Dive Brief:
- Nanigans compared the results of ads served natively on Facebook and ads served via the Facebook Audience Network (FAN) and found ads served through FAN had a 65% higher clickthrough rate and a 72% decrease in CPM.
- The study also found that ads served through FAN showed a 28% lower cost-per-install and a 26% lift in total app installs compared to mobile app install campaigns run directly on Facebook.
- The value in using FAN came from reaching people outside of Facebook's direct network.
Dive Insight:
App install advertising is taking up a huge chunk of ad budgets right now, and these findings give marketers a clear path on how to maximize their spend on Facebook. For marketers looking to reach the social network's broader audience, running mobile app install campaigns on Facebook is a strategic move.
The Nanigans research found advertisers spent 16% of their overall budgets delivering ads to mobile apps and websites through FAN. Those placements drove a 26% increase in total app installs, with CPIs similar to those on native Facebook campaigns.
"Strong performance drives the majority of advertisers to activate Facebook’s Audience Network for nearly all mobile app install campaigns. Facebook Audience Network enabled ads have led to comparable, if not better, return on ad spend (ROAS) vs. Facebook native ads delivered exclusively in the News Feed," the report reads.
Not to be outdone, however, Google last week revealed that it had so far driven some two billion app down loads (a number that Facebook also claims), and for the first time is opening its Universal App Campaigns to iOS developers. What this means for marketers is that they now have proven solutions for scaling their mobile app user bases.
