Unleash the true potential of Apple Search Ads campaigns with Kochava + Search Ads Maven
Since the launch of iOS 14.5+ and the changes to user consent for ad targeting and measurement, the mobile ad space has been thrown into a new normal for all Apple devices. As this AppleInsider article outlines well, “Apple’s introduction of App Tracking Transparency has certainly impacted the advertising business, prompting an immediate drop in revenue for an industry that relied on tracking ad viewers between apps and websites.” So if ad spend usually given to an ecosystem of apps and websites dropped off, where did that revenue go?
According to the Financial Times, Apple Search Ads has grown to become responsible for 58% of all iPhone app downloads and there’s no expectation for that number to drop any time soon. Apple Search Ads and your app’s placement in the App Store is increasingly important as well as increasingly competitive.
Post-install: gain the advantage and see beyond the bid
When an iOS user searches for a keyword in the App store, it’s no surprise that the top results fuel the most installs. With the huge shift toward Apple Search Ads, the battle for the top spots has become increasingly challenging for new apps or ones that don’t have the ability to just outspend the competition. Even for ones with the budget for outbidding, an app can quickly have their spend eaten up on popular keywords. Therefore, finding the right keywords at the right price to bid on is incredibly important.
One of the strongest tools for mobile ad measurement is the ability to target post-install events for your KPIs. A great example would be apps that run on a subscription basis like a streaming service. If we measured Apple Search Ads success completely based on installs we would see two search terms, such as “TV” and “streaming”, give comparable install rates. Yet, with the capacity to peer down the funnel, the term “streaming” may turn out to not only drive installs, but also fuel a higher rate of subscriptions.
Mobile measurement partner (MMP) integration with a campaign management platform (CMP), like Search Ads Maven, is an excellent way to find the optimal keywords you want to compete on and approach Apple Search Ads more strategically. CMPs are, at their core, intelligence tools that help you better manage and scale all of your Apple Search Ads campaigns. However, the potential impact of that CMP is only as good as the data that is available to it. Apple Search Ads data only consists of impressions, taps, search terms, spend, and derivatives from them. Integrating with an MMP, like Kochava, delivers those extra post-install data points you need to not only win the right bid but spend more intelligently to maximize return on ad spend (ROAS). A CMP also brings out the ability to automate your bidding and adjust on the fly as more information comes in. Adjust your spend as easily as you would drink a morning coffee.
Campaign management integration
Integrating your Kochava account with Search Ads Maven is easily accomplished through our Partner Configuration dashboard. Set up postbacks as you’ve likely already done for any other ad network, publisher, or partner platform.
In a few moments you can have postbacks fully configured, and data flowing between the systems to start optimizing your campaigns.
After the integration is complete, you will want to set up custom goals you want to optimize toward based on this newly available data. What goals you use will be specific to your key performance indicators (KPIs), the post-install events you are measuring with Kochava, and the goal type. The goals you create can also be multi-event scenarios which, for example, could combine getting to a certain level in a game with using certain in-app items.
Measure ROAS at any point in the funnel
With these new goals in hand, you can leverage spend in your Apple Search Ads campaigns exactly like you can your other ads that are linked with an MMP. This helps from an apples-to-apples situation so you can spend smarter by targeting behavior which can lead to the best return on investment. Before the MMP integration, you could only optimize based on impressions, taps, or installs with Apple Search Ads. Now, you can optimize on the same values as the rest of your budget.
Unleash your true potential on Apple Search Ads with Kochava and Search Ads Maven. Trust your experts.
For existing Search Ads Maven customers, consult this support documentation to integrate Kochava today.
For a free demo of Search Ads Maven, visit our website.
