Have you ever heard about Ethan Zuckerman? Last year this guy made a big public apology to the world.
Why did he feel like doing it? For inventing the pop-up ad, one of the most common advertising tools presently available online.
Mobile affiliate programs have just started developing strategies to deliver pop-ups/pop-unders on new-generation phones.
Sure, the pop up was invented in the 1990s and a lot has happened, or let’s say changed, ever since. This distinctively applies to the mobile world.
In the past year alone tons of different promo tools have been created to serve the unique needs of affiliates in order to help them with sponsors’ offers.
This month we will have a look at the different options found in the mobile market nowadays and even compare them with the promo tools in the desktop world.
Perhaps the most common promo tool is the direct link. Sponsors give out the link, webmasters send the traffic and then they convert it for you.
In the desktop world you are used to working with different deep links to get the best result, but in the mobile world it is a little bit different: an algorithm is working behind this link, to ensure that the traffic reaches the best fitting offer.
In the desktop world you can send users from the whole world to a cam site, for example. The geo-targeting will change the language and that’s it.
Once again, for mobile it does not work that way. Because of different payment regulations with every carrier, device type, OS and other factors, the program owner administers the routing for the user in the background.
How partners obtain the click on the link is entirely the webmaster’s job, either using banners and text, or even using the clicks for redirects.
If you are a site owner then you could work with a device filter script. With this you can redirect your traffic to a mobile solution. In some cases the program gives you the option to adjust it, so you can redirect for example only 3G traffic in countries with direct carrier billing. This means you will keep the bounce rate low, and have only the most valuable users redirected.
Banner scripts are also popular these days. Webmasters don’t need their own ad server. Simply install the script of your favorite mobile sponsor and they will always deliver the best banners for their partners. In most cases the banner clicks will be tracked and the program will constantly make sure not to use banners with a bad CTR (click-through rate) and try out new designs.
Let’s get back a bit to the pop-ups that were mentioned at the beginning of the article.
It is quite common to use them on mobile as well, but neither me nor you actually want to see pop-ups while surfing the web the mobile way. This is why new generation phones come with a pop-up blocker by default.
So, this turns banners into a good additional revenue source that cannot be tapped into that easily.
I have some good news: Mobile affiliate programs have just started developing, during the past month, strategies to deliver pop-ups/pop-unders on new-generation phones.
Just check with your sponsor if this is already supported by them.
Moving on to the next promo tool: the back button script. You need to know right from the start that you have to use it with care, especially if you buy traffic.
You see, the thing with it is some networks do not like it and can block your campaigns, but if you own the traffic go for it. The way it works is considered a bit aggressive.
A user sees the mobile offer you present him. He does not like it and uses the back button of his mobile browser. Normally the user is lost, but not with this script. It will first show the user an additional product. Hopefully he likes it better and you get a sale.
Saving the best for last ... here comes my personal favorite promo tool at the moment: the full page iFrame overlay. It is a quite new promo tool, so I will explain it a little bit more detailed.
Let’s say you run a website and you don’t want to use redirects. This can have many reasons. Either because you have lots of returning users and you are afraid that Google hits you hard for it.
This is a good scenario for this promo tool: An overlay over the full screen, containing an iFrame with the complete mobile product. So the user can interact, make a sale and everything that he would do after a redirect without leaving your page.
If the user does not like the offer he simply clicks on a big X to close the iFrame.
You also have the option to get it closed automatically after a few seconds. I tested it on several dating sites.
After the log out process, the user is still horny and looking for a date even though he has logged out. Suddenly a video-on-demand portal appears where he can enjoy a “wankaction.” Keep in mind, the user will still be on one of your pages and if he closes the iFrame, he will still see your site with other offers and banners.
Some mobile affiliate programs have the option to set up unique rules regarding how exactly webmasters wish to route their traffic in their system. It is very helpful if you sell, for example, a part of your traffic that can not be converted over mobile billing, or you have a new project that you want to push with some particular traffic.
This is only a small glimpse on some of the promo tools that are out there and waiting for mobile webmasters to use them. And I believe that this is just the beginning.
Other tools will appear, I am sure. If you know promo tools that are not mentioned here, or if you want to exchange experiences regarding them, I would be more then glad to discuss them with you. It would be best to drop me some lines on Facebook, or, we can always talk during the next show.
Stefan Mühlbauer is director of marketing and sales at BrokerBabe.com. If you are interested in the mobile world, contact him in Sitges, Phoenix or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/s.muehli
