With over 15.5 million mobile users in France, the question of having a mobile site or application no longer arises. The market is already there and it should continue to grow over the next few years. But what about monetizing from a mobile site? Are levers the same as a classic website? Here’s an overview of the various solutions…
Monetization of mobile sites is no longer in its infancy, the options are multiplying and the monetization processes are becoming more and more efficient. The returns in terms of profit per visit are also often better than those of the classic website.
Contextual Ads: Google Adsense Leading …
For a classic site, the easy solution would be to turn to our friend Google. Formats optimized for mobile sites are offered by the engine. You have the choice between text and banner formats. Note that these differ depending on the type of mobile: Classic WAP or Smartphone.
Here’s an example of text ads:
And an example of an illustrated ad (300 * 50px):
You can find all the formats offered by Google by clicking here. Please note, according to Google Adsense rules, you can only insert one ad block and mobile applications are not allowed to subscribe to the program (see this page).
In parallel with the huge Google, other solutions exist. For example, Wadja provides contextual advertising by SMS.
Classic Display Ad…
In addition to contextual links, you can subscribe to mobile ad networks or use your own ad servers and promote to your own advertisers.
There are still some agencies out there, here are some that I found during my research: Admob, Widespace, or even Mobeelis. If you know of others, feel free to add them via comments.
If you prefer to manage your ads yourself, you can use an adserver such as SmartAdserver.
Mobile connectivity…
Classic affiliate platforms like TradeDoubler, Affiliate or even Affiliate can be very well suited for a mobile site. While some have specialized in the mobile format, here are some examples: MobPartner, Wister and Cellfiliation.
Register your mobile site with these different platforms and choose the programs best suited for your audience.
If you want a good example of setting up a mobile affiliation, I advise you to study the iPhone application from ifon.fr, which is especially well thought out in terms of monetization. Each download is actually paid for through the Apple program available from Tradedoubler.
Paid mobile application on AppStore…
Creating an app and selling it on the Appstore is also a great way to earn income. Be careful if you offer a paid application, it must be of genuine interest to the user. If your application is only to sell your product, it is better to offer it for free to reach a wider audience.
Promotional Mechanisms That Can Support Monetization…
Certain devices can help you monetize your mobile audience. For example QR code. By highlighting them in your point of sale, your customers will be easily redirected to your mobile site. If the topic interests you, do not hesitate to re-read the article: 10 Ways to Use QR Codes in Your Marketing,
Push systems can also be very useful for mobile applications. The mobile user may be warned when your application is updated.
And you, have you thought about monetizing your mobile site? What do you think are the best ways to earn income from it?