Author: James Ewen

James is the head of marketing at Tamoco

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Marketing & Advertising

Mobile Targeting – Get Programmatic & Social Right With Data

There have been issues with data accuracy in mobile targeting in the past. Targeting the right person in the best moment is still the appropriate goal for marketers. But to do this effectively, the data that fuels campaigns must be reliable.

If marketers don’t work from reliable data sets then the information is useless, and mobile targeting will be more of the same.

Today, the availability of scalable first-party data sets is there. Brands and advertisers need to be able to understand what good data should look like.

We’ll look at a few fundamentals to look for that will ensure your mobile targeting campaigns are powered by quality data. We’ll also discuss the effect this will have on different mobile targeting channels.

 

What is quality location data?

When we talk about data we look for the following attributes:

  • First-party – is the data from a first party source. Second-hand data that is unverifiable is not helpful as it could be inaccurate or out of date.
  • Sensor-driven – this means that the data sets are sourced from accurate sensors. Precise and reliable data sets are sourced from multiple sensor types to ensure accuracy and scale.
  • Real-time – Datasets must be immediate in order to verify accuracy. To achieve effective personalisation and mobile targeting, action must be taken based on data sets that are real-time.

 

Programmatic advertising & location data

Location is a fantastic trigger to help fuel mobile marketing campaigns. That is if you can get the moment right.

Programmatic has always had its problems – automation is difficult to get right. A lot has been said about programmatic and it’s effect on delivering relevant content to the right person at the right time.

We’ve all seen and remember poor individual use cases of programmatic advertising. Mobile programmatic targeting has taken the plunge and aims to put data at the centre.

However, problems of accuracy remain if the data that is being used to fuel programmatic advertising isn’t accurate.

Location-based marketing and programmatic are effective when the following conditions are met:

  • Mobile targeting can be achieved in real-time
  • Data is derived from accurate, sensor-driven networks
  • The data is first-party

Without this programmatic mobile targeting will be ineffective. Outdated data sets can mean that you completely miss the relevant moment to target audiences.

It can also mean that your attempts to personalize the experience miss the mark. We all know how important personalization is to the modern marketer.

There are a lot of companies that claim to provide accurate data, but these are rarely meeting the three conditions we just discussed.

Often the data is third-party, it’s driven not by accurate sensors, but vague lat/long indicators. It’s often not live or real-time either.

So make sure your data partner can deliver on those three points. This will allow your programmatic mobile targeting to truly feel personal. It’s also important to get a good understanding of what stream processing is.

 

Location-based social media marketing

With organic social media becoming more obsolete, more brands are looking at increasing their ad spend on social to ensure that they reach audiences constantly. One way to do so is by using social media management tools that automate posting regularly on all social channels for maximum reach.

Social targeting options allow for geographic targeting.  But the accuracy of these targeting options is yet to be verified. How do you know you aren’t targeting a user who checked in there over a week ago?

Let’s analyse current social media mobile targeting options in relation to our three commandments.

Real-time – Facebook’s geographical targeting feature is rather vague when talking about its geo-targeting options. Or at least when talking about the speed of the targeting. “people recently in this location” is how they describe it. But there’s little in the way of how recent.

Now, this is useful for some advertisers, but to create a truly personalized and real-time experience, it has to be instant.

Accurate sensor-driven – Again it’s hard to tell exactly how Facebook sources its location data. We suspect that a large proportion of data is derived from check-ins on the Facebook platform. This does raise some issues – it relies on the user selecting the right location, for example.

Social is a powerful channel for targeting users. But the potential is even greater if brands can accurately target users in real-time. It’s even more effective if this is done in relevant locations and with personalized content. This can even be leveraged to create social proof.

In order to achieve that, the data that fuels social targeting and retargeting needs to be accurate.

Social platforms have always focused on personalization of the news feed. But this highlights some of the problems with facebook ads – they aren’t relevant.

Facebook has spent so much time personalizing the organic news feed but then delivers any ad at any time.

This means that brands and advertisers who embark on Instagram marketing can ensure that relevant, in the moment ads, reach users using Instagram stories data will be on to a winning formula.

 

Post mobile targeting attribution

The same can be applied to attribution. Post mobile targeting attribution is valuable for advertisers and marketers. It’s important to measure attribution, especially in the offline world. Mobile location data has been instrumental in this. Closing the online to offline attribution loop is now possible thanks to device location data.

But again, to truly understand physical conversions, marketers need accurate and real-time data sets.

 

Conclusions

Mobile targeting is a powerful tool for marketers to reach users with personalised messages, at the right moment. Location data and location intelligence helps provide the context that mobile targeting takes place.

Whether programmatic or social, mobile targeting requires data. This data must be accurate, real-time and first-party to ensure that location-based mobile marketing is effective.

Precise data is now available at scale. This means that marketers now have a powerful tool at their disposal, as long as they utilize the right data sets.

Categories
Marketing & Advertising

The Evolution Of Location Based Marketing & Advertising

Let’s get stuck in with a definition.

Location-based marketing is the practice of using physical location to inform and optimize advertising, communication, targeting, loyalty and attribution.

This sometimes also known as location-based advertising or proximity marketing. At the most basic level, it means creating a one-to-one relationship with the customer. Emphasis is placed on communication in the right place, at the best time and with the relevant message.

 

A history of location-based marketing

Despite popular opinion, location-based advertising has been around for a while. Sure, it hasn’t always been backed by the smart technology in your mobile phone. Buy it has existed in some form. Local marketing strategies have been a key part of marketing since the practice began.

It might not have been as effective, but brands have been trying to target users based on location since well before most of you reading this were born. Advertising space has always been purchased based on its location. Be it a metro station in an affluent Paris Arrondissement. Or a teenager holding a sign advertising bagels in a certain street in NYC.

Location-based marketing has developed a lot since then. The underlying technology has advanced at an alarming rate. The ability to understand where audiences go and the ability to market to these is improved.

 

IP addresses and targeting over Wi-Fi

Location-based marketing has always been around. But, it did up its game in the 90’s once the internet found its way into most family homes.

The dial-up broadband revolution had begun. Most families now had internet access in their home through (a large) desktop computer. For marketers, this meant that advertising could be delivered to a user based on their IP address. Thus marketers could now target based on location, usually an area the size of a postal area.

