Need direction to monetize my traffic

[shindig]

I'm making mobile games and not happy with the in-app ads. I'm experimenting with sending users to webpages from inside the game, which I load up with banner ads, each page displaying ads of a certain topic.

The reason the players actually launch the ads from the game is because I give them in-game rewards each time they launch the url, which has a slight chance at giving special items, power ups, stat buffs, etc whatever I want to use as an incentive.

They'll encounter the links throughout the game, and I was putting 12 banners on each page they load, so if I can get them to click 5 urls in 30 minutes I get 60 ad impressions from 1 person and they get 5 rewards in the game.

I'm mostly targeting children, so I'm hoping displaying banners for things like toys r us, super soakers, disneyland, etc etc will give me some click throughs in addition to the impressions.

Simply hitting the back button from the webpage takes them back to the game where they have a new reward waiting.

So basically I have a way of directing traffic and I'm trying to think of the best way to monetize said traffic. Does 12 banners sound good? Would 20 be better?

Once I have a high number people downloading my apps I was figuring I could approach marketing firms to sell ad space/placement, but for now I was just going with adsense since I have an account and it's simple.

Anyone with experience have any insight or recommendations?

Thank you in advance.

 

[aeisn]

Ad networks probably aren't going to be psyched about that kind of traffic. I'd take a look at Airpush or similar mobile ad networks if you don't mind compromising user experience.

 

[shindig]

Ad networks probably aren't going to be psyched about that kind of traffic. I'd take a look at Airpush or similar mobile ad networks if you don't mind compromising user experience.

Hrm...I was hoping by adding content (articles tailored to the topic) that you could refer people to a website with a link.

But I guess it would be a lot of people going directly to pages without coming from a search engine, but all from unique IPs at least. With a cooldown timer so they can't spam clicking the links, but once every 10-15 min or so.

How do mass emailings work when people click on links directly to pages without coming from a search engine??? Or are they using a different model promoting sponsored ads. Like, if you had a blog stuffed with adsense and put your blog in an email marketing campaign is that acceptable?

Airpush isn't going to work, I've read horror stories about organized boycotts against developers who have used it, at the forum of the game engine I'm using....

I was hoping this would be better than Admob, but I guess I have to read through the fine print and get creative. At no point do I ask users to click links of ads, I only redirect them to my webpages that have ads, from a piece of software. Popup ad basically.

If I took out a printed magazine ad to promote a website, or a television commercial, people would go directly to it, I don't see how this is much different?

 

[aeisn]

The reason they'll have an issue with it is you're sending incent mobile traffic to ad networks that want legit desktop traffic. If you're doing small enough volume you can probably get away with it for awhile, maybe even forever. Just be aware that it might not last forever.

 

[Knoss]

As aeisn said I wouldn't go for those networks but not mainly because the network may not like it, mainly because you will not earn as much as if you'd go for a more accurate network relating to your device. There's quite many of those networks out there and I'm still in the look for new but I guess Airpush works fine but try others as I'm sure it can't be the best one, based on my own experience.

 

[shindig]

Damn that makes sense. Thanks guys.

I guess this would be better suited for having sponsors or something, where you put sponsor company logos in the game, on the menus, in the environment, etc that launch that companies website when clicked. Charging a subscription or something based off traffic and placement.

I was looking at chitika, which seems to have a mobile section, though it's for mobile web pages rather than apps but still it would be mobile users sent to a mobile friendly site with mobile ads. Maybe better than adsense.

Problem with airpush is it embeds the ads in the phone outside your app and there are apps like airsniffer that tell the person which app invaded their phone (that's how they see it) which causes them to report your app as "malicious" and get it removed from the app stores as well as launch campaigns of 1 star reviews.