top 5 mistakes in mobile affiliate marketing

The Top Five Mistakes in Mobile Affiliate Marketing

January 2013

Jeff StevensDirector of SalesDirectTrack / Direct Response Technologies

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DirectTrack: Our point of view.

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POWERING:

Affiliate Networks

Display Networks

Tier-1 Brands

High-Volume Publishers

Mobile Marketers

Social Media Marketers

Channel Partner Programs

Annually, DirectTrack Accounts For:

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“Up to 30% of all clicks tracked are being generated from a mobile device or tablet.”

Mobile Marketing Landscape

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Affiliate Challenges: App Overload

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“26,000 applications were submitted to the iTunes App store in each of the first seven months of 2012.” -

That’s a lot of Apps!

Affiliates must choose a Cost Per Install (CPI) App offer carefully or risk being burned.

Ask the right questions, and use the same vetting process that you would use for traditional affiliate offers.

Affiliate Challenges: Mobile vs. PC

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Mobile users and PC users are effectively now one and the same. The user experience of all affiliate driven offers should account for this fact.

Traditional Email Marketing: “We have seen upwards of 40% of clicks driven by a mobile device rather than a PC when an offer is sent via mass email”

Affiliate Opportunity

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Affiliate Mobile Opportunities Go Beyond Apps

Ensure that ALL offers are properly formatted to accept a mobile user click.

Test the offer end to end on both PC, mobile handheld, and tablet.

Thrive From Others’Past Mistakes!

Issues and Risks

Mobile Device Recognition Upon Redirect1

COMMON MISTAKE:Rely on the advertiser (or App developer) to handle device recognition at the landing-page level.

SOLUTION:Affiliate and network controls landing-page optimization at the redirect level.

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PC and mobile users sent to one shared

landing page

Low conversion rate due to poor user

experience

All parties in transaction chain suffer

Mobile Device Recognition Upon Redirect1User Receives

Email and ClicksTracking System Identifies Device

Redirects User to Device-Specific

Landing Page

Conversion Tracked

Successfully With Shared Tracking

Code

Confirmation Page

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Mobile Device Recognition Upon Redirect1Navigate Here: http://pdt.directtrack.com/test

From PC From Mobile

Arrive at http://www.google.com Arrive at http://m.yahoo.com

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Poor App Tracking User Experience2

COMMON MISTAKE:The affiliate offer uses a “web page pop” back-door tracking mechanism to track an App install.

SOLUTION:Ensure the App install is using a “fingerprint” tracking method with formatted SDK. Ensure tracking occurs without affecting user experience.

Issues and Risks

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Tracking becomes 100% reliant on end user

Loss of tracking accuracy

Affiliates and networks fail to collect on commission

rightfully owed

Poor App Tracking User Experience

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2

USER EXPERIENCE USER CLICKS App STORE INSTALL

Web Browser Loads

Poor Tracking Accuracy. Reliant on User.

User Taken Back to App

Lack of Post-App Install Tracking

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COMMON MISTAKE:Affiliate Cost Per App Install (CPI) offers that lack post-install payout opportunities. Awareness that these opportunities even exist.

SOLUTION:Use technology to track and pay affiliates on transactions that occur after the initial App install.

Limited affiliate earning opportunities

Networks lose affiliates to competition

Loss of user Lifetime Value (LTV) analytics

Issues and Risks

Lack of Post-App Install Tracking

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Traditional CPI App Payout

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Post App-Install Payouts

App UpgradeIn-App

Purchase

Issues and Risks

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4 Failure to Use Mobile Ad Rotators

COMMON MISTAKE:Relying on one creative to generate conversions without split testing or optimizing.

SOLUTION:Use mobile ad rotators to ensure the highest performing creative is being served across all channels.

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“All eggs in one basket” approach

produces lower conversion rates

Lack of optimization means less commission earned by affiliate and

network

Lose advanced targeting controls at

creative level

Mobile Ad Rotator: Targeting

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Mobile Ad Rotator: Inventory Management4

1. .

2. .

3. .

4. .

5. .

Ads in rotation: Mobile publisher landing page:

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Mobile Ad Rotator: Optimize on Performance

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1. .

2. .

3. .

4. .

5. .

Views Clicks Revenue

1 million 40,000 $650

1 million 26,000 $910

1 million 11,000 $250

1 million 82,000 $2,000

1 million 31,000 $4,200

Optimized based on revenuegenerated per creative

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Issues and Risks

Lack of In-House Mobile Performance Tracking5

COMMON MISTAKE:Engaging in mobile marketing efforts without an in-house mobile tracking platform.

SOLUTION:Use a tracking engine to serve as the hub for all mobile-related traffic buys and affiliate-tracked transactions.

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Lack of control – spend, optimization,

ROI, attribution

Will “throw spaghetti at the wall and hope it sticks”

Loss of centralized reporting for all mobile

marketing channels

Lack of In-House Mobile Performance Tracking

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Mobile Ad Networks Affiliates Social Media

Mobile Distribution Channels

Central In-House Tracking Engine

Value GainedReal-Time Tracking

Mobile Channel Attribution Mobile Analytics

Affiliate PerformanceSocial PerformanceAd RotatorsOptimization

Conclusion: Takeaways

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• Affiliates: Mobile users must be accounted for in all scenarios going forward. Force the network or advertiser to make changes to optimize for a mobile experience.

• Networks: Arm yourself now and stay up to date with the latest in mobile-tracking technology. Late comers will be bypassed.

• Advertisers / App Developers: The affiliate channel will fast become one of the most cost effective and productive mediums for generating user installs. Prepare now.

Questions?jstevens@directresponse.com

Twitter - @jstevnz

Booth #223/225

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