Does it seem like your digital marketing strategy has gone flat? You may want to kickstart it through a focused refresh of your advertising mix.
Today, consumers have shorter attention spans than they did before, which one expert interviewed by the American Psychological Association called “the new normal.” In other words, you have to catch consumers’ eyes in a flash (and hope they don’t see your competitors’ messaging first.) That’s not easy to do, but native advertising is emerging as one of the best ways to ensure your ads cut through the noise.
What makes native advertising a powerful — and effective — tool for modern digital marketers attempting to be seen is the unique positioning of native ad copy. Native advertisements (which are paid) show up alongside the organic content available on a publisher’s website. However, they’re not annoying like pop-ups or banner ads. Instead, they fit in seamlessly because they’re designed to match the site’s aesthetics.
When consumers visit a site with native ads, they are more inclined to read those ads. After all, the ads look normal, right down to typeface and verbiage. In fact, many visitors aren’t aware that what they’re reading is an ad at first glance even though native ads always include some kind of disclosure indicating they’re advertisements. The disclosures aren’t a turnoff, though, but rather a way of being even more authentic.
With native advertising, you have the opportunity to break through consumer’s natural resistance to (and cynicism of) advertising. Since native advertising appears to “belong” on a site, it’s not jarring for readers. It doesn’t interrupt the flow of their user experience, either. Instead, the native advertising sits alongside the site’s owned content in an unobtrusive, and hopefully helpful, way.
The bottom line is that native advertising isn’t like other types of advertising. Yet many marketers haven’t brought it into their marketing playbooks. If you’re intrigued by it but still not “sold” that it’ll be right for your company, consider the following ways that native advertising can help you refine your marketing efforts and, if applicable, recover lost ground.
1. Native advertising makes targeting your content simpler.
A huge upside to native ad content is that it’s created for specific audiences. Unlike traditional ads, which tend to be written in a more “one size fits all” style, native ads are crafted to appeal to a site’s readers.
As explained in a comprehensive native ad guide published by Nativo, consumers appreciate the chance to learn more about topics that interest them through native ads. Nativo points out that you shouldn’t be worried about telling audiences that they’re reading paid advertising content. Quite the opposite: Being transparent about the promotional aspects of your native ads isn’t a turn-off, especially if you’re offering irresistible insights, tips, secrets, and specials.
The key, of course, is to know your target audience’s demographics extremely well through the use of tools that leverage AI, predictive technologies, and psychographic data. Once you’ve defined your audiences, you can construct content that improves your credibility as well as your lead generation numbers.
2. Native advertising gives you a way to skirt pesky ad blockers.
Consumers are using ad blockers more and more. According to research from SEO training provider Backlinko, around one-third of all consumers have installed ad blockers. That’s not the news you want to hear if you’re trying to reach people through conventional paid ad methodologies alone. However, native ads can bypass some ad blockers.
For example, well-written native ads that are published through programmatic advertising can sneak by ad blocking software. Programmatic advertising allows the ads to run “in the moment”. When a consumer visits a site, the native programmatic ad appears as part of the page. The only caveat is that you must know your audience well to ensure that your content matches up with their interests.
Another way to keep ad blockers from hurting your marketing is to produce exceptionally relevant content. If a lot of people are clicking on your native ads, you may still be able to improve your metrics even though some users won’t see your content.
3. Native advertising is a solid forum for video content.
If you’ve wanted to explore different types of advertising content including video, include videos as part of your native ads.
Video consumption is particularly high thanks to the popularity of video-focused social media sites like YouTube and TikTok. Plus, consumers like to make discoveries and learn through video content. As Wistia’s 2024 video marketing report shows, consumers are particularly fond of how-to and educational videos.
You don’t need a huge production budget to produce short-form or long-form native ad videos. Even modestly priced cameras, microphones, equipment, and software can enable you to film and edit videos that perform. With video, you can add more personality to your brand and showcase your company’s style, too. Just be sure that your video-based native ads still align with the overall tone of the sites where they’ll appear.
Connecting with consumers through digital advertising isn’t as straightforward as it once was. But it’s not impossible to get in front of people and improve your marketing metrics. Native advertising gives you the chance to break out of the mold and meet consumers when their interest levels — and likelihood of taking action — are highest. You might be surprised at how rapidly native advertising can increase your marketing outcomes.
