Facebook Adds Device-Level Targeting to Mobile App Ads

Facebook is sharpening the precision of the targeting options available for its mobile application ads, allowing developers to target specific devices, rather than simply operating systems and versions.

The social network said in a post on its developer blog that device-level targeting should be available “in the next few days,” with Software Engineer Jun Li detailing the new options:

App developers have seen a lot of success with Facebook’s mobile app ads, largely because of Facebook’s precise targeting abilities for mobile app ads. In order to get high-quality installs or engagement within an app, it is very important to reach the right people with the most relevant message. As a result, we are enhancing our mobile targeting for developers. Available in the next few days, you will be able to reach people using specific mobile devices, such as a Samsung Galaxy S5, iPhone 5s or HTC One. For example, you can deliver ads to people specifically using a Google Nexus 10 with a minimum OS version of 3.0, who are on Wi-Fi. Previously, you could only target iOS or Android, minimum OS version and Wi-Fi-only users.

Li also summarized the benefits of device-level targeting:

• Greater return on investment: You will be able to reach the most relevant users and optimize your bids by bidding separately per device.
• App Insights at the device level: You can identify which devices are working best for your app with App Insights and target those devices. For example, one travel company determined that a significant amount of its mobile revenue is coming from the iPhone 5s, and it can now target engagement ads at people with iPhone 5s devices specifically.
• Eliminate wasted spend: You can reach devices optimal for your app and filter out devices that are no longer compatible. This reduces development time, as you only need to build to devices best suited for your app.

And Li reminded developers about Facebook’s custom audiences and lookalike audiences targeting options:

In addition to using device-level targeting, you can reach the most relevant people by creating custom audiences consisting of your mobile app users. For example, if you were a developer with multiple apps, you could cross-promote your portfolio of apps to the people you know that love your apps. In addition, you could also create a separate lookalike audience based on the attributes of your existing users to reach a larger set of people.

With custom audiences, you can also reach people who already use your app to increase engagement and conversions. For example, a travel app can reach its existing users with relevant flight deals in an ad with a call to action to “book now” for a flight.

Another benefit of custom audiences is the ability to easily reach your “most active” or “highest-value users.” For example, a top commerce app was able to identify the top 25 percent of people who contribute to 56 percent of its app’s value. As a result, the app was able to deliver specific ads to this audience, prompting them to make purchases and drive revenue.

This combination of mobile device targeting, custom audiences and lookalikes gives you the power to acquire high-quality users and increase engagement among your existing users.

Finally, Li offered the following basic tips for running mobile app ads on Facebook:

• Don’t go too narrow with your audience: If there is no clear reason to have a different campaign for people on different devices, then bundle the groups. We recommend having an estimated audience size of at least 500,000 users for each ad.
• Customize your ad to resonate with your audience: For example, use images of an iPad when reaching people on an iPad, or mention the mobile device or app store in your text.
• Optimize your bid for each campaign: Create different ads with optimized bids for each device or groups of devices as competition may vary by device. By doing so, you will be able to reach the most people at the most effective price.
• Layer on complimentary targeting features: Use custom audiences and lookalikes to reach a large and relevant set of people.