Best In-App Advertising Revenue Generation Practices for App Developers

Your app is brilliant. It’s exactly what people have been waiting for, and everyone is going nuts over the revolutionary new features you’ve added. Now, you’re trying to find the best way to monetize it.

When it comes to app monetization, advertising has maximum potential when it comes to revenue generation. While non-advertising models like subscription models and paid apps can bring you a sustainable flow of revenue, in-app advertising is on a whole different level & you can outpace the revenue of other app monetization models if you partner with the right AdTech company.

This article breaks down the best advertising practices for apps to help make sure you leave not a single cent on the table.

What’s your Strategy Plan?

The difference between a successful mobile app and a failed one could very well be the developer’s ability to advertise his or her product effectively—and one step towards achieving that is by ensuring you have a solid plan in place before you go all in on ads.

Take the time to gather data and set revenue goals to make sure your monetization efforts are profitable and sustainable.

Gather key user data from the get-go. Your ability to make sound marketing decisions hinges on knowing details about your users—such as what they like, what they don’t, and what kind of messages they respond to. Create profiles for each user using demographic information like location, gender, and age; behavioral information like what content they consume; and performance indicators like how often they open their app. This will allow you to tailor your marketing efforts towards segments of users based on their profiles.

Also, keep track of how users interact with different ad types, which will help you understand user behavior and improve the overall user experience for your app.

Stick to the OG’s

App publishers often focus their advertising strategies on the latest ad tech fads. The most popular ad networks tend to be the ones that deliver the most creative formats, such as rich media, interstitials, and rewarded video. However, this doesn’t always mean they can provide the best value for publishers’ inventory.

Google AdMob, which accounts for the majority of demand for in-app ad inventory, shouldn’t be left behind. While there are plenty of gems in the ad tech field, the best thing about them is that they are complemented by a healthy substrate of demand from Google, Amazon, and other whales.

In addition to optimizing for the latest formats and demand sources, app publishers should also keep an eye out for these categories: location-based services (LBS), TV, video ads (via mobile web or OTT), and performance-based ads like affiliate links or influencer marketing.

Do this and you’ll be bringing in maximum ad revenue consistently.

It’s all about long-term sustainable growth

When you’re just starting an app development business, it’s easy to get psyched up about the big numbers. That’s why developers often jump into advertising too fast. Then reality sinks in when they look at their metrics. They see that most of their users are uninstalling their app shortly after signing up and never using it again.

The truth is, it takes time to find the right ad format for your app. If you don’t start small and test each format for a few weeks first, you’ll end up throwing your ad budget away on formats that don’t work for your users or your app.

Get started with one ad format at a time, measure performance over a few weeks, and then analyze collected data. For example, you might start with banner ads that are shown after an in-app purchase has been made. See how many people click on the ads and how many of them install the advertised app successfully.

Testing with different Ad Units

Are you only using interstitial ads and display banner ads on your app just like Snapchat?

There’s nothing wrong with following tried and tested ad unit advertising but if you only deploy the conventional in-app ad units on your app, I bet you’re missing out on a lot of revenue.

Once you incorporate more advanced ad units like rewarded video, native ads, & premium ad units, you’ll see an even better revenue uplift.

The Most Effective Types of In-App Ads for Maximizing Revenue

The most effective types of in-app ads for maximizing revenue are:

1. Interstitial ads: Full-screen ads that appear between app interactions. They have one of the highest eCPM rates and can be effective if placed strategically without annoying users.
2. Video ads: Short video ads that can be skippable or rewarded. Video ads can take up the whole screen and are effective at grabbing user attention.
3. Rewarded ads: Offer users incentives like in-app rewards or premium content in exchange for engaging with ads. Rewarded ads encourage user interaction while providing value, increasing ad engagement and retention. Rewarded video ads have been shown to have higher click-through rates and conversion rates when compared to standard in-app ads. That’s because users are incentivized to watch the video ad by receiving in-game currency or other goodies. Your app will receive more traffic from rewarded video ads than from display banner ads, which are simply another form of interruption.
4. Opt-in ads: Implement opt-in advertising models where users voluntarily choose to view ads in exchange for benefits like ad-free experiences or exclusive content. Opt-in ads ensure a positive user experience while maintaining user privacy and control.
5. Native ads: Match the look and feel of the app’s content to blend in seamlessly. Native ads provide a less disruptive ad experience and can lead to higher engagement rates.

To maximize revenue, developers should test different ad formats, placements, and targeting strategies using A/B testing. Implementing header bidding can also heighten competition among advertisers, leading to increased ad revenue.

