App developers are increasingly spending more on advertising, moving away from CPM and CPC models towards cost-per-install (CPI) models. CPI is believed to be more cost-effective with better lead quality. However, incentivized CPI leads to poor lead quality and retention as users download apps for rewards rather than interest. The document recommends using non-incentivized CPI to acquire interested users and discusses how to properly implement mobile app postback tracking.
2. Cost Per Install App Marketing
In order to acquire new users, application developers are spending more than ever on advertising.
Developers have been turning away from more traditional advertising models, like cost-per-mille (CPM) and
cost-per-click (CPC), in favor of cost-per-install (CPI; a developer only pays for ads that result in a user
installing his or her application). Because developers only pay for installs, many of them assume that CPI is
more cost-effective and results in better lead quality than other advertising models. That’s exactly what we
believe in here at Revived Media because we sincerely believe that working on performance based results
with App Developers is the future.
What is Cost per Install (CPI)?
It’s what it sounds like. You only pay when someone installs (and often times runs) your application. You
pay per install to drive downloads. Downloads drive ranking. Ranking drives organic downloads. This is
especially important in the iPhone app store because it is so hard to gain visibility without being ranked
highly.
When we are talking about CPI, we are referring to Non-Incentivized CPI. We don’t participate in
incentivized marketing methods at Revived Media. They are complete crap! We only run clean, major
mobile traffic types for Apps.
3. Here are some question you should ask of a potential CPI partner:
● How many downloads can you drive per day?
●What is the cost/download?
●How does your program drive downloads?
●Is it incentivized or non-incentivized?
●Can you send me the integration documentation so we can see how difficult it is?
What is the difference between incentivized and non-incentivized CPI programs?
There is a big difference and it’s mainly in the quality of the user you’ll be getting. An incentivized CPI program
gives the user some reason to download the app they are promoting. As in the Tapjoy example above, the user will
get poker chips ONLY IF they download the skiing app. So the user is less likely to be truly interested in the skiing
app. A non-incentivized CPI program just shows users apps, but DOES NOT give them anything for downloading
those apps. That being said, some users will like the apps they are downloading even if the download is
incentivized. Also I’m still a firm believer in incentivized downloads because of how they improve your ranking and
organic downloads. Incentivized CPI advertising, in which a user earns virtual currency in one application by
installing another application, has resulted in even poorer lead quality and retention.
If someone or some organization offers you Incentivized CPI, I would highly suggest not participating in this mobile
app marketing practice. If you do, don’t be surprised when you get bent over.
4. There are hundreds of thousands of applications available now on Google Play and the Apple iTunes. There is no
question that the online apps market is EXTREMELY competitive. With Apple changing the Apps Store approach to
App Rankings last year, many companies were forced to start actually promoting apps that were valuable to users.
I’m talking about promoting apps cleanly – NOT with Incentivization.
Here at Revived Media, we do not allow incentivized marketing of any kind. Especially, when it comes to our CPI
Marketing of App Developers greatest treasure – Their Apps!
A recent method being used by app developers today is Incentivized CPI (Cost Per Install), where users are offered
virtual currency (i.e. gold coins to be used in a game, a new level upgrade) in exchange for installing an app.
Basically, you have a ton of companies offering CPI performance marketing for your apps, but what you are really
getting are “liars.” There simply is that many mobile advertising skillsets in the Industry to offer REAL, HONEST
CPI Marketing methods for App Developers.
Some of the issues involving Incentivized CPI are:
●Fake Installs
●Users aren’t actually interested in the App
●Low to NO value users who either never us the app or worse, quickly delete it
●The benefit of increased App Store rankings are short lived as the apps often fall out of the Top 25 Charts very
quickly, without the benefit of “real” users.
●Users are known for leaving extremely negative reviews!
●Promises made by your marketing agency that are not true regarding your app just to get the install and charge
you money
●Deceptive marketing and advertising practices by your traffic partner
5. ✔ Revived Media Does Not Allow ANY Incentive Marketing ✔ Professional Management Of Your App Campaigns
✔ CPI Model – Ensures 100% Your Budget Is Spent Correctly ✔ 24/7 Access And Support To Executive Team Members
✔ We Allow You To Gain Real Users, In Real-Time ✔ Dedicated Management To Help Scale Your Business
✔ Access To Our Large Mobile Advertising Traffic Partners ✔ Real-Time Statistics, Real-Time Optimization. Always.
✔ Take Advantage Of The Largest Mobile Publishers ✔ Easy Access To Distributing And Monetizing Your App
✔ Capitalize And Monetize A Real User-Base Of App Users ✔ Maximum App Performance Marketing Guaranteed
✔ Gain The Ability To Reach Exponentially Targeted Users ✔ Acquire And Engage High Quality Users To Your Brand
✔ 100% Risk Free – CPA Model Ensures No Risk, No Hassles ✔ Reach Android And/Or iOS Users At Any Volume Level
✔ We Will Help You Optimize To Ensure Top Quality ✔ Scale And Grow Your App On With Performance Marketing
✔ Incentivized App Installs Are Crap. Period! ✔ Only Clean, Major Mobile Traffic Types Delivered
6.
7.
8. Here are 4 reasons why mobile app marketing is important regardless of what you are offering:
There are lots of mobile apps
Let’s face it; we have hit an app craze that doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon. There are a tremendous
amount of mobile apps being pumped into the system each and every week which is why you need to be able to
build awareness to your app. The mobile app industry is not about to slow down and you need to build some
inbound marketing efforts to attract attention to your app.
