Save This Guide to Mobile Content Offers (mVAS) and Enhance Your Marketing

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The mobile value-added services market is filthy rich. It’s forecasted to hit $3,156.2 billion by 2032. How big will your piece of this cake be? With this guide, quite a chunk. Today, we’re unveiling all the ins and outs of mobile content offers (mVAS) for affiliate marketers. Offer types, traffic sources, creatives, and conversions flow made clear. Enjoy!

Meaning of Mobile Content Offers (mVAS)

A Mobile Value-Added Service (mVAS) is a paid service you get via mobile devices apart from calls and SMS. These services are often billed directly by mobile carriers, bypassing credit card or PayPal options.

Basically, mVAS are mobile subscriptions—users opt-in to get services they find helpful or enjoyable.

Typical mVAS offers:

• Video and music streaming services
• Games
• Education
• iGaming 
• Dating
• Entertainment
• and other content which requires users to subscribe or opt-in.

How to profit from the mVAS service vertical? From your Adsterra account, open the Offers Wishlist page and filter offers by type: Subscribe, PIN Submit, Carrier Billing.These are offer examples generating massive ROI right now. Find them in your affiliate network or affiliate program and start buying traffic from Adsterra. You can also pick an alternative offer with the same conversion flow within your program.

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A cheat-sheet for a well-balanced mVAS campaign

Your tactic of promoting mobile subscriptions will vary depending on the traffic source and ad platform. But if you resort to Adsterra, use this cheat-sheet to set up a high-converting marketing campaign.

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What is an mVAS offer?

An mVAS offer is a set of requirements from a brand. These requirements declare which audience to target (geo, device, etc.) and how much a brand will pay for a desired conversion (an opt-in, subscription, etc.)

Affiliates promote a paid mobile service, attracting users to subscribe (opt-in) through carrier billing or direct payment. They earn a commission after users successfully perform a target action.

There’s a mixture of terms related to mVAS on the market:

• PIN submit
• mobile content service
• carrier billing
• mobile subscriptions
• mobile billing
• direct operator billing

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How mVAS offers work

A user clicks on an ad that leads them to a landing page. If the user decides to subscribe, they are billed through their mobile carrier. Normally, users subscribe to pay recurrently. Affiliates get commissions for every successful subscription. What qualifies a subscription as “successful?” It depends on the conversion flow established by the offer owner.

Conversion flows in mVAS content

A conversion flow is a way for users to become subscribers to mobile content. Let’s break down some of the most common flows:

1. One-click flow:

Users can subscribe with just one click. Basically, the easiest conversion flow possible: a user only needs to click the CTA button or banner to opt-in.

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2. Two-click flow:

This flow requires users to confirm their subscription twice. After users click on an ad, a landing page with a confirmation request opens up. So, the user needs to op-in once again.

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3. Click2SMS:

It’s rather a complex flow as it involves user attention and several actions. There are two types of Click2SMS, MO (Mobile Originated) and MT (Mobile Terminated). MO means that an SMS is sent from a user’s mobile phone to a website, app, or any other platform (so the origin is a user’s mobile device). MT means that a user gets an SMS sent from a mobile carrier or provider (so, the flow is terminated on a user’s mobile device).

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4. Pin Submit flow:

PIN Submit offers are one of the most popular, though require several actions from users. With 3G/4G/LTE connection, the flow usually works like this: after clicking the CTA button, users get transferred to a landing page where they see their phone number pre-filled. They will then need to click again, to receive an SMS with a short digital code (PIN), which they will paste to a landing page and confirm the subscription.

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5. USSD flow:

Users interact with a USSD code on their phone to confirm the subscription. USSD may seem a bit outdated for marketing, but it’s still in use in a couple of countries to promote paid mobile content directly from operators.

The conversion happens this way:
1. A user sees an ad message and clicks it (normally, after choosing their mobile carrier). 2. They’re being led to a landing page where they need to enter a secret code to confirm the subscription.

Are mVAS offers worth it?

mVAS offers are an excellent opportunity for affiliate marketers. People tend to consume content from phones. There are lots of  impulse purchases in this field, and you can profit from this trend.

Some stats to prove:

• The global m-commerce market revenue will likely hit $3.35 trillion by 2028 (Source: Statista). 
• Mobile value-added services are expected to reach  $3.156.2 billion by 2032 (Source: IMARC Services) and $3.522.6 billion by 2034 (Source: Fact.MR). 
• The US region is forecasted to gain market value of over $1 billion by 2034.