Regularly monitoring key performance metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue per user is crucial for assessing the effectiveness of in-app advertising strategies and making data-driven optimizations.

Manage Your Data

App developers have realized that the best way to increase return on investment (ROI) is to increase user engagement. One of the most widely used tools in the industry is Google Analytics, which gives you access to a treasure trove of information.

If you’re an app developer and want to avoid this problem, here’s a simple solution: invest in a data management platform (DMP) that allows you to easily gather user and advertising data, process it, build segments and monetize it. In the long term, your RPMs (revenue per mille) will only increase if you’re analyzing your data and split testing what ad units and ad formats are working best every quarter.

Better start analyzing all your data before the third-party cookies get wiped out!

Direct Deals

Direct deals are making a comeback, and they’re here to stay. Direct deals are better because you get paid more for each install and can be 100% sure that no one else is buying the same inventory.

For the uninitiated, a direct deal is when you sell ad space directly to an advertiser or agency, as opposed to selling it through a programmatic ad network. You’re as close to the end user as you can be, and with this proximity comes a lot of opportunity for new technologies and techniques that just aren’t feasible when you’re working with programmatic buys.

The yield only goes up with direct demand and solid relationships with premium buyers.

Secret Tactics to Build Your In-App Advertising Revenue at Scale

Diversify Your Ad Units

Don’t rely on a single ad format. Assess the performance of different ad units in your app regularly and test with rewarded, interstitial, and video ads. Integrating video and display ads for 300×250 ad units can boost fill rates and eCPMs. Rewarded ads, in particular, can be highly effective as they encourage user engagement while providing value.

Enhance Ad Request Details

Fill in the parameters in ad requests to make your app ad inventory more desirable, such as the app bundle ID, app store URL, advertising ID (IDFA or GAID), user demographics (gender, age), keywords, etc.

The more information you provide about your app and users, the better advertisers can target their campaigns, leading to higher CPMs and eCPMs.

Prioritize Mobile Ad Viewability

Implement an Open Measurement SDK for accurate viewability measurement and reporting. The OM SDK is an industry-standard solution that allows publishers to enable third-party viewability measurement without integrating multiple vendor SDKs into their apps. It provides a common code base and libraries for facilitating third-party access to measurement data.

By integrating the OM SDK, your app can send viewability measurement signals to the Open Measurement Interface Definition (OMID) API, which measurement providers can access. This ensures accurate and consistent viewability reporting across your inventory.

Partner with a Trusted Monetization Platform

Working with a reputable monetization partner like MonetizeMore can help you navigate the complexities of in-app advertising and scale your revenue. They offer access to premium demand sources, ongoing optimization, and dedicated support from ad optimization specialists.

By implementing these tactics, you can build a robust in-app advertising revenue stream and take your app monetization to new heights. Remember, it’s crucial to continuously test, optimize, and adapt your strategies based on performance data.

In-App Header Bidding with MonetizeMore

In-app header bidding is a powerful programmatic advertising technique that allows publishers to maximize their ad revenue by exposing inventory to multiple demand sources simultaneously. By implementing in-app header bidding, publishers can:

• Increase competition among advertisers, leading to higher CPMs and eCPMs
• Gain access to a wider range of demand partners, including ad exchanges, ad networks, and DSPs
• Achieve higher fill rates and minimize unsold inventory
• Improve transparency and control over the ad auction process

At MonetizeMore, we are a trusted partner for in-app header bidding solutions. Our team of ad optimization experts and proprietary technology can help you set up and optimize your in-app header bidding strategy, ensuring you get the most out of your ad inventory. Some key benefits of partnering with MonetizeMore for in-app header bidding include:

• Access to a wide range of demand partners, including Google Ad Exchange, to maximize competition
• Seamless integration with the Google Mobile Ads SDK, reducing development overhead and improving user experience
• Ongoing optimization and testing to continuously improve your in-app header bidding performance
• Dedicated support from our ad optimization specialists to help you navigate the complexities of in-app header bidding

To get started with in-app header bidding, sign up with MonetizeMore. Our team will work with you to set up and configure your in-app header bidding solution, ensuring a smooth implementation process. Once live, we’ll continuously monitor and optimize your in-app header bidding performance, helping you achieve the highest possible ad revenue. Don’t miss out on the benefits of in-app header bidding. Partner with MonetizeMore today and take your in-app monetization to the next level.

 

source https://www.monetizemore.com/blog/best-advertising-practices-for-app-developers-to-10x-revenue/