Choosing the Right Bid Strategy for Mobile Games

Choosing the right bid strategy for mobile games is essential to maximize marketing performance while efficiently managing your budget. A well-aligned bid strategy, such as Cost Per Install (CPI) or Cost Per Click (CPC), directly influences the success of user acquisition campaigns by targeting the right audience at the optimal cost. Mobile game developers must consider attributes like game genre, target demographics, and monetization models to ensure their strategy aligns with business objectives. Testing and experimenting with various bid strategies on platforms like Google Ads or Unity Ads helps identify the most cost-effective approach for driving installs and engagement. By analyzing performance metrics, such as click-through rates (CTR) and return on ad spend (ROAS), developers can make data-driven decisions that enhance campaign scalability and ensure long-term profitability for their mobile games.

Lowest Cost (LC)

Lowest Cost (LC) is an auto bid approach in which Facebook’s algorithm looks for consumers who will install a mobile game for the cheapest price (it can discover) while spending the entire budget.

The cost is determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are the operating system, geographic area, age, and gender.

Bid Cap (BC)

Bid Cap (BC) is selecting a maximum bid you’re willing to pay for a single installation here. As a result, CPI can be lower, but it will not exceed the maximum bid. Keep in mind that the advertiser manages the bidding manually.

Target Cost (TC)

Target Cost (TC) works well for keeping costs steady. You decide on a CPI, say $2 per install. Then, using Facebook’s algorithm, you may discover customers willing to pay +/-10% of that amount ($1.80 — $2.20) to install your mobile game.

Cost Cap (CC)

Cost Cap (CC) is helpful for cost-efficiency if you keep the cost within a certain range. Facebook will search for new users whose average CPI does not exceed the defined limit.

The point about Facebook bid strategy is this:
A lower-cost user does not always imply a higher-quality consumer. You might want to go with the more “expensive” user. It’s feasible that a single bid strategy leads to a higher spend and more high-quality users.
Or that using the Lowest Cost bid strategy with resulted in worse quality users than using a Target Cost bid strategy with.
That is why, if your budget allows, you should experiment with bid techniques. It’s a terrific method to strike a decent price-to-quality ratio. Furthermore, it will enable you to scale your initiatives while being cost-effective.

Choosing the best bidding strategy is a crucial step in learning how to start campaigns more effectively.

Finally, your bid will inform Facebook how much you’re willing to pay to reach a certain audience. In addition, you must compete in each auction you enter. Always test new bidding strategies on tiny budgets to see how well they work for your campaigns.

Cost Per Install (CPI) Bidding

CPI bidding focuses on acquiring app installs by setting a fixed cost per download. Advertisers pay only when a user installs the app, making it a cost-effective strategy for user acquisition. This approach is ideal for scaling player bases, especially during the early stages of a mobile game launch.

Cost Per Action (CPA) Bidding

CPA bidding targets users who perform specific in-app actions, such as completing a level, making a purchase, or signing up. This strategy ensures advertisers attract high-quality users who are likely to engage deeply with the game, making it a powerful tool for driving meaningful app growth.

Target Return on Ad Spend (tROAS)

tROAS focuses on achieving a specific revenue goal relative to ad spend. It uses machine learning to target users who are likely to generate the desired revenue, ensuring campaigns remain profitable while maintaining efficiency and scalability.

Manual Bidding

Manual bidding allows advertisers to set precise bid amounts for their campaigns. This approach provides maximum control over costs and is suitable for campaigns with well-defined goals or when advertisers want to test specific bidding strategies.

Target Cost Bidding

Target cost bidding helps maintain consistent acquisition costs by adjusting bids to meet a predefined cost target. It’s particularly effective for campaigns with strict budget requirements, ensuring predictable spending and ROI.

Dynamic Bidding

Dynamic bidding adjusts bids in real-time based on market competition, user intent, and ad performance. This flexible strategy ensures maximum efficiency by responding to changing conditions, optimizing for conversions and cost-effectiveness simultaneously.