Mobile app install ads: Now on Twitter

For those who market mobile applications, Facebook’s introduction of mobile app install ads in 2012 opened a new world of opportunity. Facebook would certainly agree, as they reported mobile accounted for 59% of their ad revenue in Q1 of this year, up from 53% the previous quarter.

Facebook’s mobile app install ads promote mobile apps within a user’s Facebook newsfeed, sending users directly to the iTunes store or Google Play store with a single click to download the app.

Let’s not forget about Google, which has its own offering to drive mobile app install ads within its network of mobile apps.

On June 30th, Twitter officially joined the mobile app install game and began offering their own version of the ad format through Promoted Tweets with App cards and Install notifications. Twitter announced the rollout of these units to advertisers globally after it ran a beta with select partners in May and June. Here’s a breakdown of how the new units work, pulled directly from Twitter’s blog:

—–
Mobile app promotion leverages Twitter’s existing powerful targeting capabilities, including interest, keyword, TV targeting and tailored audiences to help you reach your desired audience. You can also layer on gender, geo, language and mobile platform targeting to pinpoint the users who are best suited for your app.

Once you’ve set your targeting, we offer a number of ways to customize the creative aspects of your ad using Promoted Tweets and App Cards, including:

the ability to automatically use your app’s icon and description from Google Play or the App Store, or customize them;
your choice of deep link to enable users to open your app directly from Twitter; and
the ability to customize your Tweet copy to provide additional context about why users should download your app.

In addition, App Cards on iOS will also include install notifications, a prompt that occurs on Twitter once your app is fully downloaded. The notification is designed to drive activation of your app when user intent is highest.
—–

After the success of Facebook’s mobile advertising offerings, it will be interesting to see how Twitter fares in the space and whether this tool can prove real ROI to marketers. Importantly, marketers must not forget the key to measuring the ROI of app install ads across both Facebook and Twitter is to apply the technology of mobile measurement platforms such as AD-X, AppsFlyer, and Kochava.

For more on this topic, check out the articles below: