Push Ads: All You Need to Know in 2024

In the dynamic world of digital marketing, Push Ads have carved out a distinct niche, emerging as a potent tool for businesses to connect with their audience in a more direct and personalized manner. Push ads stand out in the digital advertising space for their user-friendly and engaging nature.

One of the unique aspects of push ads is their ability to appear as native content. This characteristic allows them to be perceived more as a natural part of the user’s digital experience, enhancing their effectiveness, especially in affiliate marketing.

In this article, we’ll explore the nuances of push notification advertising, its various forms, and its impact on digital marketing strategies.

What are Push Notifications?

Push notifications are brief messages sent from an app or website to a user’s device, even when the app or website is not actively in use. These notifications can appear on desktops, smartphones, and tablets, offering a direct line of communication between businesses and consumers. The content of these notifications can range from promotional offers and product updates to reminders and personalized messages.

Types of Push Notifications

• Web Push Notifications. This technology enables the delivery of notifications through browser subscriptions, utilizing server assistance. Initially used by Apple, it has become a staple in the digital arsenal of many industry leaders. Web push notifications are not just for information dissemination; they have also found their place in advertising.
• In-App Push Notifications. These notifications are specific to app users. They often carry updates like news from social networks or reminders from various apps. While in-app push notifications primarily engage with an existing user base, they have also evolved to serve advertising purposes, offering a direct channel to communicate with app users.
• In-Page Push Notifications. Representing the latest advancement in push notification technology, in-page push notifications have opened new doors, especially for iOS users who previously couldn’t receive such ads. Technically akin to pop-ups, in-page push notifications can resemble ad windows or messages similar to those found in messenger apps. They are predominantly used in web versions of social networks to display new messages or updates.

How Push Notifications Work?

When users encounter a push ad, they can click and be directed to a relevant offer, potentially leading to conversion. The subscription to these push ads begins when websites, seeking to monetize their platforms, embed a code for users to opt-in to notifications. This process is voluntary, anonymous, and secure, with no personal data required.

Once a user subscribes, they’re added to the database of the push ad network. This forms the audience base for advertisers.

The opt-in message is crucial in this process. It’s the first notification potential subscribers see, and it should clearly communicate the value of the notifications. Customization of this message is key, tailored to the business and audience, with clear information on how to opt out to build trust.

Advertisers’ push ads are sent automatically to the devices of users who match the targeting criteria and have consented to receive notifications. These ads reach users even when they’re offline, appearing as soon as they go online again.

The Benefits of Push Ads

Push ads, when compared to other advertising formats, offer a range of distinct advantages:

• Voluntary Subscription. Users opt-in to receive push ads, indicating a higher level of interest and loyalty towards the advertised offers.
• Authentic Audience. The audience for push ads consists of real individuals who have independently chosen to subscribe, ensuring a more engaged audience compared to other ad formats.
• Guaranteed Delivery. Push notifications are delivered directly to the user’s screen, ensuring that the intended audience receives them. If users are offline at the time of delivery, they’ll see the ads as soon as they’re back online.
• New Audience Attraction. For advertisers, push ads are an effective way to reach new audiences, akin to the impact of radio or TV in the past.
• Broad Audience Reach. Push ads can target a wide range of audiences, making them suitable for promoting various offers. However, choosing the right offers is crucial, as niche or B2B offers may not perform as well as consumer products.
• High Volume and Quick Analytics. Push traffic comes in large volumes, allowing for rapid accumulation of data for optimization.
• Cost-Effective. With push ads, you pay per click rather than per impression. This makes it a budget-friendly option, especially for those new to affiliate marketing.
• Flexible Content Policy. Push ads have a more lenient content policy compared to platforms like Facebook. This allows for a wider range of offers, including sweepstakes, gambling, and dating services, without the need for cloaking strategies.
• Global Reach. Push ads enable offers to be launched in any geographical location, offering a global reach.

Push Ads Disadvantages

While push traffic offers numerous advantages, it’s important to be aware of its limitations to optimize ad campaign results.

