Share this ebook! ThinkWorks SNAP SHOT. How to Reach Mobile Users with Search, Apps and YouTube MENA. Focus on.

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1 ThinkWorks SNAP SHOT How to Reach Mobile Users with Search, Apps and YouTube Focus on MENA 1

2 Contents This ebook provides tips on how to reach mobile users in the Middle East and North Africa with search, apps and YouTube advertising. Enjoy! Search 3 Get to Position One 6 Use Available ad extensions 8 Mobile-preferred Ad copy 9 Mobile optimised websites 10 Apps 12 Make Smarter App Marketing Decisions 13 AdMob 14 YouTube for App Promotion 15 App Re-engagement 16 YouTube 17 How to Use YouTube in the Mobile Marketing Mix 18 Author Ben Redfearn PPC Manager Latitude Digital Marketing 2

3 Search 3

4 Smartphone Penetration 73% 74% 60% 61% 62% 51% 44% 56% Saudi Arabia UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED kingdom UNITED states of america Source: Our Mobile World By 2016, PayFort estimate that worldwide mobile payments are expected to reach 314 Billion, an increase of 40% on At the forefront of this is the Middle East, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia leading the global smartphone penetration rankings, helped in part, by their large population of tech savvy under 40 s with rising disposable incomes. 4

5 Mobile Search Frequency 69% 70% 54% 61% Saudi Arabia UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED kingdom UNITED states of america Source: Our Mobile World For marketers in the Middle East, these statistics are extremely encouraging. In recent years, Google have gone to greater lengths to improve their AdWords mobile offering as we have entered into a multi-screen age, making it easier to develop an effective mobile strategy. 5

6 Get to Position One According to Google, consumers spend around 15 hours per week on mobile research, making it vital to be in the right place, at the right time. Results show this is synonymous across multiple regions and languages. Position one ads in the UAE achieve 50% more clicks than their position two counterparts. Ranking first on mobile search engine results pages (SERPs) really is premium real-estate, so make sure you re featured at the number one spot as frequently as possible. 6

7 Mobile Click Through Rate by Position 14% CTR Position one ads in the UAE achieve 50% more clicks than position two and below 0% *excludes brand activity Avg. Position Arabic English Mobile CTR by Position 12% 0% OMAN KUWAIT LEBANON BAHRAIN UAE QATAR 7

8 2. Use Available Ad Extensions It is estimated that ad extensions improve click through rates by around 30%, however, last year Google announced big changes to the way ad rank is calculated, making extensions even more important than ever. It is therefore vital to make full use of extensions such as callout, app, call, review, site link and social annotations. Not only will this help increase the size of your ad, but will also allow you to display more USPs than your competitors; making you a much more appealing proposition, improving CTR, and ultimately, ad rank. Make use of extensions to stand out Premium mobile real estate 8

9 3. Mobile-preferred Ad Copy To improve relevancy, we recommend using both mobile-preferred ad copy and sitelinks, making it best practice to keep things short and punchy, so that everything fits onto the screen. In their latest release, Google advises users to make characters count, as sitelinks, callouts or location extensions will replace description line two, dependant on performance (Note - releases in the MENA region are usually behind that of the UK so you should look to the latest release in the UK, such as Google Shopping, as a benchmark of what s to come). Mobile specific creative: Keep each description line to 30 characters or under to prevent it being shortened, and the key message being lost. Callout Extensions Extended sitelinks Mobile specific call to action in site link - keep to 18 characters or under to ensure it fits on the smaller screen. 9

10 4. Mobile Optimised Websites It feels like the digital marketing industry has been banging this drum for a long time, but it is still common to see un-optimised sites when surfing the web. Not only does an optimised site help improve your ad rank, giving you cheaper CPCs, but 74% of consumers say they re more likely to return to a website that is mobile-optimised. This is a must for any business in the MENA region where the average person owns 2.9 smartphones! 10

11 Many companies in the MENA region have been slow to adopt a number of these practices, ultimately effecting their bottom line and strangling growth. If you can get the basics right, you are laying the groundwork to capture your portion of the growing mobile search opportunity in MENA. 11

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13 How to Make Smarter App Marketing Decisions By 2017, 12% of the world s app users are forecasted to come from the MENA region, totalling 528 million users. This presents a huge opportunity for online marketers, as consumers are willing to immerse themselves into brands and build up levels of trust. Google have multiple AdWords features that not only connect users with their desired content, but also secure a place in their pocket and drive them to re-engage. Frequency Mobile Internet Daily Usage via Apps 69% 70% 54% 61% Saudi Arabia UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED kingdom UNITED states of america Source: Our Mobile Planet 13

