Native Advertising

From in-feed ads and sponsored content to native video and static display ads in major publications, native advertising offers a myriad of opportunities to engage your audience subtly and effectively. Below, our comprehensive guide explores how to leverage every type of native advertising to secure more sales.

Understanding the Basics: What are Native Ads?

Native ads are designed to match the form, function, and tone of the digital media publications where they appear. Unlike traditional ads, they blend seamlessly into the user experience, appearing as a natural extension of content.

Types of Native Ads

• In-feed ads: Found in social media feeds or as recommended articles.
• Sponsored content: Editorial pieces funded by an advertiser.
• Search & promoted listings: Listings that appear alongside organic search results.
• In-ad with native elements: Standard ads with relevant content targeting specific users.
• Native Video Ads: Embedded naturally within articles or social feeds, these videos provide a richer user experience.
• Native Static Display Ads: High-quality images that integrate with the content, often seen in major publications such as news.com.au or smh.com.au

Research Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience's preferences, habits, and pain points is crucial for creating relevant and effective native ads. Use a combination of surveys, quant analytics and qual interviews to do this. Using one format will not deliver you the results you need – it will provide a very one-sided picture.

Choose the Right Platform

Each platform caters to a specific audience type. For instance, LinkedIn is great for B2B sales, whereas Instagram is more suitable for visually appealing B2C consumer goods.

Crafting High-Quality Content

Whether it's a video or an article, the quality of the content can make or break your native advertising campaign.  Use high-quality, highly relevant images with compelling headlines and relevant and insightful content.

A/B Testing

Testing different versions of your native ads to determine what engages your audience most effectively is a must. Especially I you’ve been thin on your research of the target audience. Look closely at the imagery used to ensure it’s engaging and on point. Test headlines, CTA buttons and images for maximum response.

A compelling CTA can be the difference between a bounce and a conversion. Make your CTAs easy to find, relevant and irresistible.

Additional Formats: Native Video and Static Display Ads

Why Use Them?

Engagement: Video often has higher engagement rates and allows you to tell a story. Use the time wisely and remember brand upfront, problem/ solution brand as a format rule.

Credibility: Major publications give your brand a boost. Leverage this and ensure you tailor your ads to match the publication’s audience.

Quality Traffic: Publications usually have an engaged and loyal following. By looking like an extension of their content, you’re halfway to getting a new customer to your site.

Greater Exposure: Wider reach through well-known platforms.

How to Leverage Them

Placement: Choose respected publications.

Quality Over Quantity: Prioritise the quality of your content.

Authenticity: Be true to your band values and align closely with your chosen target audience. Show you understand their pain points and have a solution.

Context: Make sure your ad is relevant to the surrounding content.

Interactive Elements: Add clickable buttons or links.

Analytics: Always track performance metrics and adjust accordingly.

Examples of winning

BuzzFeed: Achieved a 12% increase in their conversion rate through entertaining and informative sponsored content.

Forbes BrandVoice: Allowed brands like SAP to engage a targeted business audience, significantly increasing B2B leads.

Conclusion

Native advertising, when done correctly with authenticity and relevancy, offers a powerful and effective way to engage your target audience and secure more sales. By leveraging the full range of native ad formats, from in-feed and sponsored content to native videos and static display ads in major publications, you can optimise the user experience and boost your ROI.

By following this guide, you can navigate the complexities of native advertising and develop your own robust strategy that not only boosts your sales but also fills that sales pipeline. Interested?

Sources:

• Content Marketing Institute
• HubSpot
• The Importance of Video Content- Content Marketing Institute
• Why Brand Credibility Matters - Harvard Business Review
• Forbes BrandVoice Case Study 
• Native Advertising Institute
• How BuzzFeed Mastered Content Creation 
• Google Ads & Analytics Reports