Mobile CPA

Mobile Affiliate Networks in Affiliate Marketing: How to Monetize Mobile Traffic

In a world where mobile devices dominate internet usage, affiliate marketers must adapt their strategies to seize the opportunities presented by mobile affiliate marketing. This guide explores the essential aspects of mobile affiliate marketing, from understanding its fundamentals to leveraging various marketing channels and networks for optimal results.

What is mobile affiliate marketing?

Mobile affiliate marketing is a dynamic branch of performance-based marketing that centers on partnerships between businesses, affiliates, and mobile device users. In this ecosystem, brands and service providers reward affiliates for driving valuable user interactions, such as installations, subscriptions, or purchases, through mobile devices, which predominantly include Android smartphones and iOS devices like iPhones and iPads.

At its core, mobile affiliate marketing involves four key players:

• The advertiser: they can represent diverse entities, including well-known brands, specific services, or a range of offers within various niches. Advertisers leverage affiliate partnerships to expand their reach and customer base through mobile channels.
• The network: these networks serve as intermediaries, aggregating a wide array of mobile offers from advertisers. They also facilitate the selection of offers by affiliates and manage crucial aspects like payments, ensuring a seamless experience for all parties involved.
• The publisher or affiliate: affiliates leverage the offers provided by advertisers and networks to monetize their online traffic. Their role is to promote these offers effectively and drive user actions that align with the advertisers’ objectives.
• The user: they engage with mobile offers by taking specific actions, such as downloading apps, signing up for services, making purchases, or subscribing to content. These user actions are the foundation of the affiliate marketing model.

Why should you consider mobile affiliate marketing?

• Mobile devices account for 56.69% of global internet traffic as of June 2023.
• There are 5.32 billion unique mobile phone users globally, representing 67% of the world’s population.
• Mobile internet usage has become the norm, making it essential for marketers to cater to mobile users’ needs.

Pros and cons of mobile affiliate marketing

Upsides of mobile affiliate marketing:

• Broad audience reach: a significant portion of the global population uses mobile devices to access the internet.
• Precise targeting: mobile devices are inherently personal, allowing for more accurate audience targeting.
• Mobility: mobile devices accompany users, offering marketers the opportunity to reach potential customers wherever they go.

The challenges are as follows:

• Design challenges: marketers must optimize ads for small screens to ensure visibility and engagement.
• Emphasis on paid advertising: free mobile advertising opportunities are limited, making paid ads a common choice.
• Limited screen space: mobile screens have limited real estate for displaying ads, increasing competition for prime ad placement.

Types of mobile affiliate offers

The rise of mobile affiliate marketing has introduced new types of affiliate offers, including:

Exploring mobile marketing channels

Mobile marketing encompasses a diverse array of channels and strategies, each tailored to engage the mobile-savvy audience effectively. In this section, we’ll delve into the various types of mobile marketing channels and how they can benefit affiliate marketers.

In-App ads

In-app advertising is a dynamic channel that places ads within mobile applications, including popular games and news apps. These ads are prevalent, often appearing in freemium apps unless users opt to remove them through a paid upgrade. What sets in-app ads apart is their ability to engage users by directing them to specific landing pages.

Marketers can employ in-app ads strategically to collect valuable data, such as email addresses, and then use this information for targeted marketing campaigns. For instance, you can design an in-app ad to gather email addresses and subsequently send discount codes via email to users who share their contact information. Furthermore, affiliate marketers can leverage in-app ads to promote affiliate products, leading interested users to dedicated sales pages. When users make purchases through these ads, the affiliate marketer earns commissions.

App install ads

App install ads are specialized ads that encourage users to download and install mobile applications. These ads often dominate the entire mobile screen temporarily and disappear when users click the close button. Although they are commonly associated with gaming apps promoting other games, app install ads can promote a wide range of app categories.

Affiliate marketers engaged in app install ads typically receive two forms of compensation. Firstly, they earn a small fee each time a user interacts with the ad, ensuring it remains on the screen for a specific duration. Secondly, affiliates receive more substantial payouts when users follow through and successfully install the advertised app.

Mobile web ads

While mobile apps are an integral part of mobile usage, mobile web browsing remains essential for accessing a wide range of content. Most users turn to mobile-enhanced web browsers on their devices for browsing purposes. In particular, Google Chrome dominates the mobile browser market on Android devices, while Safari leads on tablets.

Mobile web ads cater to this browsing experience, offering opportunities for marketers to engage users outside of apps. These ads can encompass various formats, including text, graphics, and videos. To maximize their effectiveness, marketers must ensure that mobile web ads are optimized for small screens. Additionally, responsive design or mobile optimization for landing pages is crucial to provide a seamless user experience. Given that many users prefer vertical viewing on mobile devices, it’s essential to offer both vertical and horizontal ad formats.

