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It’s little wonder that native advertising is evolving into the superstar of online marketing: One only has to look at the metrics, with native ads outpacing traditional displays across the board.
Studies show people view native ads 53% more than banner ads. Viewers of native ads are 3.6 times more likely to conduct a branded search than viewers of traditional display ads and six times more likely to do a related search. In addition, 46% of millennials who noticed branded content say they consumed the content and one-third went on to share it. For instance, the average sponsored post on Tumblr gets reblogged 10,000 times.
It seems we’re on to something. By placing relevant information in front of a targeted audience, marketers are giving consumers what they want. It’s a win-win, as native ads harmonize with a publisher’s content and context to enrich, rather than disrupt, the user experience.
With that in mind, it’s not enough to simply insert an online ad into a stream and call it native advertising. Content is king and marketers have to think like publishers by creating compelling content that engages audiences and compliments online behaviours across all screens. Done right, native ads present brands with an unprecedented opportunity to connect with consumers in a natural way and deliver results. Here’s how:
Be transparent
Native ads are not editorial in disguise. Brand-baked content must be completely above board to avoid consumer backlash and risk damaging a brand’s integrity. Once broken, trust is hard to gain back. Disclosure is a key principle outlined in The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s native advertising playbook: “Simply put: Regardless of context, a reasonable consumer should be able to distinguish between what is paid advertising vs. what is publisher editorial content.”
Create good content
Just because you write it, doesn’t mean they will read it. This is a chance to tell compelling brand stories or share valuable insights. Quality writing will lead to quality campaign results. Work with professional journalism-grade writers to ensure your words fit seamlessly with a publisher’s overall site quality and presentation: This isn’t a job for the intern.
Be visual
With the advent of smartphones, photos have evolved into fundamental communications currency. Publishers know it and have adopted highly visual formats. Quality images that resonate with your target should be an important part of native ad strategy. A picture says a thousand words, today more than ever.
Know your audience
Okay, this is Marketing 101, however in order to really optimize the power of native advertising, especially on the mobile front, dig deeper: Think super local geo-targeting and more.
Diversify
Chances are your audience engages with a range of media and networks and so should you. Don’t park your content in one place and wait. Explore multiple channels and experiment with a variety of networks to ensure you are getting the best possible audience reach.
Think sharability
Empower your audience to be brand ambassadors by creating content that is easily sharable (and worth sharing). Consumers who are socially engaged online are constantly pinning, liking, tagging, reblogging etc. Give them something to talk about, be it an infographic, chart, photograph, video or article.
Measure
While the success of display advertising is measured by impressions and clicks, native advertising is about engagement. Understand how to measure the success of your campaign and don’t rely on old formulas. Recognize the value in the amount of time people spend with your content. And, in order for consumers to devote their time, make it good.
Yahoo’s native solution, Stream Ads, blend online content and advertising in a natural way to increase engagement and deliver results for advertisers. Visit https://admanager.yahoo.com or talk to your Account Director today.
