Most Common Mobile Conversion Flows & How To Run Them

Content billing offers have exploded throughout the mobile affiliate industry much because of their seamless click-to-conversion flow.

Since many mobile operators around the world integrate directly with content providers, they’re able to instantly detect a user’s MSISDN (or phone number), and then provide the VAS (value added service) after a couple of clicks confirming the charge. 

The most common conversion flows for mobile affiliate offers include:

• One-Click Conversion Flow
• Tw0-Click Conversion Flow
• PIN Submit Conversion Flow
• Click2SMS/MO (Mobile Originated) Conversion Flow

One-Click Conversion Flow:

1. User Arrives At The Offer
2. User Clicks To Accept The Charge
3. The Conversion Pixel Fires

Now remember, this is dependent on the user being behind an accepted mobile operator (not on Wifi).  The call to action will most likely be “Accept” with the subscription terms above the fold.  Most common in Poland, India, LATAM, Nigeria, and Azerbaijan.

Two-Click Conversion Flow:

1. User Arrives At The Offer
2. User Clicks Continue To Accept The Charge
3. User Clicks On A Confirmation Page
4. The Conversion Pixel Fires

Almost the same as the one-click conversion flow, but an extra step is added giving the end-user the opportunity to accept or deny the charge.  We see this a lot in countries such as South Africa, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Germany.

PIN Submit Conversion Flow:

1. User Arrives At The Offer
2. User Enters Their Phone Number
3. User Is Sent A PIN Code Via SMS
4. User Confirms PIN Code On The Second Page
5. The Conversion Pixel Fires

Prior to the explosion of mobile traffic, PIN submit offers were amongst some of the most popular content-billing methods for traditional web traffic.  As long as an end-user has access to text-messaging, so they can confirm the PIN code, they can be completing the offer on any device or network.

Click2SMS/MO Conversion Flow:

1. User Arrives At The Offer
2. User Clicks To Initiate A Text Message
3. User Sends The Text Message
4. The Conversion Pixel Fires

This conversion flow is very popular in the Middle East and Asia.  Multiple mobile content providers have integrated with networks to allow end-users to initiate the billing charge from their mobile device and the content to be delivered immediately after a successful billing message has been received.  In some markets a confirmation text will also need to be sent (double opt-in).

Almost every mobile content offer can be thrown into one of these conversion flows.  The next question for media buyers is how to successfully promote these conversion flows:

• Direct Link
• Develop A Pre-Lander

Direct Link:

Some of the one-click and two-click conversion flow offers can be direct linked on a traffic source if one of the two conditions have been met: the traffic is very cheap OR the traffic is highly targeted.

If you’re able to get lots of traffic for less than a tenth of a penny per click, you maybe able to get a couple of these working direct linking.  The only other variable to consider would be user engagement level (as I mentioned yesterday).

If the traffic is highly targeted (i.e. you’re only reaching a certain mobile operator) then you also maybe able to direct link. However if you start to run into a lot of Wifi traffic, it’ll quickly diminish your conversion rate on these offers.

Develop A Pre-Lander:

If direct-linking doesn’t work out, it’s most likely because your user’s aren’t engaged when they directly go to the offer.  We see this a lot with Pop and Redirect traffic as user’s see the ad when they weren’t expecting it.

To help our traffic to convert we’ll sometimes build out a pre-lander to “engage” the audience and explain to them how we want them to go through the conversion process.

Using a pre-lander can be extremely effective, because it gives you a “leg up” on the competition and allows you to add your creative spin.

Mobile content billing offers provide tremendous opportunities to media buyers, affiliates, and publishers as they are a creative way to monetize mobile traffic that otherwise would have been left unsold.  Compliance is very important in developing long-term campaigns, so make sure to be extremely transparent when setting up these campaigns!