What is Native Advertising?

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Have you thought about promoting your business without being annoying to your clients? Then native advertising is what you need. No matter what eCommerce business you have, a native ad is a good way to reach your audience in the most natural way possible. Its idea is simple yet effective in generating more leads and making your ads more relevant. The best part about it is that it blends seamlessly into the content. So it does not look like an advertisement at all.

But what exactly is native advertising and how does it work? Find out below.

What is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is a form of paid digital marketing that integrates and blends in with the editorial content. It might be text, video, or image-based. It can also include sponsored posts on publisher websites as well as banner ads on social media platforms such Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. The ads often resemble an article, blog, promotional content, or are mixed into news feeds at the top of a page.

At a glance, native ads and traditional advertorials look the same. The only difference between these two is that a content producer embeds the native advertisements within the content. Plus, it uses genuine editorial works without any surprise to users and displays targeted ads in an unobtrusive manner. Its objective is to establish a profile as a part of its authentic published story instead of a disruptive message.

Why Should You Use Native Advertising in Your Business?

Native advertising is a new way of advertising in which the marketers create content that looks and feels like it is native to the platform on which it is being shared. When users see this content, they are more likely to click on it, engage with it, and share it. The ads can also be targeted at people who have shown interest in similar topics or people who have visited similar websites.

On top of that, you should use this online advertising because of the following reasons:

Increase Brand Awareness
Higher Click-Through Rate
Boost Revenue

Increase Brand Awareness

Native advertising effectively increases brand awareness because it is designed to resemble the web content of a publication. It allows the content provider to work with corporate brands on traditional and digital media without sacrificing journalistic integrity. As a result, website visitors are unlikely to be suspicious of what they are viewing. The appearance of native advertising, through tricking them into believing it is editorial content from a credible source, will make ads more persuasive and palatable for the target audience. This is mainly due to the perceived association with a trustworthy publication or website. It may also encourage regular viewers to stay tuned for brand spots, and create loyalty through repetition of advertisements from different companies within an issue.

Higher Click-Through Rate

Native advertising has a higher click-through rate because the ads are published on reputable websites. Your target audience may not be able to trust your brand since you are new to them. However, when they see your ad in trustworthy publications such as Time Magazine, Forbes, and The New York Times Magazine, they may not feel skeptical of what they are seeing. Based on the statistics, ads posted on premium news sites are more trusted by 44% of viewers than those on social media sites. The more credible a publication is, the more likely they click your ads.

Aside from that, you can get a higher click-through rate in native advertising because the publishers can present your ad in different ways. They can use your logo as a thumbnail image or create a short description about your brand that looks like their own content.

Boost Revenue

Native advertising has a higher conversion rate because the ads are natural-looking and not misleading in any way. Readers might be less interested in other types of advertisements that simply have icons or images with no specific content which may cause them to bounce off quickly. Native ads written by magazines and publications that can give information about your company more relevant to their needs will boost revenue overall without feeling like a banner ad.

How Does Native Advertising Work?

Native advertising is usually presented as content on digital media platforms such as blogs and websites, but it also takes place in traditional television. In this kind of paid advertisement, the company’s branding and messaging will be allowed to “naturally” appear in the content of respected authorities. It primarily uses journalistic techniques, but it often comes across less like a paid advert and more like editorialized news coverage. Typically, native ads are sponsored by the brands advertised or affiliated with them. This marketing approach allows a brand to promote itself in content published by other parties.

Different Types of Native Advertising

The evolution of the digital era has introduced new opportunities for the use of native advertising. When this kind of marketing emerged, it is considered to be a unique way in which companies can share their information with followers without altering an entity’s reputation. The rise in popularity of social media and blogs means that native ads are now more common than ever before.

If you are not yet familiar with this marketing approach, the following are the most common examples of native ads.

In-Feed Ads

In-feed ads are a type of native ads which are promoted within a publisher’s content. The publisher may show an ad within the content to entice the reader to click on it. This is an advantageous strategy for both the publisher and the advertiser. The advertiser gains more exposure to the reader while the publisher can monetize their content through a click-through model.

Banner Ads

Banner ads are ads that are created to look like content from the publisher. These blend into the content and context of the site where they appear. These are usually embedded images. When people click on the banner, they will be redirected to the advertiser’s website. These are mostly used to generate leads and increase engagement with readers, while also providing advertisers with a great way to promote their products. These also work on multiple platforms and are perfect for creating engagement and increasing your user base.

Content Recommendation Widgets

Content Recommendation Widgets are the ads that are placed on websites and social media platforms to get users to interact with them. It is similar to sponsored posts on social media. Publication allows the marketers to advertise their product, brand, or service without showing their logo in the content. When users see a content recommendation ad, they may be curious to know more about the product or service it is promoting. A content recommendation widget often includes a link to the product or service’s website. The main reason why they appear on websites and on the app is to provide users with recommendations.

