The majority of consumers who are out and about on the town are continuously using their Smartphones to access Web information, which isn’t groundbreaking revelation. There are now close to 47% percent of adult males in North America who now owns a smartphone, this up from 39% percent the year previous. The same research found that 53% percent of females are smartphone owners, up from 40% percent.
The growing number of these consumers are using these miniature pocket computers, known as smartphones, to primarily access and scour the web, wherever and anywhere they may be that has Internet access. The majority are using these devices to search for a particular location, unbiased reviews, or rebate coupons.
Experts predict that mobile search, which includes smartphones and tablets, will soon surpass desktop search in just a few short years. Because of this, there are savvy marketers and retailers who are ahead of the curve that are noticing and taking advantage of mobile search advertising.
Mobile advertising revenue portals are the biggest benefactors as this segment has grown by over 161% percent in the past two years. Industry estimates are $1.75 billion spent this year alone.
Conventional Online Marketers Beginning To Catch On
The various search marketing agencies are claiming that the majority of marketers are still puzzled and struggling to grasp how mobile search advertising works. They’re also wondering how they can effectively harness its effectiveness as well.
The following are some tips which are provided by industry ad experts on how mobile advertisers, specifically for retailers, can maximize their mobile paid search efforts.
Mobile Advertising Is A Little Different
Different, for instance, when it comes to mobile advertising, retailers are recommended to bid on keywords which are shorter, more broad, direct, and blunt to the point for mobile ads, than they would for conventional desktop advertisements.
Mobile users, because of their portability, the size of the device itself, and their limited time, will usually enter fewer words while performing their search. The actual search queries on mobiles are estimated to be 35% percent less than on desktop computers.
Currently, the most successful of the mobile ads campaigns are using single more generalized keywords which are designed to capture more relevant targeted traffic.
This because the consumer, usually in a hurry and on the run, are more than likely to search for “grey pants” while on a mobile device, where when they may search for “grey 100% polyester pants” when using a desktop PC at home.
Mobile Ad Clicks
Another distinction of mobile search is that retailers can implement “click to map” or “click to call” when using mobile search advertising. What this enables consumers, who are usually out and about, are able to do is easily find the location of the store, or can easily “tap” to phone a store if they happen to have any questions.
The majority of these smartphone users aren’t at home when they’re searching. Instead, they’re elsewhere and are using them so they can find local shops or services, and often, by using mobile search, it can even at times lead towards an offline purchase at a local neighborhood store.
So to make their mobile search ads more effective, it’s recommended that retailers also offer some type of specially coded coupon or a rebate so they can track store purchases which originated from a mobile search ad. The consumer can use the online coupon found by the mobile search and then instantly redeem it at the store.
It’s also suggested that the mobile advertisers use attention grabbing “call-to-action” phrases which are precise. The text on the ad can greatly influence the ad’s click-through rates as well as the conversion rates, so it should be extremely catchy and direct.
How Desktop And Mobile Ads Differ
There are a few other distinct differences when it comes to mobile and desktop search. Mobile search ads usually have much higher click-through rates.
This, most likely because the mobile search engines are usually currently displaying fewer paid search listings on the smartphone screens, while there are significantly more ads on the desktop PCs.
The same mobile search ads, however, also currently have lower conversion rates. The main reason for this is because most of the retailers who advertise on mobile, currently don’t have sites which are properly optimized for mobile devices.
Non-mobile optimized sites are the primary reason, according to experts, as the main reason for the lower conversion rates. The mobile consumer will usually just get frustrated when the sites don’t fit their smaller smartphone screens properly, making on-site navigation a painstaking experience.
One other reason for lower conversions is that the consumers are currently using mobile search, not on intent to buy something, but to find directions to a store, or to find out what the store hours are, and not necessarily to make a purchase online.
Mobile Advertising On The Rise
Since consumers are now beginning to spend a lot more of their time on their mobile devices, especially tablet PC’s, advertisers are also beginning to adapt and are willing to spend more to reach the mobile consumer by using more relevant mobile search ads.
Mobile search advertising as a result is expected to experience exponential growth and improvement in the next couple of years, which is also expected to spike the cost of advertising as well.
So the retailers and the online marketers who are expected to invest their efforts towards understanding the nuances of mobile ads, while testing and then establishing strategies which convert better, will be able to ride this new wave and see their revenues increase.