Facebook App Adverts Seek To Increase Mobile Revenue

Facebook has introduced mobile app adverts, which will allow developers to show off their products on users’ news feeds.

Earlier this year, Facebook launched App Center on its desktop site and mobile applications to make it easier for its users to find and share apps. Although more than half of Facebook’s 900 million users access the site through a mobile device, none of its $3.15 billion (£2 billion) in advertising revenue comes from mobile adverts.

The social network introduced mobile adverts in March in an effort to monetise its mobile user base.

Facebook app ads

“Facebook has increasingly become a way for iOS and Android developers to grow their apps,” said Facebook. “In the past 30 days, we have sent people to the Apple App Store and Google Play 146 million times, via clicks from channels such as news feed, timeline, bookmarks and App Center.

“Today we’re announcing a new way for mobile app developers to grow their business with an ad unit that helps them reach and re-engage their users.”

If a user clicks on one of the adverts and they do not have the application installed, they will be sent to the App Store of Google Play to download it. Facebook is currently inviting interested parties to register their interest ahead of a test launch with a limited number of partners.

The social network will hope that the announcement will appease those concerned about advertising revenues. An investigation by the BBC questioned the value of advertising on Facebook and highlighted the disproportionate response that some received from apparently fake user accounts.

Facebook said last week that it believed more than 83 million accounts on its network were fake, something that is unlikely to impress investors who have seen shares hit record lows since the company’s initial public offering in May.

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