“Native advertising is a form of online advertising that matches the structure and function of the platform on which it appears.” It is advertising dressed up like content, by clicking on the link the person might think it is going to bring up information but, in reality, it brings up an advertisement.
When you begin to look at the numbers, native advertising has been a huge success. According to some recent estimates, Buzzfeed brought in more than $120 million in native advertising fees in 2014 and expects to double that number in 2015, pushing the average cost of its native advertising campaigns to $92,300 a piece.
What are the Benefits of Native Advertising?
In our advertising-saturated world, consumers have become very savvy, and they recognize advertising from a mile away.
Additionally, consumers know that the material presented in ads is biased and impartial. Since someone is paying to have something printed, said, or acted, who knows how many facts checking went into the project before it went live.
Native advertising was developed to combat both of these issues. By looking like the content around it, native advertising becomes the chameleon on a web page that camouflages the marketing messages so that they look and sound like editorial content. It is a genius method to get your ad across in the most not threatening way because it uses the look and credibility of the page you are currently on.
This effect makes it more likely that native ads will be perceived as editorial content leading to two distinct benefits for people trying to generate more leads for their company:
- A greater chance that the trust that consumers have in the publisher will “rub-off” on the brand.
- A higher likelihood that the ads will be watched read and listened to
The Richness of Native Advertising
Because the purpose of native advertising is to blend into the form and function of the content around it, it can be tricky to spot. Here is an example from the website Buzzfeed of native advertising:
According to an eMarketer forecast, Native Ad spend will climb from $3.2 billion in 2014 to $8.8 billion by 2018, primarily because advertisers see above average engagement with this format.
Native ads are typically long-form blog posts, infographics or purposeful sales videos that aim to inform, entertain and inspire people without directly promoting a product.
A native ad from a company might talk about tips or tricks and ask for an email opt in. This is a staple to bringing a lead into your sales funnel through the Inbound Marketing process.
Typically, native ads are tagged with a disclaimer such as “sponsored content”, “paid post” or “promoted by”.
If you’re consistently targeting millennials who don’t appreciate typical advertising, consider using native advertising as part of your Marketing Mix.
If you need expert advice on how to craft a Native Advertisement that converts, consider talking with one of our team by clicking the link below.
