How To Run Facebook Install Ads For Mobile Apps Download

Now that the campaign is selected, head over to the ad set level to select your audience targeting. But, wait a minute! Who is your target audience? And who is most likely to install and use your app? Perse, this is a testing and learning method!

Sometimes, the possibilities for targeting may be endless based on your target market and your business goals. And as such, there’re a number of ways to reach people at various stages of your funnel. For example, to a cold audience through an awareness campaign to drive installs.

Or even, just a re-engagement campaign to drive warmer audiences to continue using your app. But, you have to test out strategies to see which of these possibilities work for you and your audience. And with that in mind, here are a few Facebook targeting options to try! Let’s get to that by answering each one of them!

What is Broad Targeting?

Maybe you’re just getting started, and are unsure of who to reach. Or even have some budget to put towards these ads. In that case, you should try and go broader in your targeting. And as an example, you can select age, gender, and location.

This allows you to see which of these demographics perform better — and which performs best. And once you figure out which demographics work for you, you can begin scaling backward. As you cut out under-performing segments based on your results. Another option could be to target people who are interested in a competitor of yours.

What is Detailed Targeting?

By the same token, if you are working with a smaller budget and just getting started, I often recommend starting with a narrower audience. An audience that is more likely to be interested in your app, especially if it’s meant for a niche market.

You can scroll down to the ad set level to Detailed Targeting and begin typing in some relevant keywords. But, if you aren’t certain where to begin, try searching for interests that your users may have. For example, if you are a food delivery app, target people who are interested in food, pizza if you offer it, or eating out, and so forth.

What is a Lookalike Audience?

To enumerate, a lookalike audience is an audience that is similar to another audience. With these, Facebook will take an audience you’ve already created. And then it’ll generate a new audience of people for you to target based on similar interests and behaviors.

For example, if you take your in-app purchase custom audience and create a lookalike, Facebook will provide a new audience for you to target for your app install campaigns. And this works very well, so I highly recommend testing it out.

How to Create a Lookalike Custom Audiences

Basically, a lookalike custom audience is another excellent option to find relevant new users. And you can easily create a lookalike audience in the Audiences tab on the Facebook Ads Manager.

Hereby, you can create custom audiences by uploading your email lists. Such as leads, newsletter subscribers, or customers. As well as use your website pixel to create custom audiences, such as website visitors. Above all, since we’re on the subject of mobile apps, you can create custom audiences based on app events.

Like installs, add to carts, in-app purchases, and more. And once you create these and other custom audiences, if you have at least 100 people in a custom audience, you can create a lookalike audience. To create a lookalike audience, select a custom audience you’ve set up.

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Then click on the drop-down button to select “Create Lookalike.” Next, a new window will appear where you will need to select the audience location and audience size.

And as you get started, I recommend the automatic prompt for 1% lookalike. Since this audience will be closely related to your original custom audience. The larger the percentage, the broader the lookalike targeting will be.

Start with 1% and over time, if you are looking for new, broader audiences to reach, expand that percentage reach, and see how it works for you. All in all, have fun, get creative, and keep your users engaged once they install!

How to Run Facebook Install Ads for Mobile Apps Download

The good news is that your initial Facebook mobile app ads campaigns are ready to go live. Exciting, Right! Well, just let them roll and see how they’ll perform. But, make sure that you have enough performance data to make meaningful and statistically significant optimization decisions.

You can also run some reports to see what is working well and what is not. Then begin testing some of the many variables available to you. Such as campaign objectives, ad set targeting, and ad level components — in order to further improve performance.

For example, if it’s an app for a dog walking on-demand, you can use images of dogs and smiling people walking dogs of various breeds. You can also test carousel ads and single image ads. So that you can use more ad real estate. Increasing your chances of having something better to resonate with the person viewing your ad.

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Also, for your information, let’s go back to the food delivery app example for this. If you are promoting pizza in the ad, you can add a deep link too.  Particularly, for a page that will make it easiest for users to see pizza place ordering options.

Rather than just sending them to the app and leaving them to manually search for pizza themselves. And having said that, with your campaign and ad set levels set up, let’s move on to the ad level. Whereby, with app ads, you have similar ad features as other ad formats.

Such as text above your creative, headline, and call to action button. Rather than a website URL landing page, you’ll also have the option of adding a deep link. Below are more ways on how to create successful Facebook ads for mobile ads. So, try and use each of these ad components:

1. Texts & Headlines

Surely, as you run Facebook install ads on your mobile apps, you should carefully consider the text portion. You can try and compose an ad copy that is relevant to your campaign goal. And not only that but one that would be interesting and relevant to your target audience.

