Facebook is increasing the focus on its mobile app ads after it revealed that ads served on mobile devices will include links to a Facebook Page, social context and sharing options from August 6.
The move brings mobile app ads in line with those on the desktop version of Facebook. Desktop ads include comment, like and share buttons, a link to the advertiser’s Facebook Page, and social context, which shows users which friends like the Page advertised. Mobile app ads currently include none of that information.
Facebook advertisers will no longer be able to create context-less ads for mobile after July 2. Any campaigns in the old format will be automatically switched to the new, context-rich version — a preview of which is below — after August 6.
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The move signifies the rising importance of mobile app ads for Facebook, and it is likely to appeal to advertisers that aim to reach Facebook mobile users. Now, advertisers can feed the attention their ads generate on mobile back into their Facebook Pages, while the viral mechanics of social context and sharing buttons can help extend the reach of their messages to more users.
Mobile is a primary focus for Facebook: it now accounts for 59 percent of the social network’s revenue. That figure has risen by an impressive 30 percent over the past year alone. Facebook says that revenue from mobile is responsible for raising its total advertising income by 72 percent over the past 12 months — its total income from ads reached $2.5 billion between January and March this year, the BBC reports.
Also read: As Asia becomes key for Facebook, it’s going all out to simplify marketing for brands there
Headline image via Brendan Smialowski / AFP / Getty Images
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