There are a few problems though. Unless you have a very specific audience in a single geographical area, it’s difficult to ensure that you are targeting the right people. By today’s marketing standards, an entire postal area is just not specific enough.

Another problem that remains is the lack of ability to understand who is on the other end of the screen. When IP targeting was becoming popular, many families had a single computer. The whole family used this. Dad to research which TV to buy next. Mum to book the family holiday. Kids to play online games. This means that ad dollars could easily be wasted. As advertisers were under the impression that they were delivering highly targeted ads.

 

The beginnings of mobile targeting

Location-based mobile advertising was the next advance in location tech. Phones become truly mobile in the early 2000’s. They were used by the masses and even your gran had one. This meant two things:

It was now possible to advertise to an individual based on physical location whilst they were on the move.

Location-based marketing companies now had a means of segmentation down to a single person.

This was fantastic and all, but the main issues were still accuracy. Whilst the ability to target an individual on the move was well received, issues still remained. The area in which location could be accurately placed was still too large. Mobile targeting via phone masts was a vital step on the road to personalization. However, those in pursuit of accuracy were still frustrated. It often requires a form of phone validation to ensure the right person is reached.

 

GPS, geofencing and geotargeting

In the late 2000’s smartphones really took off. The first smart devices appeared and with the first iPhone, the race to create powerful mobile devices went mainstream. This led to rapid growth of mobile device adoption with GPS capability.

This changed mobile targeting for good. It was now possible to use a device’s precise GPS satellite positioning to understand device location. This process is known as geofencing, geomarketing, or geotargeting.

A geofence is a virtual boundary that is defined in order to perform a specific response once a device enters or leaves the defined area. More advanced geofencing is possible. An example is focusing on dwell time. Triggering a response when a device is within a geofence for a minimum amount of time.

The geofence allows for mobile targeting to occur on an individual level anywhere. It means that audience segmentation can occur based on individual movement. But it did more than previously possible. It was now far more accurate. This meant that personalization (relevant to location) was now available. Location-based marketing was now personal and precise. Many growth marketing tools, including those offered by agencies like HubSpot agency, can assist you in collecting additional data on your target audience’s buying habits, demographics, and preferences

 

Satellite problems and indoor confusion.

Location-based mobile targeting improved in accuracy with the geofence. However, on a precision basis, it’s still not perfect.

GPS has issues in some indoor spaces. So it might be incredibly effective at understanding where a person is in their car whilst driving. As soon as they enter an indoor space, GPS can be temperamental.

Some may argue that this level of detail is neither here nor there. But the problem arises when location data providers can’t differentiate between accurate data and inaccurate data. Advertisers and marketers don’t know when the data fuelling their campaigns is incorrect.

 

Beacons – iBeacon and Eddystone

You thought that it was location-based marketing you were doing before? How very wrong you were. Beacon adoption was a trend that changed location-based marketing and advertising even further.

Thanks to mobile devices and mobile targeting, advertisers would now focus all efforts on accuracy.

Beacons were the natural next step in this journey. Beacons are small Bluetooth devices that can interact with a mobile device. This interaction allows the device to understand exactly where the mobile device is with an accuracy down to 1 meter. Not only does it do this, it can measure positioning on a vertical basis.

There are two main types of beacon technology; iBeacon and Eddystone. These devices are deployed everywhere from shopping malls to sports stadiums.

This was the true beginning of proximity marketing. Delivering personalizable content with accuracy in precise micro-moments. These moments are relevant to the time, place and person. Beacons also allowed for accurate attribution in the offline world.

 

But what about scalability?

The problem with Beacons is that they require hardware to be deployed. Unlike Geofencing, where geofences can be set around any place that satellites can reach. Beacons must be physically deployed inside a store, or inside a football stadium. So these individual businesses can enjoy a high level of location-based marketing. Once a person leaves these areas they cannot get the same level of location-based insights.

 

Enter the network approach

The solution to this problem? The proximity network approach. To maintain beacon based, accurate levels across entire cities, it’s essential to collate this location based hardware. That’s what Tamoco’s proximity network is. It’s a complex network of location-based sensors. This allows for mobile targeting, location-based, marketing and location intelligence and insights at a consistently high level. Moreover, this is available whether the device is indoors, outside, on the first floor and so on.

One issue that many proximity marketing companies have had with location-based advertising is with scalability. Creating a proximity network of location allows for this scalability.

 

Sensory agnostic and a view of the future?

At Tamoco we take a sensory agnostic approach to location-based marketing. We believe that as technology advances, we need to able to adapt to the changing was that advertising, targeting and marketing will change.

A good example of this is the emerging tech around AR. An AR headset or device is still a sensor. Location is a means to an end for targeting through this medium.

By taking an agnostic approach and ensuring our network approach, we ensure that advertising and marketing can keep up with the cutting edge trends. Moreover, we can ensure that this is available with a precision and scale that those original metro advertisers could only dream of. Using location to improve marketing is here to stay.

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Apps

App Monetization Is About The App Experience – Here’s How

Is there a point where too much monetization can have a negative effect on the app experience? It’s more important than ever that mobile app developers understand the effect of app monetization.

Across app monetization strategies there are some mistakes that can have a negative effect on user experience. In these cases, it will cause you to lose valuable users. 

Are in-app ads damaging the app experience?

It’s amazing that so many developers fail to see this. Poorly implemented in-app advertising is one of the worst forms of mobile app monetization. It might be an obvious thing to say – but users don’t like ads. An app monetization strategy should be carefully managed and well devised. A mobile app monetization strategy that consists of ads can be successful. But when the ads are poorly implemented, they start to have a negative effect on user experience.

Protecting the user experience means taking care and understanding the effect of in-app ads. Too many intrusive and you’ll begin to lose those users that you’ve spent valuable time and money acquiring.

Typically the best ad formats for in-app monetization are native, interstitial and incentivized advertising. It’s important that the ad feels like it was designed to be in the app, not forced in at every opportunity. It’s also important that you think through where your ads appear. Do you have a clear idea of the best user experience? Ensure that your ads don’t affect this flow. Failure to understand this will lead to a negative user experience, and cause you to lose users.

App monetization is about striking the right balance between revenue generating strategies and improving the user experience. In terms of ads, content is often overlooked. Your ad content should be relevant to the user. There are many tools to ensure this, but one way to do this is to engage with affiliate sponsors. Striking a more bespoke advertisement agreement will allow you to choose the ad content. Affiliate ads on mobile generally take the form of another app. This ensures that the content is relevant. You can even offer affiliate advertisers an ad spot for one in return.