It should also speak for your app in terms of solutions, benefits, features, or any new user promotions to encourage installs. And always remember, there’s no one-size-fits-all rule when it comes to ad copy length. So, create some texts that are short and if appropriate, test out some longer ad copy variations.

In order to see what resonates best with your audience. More often than not, always remember shorter copy out-performs its longer-form counterparts. Although I’ve seen in some accounts and some campaigns where long-form performs better.

Equally important, you should try and put your best foot forward with your larger and bolded headline. Let’s say you’re targeting a new audience to drive engagements, right? You should try to summarize your app, and include its name.

2. Creative Ad Campaigns

As you know, we live in an overly stimulated world. And therefore, anything that has subtle motion as users scroll down their feeds can help stop them and give their attention to you. In that case, you should try and select ad creative that will complement your ad copy.

Now that Facebook and Instagram accept static images and video creatives for app campaigns. So, you should test them both out. While images perform very well, videos tend to perform even better. The reason for this is that videos leave less to the imagination and visually connect users quicker to your brand and offerings.

Therefore, when using video, you can try and showcase your app in use. And then, perhaps a brief demonstration, or a person using the app. So that the viewers can better understand the app and imagine themselves using it. Let’s say it’s a massage on-demand app. Try to show a person in a relatable scenario to the target audience.

Such as being achy after a long day, and then showcase how easy it is to use the app and order a back massage to make you feel better. While on the other hand, when it comes to images, choose something bright that will stand out against the white background of feeds. If it’s relevant to your app, try lifestyle photos.

3. Deep-links & CTAs 

Lastly, you can make use of deep links to ease the process of downloading your app. It also makes it more seamless for your users — this will increase your conversion rates and reduce bounce rates. And by the same fashion,  let’s say you’re looking forward to really drive that action.

A deep link will not only send users to your app from the ad, but it can also send them to a specific piece of content. You should always try and add a CTA button in your ad campaigns. Especially, in order to guide your users to accomplish any given goal. May it be installing your app, using your app, or one of the other available options, as seen below.

And as you target a warmer remarketing audience, you should test a promotion, detail a solution, or something exciting about it so users will re-engage. You can also create click-to-call ads on Facebook, for both Reach and Website Traffic campaigns.

Don’t also forget you can even check out the Facebook guide on Deep Linking in App Ads that is found on their developer’s section. In order to learn more about deep links and how to use them.

How a Facebook Audience Network helps Grow your App Business

First of all, it’s a people-based monetization ad network. Whereby, Facebook will match ads with people’s interests. So that they’re less intrusive and more likely to keep your audience engaged. The high-value, flexible formats are designed to enable a better ad experience and higher returns for you.

Secondly, there are quality protection controls to your overall brand. Protect your app with brand-safe ads. Facebook offers both pre and post-campaign transparency, blocklists, keyword blocking, severity level controls, and more. Helping you ensure a high-quality ad experience.

Thirdly, there’s more bidding revenue at stake. Bidding provides an impartial and open auction where you can offer every ad opportunity to multiple demand sources at the same time. Thus, increasing the competition in your ads inventory. As well as creating greater yields — all in an ecosystem with greater transparency.

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Next, there are all sorts of flexible, high-performing ad formats to monetize your mobile app too. From Native Ads that you design to fit your app, seamlessly. Interstitial Ads or Full-screen Ads that capture attention and become part of the experience. As well as Banner Ads in Traditional Formats for a variety of placements.

There are also Rewarded Videos — an immersive, user-initiated video ad that rewards users for watching. Not forgetting, there are also Playable Ads too — a try-before-you-buy ad experience allowing users to preview a game before installing.

You can learn more about:

1. Facebook Audience Network
2. Where do ads run on Audience Network?
3. How do I start running ads on the Audience Network?
4. How to Place your Facebook ads on mobile apps with Audience Network
5. The App Marketing Funnel & Google UAC Campaigns
6. Best Ways to Accelerate your earning potential

In a nutshell, you can use the power of Facebook targeting to run effective ads on thousands of mobile apps. See how the Audience Network increases conversion opportunities. Even Bombas, a US sock e-commerce company, added Audience Network to their mix of ad placements.

And as a result, they attracted more shoppers, increased winter holiday sales, and beat their Q4 goals. So, are you ready to get started? You can run Facebook install ads right away as soon as you register to create an ad head-on! But, for more support, Contact Us and let us know how we can help.