What is native advertising
Native advertising is a digital advertising approach that incorporates digital advertisements seamlessly into the platform where they are displayed. In simple terms, native ads resemble the appearance of the website they are placed on. It is highly likely that while browsing through an article on your preferred digital news platform, you have encountered native ads without even being aware of it.
Native advertising encompasses different types, such as Facebook and Instagram in-feed ads that mimic posts. Unlike disruptive forms of advertising like banner ads and display ads, native advertising does not hinder a user’s ability to enjoy or engage with content on a particular website or app.
Native ads on social media seamlessly integrate into a user’s feed, while on websites, they are designed to align with the publication’s layout and design. Marketers often opt for native advertising as it does not disrupt or divert users, preserving their overall experience.
Native advertising sets itself apart from traditional online marketing strategies by avoiding the use of intrusive pop-up ads that can potentially frustrate users. Instead, native ads seamlessly integrate into various forms of media, such as apps, publications, or other platforms, ensuring that users can fully enjoy their experience without any disruption.
Native ads function in a similar manner to display ads, whereby when a user clicks on a native ad, they are immediately directed to your content. Nevertheless, unlike display ads, the content of native ads seamlessly continues from the content the users were previously engaged in.
When users click on a native ad about the best sneakers for hiking while reading an article about the best sneakers for running, they anticipate a comparable experience rather than encountering a clear advertisement.
In order to explore a new kind of digital ad that has higher engagement rates than traditional advertising methods, it is important to understand the various types of native ads. Native ad is a broad term that encompasses different advertising formats that match the style and tone of another medium. The available options for native ads are:
In-feed ads
In-feed ads refer to advertisements that appear in a user’s social media feed, resembling regular posts.
You are not required to adhere to the social media platform’s color scheme or branding guidelines when using these native ads. Instead, these ads are created to resemble posts in users’ feeds that could possibly be from family or friends.
Search ads
Once you input your query into a search engine, the search engine results page (SERP) will display a list of pages that are relevant to your query.
When you search for something, you will often see advertisements mixed in with the search results. These advertisements are made to appear similar to regular search results, but they are labeled as ads if you examine them carefully.
At present, Google designates all paid ads as “Sponsored.” However, to those who are not knowledgeable, they appear indistinguishable from regular search results.
In-content ads on websites
In-content ads on websites are advertisements that are integrated within the content of a webpage. For instance, while reading an article, you might come across a native ad below a paragraph that is relevant to the topic you are currently engaged with.
Content recommendation blocks
Some websites provide content recommendations based on the topics that interest you the most. These recommendations can be in the form of articles written by the website’s team or sponsored ads that redirect users to other websites.
The content recommendation advertisements on the majority of websites are denoted as sponsored.
Promoted listings
Promoted listings are advertisements that can appear on platforms such as Amazon or eBay. Advertisers buy these ad spaces to display their product listings, using different criteria. For instance, when using Amazon to search for any item, you will come across promoted listings that are designed to appear identical to regular listings.
Native advertising strategies
Native advertising is often more effective than display advertising because it permits users to persist in enjoying their experience on a particular platform without any interruptions.
As previously stated, display ads are disruptive and generally disliked by most consumers. The purpose of both display and native ads is to boost brand awareness and attract customers.
To maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns, it is important to have a clear understanding of the different native advertising strategies. Here are some native ad tips and best practices to help you begin with your goals in mind.
1. Understanding the target audience
When developing an advertising strategy, it is crucial to understand your target audience. To effectively reach them with native ads, you need to identify the platforms where they spend their time. For example, if millennials and Gen Zers are your primary market, it may be more successful to create native ads on Instagram and TikTok.
Conducting market research enables you to gain knowledge about your target audience, such as their interests and preferred platforms. Furthermore, market research allows you to identify the websites and publications they visit regularly, enhancing your ability to precisely target and retarget ads, thus reaching a larger pool of potential customers.
2. Creating effective content
Every successful native advertising strategy is built on content. Without content, it is impossible to create native ads. Depending on your goals and available resources, you can create native ads using articles, videos, infographics, and other forms of content.