Freemium

This app monetization strategy has become very popular withe the decrease in paid apps. With freemium, in-app monetization is about building a large base of users. Make sit clear up front that your users will only be able to access certain features without paying. Failure to do so will lead to some unpleasant app experiences.

Be transparent – it will be helpful in the long run. With this app business model, you’ll see that a small number of users will contribute a huge amount of revenue. In games, this type of user is generally someone who wants to advance throughout the game faster. Or unlock features that usually would take a regular user a significant amount of time. It is therefore important that you continue to generate and maintain the users that don’t pay anything. These free users are important as without they there would be no reason for paid users to continue paying for extras.

You must strike the right balance – between free features and paid features. If you get it wrong you’ll lose users. But of course, you also need to entice users to upgrade

In terms of experience, you can try educating the user better. Helpful, intuitive, experience first monetization is the solution. Also, don’t let your app become the next news story about a child spending millions on added content. We don’t need to tell you that’s not a positive app experience.

 

Subscription model

Another model that relies on experience first app monetization is the subscription model. By placing the experience first, app owners will produce better user retention and engagement. It’s simple math to understand that the more users on your app, the more that will enter into a paid subscription.

But placing experience first will also allow you to increase the percentage of users that enter into a subscription. Focus on creating improved UI and increasing user satisfaction. This will increase the number of users that subscribe to your service.

Don’t over confuse your options – users will become tired and move on. With more app subscriptions resembling SaaS services, make sure that your strategy cuts through the noise. Focus on an attractive user experience to maximize upgrades. Focus on simplicity when explaining the benefits of subscribing.

Rather than only focusing on converting new users into subscribers, remember to listen to your current subscribers. What are their complaints? What are the features they want? Many developers think (incorrectly) that once they have a paid subscriber they have one for life. In truth app experience is just as important after the moment of subscription as it is before.

Data monetization

Most mobile app monetization strategies will have some kind of negative effect on the app experience. The exception to this is data monetization. By running in the background, app developers can generate large CPMs from their audience without having a negative effect on the user experience.

This opens up a wider debate on the nature of app monetization. It’s important that users realise the tradeoff between experience and revenue model. When using this app monetization strategy developers must recognise user privacy. They must also be able to communicate why apps are free. It’s important that developers and users engage in debate around the benefits of free apps. Users must also understand the reasons for this.

Other in-app monetization advice

To protect the user experience and maximise app monetization make sure that you don’t make any of the following mistakes.

Make sure that your app monetization strategy works across platforms. If your app exists on multiple mobile platforms then make sure that your strategy is adapted to each. This could be as simple as optimizing ad formats on different screen sizes. It could mean that you’ll need to utilize a completely different app monetization model. The main rule is to understand the audience across platforms. Then adapt your app monetization strategy accordingly.

Use analytics. One of the most important things that developers can incorporate into app monetization is data. Use data generated from monetization to understand your progress. There are plenty of tools to help developers understand app engagement and app retention. Combine this with an app monetization platform that can give you accurate insights on how app engagement can affect revenue. Connecting the two is key to succeeding at in-app monetization.

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Marketing & Advertising

Cross-Device Attribution, Location & The Customer Journey

Marketing attribution has always been a tough area for marketers and advertisers. Attribution modelling has undoubtedly provided huge value. However, the ability to measure the effect of channels (or touchpoints) on the customer journey has often been fraught with difficulties.

Return on investment has been difficult for a variety of reasons. Understanding the entire customer journey has been problematic. This is especially true in the physical, offline world. Some offline marketing channels have also not been trackable. Attribution solutions have struggled with the multi-channel and real-time aspects that are crucial to understanding the full marketing picture.

Location intelligence has grown in terms of accuracy and scalability. This presents an opportunity. Some of the problems with attribution modelling can be solved with the application of accurate location data. Could this be the solution to the problems that limited marketing attribution in the past?

 

What is marketing attribution?

To understand the problems and the effect that location data can have it’s important to understand marketing attribution.

Attribution is the practice of allocating purchase revenue to the marketing touch points of a customer. In other worlds – understanding the effect of marketing efforts and channels on the purchase decision of customers.

Touchpoints can cover a wide range of customer interactions. Understanding the effect of these on sales or other valuable metrics allows for the optimisation of marketing channels, activity and budget.

 

What is offline location-based attribution?

Location-based attribution is the use of accurate mobile device data to fill in the gaps in traditional attribution models.

Smartphone adoption has grown rapidly. Understanding the where and how people move becomes scalable and precise. Customers rarely move without their mobile device, and this is the key. Higher levels of attribution precision are possible. Connecting the online and offline worlds becomes easier. Customer journey mapping and various touch point measurement is improved.

Until recently it has been impossible to understand the offline world. This has meant that advertisers have often been unable to attribute sales in physical stores and locations to a specific channel.

As smartphone adoption has grown using a device location has proved extremely useful in connecting the two.

Mapping the customer journey – cross device attribution

Basic attribution models have chosen to measure first touch or last touch. Much has been written about the failings of each. The choice lies in ignoring either early, top of funnel activity. Or failing to consider later, bottom of funnel activity that helps to move the customer along the buyer journey.

So the natural next step is to focus on multi-touch attribution. Focusing on touchpoints throughout the customer journey is important. But it requires accurate measurement across channels to be effective. The problem is that multi-touch attribution models don’t always incorporate what is happening in the offline world.

Location data allows a complete understanding of the customer journey. This means that it becomes possible for businesses to say the sort of thing like – okay this person saw our Facebook ad and has now completed a purchase. Previous attribution models would then attribute this purchase to the Facebook ad and not demonstrate how to generate leads on Facebook. But a more holistic view of the individual customer might point out that actually, the customer had visited the physical store previously.

This ability to model attribution across the online and the offline leads to a clearer picture of attribution. It allows brands to be better informed about the effect digital has on physical and vice-versa. Your customers exist across multiple marketing channels, so your attribution should too.

Previously brands have tried to close this gap by using various methods to map the offline customer journey. This usually took the form of a promotional code, which allows the brand to understand which channel had the desired effect. But whilst the picture is slightly clearer, it is not enough to be able to inform marketing budgets. Or to provide a clear understanding of the customer journey and the customer experience.

