There is an astounding array of native ad types, from Sponsored Content as seen on sites like The Onion to clever Online Product Placement within a popular web series. Marketers are eager to push beyond banner ads and traditional means of snagging the attention of their desired audience and publishers are more than willing to oblige.
Native advertising isn’t just a flash in the pan; its proven effectiveness is critical to a brand’s overall marketing push.
Why adopt native advertising? Let’s lay it out.
Native Ads Allow For Story Weaving
Native ads create whole new medium for conveying sharable brand stories. Unless you reside under a rock, you are familiar with Buzzfeed’s popular “listicles” and have probably been drawn in by a few. They often elicit a good chuckle and are visually attractive with colorful pictures and gifs; perfect candidates for social media platform sharing. Whether you adopt the listicle or shoot for a series of how-to tutorials, the key is to bolster credibility and hook your audience.
Native Ads Attract Eyeballs
Native advertising gets more notice because it is expertly incorporated into the context of real, digestible content and can stream easily into the social media platform environment without being blatantly obvious. In comparison, online banner ads are nose-diving in relevance as show by their meager click-through rates (CTRs) and lowering market prices. For many publishers, native ads are treated as content instead of being dumped in the advertising section. With mobile usage increasing, native ads gain more value since they properly display on smartphone and tablet screens.
Native Ads Hit Intended Targets
Native ads that appear within social media platforms let brands share their messaging with specific audiences who would take interest in their offerings. Targeting a niche audience allows brands to get more for its advertising dollars. You wouldn’t want to waste your resources speaking to a general audience with possibly no interest in your product or services, would you? Native ads with surgical targeting could see 100% reach when geared toward a highly focused, highly engaged audience.
Native Ads Are Clickable
Due to their relevancy, native ads tout higher click-through rates. Native mobile ads deliver an average expansion rate/click-through rate of 1.37 percent, compared to average click-through rates of 0.35 percent for standard mobile banner ads, 0.14 percent for desktop rich media ads, and 0.1 percent for standard desktop banner ads. You really can’t ignore the reality of those earned media exposure numbers.
Overall, native advertising is on the path to become the leading form of online marketing since mobile devices and social media platforms are so heavily integrated into daily life. Native advertising is elastic, allowing for compelling content to take shape and gain traction. Educate yourself and embrace it.