Branded Content or Publisher Partnerships Ads

Branded content ads are a type of ad that is branded by the content creator and is shared on the same platform that the content is posted on. In this case, the creator of the content has decided to create a sponsored post, which is also branded by them. For example, an influencer may decide to create a sponsored post on Instagram with products from their favorite brand. When this post is shared on their account, it will be branded as an ad for their favorite brand. This type of approach is more interactive and engaging as it helps users to learn more about the brand and the product.

Search Results

Search results ads appear when you search for a product or service on a search engine, for example on Google. It is a highly-targeted form of paid search and is more like a native ad. It appears in the search results as a box in the top-right corner of the screen. When clicked, it opens up to display more information about the product or service being advertised.

4 Factors to Consider When Choosing a Publication for Your Native Advertising

Native advertising is an effective way to increase brand awareness, reach new customers, and increase conversions. It is a way to blend traditional marketing techniques with digital marketing. It has become popular because it’s more authentic and appealing to readers.

But promoting your business using this may be costly. So before you spend on this, here are the factors you should know first.

Advertisement Cost

Advertisement cost should be the first factor you should consider before going into native advertising. Ad price varies depending on the publication. Price may range from $100 to multiple million per month given its size, target audience, and name recognition as well as specific details like brand targeting.

Audience Reach

Another important factor you should consider is the audience reach of the publication. This is essential in order to make the most of the money you pay for product placement. Spending a lot of money for a limited audience reach is not cost-effective and beneficial to your business. As much as possible, look for a publication that has a wide audience reach so you can advertise your brand more effectively and efficiently.

Allowable Duration of the Campaign

The next thing you need to look at is the allowable duration of the campaign. How long does the publication allow you to run your ads? It is also important to emphasize that while prices vary, the time allowed for native advertising varies as well. Each publication may allow you to have ads visible for a certain amount of days or weeks. The importance of knowing it is that you can focus on creating content that is relevant for your target audience. This also allows you to maximize the money you spend on it.

Publisher’s Reputation

Lastly, you need to check the reputation of the publisher. As I mentioned above, the more credible a publication is, the more likely your target audience will engage with your ad. Aside from this, a publication with a good reputation can help you establish your brand name. In order to advertise that your business is trustworthy, you must first have a reliable and credible platform that is reputable in the eyes of your audience.

How to Successfully Run Native Advertising?

Native ads are a type of digital advertising that is customized to the website and content the advertiser wants to promote. It can be described as an advertisement that blends seamlessly into the content on a website. A native ad is a series of images, audio, or video content, audio that are designed to look like part of the site’s original content. They are displayed on the website and can be promoted on social media, search engines, and other platforms.

To successfully run your native ads, here are the best practices you should follow.

Establish Your Goal

Before running your ad, you need to establish your goal first. This helps you achieve a specific result and measure it. Think about what kind of promotion you want to do and what your goal is. Once you determine the intent behind your ad, it becomes easier for you to create a compelling ad.

Set Your Budget

Whether you are working on a budget or not, setting how much money to spend on ads is a must. This is important because it helps them plan their advertisement appropriately and effectively. Setting a budget also prevents you from overspending.

Identify Your Audience

One of the key factors to creating successful ads is to know who your audiences are. Once you are able to identify them, you can reach them more effectively. You can make your content marketing more interesting, informative, and even entertaining. If your ad is creative but not highly targeted, it might not be read by potential customers or people who will convert over time.

Choose Your Format

As you have read above, there are various types of native advertising you can choose from. Though their main objective is the same, choosing what format to use is essential as each of them delivers different results. For example, if your goal is to appear on SERPs, then choose the search result ads.

Keep Your Headline Short

For your headline, you need to keep it short and concise. The reason behind this is to create curiosity among your target audience. However, in creating your headline, it is also important to use relevant keywords for SEO purposes. It is also good to include numbers and call-to-action on your header. Refrain from using a sales-y adjective as your target audience may not engage with your ads when they feel that something is being sold to them.

Write a Captivating Promotional Article

Finally, you need to write a captivating promotional article for your target audience. Native advertising is a new form of marketing that includes the publication of paid articles disguised as news, sponsored content, and opinion pieces. Its goal is to deliver quality information while simultaneously generating brand awareness or increasing sales. It is also meant to focus on re-telling compelling stories, information, or top trends that allow your audience to continue their interest in the post. By having enticing promotional content, it would inspire them to read and engage with your ads.

Final Thought

The use of native advertising is spreading across the internet, as brands try to find new ways to reach their target audience. It is a hybrid of an advertisement and a content marketing campaign that blends editorial content with an ad format. The target audience for this type of advertisement is the same as those for other forms of online advertising. But, unlike paid search, sponsored content, and display ads, native ads are designed to appeal to the consumer and engage them in the process. Moreover, native ads are great for your business because they provide an opportunity to engage with people who have similar interests and demographics, while not actually selling you anything.

Promote Your Business More Naturally through Native Advertising

What is Native Advertising?