Only location intelligence can provide these insights. And it can do this across the online and offline world with a sufficient level of detail. Location data is versatile, quick and accurate. This makes it the perfect tool to help close the offline to online attribution loop.

Location data connect online advertising to the offline world. This allows for attribution in physical locations. This allows brands to measure store visits and link this offline activity to other digital touch points. It allows for more accurate customer journey mapping. This data can even be used to understand external offline touch points, such as OOH advertising. Already a complete picture becomes available.

Attribution has always had its problems. But brands and marketers should understand and implement insights from customer data points. In this way, location data provides a better understanding of the offline world. It allows brands to measure touch points more accurately. It allows them to map the customer journey in greater detail. And most of all, it allows them to measure the effects of cross-channel marketing in detail.

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Categories
Data

Location Data And Location Intelligence In 2018

The big data analytics space is growing at an alarming rate. We’re all increasingly connected through our mobile devices. This growth has provided huge amounts of data around audiences and how they behave. What kind of competitive advantage can we expect to see from this location data going forward?

Location data is rising in importance. But there are challenges that companies face as location data becomes commonplace. Businesses will need to understand the best application for this data. We’ll look at this as well as how location intelligence will be put to use across many verticals.

How will location data change the way that businesses approach marketing?

Attribution

Location data will become invaluable to marketers as they look to close the online to offline attribution loop. Traditionally this has been a problem for marketers. It’s difficult to attribute real-world visits and purchases to online marketing. 

Location intelligence will help to illuminate what happens in the offline worldwith unprecedented accuracy. Big data will provide insights well beyond the capabilities of loyalty scenes.

As programming becomes more prevalent, location intelligence will be used to ensure that budgets are optimised. With the improvements in attribution, marketers will be able to accurately understand where ad fraud occurs.

Personalization

Big data breeds personalization. Many a case has been made for the importance of big data in personalization. Location intelligence will help marketers to automate personalization. This, in turn, will deliver accurate, personalized content to the right user in the right place.

Big data insights from location data

Location data will provide a competitive advantage, and not just in marketing and advertising. More industries are realising the benefits of real-time mobile location data.

Location data is being collected and stored by over 90% of companies with over 500 employees. The applications of this data are wide-reaching. Understanding consumer behaviour accurately, and in real-time will signal the adoption of location intelligence outside of the marketing and advertising industries. Location data will allow cities to become smarter. It will allow transportation to become more efficient. 

 

Accuracy and reliability of big data

The accuracy problem

The problem has previously been the accuracy of the data. For companies to use big data to inform business decisions, the data has to be reliable beyond doubt. Location intelligence and precise sensor-driven data now provide this certainty. 

Accuracy and precision will become of paramount importance as technology gets better.  It’s important that businesses that benefit from location data and location intelligence can safely say that they are working from accurate sources. 

First-party location data

Challenges in sourcing accurate first-party data were found with scalability. With a lack of first-party data, unreliable third-party data was used. Often out of date and imprecise, the insights were not reliable. Especially for businesses serious about using location intelligence for commercial success.

Today Tamoco adopts a network approach to location intelligence. This means that through our mobile SDK we can understand mobile device location directly. Thanks to our network approach, we can understand these signals across multiple sensors types. 

This improves accuracy and will allow businesses to act based on a more precise understanding of audience behaviour. 

Real-time data

Location intelligent decisions must be informed by real-time data. Location data must be instantaneous. Data that is out of date is simply not useful for businesses. This means that data must be communicated in real-time to optimise and achieve the desired goals. 

This is another reason why first-party data is important. It allows for location intelligence to occur quickly.

The location of things

The IoT will soon be in everything. For example, by 2020 IoT technology will be in 95% of new product designs for electronics. Now that’s great but it’s only the beginning.

This huge growth will produce large amounts of data. However, it’s may be difficult to interpret data sets without location. Location adds context and a better understanding of what is happening in a specific location. This allows us to better understand the offline world. 

The location of things – the IoT is actually only useful if you know where the thing is. Tamoco’s sensory agnostic approach allows us to gain location intelligence across a wide range of sensors. These range from beacons, Wi-Fi and Geofences to connected IoT devices. This approach allows us to understand location across many different sensors. This creates a deeper understanding of the offline world. Businesses using location data will have to take a similar approach to understand the connected world we live in.

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Categories
Marketing & Advertising

How To Improve Mobile Targeting With Location Data

Mobile advertising is growing incredibly fast. Smartphone adoption has never been higher. Accordingly, marketers are adopting a mobile-first approach. As marketers look to target audiences on mobile devices, they will need to adapt to stay effective at targeting the right person, with the right message at the right time. 

Mobile targeting is set to pass other channels as more budget is being allocated to reaching audiences on the move. To stay ahead here’s how to improve mobile targeting and advertising using location data and today’s location based marketing technology. 

 

Location intelligence is an effective method to improve mobile targeting

Location data is a useful tool to help target mobile devices effectively. It allows in-depth segmentation of mobile audiences. It also facilitates real-time message delivery based on a device’s location.

This level of accurate data insight improves the effectiveness of mobile targeting. Location based marketing has been proven to increase engagement and conversion rates. This is because mobile targeting occurs contextually, at the best possible moment.

Location data is used to build complex mobile audiences profiles. This is achieved by understanding these anonymous location signals. Mobile targeting campaigns should feel personal and relevant to the user.  This is achieved by applying offline behaviour to the targeting process. 

Adding location intelligence to mobile targeting means less chance of delivering content that is irrelevant or annoying. In a world of increased ad-blocking, users want marketing to be helpful. Location based marketing allows mobile targeting campaigns to be just this. They reach users in the best moment with personalized and useful relevancy of the content. 

 

Personalize mobile content and combine this with relevant mobile targeting

Location intelligence allows brands and marketers to target users in real-time with accurate and personalized content. Ensure that mobile campaigns combine accurate targeting with contextual content relevant to the user’s location. Personalization should extend beyond simply addressing a user by name. It should be personalized to a level that reflects the location and situation of the mobile device. 

Personalization is key to successful mobile targeting. Improving the relevancy of the content will improve the success of campaigns. High-level mobile personalization is achieved with accurate location data. Understanding the situation of a mobile user allows content to be targeted and personalised. Users are more likely to interact with content that is targeted to their situation. 