14 1. AdMob AdMob is a mobile advertising platform. AdMob offers you the chance to grow, monetise and analyse your app through AdWords, with app promotion across the ios and Android networks of smartphones and tablets, with Android dominating the MENA market with around 40% of the share. With no conversion pixel needed due to Google Play and AdWords integration, time spent on campaign setup is significantly reduced. There are three main ad types shown on the AdMob network, all with individual benefits. Here s a snapshot of Latitude s MENA clients over a three month period: Ad Type CPC CTR Conv. Rate Banners $ % 5.50% Interstitial $ % 8.84% Video $ % 18.41% What this tells us: Banners = cost effective Interstitial (full-screen overlay ads) = higher engagement Video = stronger conversion rates Video app install ads require creative on YouTube, however, by making the extra investment, you are also tapping into a favourite Arabian pastime watching YouTube videos. One Latitude MENA video app campaign recently achieved conversion rates over 33%, highlighting its clear potential. 14

15 2. YouTube for App Promotion Google, fully aware of these stronger app download rates from video, have released YouTube for app promotion, allowing customers to seamlessly install apps straight from YouTube. Charged at a cost-per-view, you only pay when a user is engaged in the video, so, the more engaging the content, the lower the cost-per-download. INSTALL 15

16 3. App Re-engagement Having found a place in your customer s pocket, it is now important to re-engage them, as 84% lose interest following initial usage. Google s new re-engagement feature deep links search traffic to specific pages within your app. This allows you to drive traffic of pre-engaged customers with purchasing intent to relevant content. The above practices, along with the ability to track sales and revenue across the lifecycle of an app through Google Analytics, give you the tools to make shrewder app decisions. If you don t have an app, we suggest you remedy this fast as time spent on apps exceeded mobile internet browsing back in 2011, meaning the app-wagon was jumped on a long time ago. 16

17 YouTube 17

18 How to Use YouTube in the Mobile Marketing Mix YouTube has become an essential part of daily lives across the MENA region, offering entertainment not available on TV. Consequently, penetration figures are extremely high. Saudis watch around 190 million YouTube videos a day, averaging around 6 views per citizen, with 50% watched viewed via mobile. These viewing figures make it the perfect platform for businesses to attract and retain customers. 18

19 YouTube allows you to move key customer segments down the funnel by: 1) Building broad awareness to create excitement and buzz about your brand through a YouTube Masthead, benchmarked at 4.9 million daily impressions in the UAE and 13.3 million in KSA. 2) Engaging your audience by targeting their favourite videos through TrueView, with the advertiser only paying when the video is being watched. 3) Driving sales through remarketing and maximising brand search coverage on AdWords. 69% Frequency of Video Watching on Smartphone 70% 54% 61% Saudi Arabia UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNITED kingdom UNITED states of america Base: Our Mobile Planet 19

20 YouTube in Action on Mobile At Latitude, we have run numerous YouTube campaigns across the region, watching the funnel in action. Here are the results: Awareness Mobile engagement 380% higher than desktop Sales 40% increase online, with paid brand traffic increasing 81% Engagement Mobile view-rates 40% higher than desktop 20

21 YouTube advertising can be expensive, but is it more costly than TV? Research says no, with YouTube up to 5x more effective and easier for tracking performance. The reach amongst tech-savvy youth and levels of engagement are higher, and more importantly, AdWords gives you the ability to track and analyse the data, making it cost effective. At Latitude, we have seen online channels improve exponentially during mobile-focussed TrueView/Masthead campaigns, which have helped brands go from strength-to-strength in highly competitive sectors. Cost Efficiency Brand and Advertising Awareness TV PRINT ONLINE YOUTUBE Top of Mind Brand Awareness Spontaneous Brand Awareness Aided Advertising Awareness Cost Efficiency Formula: Brand Effect x Media Reach Investment Source: 21

22 Users in the MENA region are some of the most avid YouTube viewers, so it is important to maintain your brand channel with regular content that will inform, inspire and entertain them. Research shows they are six times more likely to click through video content onto a website than their US counterparts, highlighting it as more than just a retention tool. Furthermore, worldwide studies have shown the content viewed on both TV and YouTube gives twice the brand recall. Therefore, maintain your channel and engage with your audience to create loyalty amongst your customer base. 22

23 YouTube in MENA has higher usage on mobile than anywhere else in the world, with greater reach than traditional mediums amongst year old. In a market saturated by start-ups, you need to build brand awareness quickly, retain existing customers, and capture new ones, all of which can be done via YouTube. This channel is only likely to grow, however, as more businesses recognise its full potential, competition, and therefore cost will increase. 23

24 Ready to take your mobile marketing to the next level? Get in touch: W: E: UK: Dubai: