Mobile App Install ads allow you to grow the user base of your mobile app while also gathering useful data on how it's being used.

Get the most out of your ad with this best practices guide.

Optimise your app

Before you run an ad for your mobile app, consider completing these prep steps to get the most value from it:

• Add the Facebook SDK. Doing so enables you to:

  • Measure installs
  • Measure app events
  • Add deep links to your ads (see below)
  • Improve targeting
  • Encourage purchases
  • Create re-engagement ads
  • Measure in-app conversions
• Add deep linking. With deep linking, you can send people directly to what they're interested in (e.g. a specific holiday offer in a travel app) when they open your app for the first time. This removes the steps between clicking the ad and getting the content they want, which makes for a more seamless experience and lessens the risk of people dropping off because they have to search for what they want manually.
• Add App Events. App Events help you understand who's engaging with your app, and measure and reach specific sets of your users with Facebook mobile app ads. This information is valuable not only for thinking about how to advertise your app on Facebook, but for thinking about your overall strategy for your app.

Advertise your app

Once the groundwork has been laid, start advertising your mobile app. Bear these tips in mind when creating your ad:

• Understand what you want to get out of your ad. Have metrics for success in mind beforehand so that you know if you're achieving your goals when you start getting data from your ad.
• Define what types of people you want to install your app and target your ad to them. Aside from the standard targeting that you should take into consideration for any type of Facebook ad (e.g. age, location, interests, having at least 100,000 people in your target audience), use these tools to help your mobile app install ad find its target audience:

  • Device level targeting (e.g. iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy, iPad)
  • OS-based targeting (e.g. iOS6, JellyBean)
  • Custom Audiences, which help you reach people who you already know (e.g. if you release a sequel to a mobile app game, you could target ads to people who downloaded the first one)
  • Lookalike Audiences, which help you find more people who are like your existing customers (e.g. if you want to build your user base, you can create a Lookalike Audience based on people who have already downloaded your app and target ads to that Lookalike Audience)
  • Connections targeting, which allows you to exclude people who have already installed your app from being added to your target audience
• Develop compelling creative. Prep work and great targeting don't mean much if your ad itself doesn't resonate with your target audience. These are the best practices for creating your ad:

  • Describe what your app does
  • Emphasise visuals rather than text
  • Show images with your app on a device to give people a better idea of what using it will actually be like
  • Demonstrate value with key numbers (e.g. how many songs are available on your music streaming app)
  • Add a call-to-action button that makes clear what you want people to do and where clicking it sends them.
  • Try the carousel format to showcase more aspects of your app in one ad unit
• Run your ad when you have new app content. If you're releasing new app content (e.g. adding a new feature or promoting a sale), that's an ideal time to funnel as many people as possible into your app to expose them to the content that you want highlighted.

Analyse your data

Analysing the data and results of your mobile App Install campaign is essential to improving your advertising on Facebook and understanding how people use your app. To get the most out of the information that your campaign generates:

• Test different targeting and creative options. Run multiple mobile App Install campaigns and see how well they do. Focus on what works and adjust or remove what doesn't. If your ads aren't doing as well as you'd like, try adjusting the targeting if you don't think you've reached your target audience yet. You should also consider adjusting your content to appeal more effectively to that audience.
• Use your data. This is where the prep work you've done pays off. Whether you're viewing reports in Ads Manager or using Analytics for Apps, the data captured by the Facebook SDK and App Events provides granular insights into what people are actually doing in your app and how much time they spend doing it. You might find surprising demographic information (e.g. you had been targeting your app ads to men but it is used more by women) or see what parts of your app are most likely to cause people to stop using it. Bear these insights in mind as you update your app and revise your advertising strategies and goals.

* Nguồn: Facebook