 

Make sure your data is accurate and precise

Using location intelligence to target mobile users in the right micro-moment will improve campaign performance. Targeting devices at exactly the right time ensure that you will reach the user in the best place at the right moment. This requires the location data that fuels your campaign to be precise and instant.

Ensure that your location data partner that can source accurate data in real-time to inform your mobile targeting campaigns. Ask how your data is sourced. Using third-party data may not be helpful as it could be incorrectly sourced or out of date. 

There’s a lot of bad location data out there. Effective mobile targeting should be based on first-party data sourced from precise sensors. For example, at Tamoco, we source location signals across multiple different sensor types. This helps to understand device location with accuracy. It also ensures that errors in location data are not included in data sets. Data is also sourced from first-party sources. This means that there is little chance of data being out of date, or lose accuracy through the reselling of source data. 

Marketers should take accuracy and precision seriously. It means that mobile targeting campaign budgets are as efficient as possible. It ensures that brands and advertisers don’t waste time and money targeting the wrong audience. Each advertising dollar goes further as brands get better, more accurate mobile targeting. 

 

Apply mobile targeting and attribution across channels

Use location intelligence to understand if your mobile targeting is working. Location based marketing provides accurate attribution after devices are targeted. This allows marketers to understand campaign performance in the offline world. The aim of your targeted mobile campaign might be to send users to a specific store. It makes sense to measure the performance of this using location based attribution.

Many mobile marketers aren’t aware of the huge potential for location in closing the online to offline attribution loop. It can help brands to make better mobile targeting decisions over time.

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Apps

App Monetization Strategies – Which Is Best For My App?

The complete guide to mobile app monetization strategies. And, how to turn your app into a viable business.

Mobile app monetization in 2017

App monetization is pivotal to your mobile app business strategy. The revenue generated from your mobile app must outperform the cost of your user acquisition. If it doesn’t, then you’ll start to run into some serious problems.

That’s why it’s crucial to stay informed and to understand different app revenue models. One of the biggest challenges of creating a successful mobile app is figuring out which app monetization strategy best suits your app.

There are many different ways to monetize mobile apps. Ultimately, you need to figure out two things to form an effective app monetization strategy:

  • What value does your app provide to your app users and what is the price?

  • Which types of revenue will you pursue?

Understand your app monetization strategy in the context of your wider business model. We’ll talk more about this late on. For now, let’s look at some of the most common monetization strategies out there, as well as some that you might not have heard of.

 

No monetization strategy is the same

Your mobile monetization strategy is a constant balance between app revenue and user experience. In this balance lies the opportunity to propel your app to success. There are many theories on how to monetize an app effectively. But no particular method is inherently better than another. 

What’s the difference between android app monetization strategies and iOS app monetization solutions? Some app monetization models do provide different results on different platforms. It seems that iOS apps find it easier to monetize their audiences, but it isn’t exactly clear why this is.

As you might have realized by now, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t adopt different monetization strategies for your app. Make sure you’re aware of the effectiveness of each model on each platform. And always remember to put yourself in your user’s shoes when considering app monetization trends.

Anyway, let’s get onto the different app monetization strategies for your app.

It’s a topic that generates much debate amongst developers, users, and brands. But, for now, it’s here to stay. Mobile advertising has grown at an incredible rate in recent years. It’s a common response when people ask how to monetize free apps.

Mobile ad spend is set to reach $50 billion by the end of 2017. Mobile advertising as a percentage of digital advertising spend is also increasing year on year. This trend is predicted to continue.

Many apps head along the in-app advertising strategy. There are some app monetization challenges along the way. But, it can be one of the easiest and quickest way to monetize your audience.

 

In-app advertising

This is by far the most popular way for apps to generate extra revenue. Without advertising revenue, many apps wouldn’t exist.

There are a few ways that you can monetize apps with ads. There’s a huge variety in CPM and there are not that many guarantees on exact income until you get stuck-in. In-app ads are developing and aren’t as intrusive as they once were.

  • Third party ads within your app experience. These include everything from banner ads to third-party push notification advertising. Income can vary depending on your audience and your partner.

  • Build your own network of advertising space. This app monetization strategy requires a decent sized budget. Of course, once you manage to get to this stage you’ll reap the benefits of 100% of that ad revenue.

There is a lot of noise in the mobile ad space and it can be difficult to understand which solution is the best for your app. For a app network to advertise with, you’ll struggle to find a better list.

 

App push notification advertising.

You could be receiving significant income from your mobile app by allowing third-party brands to reach your users with third-party push notifications.

This monetization strategy is a two birds one stone solution to the monetization problem. If you ensure that the content delivered to the user is valuable, then you can also engage your users whilst monetizing your app.

With mobile monetization there will always be challenges. In-app advertisers often come across a pretty big one. 

Users hate ads.

There’s no getting around it. If you go for this kind of app monetization you are more or less signing up to decrease your UX.

Now if you have a mobile game app then this can be fine. But for other apps, it can become problematic. You need to think long and hard about your app’s function. Think how important experience is to the success of your app before implementing this monetization strategy.

You can always set limits to the amount of in-app advertising – many successful apps find a nice balance between the two.

  • Pros: quick and simple – pretty much any app can implement.
  • Cons: User experience is almost certainly lessened.

 

Monetize app data

One of the best ways to incorporate a free app monetization strategy is to leverage the huge amount of data generated from your mobile audience. It’s also another great way to monetize free apps without passing on the cost of the app directly to your users.

If you have built up a large mobile audience then big data around these user’s habits are extremely valuable for other companies. Their interests lie in understanding customers, and apps can help with this.

There’s huge potential for revenue here. This is a mobile app monetization trend that’s improving in popularity amongst developers.

CPMs are much higher than in-app advertising. There’s also the added benefit of not compromising your app experience. Data monetization takes place entirely in the background, ensuring that you can focus on improving the app experience. Rather than pestering users with in-app ads.

This method works well as a social app monetization strategy. But, it’s also effective revenue generator across most of the categories in the app store.

It’s important that you find yourself a valuable partner when embarking on this monetization strategy. You should ensure that your users are clearly opting into data monetization services. The key is explaining the process to your users. As with any mobile app monetization strategy, there’s always a trade-off for the user.

Ensuring an opt-out is important for any strategy. If done properly, this method can be one of the most lucrative app monetization templates.

  • Pros: best app monetization strategy for revenue and user experience
  • Cons: Requires reliable partner to implement.
 
