Explore, Stop Depending On Ad Networks

When they think about marketing and promoting their app, many startup app developers always think of such advertising networks like Google Adsense and Apple iAd among a variety of others. While there is nothing entirely wrong with using the ad networks to promote your app, you shouldn’t restrict yourself only to these. Ad networks are expensive, and in an around –about logic, they will never sustain your business if you chose to monetize through them.

Many app owners also subscribe to another bigoted mentality when thinking about earning profits from their apps; using the ad network to monetize. This is also entirely easy. All you will have to do is add the advertising network on your app and the money starts streaming in, right? Wrong. If you are relying only on the money from the ad networks to run your app enterprise, you’d better start calling for foreclosure and signing for bankruptcy early enough. It doesn’t matter how much traffic your app/site commands, relying solely on money from ad networks is a bad idea. Anyone who’s ever been in any of the most reputed ad networks will tell you, minus the hiccups, that they do not make enough cash to run a business.

One of the greatest alternatives to the ad networks is to self-serve the ads to individual advertisers. It may seem as if it is a herculean task, but most of the famous sites inclusive of Google and Facebook use self-serve to make their earning. You do not have to manually approach every advertiser; this is especially true if your app has established a name for itself. However for little-known apps, this is not a very bright idea, and they should explore further to find other alternatives to monetizing their apps.

This takes us back to the very traditional way of selling ads. Yes, if you are a young little-known app developer, be ready to do the donkey work. Get prepped to approach many advertisers and ask them whether they would be interested with advertising on your app/site. You may however need to pool in an impressive sales team to even reach your local entrepreneurs and convince them to sign up with you.

The above three scenarios exemplify why it is largely difficult to make money for your app through the sale of ads. It doesn’t matter which level of ads you are targeting, the fact remains that making money through the placement of ads on your app is a herculean task. Facebook and Google may be able to survive entirely on ad monetization, but you are a small fish in a turbulent ocean. You will need to explore how else you can monetize your app to stay afloat.

In all instances, the best way to make money from your apps will be through direct sales. The ad networks will make for additional revenue but will be far less to sustain your business.