After launching a campaign with Google Mobile Ads optimized for high-end smartphones, Rosetta saw a surge in traffic to its site, as well as impressive sales results.

Digital agency Rosetta focuses on a range of markets, from consumer products and travel to B2B and financial services. Now, Rosetta is learning consumers for all of these services may be reached via smarpthone.  After launching a campaign with Google Mobile Ads optimized for high-end smartphones, Rosetta saw a surge in traffic to its site, as well as impressive sales results.

Mike Lamar, the associate for paid search at Rosetta, thought the company could generate some incremental gains by targeting sophisticated mobile devices, including devices running Android or iPhones, reports the Google Mobile Ads blog. Lamar didn’t expect that mobile campaigns would outperform the company’s desktop campaigns.

Rosetta gained significant mobile traffic to its website, with click-through rates on mobile ads eight times higher than those on desktop search campaigns. Plus, the company realized that mobile search campaigns had almost the same cost per conversion as desktop campaigns, and Rosetta had spent years optimizing the cost per conversion of its desktop ads.

In light of impressive initial results, Rosetta worked with Google Mobile Ads to test mobile-specific ad content and revise its keyword strategy. Marketers found some surprising results; while desktop search ads benefited from highly specific phrases, shorter keywords had higher mobile performance. The Mobile Ads optimization also helped them tweak their desktop content to fit consumers’ interest in “save money” options.

Rosetta’s success demonstrates the value of mobile-specific campaigns. The company saw a boost in traffic and increased conversion by optimizing its messages for smartphone users.

Other marketers may want to consider catering to mobile users with content and keywords to boost their own sales this season. A recent study from eMarketer suggests that more than one-quarter of affluent consumers purchase items through their mobile devices, and a survey from PriceGrabber.com shows that 13 percent of overall mobile users made purchases via smartphones in Q1 2010.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.