No matter what kind of content you utilize, it needs to have two purposes: being both relevant and useful. Additionally, it should seamlessly integrate into the webpage or app that your target audience is using, without causing any disruption.
When using native ads, it is important to take into account the preferences of the users. They do not appreciate ads that disrupt their experience, so it is necessary to create ads that seamlessly blend with the platform they are displayed on.
The use of creatives in native ads should aim to capture the user’s attention and generate a desire to click on them, without being distracting. To effectively catch a reader’s attention, native ads should incorporate clear headlines and visual elements, while also ensuring they fit seamlessly with the chosen medium’s user experience.
3. Set campaign goals
When building a native advertising strategy, it is essential to start by setting goals, just as with any marketing approach. It is important to have a clear understanding of what you aim to accomplish with your native ad campaigns. Common objectives include:
- Generating leads
- Getting more sales
- Acquiring newsletter subscribers or site members
- Boosting website traffic
- Increasing brand visibility
You can also view your goals as performance goals that utilize content to generate conversions, or awareness goals that assess the number of people who see your content and the duration of their engagement.
When describing your native ad campaign goals, ensure that they are specific. Merely stating that you desire an increase in newsletter subscribers is insufficient. It is important to determine the exact number of desired subscribers and establish a deadline for achieving this objective.
4. Select the right publishers
Platforms like Taboola provide access to numerous publisher websites that implement native ad campaigns. When devising your strategy for native advertising, you may opt to collaborate with either traditional or new-media publishers, or a combination of both. The crucial aspect is that they align well with your native ad campaigns.
To determine this, consider reach, which refers to the potential size of the audience that could view your content, as well as relevance, which pertains to whether the site’s content and audience demographics align with the individuals you aim to target.
There is an option to filter the publishers’ websites when deciding where your native ads will be shown. You have the ability to target publishers based on their location, device, and other criteria. It is important to monitor your campaign’s statistics and make adjustments to the publisher selection until you achieve the desired results.
5. Identify valuable content
To have an effective native advertising strategy, it is crucial to prioritize content. However, the key is to think from the perspective of a reader rather than an advertiser and focus on appealing to your target audience. If you strive for content that is informative, relevant, and valuable, you are headed in the right direction. If you lack appropriate content, make sure to create it to enhance the effectiveness of your native advertising strategy.
When thinking systematically, consider the content below for possible rephrasing while retaining the same meaning. Avoid adding or removing information. Please provide the original text for me to rephrase.
- Useful content to educate and inform people, and help them get to know your brand (top of funnel)
- Content targeted at lead generation for particular products or services, but still informative (middle of funnel)
- Content to drive sales (bottom of funnel)
In our lead-generation guide, you can expand your knowledge about funnels.
6. Build appealing creatives
After determining your campaign content, the next step is to generate your ads, paying special attention to titles and thumbnails. These factors are critical as they serve as the sole opportunity to capture the readers’ attention and compel them to click on the ads.
When considering your target audience, it is beneficial to try various combinations to determine the most effective outcome. Depending on your audience or location, the same URL might require a distinct title or thumbnail image.
7. Allocate campaign spend
To start, determine your desired CPC, which stands for cost per click, which indicates the amount you pay for each click on your campaign items. Additionally, establish your spending limit; this refers to the total amount you intend to allocate for spending.
To begin with your native ad campaign, it is advisable to opt for a high CPC as it allows your content to reach a larger number of people and provides you with more data for future campaign optimization. Spending between $50 and $100 a day can generate valuable traffic.
8. Track, Test and Tweak
Whether you are operating a native advertising agency or working independently, it is important to note that creating a successful native advertising strategy requires continuous monitoring of your campaigns to ensure that they are meeting your objectives.
It is important to regularly monitor data, particularly at the beginning, in order to have the opportunity to try different approaches if desired outcomes are not being achieved. For instance, conducting A/B tests on headlines and images can help determine the most impactful combination for each campaign.
