Targeting Mobile Devices in Google

Katherine Bennett - June 21, 2011

The world of mobile marketing continues to grow. There was a time when only computers and laptops could be targeted with advertising, but that has changed. Now, advertisers have the capability to engage in targeted advertising to reach mobile users on their mobile devices. By making simple adjustments, a company can have their ads show on mobile devices. 

One of the first steps in targeting mobile devices is to create a separate campaign.  Having a separate campaign allows more flexibility with targeting and also allows you to see pure mobile results and how they are performing. Google allows companies to target mobile users by the device they use and by their carrier. A company could get very granular in how they target mobile users. However, we suggest  that you start with a basic mobile

marketing campaign before getting into advanced options.

It’s good to target every available mobile user unless there is a legitimate reason not too.
Keep in mind that the mobile settings in the campaign tab are for phones that support full internet browsers. It’s safe to say that most people who view the internet on their phone are using a smartphone. However, there are cases where your company may only want to target certain types of phones.  For example: If your site uses Flash it would be wise to not target iPhones/iPod Touches and iPads, because they don’t support Flash. It could actually frustrate a user to click on one of your ads and be taken to a website that won’t work on their phone. 

Targeting mobile devices in Google can be a breeze. Some might be hesitant, but why not test mobile marketing?  Mobile marketing is continuing to grow and more people are upgrading to smartphones. There’s no reason not to embark on a mobile marketing test.