• Limited Reach to iOS Users. Historically, push ads couldn’t reach iOS users due to system restrictions on subscriptions. However, the development of in-page push technology has now made it possible to target iOS users. Yet, it’s important to note that only some ad networks support this type of push ad.
• Basic Audience Targeting. Push traffic doesn’t allow for advanced targeting based on interests or socio-demographic data, as users don’t provide personal information when subscribing. While this might seem like a limitation, it also opens opportunities to reach unexpected audiences. Targeting options do exist, but they differ from those in traditional social networks.
• Challenges with Direct Links. Direct links may not be as effective with push traffic since users aren’t actively searching for products like they do with SEO or contextual ads. Instead, using a pre-landing page with elements of gamification or storytelling can be more effective in converting users who have shown initial interest through push notifications.
• Need for Creative Diversity and Rotation. Push ad campaigns benefit from using a variety of creatives. This approach facilitates A/B testing and helps identify what resonates with the audience. However, even successful creatives need to be regularly updated to prevent audience fatigue.
• Moderation Requirements for Creatives. Despite the generally lenient content policies of push networks, there are still guidelines and restrictions to be followed. Creatives must meet certain standards to pass moderation, ensuring they adhere to the network’s policies.

Selecting Verticals for Push Ads in Affiliate Marketing

Push advertising is particularly effective for verticals that are often restricted on social networks. It excels in areas like Sweepstakes, Gambling, and Dating, where conversions are high. The key to successful moderation in these areas is to use creatives that are not overly provocative and avoid misleading content.

Some of the most responsive verticals include:

• Finance and Status. This includes financial offers, gambling, betting, sweepstakes, coupons, and e-commerce.
• Health and Beauty. Products for weight loss, self-care, medicines, and biologically active substances.
• Dating and Entertainment. Mobile content, gaming, VR, video streaming services, and gambling.
• News and Education. Subscriptions for services like weather, horoscopes, news, and online education.
• Technology. Mobile apps, antiviruses, VPNs, and cleaners.
• Niche offers targeting a narrow audience may not perform as well in push ads traffic.

Verticals to Avoid

While push digital marketing is suitable for a wide range of products and services, including B2B, certain offers are off-limits. These include fraudulent offers, questionnaires requiring credit card information, tech-support scams, auto-loads, cannabis (even in regions where it’s legal), and other illegal offers.

Choosing the Right Push Ads Network: Key Considerations

With the growing popularity of push ads, numerous networks have emerged, each offering unique features. Here’s how to select the best push ads network for your needs:

• Assess the Subscriber Base Size. A larger subscriber base increases the chances of reaching your target audience. It’s also important to understand the traffic source, whether it’s from the network’s own publishers or bought from other networks.
• Examine Traffic Quality. While users voluntarily subscribe to push ads, the presence of bot traffic is a concern. Look for networks that offer traffic verification to ensure authenticity. The variety of targeting options available can also indicate the quality of traffic.
• Availability of In-Page Push Ads. Networks offering in-page push ads can reach solvent iOS users, a significant advantage since this audience was previously inaccessible. This format is particularly valuable.
• Tech Support Quality. Given the unique nature of push ads, having reliable tech support is crucial. Networks use a ticket system to ensure that support requests are systematically addressed and not lost in communication channels like messengers.
• Personal Manager Access. Some networks provide a personal manager for accounts with a certain minimum deposit. These managers can assist with various aspects of your campaign, from selecting profitable bundles to creating creatives.
• Evaluate Optimization Technologies. The ease of campaign optimization is a critical factor. Look for features like:
  • Micro Bidding. This allows for bid adjustments based on different campaign parameters, helping to optimize costs.
  • Automated Rules. These can automate the process of creating black and white lists, saving time and effort.
  • Target CPA.This feature prioritizes better-converting sources, improving campaign efficiency.
  • Performance Mode. An automated optimization tool that updates targeting lists daily without requiring a tracker, easing the marketer’s workload.