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Key factors to evaluate before taking an mVAS offer

Before you start buying traffic to send to an mVAS campaign, we at Adsterra recommend you consider some important factors:

1. The subscription price and offer value. It’s very important to ensure — approximately — if the audience you target is ready to pay for a subscription. Avoid promoting an expensive service with recurring payments in Tier-3 countries.
2. Flow type: Take a closer look at the conversion flow. Will USSD flow work, say, in Europe? It’s an exception. However, in North Africa and some Arab countries, this flow is ok. PIN Submissions via mobile phones are widespread almost everywhere.
3. GEO limitations: Some offers may only be available in specific regions, so it’s essential to understand which GEOs you want to target.

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Pros and cons of mVAS offers

Pros:

• High payouts: Offers often come with higher payouts compared to, say, classic web sweepstakes, especially in Tier 1 GEOs.
• Diverse content: Affiliates are not tied to content type to promote, like in, say, the Finance niche. They can choose between a music and movie streaming service, health, astrology, meditation, dating, games, and many, many more.
• Minimum holds, especially with 1-click and 2-click offers: you get paid faster than classic e-shopping deals.
• Fewer restrictions. While advertising of some verticals is limited (e.g., iGaming regulations are applied in many countries), the mVAS niche is primarily regulated by mobile providers. It offers more opportunities for marketing experiments.
• Vast audience. Mobile devices have become a dominant interface. You can find target and motivated users in almost every country. Mobile users who value their time, tend to subscribe for digital services on the go.
• Alternative payment (faster conversions). While many of us avoid paying by cards, sending an SMS via a phone is still a norm.
• No critical differences from other verticals. You can apply the same marketing tricks as you do when creating iGaming ads or E-commerce campaigns.

Cons:

• Compliance issues: In Tier-1 countries, user data privacy is highly protected, so the simplest 1-click offers usually don’t work here.
• Churn rates: Since users decide to subscribe spontaneously, they can cancel the subscription immediately, as well. If a user unsubscribes quickly, the conversion won’t be qualified as successful. Therefore, affiliates and advertisers must deliver a clear value of the offer.

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mVAS traffic sources

Sources of mobile traffic are truly endless, and here are some proven ways to get relevant audiences at affordable price:

Popunder traffic

Pop ads remain one of the main ad formats (and traffic sources) for many offer types, including mobile content. This source requires no additional creatives, so you can lead all traffic to an advertising offer directly.

Social Bar (Push) traffic

The most preferred ad format since it makes your message user-friendly by totally matching the mobile experience. To add more, ad networks like Adsterra serve over 20 template creatives. You easily transform an ad message to a push notification, service widget, or chat head.

Banner traffic

Banners are evergreen ad formats of website ads, and if you manage to provide a clear and engaging message, you’ll get a nice CTR in the end.

Native traffic

Native advertising is another top source of quality leads and conversions from mobile websites. Integrated into relevant content pages, they deliver high-intent leads that easily convert into subscribers.

Social traffic

Facebook, TikTok, Instagram are the hottest traffic sources for driving engaged and loyal mobile audiences. One point that is making them less reliable is their policy regarding ad types. Many dating or iGaming ads will not be allowed there, as well as 1-click subscriptions.

Paid search ads

Google Ads remain one of the main sources for whitehat mVAS offers promotion. However, the recent news exposes significant challenges for this sort of advertising. As it’s said in the MPC Insight report, the need to re-estimate mVAS marketing is higher than ever. Consumers get frustrated when they click a banner they believe is a part of an app content but get redirected to a side platform that can charge them by mistake. 

What types of creatives work best for mVAS?

1. Web Push or In-Page Push

Depending on the traffic source (we discussed them earlier) you can choose an ad creative that resembles a push notification. The main advantage of a push format is the nativity of visuals. Any notification melts into the OS design and looks credible when shown on a mobile website.

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2. OS-matching widgets

Such ads require less creativity but more detailed immersion in the device’s OS specifics. For instance, to promote an Antivirus mVAS offer on a publisher’s website, you will need to pick an Android-native template of creative.

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3. Interstitials

Unlike In-Page Push notifications with their super-nativity, Interstitials are sparkling and large ads, covering the entire page of a website. It makes them a perfect attention-grabber.

All of these ad formats are available on Adsterra, and you can even mix them in one marketing campaign. Just pick Social Bar from the Ad Unit field while creating a campaign.

