What is Incentivized traffic and how does it size up?
The key for long term success in working with Incent traffic is to make sure all sides are in full understanding of what is to be expected and allowed from the traffic source. Incentivized traffic means an audience engages with an ad for some sort of reward for doing so – for example, watching a video for virtual currency. The advantages of using incentivized traffic are:
- Fast and easy user acquisition
- Drives conversiones or increases exposure
- Relatively low cost-per-user
The disadvantages for using incentivized traffic are the following:
- Acquired users generally are less active, and have a lower lifetime
- Users will look to cheat the system to gain rewards
- Users may not engage as much after they have already gained a reward for doing so
Naturally then, non-incentivized traffic offers no reward for users that engage with ads – the traffic is therefore considered to be organic because users have chosen to engage with ads based on their own personal interests instead. Are:
- Non incentivized traffic means higher quality users
- Longer User lifetime resulting in higher ROI over time and increased value for the app or advertiser
Here are some examples of successful execution of Incent traffic that can be models to follow for your own marketing efforts.
- Points and Rewards based Virtual Currency:
One of the answers is virtual currency. In one of Zynga’s games, CityVille, users can refuel their energy levels by having an interactive experience with advertiser ad placements. When your energy level decreases, ads are shown with an attached task, and once completed you reboot your energy. While it may seem like a small thing, this model of gaming where you achieve rewards or boosts for completing offers, is becoming one of the base strategies for in game monetization.
- Content Unlocking:
Site owners and marketers with valuable content were able to see huge gains by placing an advertiser offer as a popup, to allow access to the sites content. Often time’s content can be music, torrent files, or even high quality articles that people would desire access to. Advertisers are becoming more and more open to working with the content locking industry, but it is a constant back and forth between low cost and compliancy.
- Social Incentives:
A social incentive can range from rewards for a testimonial, to offering prizes and gifts. The key is to make it an interactive experience for the person you are marketing to, not a quick bribe for publicity.
- Offer walls:
Essentially, you are capturing leads by sending visitors to a landing page that contains CPA/CPL/CPM advertisements. What makes Offer Walls effective is that they are applicable to almost every traffic source. Ideally when the user hits the landing page, and they are prompted with multiple offers that are relevant to the page they are viewing, and therefore will fill out multiple offers.
How to make incent traffic work for your company
The main issues with incent traffic are typical fraud and the getting the value back from the user. Here are some quick tips on how to combat this and make incent traffic work for your user.
Fighting fraud
The keys for CPL campaigns is to ensure data quality. As the users are participating in order to receive an incentive they have no interest in putting in their correct data. So the goal is to make it as difficult as possible to put in fake data. Here are a few tips:
- Test all data fields including for validity.
- Fake email domains like gorillamail etc. need to be blocked
- Block repeat conversions from the same IP
- Block conversions from IPS outside the desired Geo
For CPS the stakes are higher as the user receives a higher incentive to participate in the offer. So on top of these checks payments need to be as safe as possible. Remove all payment sources that can be cancelled. Users participate in offers because of reward only. If they see that they can trigger the conversion and receive their rewards and then later cancel the payments then you are in trouble.
Getting your money’s worth
The first is to get your money back up front. For example Market research has been one of the biggest successes on the incent channel. How? Firstly, by placing the pixel where they see get the value back. Non incent market research campaigns convert on Panel Signup whereas a successful ploy for incent is to place the conversion after the user completes their first survey. The second key is reengaging the user. These are users that like incentives so it logical to offer them extra incentives, and promotions to keep them engaged and active.