Setting Up a Successful Push Ads Campaign

Creating an effective push ads campaign involves two key stages: hypothesis testing and optimization based on test results. Here’s a guide to setting up your campaign:

• Start with Multiple Creatives. Launch your campaign with 5-10 different creatives to identify the most effective ones. Keep the best performers and periodically replace them to avoid ad fatigue. Ideally, update your creatives every 5-7 days, even if they’re performing well.
• Develop Unique Creatives. Instead of relying solely on spy tools for creative inspiration, which can lead to low click-through rates (CTR) due to ad saturation, analyze successful creatives to understand their effectiveness and create your own improved versions. Experiment with both direct links and pre-landing pages.Some platforms allow you to link different creatives to different landing pages, which is useful for testing.
• Consult with Your Manager for Optimal Bidding. Work with your account manager to determine the best bidding strategy for your campaign.
• Implement Conversion Tracking. Set up conversion tracking from the start. This is crucial for campaign optimization and enables you to use advanced features like Target CPA, Automated Rules, and Micro Bidding.
• Set Click Limits. To avoid overspending, limit the number of clicks per user per day. A recommended limit is one or two clicks per user to prevent a single user from excessively clicking without converting.
• Strategically Use Subscriber List Groups. Begin your campaign with premium subscriber lists, then scale up using standard and new lists. Each group has different costs, but premium sources often yield the highest performance, with conversion rates up to three times higher than other categories, regardless of the niche.

By following these steps, you can effectively set up a push ads campaign that is well-optimized, cost-effective, and capable of reaching your target audience with high engagement.

The anatomy of push notifications adversting

Success in affiliate marketing, especially in push ads campaigns, hinges on meticulous attention to detail. The key to a high-converting campaign lies in the optimization of its core components: the image, title, and description. These elements are fully customizable, offering limitless creative possibilities.

The creative, or the push ad itself, is the gateway to any sales funnel. It’s what captures the user’s attention in those crucial few seconds and determines whether they will click or not. The effectiveness of a push ad depends on how informatively and attractively it’s designed. Each element of the creative should work in harmony.

Icon

Particularly crucial for mobile traffic, the icon helps users quickly grasp the ad’s message. On mobile devices, it’s often the only visual element seen. The ideal icon should be simple, featuring one large object or a monochrome image for immediate impact.

Main Image

On computers, the main image is the first thing that catches the user’s eye. It should be large, clear, and straightforward, avoiding complex scenes or excessive details. Including a brief text with 2-3 words highlighting key details can enhance its effectiveness. Effective imagery includes happy people, bright colors, before-and-after scenarios, and clear results.

Title and Message Text

Users typically take about 3 seconds to read a headline and decide if they’re interested. The title should be direct and highlight the benefits or value of your offer. Text size is limited, with a maximum of 30 characters for the title and 45 for the description. Using emojis can draw attention and potentially increase conversions by up to 10%. Quality text should engage the user, provide news or events, spark curiosity, and promise goal achievement.

In-page Push Notifications

In-Page Push represents a unique variation within the realm of Push campaigns, distinct from Classic Push in several key ways. This innovative format extends the reach of push campaigns to all platforms, including iOS and MacOS, by circumventing the need for user subscriptions.

While In-Page Push ads may visually resemble Classic Push notifications, their operational mechanics are entirely different. These are not the typical message alerts that users receive upon subscribing to push notifications. Instead, In-Page Push functions more like a banner ad, displayed directly on the publisher’s website. This format cleverly mimics the appearance of a push notification but is essentially a banner ad embedded within the webpage.

For affiliate marketers, In-Page Push offers a streamlined and hassle-free advertising experience. This format is less susceptible to issues related to browser updates and avoids the complexities of double subscription confirmations, as it doesn’t require users to subscribe at all.

Conclusion

The future of push notification advertising looks promising, with advancements in AI and machine learning paving the way for even more personalized and interactive notifications. As technology evolves, so will the strategies around push notification advertising, making it an indispensable tool in the digital marketer’s arsenal.

In conclusion, push notification advertising stands as a testament to the dynamic nature of digital marketing. Its ability to adapt, evolve, and offer personalized user experiences makes it a key player in the digital advertising landscape. As businesses continue to harness its power, push notification advertising will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in shaping the future of customer engagement.