Facebook’s New Mobile Ads Target App Developers

Facebook is targeting smartphone app developers with some new mobile advertising opportunities. 

The company has extended the reach of their “app install ads”, which appear when someone is scrolling through their news feed on Facebook’s mobile app. 

The adverts encourage users to download an app, and it seems to have worked – according to Facebook over 145m third-party apps have been installed in 2013.

And now the social media site is offering added advertising features to let apps encourage users to return to apps they’ve already downloaded.

Rather than be about “discovery”, Facebook says these adverts are geared towards “reaching people that have already downloaded apps and direct them back into specific features, content or products within the app.”

This means specific deals can be advertised to Facebook’s scrolling users – a travel app could offer an exclusive holiday deal or Spotify or could advertise for an album.

Businesses can choose from seven different commands to use on their advert: “Open Link”, “Use App”, “Shop Now”, “Play Game”, “Book Now”, “Listen Now” and “Watch Video”.

Developers have found problems getting users to return to apps once downloaded.

Facebook cites a Localytics study that says 66% of app users only open an app between 1 to 10 times.

The possibilities for dating apps are plain to see – just as Spotify could advertise a song, so too could OkCupid advertise a potential match, or subscription offer.

These new advertising options could add to Facebook’s already hugely successful mobile advertising, believed to be the main factor why their share prices have doubled since last July.