 
 
 

Affiliate marketing and lead generation

Affiliate marketing is a method of app monetization that involves earning a healthy commission when your audience downloads, buys or engages with another product or service. If they do this through your app, then you’ll get generate revenue every time this happens.

This isn’t too dissimilar to mobile ads, and in some cases, it can appear just as blunt.

 

An affiliate in-app ad in cut the rope

 

But many other apps do this well and in these cases, it rarely affects the app experience negatively.

There are networks that help with affiliate marketing. The reward is much higher if you have the capacity to negotiate these partnerships yourself.

  • Pros: less negative effect on the user experience.
  • Cons: requires potentially lengthy relationship building with partners.

 

Transaction fees

Your app might include a marketplace or include many audience transactions. If this is the case then a transaction fee monetization will most likely be part of your app’s business plan already.

This app monetization strategy scales really nicely. Unlike listing fees, this encourages users to use your app service. The more transactions that go through your app, the more income you receive. That kind of information is helpful when forecasting app revenue and setting clear app growth KPIs.

 

 

Etsy charges app users a fee

 
  • Pros: Scalable and easy to predict monetization income
  • cons: Requires an engaged audience using your marketplace/service

 

Freemium

The freemium app monetization model is one that has gained a lot of popularity in recent times.

The model is simple. You offer users a free, basic and useful version of your service. Simultaneously, you educate and entice your users to upgrade to the paid version with advanced features and capabilities.

The most common example of this app monetization is SaaS-based apps. 

 

Headspace makes certain features available to premium subscribers.

 

There are a few different freemium models:

  • Time-based – the users get the entire version of your app including all of its features. But, this lasts for a set period of time. This is similar to the free trial model that many non-app based SaaS providers offer.

  • Feature-based – in this app monetization model the user has access to only a select few features. To unlock the full range they must subscribe or upgrade their membership.

  • Limits – the user has access to all of the app features but they are given a usage limit. When they hit this limit they must upgrade their membership to keep using the app.

Some apps adopt just one of these methods but some have been known to mix two or even all these methods. Again, it really depends on which aspects of your app will entice your users to pay for the whole shebang.

  • Pros: Can be applied to the majority of mobile applications.

  • Cons: you must really focus on creating a useful and well-liked product.

 

Virtual currency

Generally one for those games apps out there but increasingly seen in other app categories. Many successful app monetization strategies involve offering a virtual currency to users. This can then be earned by playing/engaging with the app.

The users can use this currency to get ahead in the game or unlock certain app features and services. The user can then purchase this currency using real money.

You can really get into app economics here and there are many companies that offer expert advice on how to get the balance right. There’s actually a surprising amount of psychology involved.

Ultimately, you must understand your user’s motivations. As well as give audiences sufficient opportunity to earn the virtual currency themselves. Either way, there are a huge number of people that are willing to get their credit card out if what they are getting in return is good enough.

  • Pros: can provide large amounts of income and scales nicely.
  • Cons: Some of the app stores take a huge cut for in-purchases.

 

Which is the best app monetization platform?

Wouldn’t it be helpful if you could access these strategies all from within a single platform?

There are a few solutions for this – especially the mobile ad monetization platforms.

But some of the data platforms are quick to integrate, simple to use and provide you with a great overview of your mobile monetization strategy in real-time.

You can see exactly how your monetization strategy is performing. This allows you to forecast potential income streams. It also helps to predict how much of your mobile app budget you can allocate to other parts of your mobile business.

 

In conclusion

So that’s it, the main ways the world’s apps are generating money from their mobile app audience. There might not be a single best way to monetize your Android or iOS app. But there are many app monetization ideas out there to ensure that you get the best shot at generating app revenue for your business.

  • You must understand your audience to be able to monetize your app effectively.

  • No single monetization strategy will work on its own. The majority of apps looking to succeed as a viable business will consider all the options and implement more than one to their strategy.

  • Put your user first = if your app relies on a beautiful and seamless user experience then don’t overdo the ads.

  • Don’t expect overnight result – use feedback and data to understand and learn about your app and its users.

  • Every app is different – what works for your app might not work for others and vice-versa.

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Apps

5 App Monetization Trends To Watch Out For In 2018

Which trends will shape app monetization in 2018? As the world becomes better adapted for mobile, developers will benefit from greater revenue than ever before. However to do this they must balance the needs of the user with app monetization practices.

We’ll look at five trends that will influence the way that app moentization will work in 2018.

App experience will become more important for developers relying on ads to generate revenue.

In-app ads remain a popular method of app monetization for developers. Despite them having obvious drawbacks when applied poorly.

In 2018 app advertising will be all about the user experience. developers must strike a balance between the number of ads, where they appear and how the user interacts with them. This will be pivotal to app monetization success. App owners will also have to consider how these changes will affect their users in 2018. Too many ads will negatively affect the user experience. But that doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to provide value whilst delivering in-app ads.

Mobile app advertising is maturing quickly. Make sure you look for a network that uses safe brands, smart ad targeting, and provides support for interactive ads.

When integrating an app advertising strategy you may find a trade-off between ease of integration and spamminess of ads. In 2018 it might be worth taking the time to focus on putting user experience first.

Don’t expect revenue from app ads to jump to new heights anytime soon. If anything expect app ad revenue to decrease as more apps adopt in-app advertising. Perhaps 2018 could be the year to supplement your app revenue with another method.

 

 

More apps will adopt a freemium model as more users are becoming used to an app being free at the point of use.

Freemium is allowing app owners to increase session length and generate engaged users. This is a great place from which to convert users into healthy revenue. After a positive app experience app users are more likely to opt-in for premium features. Having the chance to nurture and educate your users before this has a positive effect on your app monetization strategy.

Try not to appear like you are cheating your users. Make it clear that your app is a freemium app from the very beginning. They won’t want to invest a lot of time in a game or app to realise that they have to pay to use some features.

It seems that freemium is here to stay. With users finding it standard practice to not pay for an app at the point of purchase. Because of this, developers are finding it harder to justify an upfront fee. The freemium app monetization model is a great opportunity to engage and nurture audiences for app monetization.

 

Users will become dissatisfied if they have to commit huge amounts of time or money to unlock all app features.

In-app purchases as a method of app monetization is still experiencing healthy growth. This may be slightly overstated due to the inclusion of ‘services’ as purchases (think Uber etc).

One of the main trends well see in 2018 is that app developers will need to focus more on engagement rather than only increasing app monetization.

