Facebook Expands App Ad Targeting

Facebook on Wednesday rolled out enhanced targeting features for its mobile app install ads that allow developers to reach specific versions of Android and iOS, as well as devices with Wi-Fi-only connections.

“Now you can tailor specific messages to people based on which operating system version they are using (e.g., iOS 6 or Jelly Bean 4.2), which means that you can reach people with the version of your app that will work best on their device,” stated a post on the Facebook Studio blog today.

The company also suggested the WiFi targeting is well-suited to promoting apps that require heavy data usage. Facebook said developers can now also use its self-serve ad creation tool to launch a mobile app install ad campaign more easily.

Introduced in October, the app install ads are designed to promote and drive app downloads from the App Store and Google Play. In its fourth-quarter earnings call, Facebook said about one-fifth of iOS’ top-grossing developers were testing out app install ads.

As part of its broader push into mobile advertising, Facebook has also regularly touted their performance. The company today said U.K. telecom brand O2 used mobile app install ads to send its new music app -- O2 Tracks -- to No. 6 in the App Store days after its release. Online retailer Poshmark has seen three times greater ROI from app install ads compared to other advertising channels.

 
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