Ranking The Best Mobile Advertising Agencies

Important Questions To Ask Mobile Advertising Agencies

Mobile is taking the world by storm and advertisers aren’t far behind. More and more, online advertising is focused specifically on mobile devices such as tablets and phones. Not only are more people making searches and browsing the web from their phones, but they are searching in an entirely new way.

When making a search on a mobile device, the searcher typically expects to be presented with relevant information quicker than if they searched from a desktop. This is due to the fact that they are on the go, and are likely making searches relative to their location and what they are currently doing. In fact, it is believed that one third to half of all mobile searches have local intent. People are making searches on mobile devices such as “restaurants near me” or “plumbing companies in (insert city here).” This local intent combined with high expectations of speed and relevancy make advertising on mobile devices vastly different from advertising on desktops.

In addition, mobile devices and mobile advertising are constantly changing at an extremely rapid pace. New phones and gadgets are being released all the time, and Google is staying ahead of the trend. In fact, Google even indexes the mobile versions of websites before the desktop versions. In a mobile-first world, advertising on mobile is at the forefront of online advertising.

Trying to keep up with the changing mobile environment while handling all of your other business operations is time-consuming and will likely result in subpar strategies. Because of the considerable differences between desktop and mobile advertising as well as the time and effort commitment they require, it is common to hire an agency to manage both. When deciding which agency is best equipped to manage your mobile advertising, there are several questions you should ask of prospect agencies.

How Much Does PPC Cost?

As with any marketing service that an agency offers, it’s a good idea to figure out how much it is going to cost before making the commitment. PPC costs vary from business to business depending on the level of competition. An ad click that costs a few cents in one industry may cost a few dollars in another. Additionally, some agencies may include mobile advertising in their PPC costs while others may charge an additional fee for mobile plans. Because of these variables, PPC costs range from a few hundred dollars a month to a few thousand. Asking an agency questions about cost can help you find a plan that is within your budget.

Specialized mobile PPC may have a higher cost than generic, desktop PPC. There are several reasons this could be the case:

• More competition – Perhaps more of your competitors are participating in mobile advertising than desktop advertising. With more ads battling for a space on the first page of the search results, individual ad bids may need to be increased. Competitors will try to outbid each other for ad space, increasing the overall cost of mobile PPC.
• Mobile-specific features – Some features available in AdWords are offered in both desktop and mobile-optimized For example, some ad extensions can be set to “optimized for mobile” meaning their format is better suited for mobile ads. Some agencies may require additional fees and costs to set up mobile versions of ad extensions.
• Greater reach – If more of your potential customers are making searches on mobile devices, there is a good chance your mobile ads will receive more impressions than your desktop ads. As a result, mobile ads may be clicked more often, therefore increasing overall costs for mobile ads.
• Bidding options – AdWords also offers the ability to set adjust bids depending on the device being used. For instance, you may bid one price for a keyword being searched on a desktop and a different price for the same keyword being searched on a mobile device. Setting up bid modifiers on devices has an impact on the PPC costs.

Ask your ad agency questions about costs to make sure you are staying within your budget when it comes to mobile advertising. It is a good idea to discuss topics such as bidding options, competition, cost-per-click, and ad extensions.

How Long Does PPC Take To See Results?

When ads are created in AdWords, they go under review for usually no more than 24 hours, at which point the ad is either approved or denied. As soon as an ad is approved, it can be shown in the search results. In fact, many ads are up and running the same day they are created.

When search volume is high, you can see results very quickly. In fact, you will be able to see metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions almost instantaneously. However, most agencies recommend collecting 30-90 days’ worth of data before drawing any conclusions. Doing so allows the account to build up enough historical data to make a decision. At that point, adjustments can be made as necessary to improve the campaign. It is not recommended to determine the success of an ad or campaign after a few days or weeks because not enough data has been collected yet.

For mobile ads, data may be collected more rapidly if search volume is high. However, it is still suggested to allow at least a month of data collection before making changes in the campaign. Talk to your mobile ad agency about how long it will take to see results so that you feel comfortable with how the campaign is progressing.

Picking the perfect PPC Company For Mobile Advertising Work

The process of finding the right agency to manage your mobile advertisements can be a difficult one. You should have a high level of trust in the agency you choose and have confidence that they will make bids and adjust strategies to move your company towards its goals. To build your trust in an agency, ask them questions about costs and expected results.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

• What is your PPC management fee?
• What do you suggest for a monthly AdWords budget?
• What cost-per-click are we likely to achieve?
• How long will it take to see results?
• How much data do you need to collect before drawing conclusions?

Add a few of your own questions to the list we have started and then ask them of all of the agencies you’re interested in. Each one should be able to provide you with transparent and honest answers. They should be up front with you about any costs and fees that go into managing your account as well as how long they believe it will take to see the results you’re looking for. Then, you can compare the costs and expected results of each agency and use that to make your final decision.

Don’t be afraid to shop around. If you don’t like the answers that the potential agencies gave you, expand your search until you find an agency that is within your budget and can provide the services you need. Mobile advertising can be more expensive than desktop advertising, but asking these questions will make sure that you can afford to advertise on mobile devices.