Once a user has purchased in-app content then they are more likely come back and spend more time in the app. This translates to better engagement and retention and in turn better monetization.

No category has benefited from in-app purchases more than the gaming category. Here, developers are benefiting by placing engagement first. The user now has the option to pay to advance through the game quicker or access powerups and features.

Developers need to make sure they are getting this balance right. In-app purchases are effective because a few users spend a lot. There will always be users who only want to play your game for free. True these users don’t generate revenue, but they are still important for your app to exist.

Whilst not being a mobile app, developers can still learn a lot from the EA debacle in the new Battlefront game. Users quickly noticed that to unlock some of the features they would have to play the game for 1000 hours. Alternatively, they could pay to unlock them. This seemed rather unfair, especially when they had purchased the game upfront.

To keep users happy, developers will need to strike the right balance between monetization and experience.

In 2018 more and more users will become aware of how apps monetize their users. That’s why app monetization methods must be clear and fair, in the long term it will benefit you.

 

A conversation will need to be had with users about monetization of data and opt-out methods.

Users are more aware than ever of the need for developers to monetize their app audience. The conversation around app monetization is shifting to help users understand why apps are free.

In 2018 consumer personalization will be a high priority for brands. They will achieve this by using consumer data to help provide an improved user experience.

Mobile app owners are sitting on a lot of behavioural data around their users. This is of value to those who wish to improve personlization for their customers.

Data monetization is secure, private and becoming more popular amongst developers. Users are more likely to understand that this data will help to generate improved personlization. By communicating the benefits and education users about opt-in developers can monetize their app in this way.

A benefit of app data monetization is that the user experience remains intact. There are no intrusive adverts or the need for the user to pay anything upfront. This means that the user will spend more time in the app and engage with the app’s features. The app monetization strategy can be adopted alongside other methods of monetization.

Data monetization allows developers to monetize a much higher percentage of users. The users don’t need to be engaged for it to work. The revenue that you generate from each user will also be higher. This means you don’t have to worry about monetization in relation to platform. It’s the same regardless of the device.

Expect revenue from data monetization to increase from a high starting point with better technology. 2018 will see the consumer become more aware of the power of big data and better educated on how it affects them.

 

App subscription models will more closely resemble SAAS subscriptions.

The subscription model is one that looks to remain popular in 2018. Again, users are used to trialling an app and its features before parting with any cash

Subscription models are becoming more complex than a simple buy or don’t buy. In fact, many pricing structures now more closely resemble a SAAS model. It’s common to see several pricing tiers with many different features.

This allows app developers to persuade users who would previously not part with any cash to subscribe to a lower tier of membership. This method of app monetization is still the best fit for service apps.

A side effect of this is that developers will need to clearly help users understand the benefits of upgrading. More tiers and features mean a better explanation is needed.

 

Closing thoughts for 2018

Developers will continue to benefit from the app economy with revenue from app monetization set to grow throughout 2018. Free apps will become the new normal, compared to previously where single pay purchases were the most popular. This will allow developers to generate more revenue over a longer period of time.

Developers will need to place more emphasis on the monetization experience. This means that the developers are more likely to miss out on revenue from app monetization if the app experience is not up to scratch. Due to the free to download culture, more emphasis on experience and education is needed. This will help to persuade users to enter into premium models and subscriptions or to engage with in-app purchases.

More and more developers will need to adopt hybrid monetization strategies. Developers should not rely on a single method of app monetization. Instead, spreading monetization across multiple strategies will provide stability. Especially in a market that can change quickly. The preference of app users is volatile. The changing platform rules around app monetization may also affect developers in 2018. It’s important to stay one step ahead!

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Apps

How Do Free Apps Make Money?

Everything you wanted to ask around app monetization, app revenue and how to monetize apps.

If you’re a developer or an app owner then you might feel slightly confused with all the content around app monetization.

The monetization of apps is something that doesn’t always have a simple solution. App monetization changes based on many different factors. It’s something that’s not simple to explain in a single way.

So we’ve taken some of the more common question that app owners ask around monetization. We’ve tried to provide some simple clear answers to these.

We update these questions regularly. If you would like to have your question answered then please send your question via the comment box below.

What does app monetization mean?

In its most basic form, app monetization simply means making money or revenue from your app. It’s not necessary to sell a specific product in order to monetize an app. It could mean that you generate background revenue without offering anything to your users.

App monetization is the act of converting app users into app revenue. You’ll be making the link between app usage metrics such as number of active users and time in apps and linking this to app revenue.

 

How do apps make money?

There are multiple app monetization methods that app publishers can use to generate revenue. These include:

  • In-app advertising – delivering adverts to users whilst they are using an app
  • In-app purchases – offering a paid service or product (both physical and digital) to users
  • Data monetization – tapping in-app activity to generate insights and revenue
  • Subscription and freemium models – providing users with access to the app for a recurring fee.

To explore all of these ideas in much more detail then check out this guide:

How to monetize your app

App Monetization Guide

 

How do free apps make money?

If your mobile app doesn’t generate revenue at the point of install then there are a number of methods to monetize app users.

Free apps have grown in popularity in recent times. Users are used to not paying money upfront for the app. They are increasingly aware that they will be monetized via another method.

This describes the majority of app monetization strategies that app owners employ today.

 

How do free apps make money without ads?

There are many effective ways for an app to generate revenue without delivering ads to their users. This is beneficial to the user because ads generally decrease the user experience. Lower user experience means that an app may lose users, which in turn will decrease monetization. That’s why app ad networks might not be the best option for your app.

The most popular ways that app publishers are monetizing apps without heading along the advert route are as follows:

 

How much money can you make from a free app?

The best way to look at this is by looking at your users. There are many different methods of app monetization and these will provide different results. However, you need active, engaged users in order to test monetization strategies.

Statistics around monetization can be difficult to predict. Use the following form to see how much you could make from data monetization.

 

How many app monetization methods should I use to monetize an app?

The short answer is it depends. Many developers use a combination of different app monetization methods. This means that they can generate more app revenue per user.

However, it would probably be a bad idea to go all in for every app monetization strategy under the sun. You must consider the cost of app monetization. That is, will it negatively affect the user experience, will it cause users to uninstall the app?

 

What’s the difference between these methods?

Some app monetization strategies generate guaranteed income, such as advertising. The cost of these is potentially quite high.

