

There’s only so far you’re going to be able to reach unless you implement multiple ad formats to help you specifically target narrower markets. Facebook allows you to target incredibly distinct and defined niches, so take advantage of this fact by using the ad formats available for you.

It might be a little more of an investment, but increasing your reach through the use of Sponsored Stories and Page Post ads is how you can dominate the mobile market in your respective niche. While everyone else is trying organic methods and hoping, you can advertise and increase your share significantly.

 

Step 3: Practice Proper Ad Placement for Optimized Results

Placement targeting is a great method that people have been using for years with AdSense. You can make use of placement targeting via Facebook and really optimize your campaigns. Deciding which ad units will be placed where gives you the freedom to send market A an ad that tests strongly, while sending market B an equally strong ad.

You’re not simply throwing ads out to a general market. Placement targeting allows you to gain control over where your ads will be placed. It gives you more bang for your buck, to use an old cliché, and you can test where they work best: news feed, in mobile or desktop etc.

Mobile markets are going to control social media before too much longer. With so many different varieties of smartphones and tablet PCs on the market, the average person will no longer have a home computer; they’ll have a mobile device. This means more people logging onto sites like Facebook more frequently.

And if you play your cards correctly, that means more brand recognition, more customers, and more profit for your business. If you’re still not decided whether you’ll go for Facebook mobile ads, feel free to check out Qwaya’s latest case study here: ‘Benchmark: Mobile vs Desktop on Facebook’.

• Editor’s Note: Bonus Tips from Ching Ya

  Here are a few things you should know about creating a Facebook ad for mobile users.

  a. Interest Targeting (‘Broad Category’)

  Facebook had improved their broad category option for ‘Mobile’. Apart from targeting people who access Facebook from Mobile, you can narrow it down further based on their device type and operating systems. Very cool:

  

  Where to locate it?

  When creating a new Facebook ad, look for ‘Choose Your Audience’ -> ‘Broad Categories’.

  b. Power Editor

  If you have been monitoring your Facebook Ads using Power Editor, you may have discovered a similar targeting-upgrade for mobile users based on OS and device types as shown below:

  

  Where to locate it?

  Power Editor is only accessible using Chrome. Download your Chrome browser here if you don’t have it. Then go to ‘Manage Ads’ -> ‘Power Editor’ (or you can access directly via this link). Download your Facebook Ads account and select your ad. Click at ‘Placements’ -> ‘News feed only’ -> Make sure the ‘Mobile’ option is ticked to activate both OS and Device Types options.

  Extra Info: New Features to Mobile App Install Ads

This is an article written by Stanna Johnson from Qwaya. Stan is an online writer and a social media enthusiast who loves to write about the latest social media trends. Feel free to leave your questions and comments below and she’ll surely answer it.