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Marketing tricks for mVAS creatives

Your approach to ad creatives heavily depends on the offer itself, and must resonate with it. But there are common tricks for different verticals that are evergreen, so let’s gallop through them right now:

Streaming service

• Use the most popular streaming content to engage users.
• If you promote TV series or movies, include poster images with celebs
• Mention discounts and bonuses if provided by a mobile operator
• Include the number of music tracks or movies to impress users
• Highlight exclusivity
• Mention the offer expires soon

Gaming

• Include quality screenshots of the most trending mobile games
• Promise unmatched experiences
• Include discounts for subscription and highlight benefits
• Make users feel they belong to a special tribe of chosen ones
• If a subscription includes a newly released and expected game, this will be your main UVP (unique value proposition)

E-commerce

Subscriptions to VIP sales and other paid exclusives demand a more sophisticated approach:

• Prove this offer it’s a great bargain (how much can a user save by paying this little price for subscription?)
• Highlight exclusivity of your offer
• Use testimonials when possible
• Use the fear of missing out (FOMO effect) and mention when the offer expires
• Generate creatives for various categories of apparels
• Add quality product shots, using the most trending (especially if they’re in holiday wishlists)

Social dating

Social connections and Dating subscriptions are getting harder to remote as the market is oversaturated with apps and web platforms providing such services. So, your job is to prove your offer is worth recurring payments:

• Try to prompt the reaction with your message
• Communicate, not inform
• Make your message personal
• Provide a photo
• Use visuals that imitate personal messages
• Inspire users with opportunities
• Provide figures like the number of matches
• Add storytelling

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GEO targeting for mVAS

Geo-matching means answering these questions:

1. The offer is valuable for the audience within your preferred country
2. The offer is affordable (users can easily buy a subscription plan)
3. Your traffic source provides enough traffic from this geo
4. Traffic costs allow you to stay profitable if you advertise properly
5. There are no specific mVAS restrictions in this geo
6. The conversion flow is in use within your geo (e.g., Kenya’s most used conversion flow is USSD)

If you need a broader vision, let’s figure out the most promising countries to market a mVAS offer:

• African countries. With the enormous rate of 3G penetration, these countries suggest to us both loyal users and technical equipment to run mobile campaigns: South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya are the leading ones.
• Latam countries (especially, Brazil) and Arab countries (Saudi Arabia, Egypt) present the most vigorous and engaged audience. The same is fair for some Asian markets (Indonesia, Singapore, India).

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How to promote mVAS offers

Advertising mVAS content offers with a high ROI requires a mix of: targeting, flow matching, ad format choice, bidding strategies. Here are the first steps to a successful mobile service promo:

1. Geo-matching

Ensure your traffic source provides enough ad impressions. On Adsterra, you can easily check traffic volumes per geo by opening Traffic Chart. Then, ensure you know mobile carriers with a vast user base in this geo.

2. Campaign splitting

If you target both iOS and Android users, create two separate campaigns. You’ll be able to analyze how OS users react to the offer and correct your tactic.

The same tactic applies to geos: “One campaign, one country” is the best way to get correct data and optimize spending in the future.

3. Bidding strategy

If your offer requires a 1-click or 2-click flow, try CPA pricing, where you’ll be charged for conversions only. With a more complex conversion flow (direct billing), start with CPM / CPC pricing. If you prefer CPM/CPC, you can use smart clues for optimal bids for your targeting. Start with a minimum one or increase it a little: it’s highly recommended not to overbid at the start.

4. Popunders are the best starters

When you start a new test campaign, choose Pop ads as they send the majority of ad views and don’t involve extra creatives. Keep in mind that Pop traffic is not available with the CPC model. If you feel you need more traffic, scale with Social Bar (In-Page Push) ads.

5. Connection type targeting

Use the 3G or 3G+Wi-Fi connection type when creating a campaign for mobile traffic. This will allow you to choose a mobile carrier next. Why choose a mobile carrier? That’s because many offers are provided within one specific mobile network, so you need to target subscribers of a particular operator.

6. Budget limits

Limit your daily ad budget to control spending and save money for the whole test campaign.

7. Proper campaign start time

Choose the “Start after verification” option so the campaign launches right after our moderators approve it.

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These are not all tips, of course. If you remember, we recommended checking the Offers Wishlist page on Adsterra, where we list examples of the most effective offers in terms of affiliates’ earnings. So, use all possible tricks and hacks and stay assured you’ll get professional advice from the Adsterra team via the live chat!

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Summarizing the mVAS topic value

• mVAS offers present lucrative opportunities for affiliates
• You can buy loads of mobile traffic and send it to mVAS offers 
• Pop traffic is best for testing your offer, but you can resort to social networks and paid search ads, as well
• The well-balanced strategy is required to drive substantial revenue: geo, conversion flow, bidding, ad creatives
• Ad creatives and websites must be optimized for mobiles and state clear value to prompt users’ opt-ins. It’s better to start with Tier-3 (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tunisia, Egypt) and Tier-2 (Thailand, Indonesia) targeting.

Hopefully, we ensured your safe and sparkling start in mobile content offers promotion!