Not everything goes viral
Not everything goes viral. Trust me we would all love to launch something that the masses pick up immediately and
spread like wildfire but it just doesn’t work that way. Some companies and developers get lucky and launch an app
that becomes and instant hit but for most of us we are not so lucky and have to really work at showcasing our
mobile apps.
Your app is a business
Not every business has a monetary exchange which is why you need to treat your mobile app like a business.
Even if your mobile application is free the goal of the app is to get people to download it, right? It doesn’t matter
what the download is the process is the same as owning a business. You have a group of people you want to grab
their attention; you need them to download your application so you are going to have to market your mobile app as
if it was a business.
Treat it like a brand
The truth is people like brands, especially brands that come with some sort of a story on how they became what it
is that they are. Launching an app is great but if you can build a brand around that app it is going to have much
further reach. Look at Angry Birds? They took that app and built an immense brand around it and they could have
just left it as an app but the team took it to the next level.”
9. Mobile App Postback Tracking
Tracking iPhone, iPad, Android App Installs
Mobile applications are growing faster than ever, and Revived Media can track application installs on
Androids, iPads, iPhones, and other mobile devices. This allows application developers to incentivize
and compensate affiliates for generating installs of applications. We call this new tracking protocol
Mobile App Postback. Mobile App Postback is strictly a method for tracking application installs on
mobile devices, and the Mobile App Postback URL must be embedded in the application for tracking
to be recorded.
What is wrong with other tracking methods for App Installs?
Standard cookie-based tracking will not accurately track application installs on mobile devices
because users are directed from a mobile browser, to a marketplace, to download the application,
and finally on to install the application. The application cannot read the cookies that were set in the
mobile browser. In this case it would seem that standard cookie-less tracking methods with postback
URLs are an appropriate alternative. However, when users are directed to a marketplace for
downloading an application, a tracking token (transaction ID / click ID) cannot pass to the
marketplace and then on to the application. Since the application cannot receive the tracking token
that was created in the mobile browser, it cannot load a postback URL to record the conversion.
Revived Media's Mobile App Postback enables developers to track installs of their mobile
applications accurately by using proprietary cookie-less technology.
10. Mobile App Postback Implementation:
The Mobile App Postback URL will need to be embedded into the application. The developer of the
application will need to create code to request the URL of the Mobile App Postback. The application
should only request the URL once upon install and never request it again else duplicate conversions
could be recorded.
What's A Device ID?
Its recommended to include the user's device ID in the Mobile App Postback URL. Including a device
ID enhances tracking accuracy by associating a conversion to the unique identifier for the user's
mobile device. The developer should include it in the request as it is not always available in the
user's headers. This value can be an ESN, IMEI or MEID from the mobile device. Simply append the
device_id variable followed by the value onto the end of the URL.
* IMEI numbers either come in a 17 digit or 15 digit sequences of numbers. The IMEI format currently
utilized is AA-BBBBBB- CCCCCC-D
* An MEID is 56 bits long (14 hex digits). It consists of three fields, including an 8-bit regional code
(RR), a 24-bit manufacturer code, and a 24-bit manufacturer-assigned serial number.
* ESNs are often represented as 11 digit decimal numbers or 8 digit hexadecimal numbers.
* CDMA-based standards do not include any removable card, and the service is bound to a unique
identifier contained in the handset itself.
11. Device ID Unknown:
If device ID is not known, then the ad servers track the conversion to the best of its ability based on
the user's IP and user agent.
Device ID Unknown On Conversion:
Since the postback URL is usually integrated into the application, its easier to have access to the
device ID on conversion. If the device ID is known on conversion, the ad servers use the user's IP
and user agent in combination with device ID to prevent duplicate conversions.
If the postback URL is not being loaded from the application on the user's mobile device and instead
from another location, then include the IP address of the user's mobile device. Conversions will be
recorded by associating the corresponding session information based on their IP. If the IP from the
session (created on click) doesn't match the IP on conversion, then a conversion will not be
recorded. So you can include the user's mobile IP in the postback URL so that they'll match and a
conversion can be recorded.
Device ID Unknown On Clicks And Conversions:
The most accurate way to track mobile application installs is with specifying the user's device ID on
click and on conversion. The ad servers take the device ID with offer ID to track and record
conversions.
12. In Short – We Know What We're Doing!
Our Reputation and relationships with our Advertisers is the lifeblood of our business. At Revived
Media, we work with you directly on each and every unique offer/campaign you bring to us to deliver
only the highest quality of leads and conversions to further maximize your ROI. Every campaign is
set on manual approval and every publisher applying for your campaign is rigorously interviewed
before ever sending traffic. Furthermore, every advertisement, landing page and piece of creative is
sent for your approval before a campaign is ever set live. We work very closely, closer than any other
Agency or Network in the Industry with Mobile Advertisers to ensure campaign longevity, stability and
an ever increasing ROI for your ad dollars spent.
When you succeed, we succeed! You only pay on results!
Revived Media has the most advanced compliance policies and programs in the Industry to ensure
you are only paying for the results you want. Ryan and Ralph have been working with over 500+
clients in the Industry for nearly a decade and our reputation is immaculate. Forget about CPC and
CPM advertising! Join Revived Media today and get your campaign the results you deserve!
Contact Us Today To Learn More
Ralph “Ruck” Ruckman
Email: ruck@revivedmedia.net Phone: 620.803.2215 Skype: Revived Media www.revivedmedia.net