Facebook Test’ May Revolutionize Facebook Marketing
Since the announcement that Facebook will be running a small test’ of its ads on mobile apps, people have been wondering if they will start seeing ads from Facebook when they are using other applications. The announcement was posted on Facebook for Business page. It is stated that the ads are done by a small number of publishers and announcers’ in an effort to enable developers expand reach of advertisers and monetize their apps.
As it was announcing the test, Facebook said that as mobile devices and usage continues to move to more app-based experiences, advertisers will need to reach people who are spending time in apps. At the same time, developers need new ways to make money. This might be a new addition to the current Facebook marketing strategies available.
The social media giant said it was running a small test that shows Facebook ads in mobile apps in a bid to help mobile developers better monetize their apps, provide a greater reach for Facebook advertisers and improve the relevancy of the advertisments people see. Their intent is to demonstrate a greater reach with the same power of Facebook targeting for advertisers both off and on Facebook.
Even though they had run similar tests in the past, this particular test is more like a mobile based ad network. This means that they are working directly with a few publishers and advertisers instead of using an outside ad-serving platform. Facebook said that the current test is limited to a few partners and advertisers, they will release more details in the following months. Although it has run similar tests in the past, in the current test it will be working only directly with developers and advertisers. This is different because in the past there was involvement of outside ad-serving platforms.
Facebook had started testing a mobile advertising network in September 2012. During the time, some users saw interstitial and banner ads on mobile websites they authenticated with Facebook, Android apps or on non-Facebook iOS. The ads were based on their social and biographical information from the social network such as likes, location, gender, age and friends who used those apps.
By December 2012, the test was paused and Brandon McCormick, Facebook’s spokesman, gave a statement saying they had started stopping their mobile based ads test off of Facebook. He added that as much as the feedback gotten from partners and the results they had seen had been positive, their focus was mainly on scaling advertisements in mobile News Feed before anything else such as ads off of Facebook. McCormick finished by saying that the social media giant had learned many things from the test that will be quite helpful in the future.
Almost a year later, last September, Facebook began the testing process again. A spokesman confirmed the testing to Tech Crunch by saying that they were doing a second test that will show Facebook ads off Facebook on mobile sites and in mobile ads. He added that their goal was to increase the relevancy of the ads people come across and since it was a test, they did not have more details to share.
