Facebook gives advertisers mobile-only option for Sponsored Stories
Mobile app developers have new advertising opportunities on Facebook now that the social network will allow advertisers to buy Sponsored Stories in the mobile News Feed separately from other ad placements.
Previously, advertisers could not choose where their Sponsored Stories were shown, but now app and game developers will be able to ensure that they reach Facebook users while they’re on their phones. It also gives developers a way to target very specific types of users, as opposed to most mobile advertising which cannot be targeted by age, demographic, interests or other details.
With Sponsored Stories, developers can only reach users who have already connected to their app with Facebook, or who have friends that have. Advertisers can’t specifically choose their own copy, but they can choose to promote different actions, whether it’s using an app or taking a more specific action like earning a high score or passing a new level. Developers can then drive users to a specific section within their app or an app download page. The following story from Turntable.fm was not promoted with Sponsored Stories, but it shows the type of activity that can be sponsored and how it could drive app downloads.
Developers can buy mobile Sponsored Stories through a third-party provider with access to the Ads API or through the Power Editor tool, but not the main self-serve ad dashboard. An app must integrate Facebook single sign-on or Open Graph to be eligible for Sponsored Stories.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:37 am
[...] the company announced that advertisers can now choose to run mobile-only ads, which introduces new opportunities for app developers to acquire users with Sponsored [...]
June 8th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
[...] social network also introduced mobile-only Sponsored Stories this week. Previously, there was no way to run a Facebook ad campaign that only appeared on [...]
June 19th, 2012 at 4:22 pm
[...] New ad units tend to have higher CTRs and lower CPCs when they first launch since there is some novelty for users and little competition driving up bid prices. Although it is too early to make claims about the overall effectiveness of Facebook mobile ads, advertisers who begin mobile campaigns now are likely to see their dollars go a lot further than they would on desktop. Besides using mobile Sponsored Stories for page-Like campaigns, the new placement could be especially valuable for retail offers and mobile app promotion. [...]
July 11th, 2012 at 11:35 am
[...] Overall, advertisers are finding mobile Sponsored Stories to be more effective than those on desktop. New ad units tend to have higher CTRs and lower CPCs when they first launch since there is some novelty for users and little competition driving up bid prices. Advertisers who begin mobile campaigns now are likely to see their dollars go a lot further than they would on desktop. Besides using mobile Sponsored Stories for page-Like campaigns, the new placement could be especially valuable for retail offers and mobile app promotion. [...]