Some generate more income but mean that you will probably monetize a smaller percentage of your users.

App monetization is all about getting the right balance between the two.

 

How long should I wait to monetize my audience

As we’ve already mentioned, app monetization does come with a cost. If you are looking at ad app monetization then it might be worth waiting to monetize. Once you begin, you may find it more difficult to acquire and retain users.

Another point to consider is that revenue from app monetization usually increases with the number of users. It might be worth waiting to monetize your audience until you have carefully nurtured an engaged set of users.

Each app is different but in short, these are the main things to consider before monetizing:

  • How many users do you have?
  • How much revenue will be generated from each user?
  • Is this revenue worth the potential cost of app monetization?

 

What’s the link between app monetization and app engagement?

App monetization is affected by the number of app users that are using your app. As well as the amount of time that they spend using your app. This holds true for many methods of app monetization.

The better your app engagement metrics then the more revenue you will generate from your audience. That’s why it’s difficult to avoid engagement when strategizing for app monetization.

 

What makes up a successful monetization strategy?

The main things that app developers should consider in the monetization of apps:

  • User experience – how will this be affected by monetization
  • CPM – how much will I be generating per user
  • Acquisition costs compared to monetizaiton costs – is revenue outperforming user acquisition costs?
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Apps

How Your Push Notification Strategy Boosts App Monetization

Push notifications are an important part of any mobile app business. An effective push notification strategy helps to drive app engagement and app retention. It can also have a direct effect on your mobile app revenue or app monetization strategy.

Many developers understand the value of push notifications in relation to communication. Whilst this is one of the main benefits of adopting a push notification strategy, there are other rewards that developers can tap into.

These rewards are slightly different depending on the kind of app that you have. There is evidence that effective push notification strategies have a strong impact on in app monetization. We’ll look at what you can gain, other than engagement, from developing and nurturing your mobile app push notification strategy.

Abandoned carts, lost revenue

Users abandon 90% of mobile shopping carts. That’s a high number that app owners can combat with an effective push notification strategy. This is especially true if you create the right strategy. One in which your push notifications follow the golden rules of push.

 

Push notification best practices

  • Relevant – always ensure that you send push notifications to users at the best possible moment. Don’t send notification at times which aren’t relevant. This will decrease app engagement and ultimately app monetization.
  • Helpful – Your push notification service must be able to provide value to the user. A successful push notification strategy will communicate helpfully to the app users at the point of delivery.
  • Analyse data – always use data to inform your push notification strategy. Measure everything, hypothesize, test and repeat.

 

Now, this presents developers with a huge opportunity. With such a high number of mobile users abandoning baskets, app owners must address the issue. One way to reduce the number of abandoned baskets, and increase app revenue, is through the use of relevant push notifications.

Now we’re talking about something different to sending generic push notifications. Also, let’s remember – relevance doesn’t only mean addressing a user by name. Push notifications are much more effective when you consider relevancy. So let’s look at how you can adapt this into your push notification strategy to boost revenue.

The traditional abandoned basket push notification journey goes like this:

This push notification strategy may work in some cases. But the effectiveness of the push notification can be improved if it’s delivered at the right time. 

You need a push notification service that allows you to understand and engage with your users at the right moment. Remember the push notification best practices – how can we apply them to this situation?

One way you can apply these to your push notification strategy is by using location.

Back to our abandoned cart push notification. Layering this push notification with location can achieve a much better result.

 

What is a location-based push notification?

A push notification strategy that uses location delivers push notifications based on the users’ location. This is helpful for many reasons. One is that it allows communicating specific messages to users in helpful and relevant moments. This translates to better engagement, and in turn, better in app monetization.

 

So in the case of an abandoned basket, we can hypothesize a few locations in which it would be helpful to remind a user.

One might be when they are in a consumer shopping location. The user will already have shopping on the mind and in most cases where they have forgotten about the items in their basket. Communicating with the user in this moment is much more likely to produce engagement.

Of course, this can be fine-tuned depending on what your app offers to its users. If you have more niche items then you can increase the specificity. For example – sports goods, communicate when they leave a gym.

Using push notification as reminders in relevant locations rather than sending generic cart abandonment messages will dramatically improve your app revenue.

 

User purchases

Now here’s another look at how mobile push notifications can have a positive effect on your mobile app revenue. If your app offers users the option to purchase goods, be it physical or digital, then push notifications can be useful.

Again, look at when it could be beneficial to deliver these notifications. If you can find a way to deliver value to your users then you’ll boost engagement over time. This will translate into better app revenue and improved monetization of apps.

Try informing and promoting user purchases at the right moment. In times of value, you will dramatically improve your revenue from in-app purchases.

It’s not as simple as picking a single time or day. Push notification strategies should be based on more than that. Namely, the location and situation of the user. That’s where location comes into your push notification strategy.

Try sending promotions or communicate in-app purchases at a moment of locational relevance to the user. Again, this will vary depending on the type of app or the type of purchase, but let’s look at a few examples.

Let’s say you have a language learning app with a subscription model. You could offer a promotion for the subscription to entice users into subscribing. But you can go one step further with location. Try sending notifications to the users when your users return from a trip through an airport.

These are just one example. You can get ultra-specific with your location based push targeting. The more precise you get, the more engaging your push notification strategy will be. More engaged users mean better app monetization.

Get in touch to see how location can specifically improve your app and help you generate more app revenue.

 

Time in app – monetization

If you have considered your app monetization strategy you’ll know that the monetization of apps is affected by the number of time that users spend in your app. That’s app engagement, and it’s something that push notifications can directly improve.

Therefore, by crafting an effective push notification strategy, you can allow your users to spend more time in your app. This will lead directly to improved app revenue.

Consider the push notification best practices when trying to boost app engagement and retention. The effectiveness of a push notification strategy is improved with location.

So in terms of engagement – we can look at ways that location-based push notifications can improve app engagement metrics. This is to do more with communicating with the users at the right time to encourage them to spend more time in your app.

Always have your in app monetization strategy in mind when considering your push notification strategy. push notifications can be useful beyond engagement. Stick to the push notification best practices and you’ll be on your way to more app revenue.

Conclusions

  • App push notifications can boost app revenue and the monetization of apps, as well as engagement.
  • Push notifications best practices include being relevant, helpful and data-driven.
  • Adding location to your push notification strategy is an effective way to improve engagement and revenue.
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