Facebook Introduces Mobile News Feed Ads for Apps

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Facebook has announced that it will allow mobile app developers to advertise in mobile news feeds.

"Today we're announcing a new way for mobile app developers to grow their business with an ad unit that helps them reach and reengage their users," said Facebook engineer Vijaye Raji in a blog post.

Until now, Sponsored Stories, which are placed in users' news feeds, have been the only ad unit available in Facebook's mobile app. Those require a friend of a user to have mentioned the advertiser on 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.

"Mobile ads are an additional way to drive people to apps. When a person clicks on one of these ads, if they do not have the app installed they will be sent to the App Store or Google Play to get it."

Facebook is inviting developers to sign up to test the new advertising scheme in beta, where they will be able to choose their audience, budget and whether to target iPhone or Android users.

This is the latest move in Facebook's plan to generate more revenue from mobile users, with 543 million people accessing the website via smartphone or tablet. Mark Zuckerberg announced the figure back in June, alongside a $157m loss, saying, "Our goal is to help every person stay connected and every product they use be a great social experience.

"That's why we're so focused on investing in our priorities of mobile, platform and social ads to help people have these experiences with their friends."

This article was originally published on the Inquirer.