Native advertising is the unintrusive format of advertising that takes the form and function of the native platform. In many instances, you will think of it as an advertorial but, it is an advertisement.
Consumers love the native ads as they do not hinder or obstruct their browsing behaviour, and are connected with whatever they are looking for on the platform. It almost looks similar to the place where you are reading it, so you wont feel like it is an advertisement.
Here we will talk about how native ads can be differentiated, why businesses prefer native ads, and what are the different formats of native ads.
Why Native Ads?
Consumers are 25 percent more likely to look at a native ad than at a banner, and they look at them 53 percent more frequently. They check native ads out 4.1 times per session on average, versus 2.7 times for banners.
This data from Forbes goes to show how engaging and contextual the native ad is to the user. One of the main reasons why native ads engage is the fact that they are very similar to the platform where your user is present, and interacting.
- It is a fact that people engage with native ads more as compared to the other formats of advertisements, including the banner ads and display ads. The banner ads in most cases are not seen by the customers but, the native ad is both informational and flows like a content, which is why they tend to get a view from the visitors. The native ads get more clicks and impressions as compared to the banner ads. You simply need to customize your ads to match the platform.
- If views and shares were the metrics used to define how a particular ad performed, the native ads would be the winners. It is right that the native content gets as much shares and views as the editorial content. That means, if you have published something that is both informative and interesting, then your audiences are definitely going to click on the content.
- Advertisements are generally interruptive in nature. That means, they will obstruct the regular viewing of the user, which can cause friction in their experiences. Pop-ups and display ads all fall into this category. However, you will see that with B2B brands, the content based advertising is a definite winner, as it not only engages, but also offers to be a great branding exercise for the businesses. You can showcase your brand’s identity and even make people aware of your brand through this means. Infographic or video content that gets published on the influencer’s website is a great winner in the native ad segment.
- When you publish an ad, your main concern is getting returns on the investment you have made. The native ads are great for ROI. There is an effective improvement in the brand-based search queries, and offers better search activity among your audience. In fact, with native ads you will be able to drive the purchase intent and get the users to complete the activity.
Strategies for Effective Native Ads
Native ads are excellent for the businesses specifically. You will get a more aware and educated user, who has an intention of completing the purchase.
However, it is important for you to make the native ads relevant to the audience you are catering to. Here are a few techniques that should help you with the same.
- You need to choose a platform to begin your journey towards native advertising. The choice of platform will help you know the possibilities and opportunities you have with this type of advertising. For B2B businesses, the most sought after platform is LinkedIn. There is a huge amount of opportunity available on LinkedIn that you can use to garner maximum reach. However, it is not the only platform, and you need to deep dive into research to identify the platform most relevant to your niche.
- Instead of getting people to follow you, rush to the B2B sites where your audience is spending maximum time. you can get this by following other businesses and their audiences. You will know what flow or type of content they might be interested in, and it becomes easy for you to integrate your native ad campaign into this flow
- When you are promoting your business on another platform, it is essential that you adapt the language of the platform. As a result, your ad will resonate with the audience better. In fact, the audience trusts your credibility and also believes that you understand the community dynamics in-depth.
- When you are promoting your brand to audiences who are not really part of your business, you need to gain trust. For this, you need to work on advertising your brand as credible, and speak the truth alone. Make sure you create ads that are enjoyable, and publish them on platforms that the audiences consider authentic. It is the type of ad and platform that gains your trust.
- The messages should be displayed in a subtle yet effective manner if you want to improve conversions. The idea is to display your message and get the engagement without hindering the overall experience of the platform.
- Data-driven native ads will get you maximum output. Make sure you use the information at your disposal and convert them into qualified native ads.
Whenever you design a native ad campaign, make sure you optimize it for mobile. The reason being, a lot of them will see these ads on the mobile sites or apps.
How Brands are Using Native Ads
- A lot of brands use LinkedIn sponsored content to promote their brands. It is an effective way to native ads, and improves the brand’s engagement with the audience present on this platform. It appears as part of the newsfeed while the user is browsing, and does not interrupt their work.
This is a classic example of in-feed units, which takes the natural environment of the app or website into consideration.
- The second type of B2B native ad would be the in-ad with native elements. This is where the user-generated content comes into focus. You can merge with other brands, and write content that matches their feed and audiences. The content will spark a win-win situation for both parties. It is an outreach practice that a lot of brands opt for. It is specifically true with Forbes, where top service brands connect with audiences via informative and detailed posts.
- The recommendation widgets and paid search ads increase the search by brand for your business. People’s search keywords are more defined as a result. You will see this true whenever people opt for a long form keyword, and get recommendations by your site or Google towards a particular native advertising.
Promoted listings are the final type of B2B native ad format. The real reason why they appear appealing is the fact that they don’t hinder the view and connect with the information the user is looking for at that very moment.
Summing up
Businesses are always looking for alternatives for promotions that appear smooth and seamless. The native ads not only sound promising for their needs, but also engage the users at various levels.
These ads conduct themselves as part of the platform where they are being shown, which is why they interact seamlessly with the audience, and increase the views, shares and even conversions for your business.
If you are looking for ad formats that can improve your connection with the users in your niche, then you should opt for native ads. Make sure you have researched the ad platform, their users well in advance, and have a strategy for the native ad, to attain maximum success.
Author bio:
Varsha Solanki is a Digital Marketing Strategist at Space-O Canada, a mobile app development company. She has 3 years of experience in the Information Technology industry. She spends her time reading about new trends in Digital Marketing and the latest technologies.