Social media ads

Social media platforms have undergone exponential growth in recent years, with a substantial portion of the world’s population actively engaged on these networks. An astounding 4.8 billion people consider themselves active social media users. Furthermore, a staggering 96.5% of internet users aged 16 to 64 own mobile phones, predominantly smartphones.

Social media advertising offers two primary approaches: organic and paid strategies. While creating valuable content and promoting it organically is a traditional method, the reach of organic content from businesses has significantly diminished on most social media platforms. As a result, companies, including affiliate marketers, have shifted their focus towards paid social advertising to target relevant potential customers effectively.

Exploring mobile affiliate networks

If you’re a mobile affiliate marketer looking for a streamlined way to access a variety of CPA (Cost per Action) and CPL (Cost per Lead) offers, mobile affiliate networks are your go-to solution. These networks serve as intermediaries, connecting affiliate marketers with advertisers who offer compensation based on specific actions or lead generation.

Mobile affiliate networks function much like traditional affiliate networks but prioritize CPA and CPL offers, which tend to outperform CPS (Cost per Sale) offers in the mobile marketing space. Instead of negotiating with individual advertisers or affiliate programs, affiliate marketers can leverage these networks to access a diverse range of offers tailored to the mobile audience.

Here are some popular mobile affiliate networks to consider:

While these networks host various brands and offers, it’s essential to align the offers you promote with your audience’s interests and preferences. Mobile affiliate marketing success often hinges on selecting offers that resonate with your target demographic.

Navigating the mobile affiliate networks in affiliate marketing

The mobile affiliate networks segment in affiliate marketing is a dynamic and profitable arena, providing abundant opportunities for those who are well-prepared and strategic. Whether you’re an experienced affiliate marketer or a newcomer, these insights serve as your guide to help you achieve higher conversions, increased earnings, and ongoing success in the mobile affiliate networks sphere.

Case studies

• Case Study: Mobile App Promotion on Google Play

This case study focuses on the successful promotion of the Android app Aweb Blog on Google Play in Ukraine and Russia. It achieved top search results within two months, primarily for educational purposes.

Key points include the importance of App Store Optimization (ASO), both on- and off-app factors affecting Google Play rankings, and the stages of keyword-based promotion. The study also emphasizes the significance of reviews in-app ratings and user feedback, as well as backlinks to the app page, supported by various tools and services for optimization.

• Asia, mobile content, high ROI, and frustrating results

The author shares an affiliate marketing “anti-case” where they partnered with a network for a mobile content offer in India and other GEOs. The campaign started well but faced issues with high unsubscriptions, delayed payouts, and an eventual loss of over $24,000. The key takeaway is the importance of risk management in affiliate marketing to avoid significant losses.

• Sending Traffic to Nutra Offers via PWA Apps with 110% ROI

This case study discusses how to drive traffic to Nutra offers through PWA (Progressive Web App) applications. The focus is on promoting the “Keto Balance” weight loss capsules offer in Spain via Facebook. Key points include targeting European countries with a fitness focus, using convenient landing pages within PWA apps, leveraging push notifications, creating engaging ad creatives, and achieving a 110% ROI with over 2,296 leads. 

Articles and guides

1. How to make money with Mobile Affiliate Marketing
2. Mobile Affiliate Marketing – What Is It And How Can You Take Advantage Of It?
3. What is Mobile Affiliate Marketing & How It Works
4. Mobile Affiliate Marketing Guide
5. How to Make Money Through Affiliate Marketing

Forums and communities

AffiliateFix — a vibrant hub for affiliate marketers to engage in discussions about mobile affiliate networks, strategies, and opportunities.

Warrior Forum — your ultimate destination for joining conversations on effective tactics within the realm of mobile affiliate marketing.

Mobidea Academy — a valuable resource filled with articles and insights on affiliate marketing, with a particular focus on mobile affiliate network opportunities.

Affiliate Marketing Podcast — a podcast that explores a wide range of strategies to excel in the mobile affiliate marketing landscape.

Stack That Money (STM) Forum — an exclusive community of affiliate marketing experts, providing in-depth discussions, real-world case studies, and valuable insights covering various mobile affiliate network offers and traffic sources.

Conclusion

Mobile affiliate marketing revolves around partnerships between businesses, affiliates, and mobile users. Four key players—advertisers, networks, affiliates, and users—shape this ecosystem. Smartphones transformed mobile marketing, offering marketers the power of responsive design and versatile capabilities to engage potential customers effectively.

We explored diverse affiliate offers, from mobile content to utility apps, games, and more, catering to various user interests. Mobile marketing channels, such as in-app ads, app installs, mobile web ads, and social media ads, enable affiliates to connect with their audience on mobile devices.

Mobile affiliate marketing isn’t just a trend; it’s a thriving field. By understanding its dynamics, utilizing diverse channels, and leveraging mobile affiliate networks, you can excel in affiliate marketing’s mobile era. With mobile devices as the new norm, embracing this landscape offers abundant opportunities for success.