With ad blocking on the rise, native advertising is a great option for marketers to reach target audiences effectively. However, there are best practices that need to be followed - and popular practices that need to be avoided - in order to be successful with this format.
What is Native?
First, let’s define what native advertising actually is, and what it isn’t. Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of user experience where it is placed. Examples include “in-feed” ads on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn, but also sponsored placements like Google Adwords. Generally, native ads match the visual design of the user experience of the site on which they are placed, and feel like editorial content. In terms of function, native ads also behave like the site and act like content.
Native advertising works especially well in mobile environments, where many sites take on a feed-type format. New entries from SnapChat and Instagram will only help native formats grow in popularity.
Best Practices
The best native ads will spotlight and link to compelling content. While a native ad can certainly be “just and ad” in-stream, the most effective ads feature images and text or video that tells a story, and invites the user to learn more. After all, you want your native ad to match the look, feel and tone of the content around it; placing a flashy, salesy ad in someone’s Facebook feed may attract attention, but will it really drive engagement? Use targeting data to promote content that will interest your audience.
Images and video are particularly effective in the native environment, as well, so don’t feel like you’re limited to text!
In a native environment, it’s critically important to develop a great headline for your ad. Think about what makes you click on a headline and develop your own template for great headlines. Leverage ideas from pop culture or current memes. (How many “Don Draper” headlines did I see in 2012?) At a loss? Try tools like Sumo’s Kickass Headline Generator. You’ll have click-worthy titles in no time.
Worst Practices for Native
Sadly, when a trend takes off in our industry, there always seems to be a seamy underbelly. Such is the case with native. Without mentioning names, I can tell you that there are some players in the native space that are making the internet a slightly uglier place, promoting clickbait links to fake news, link farms and other nefarious sites. Before you invest in any technology, make sure they have a good reputation in the industry, that your ad is appearing in good company, and that your native ads are not showing on less-than-reputable sites.
Also be sure then when your native ads appear, they’re clearly marked as “sponsored content” - or at least with some indication that you’ve paid for your content to be there. There’s been a lot of negative feedback from consumer organization who view native ads as underhanded - their feeling is that we’re masquerading ads as editorial content, so it’s our best interest as an industry to ensure native ads are labeled as such.
Native ads are a bright star in the future of our industry. Users like them because they’re “polite” - they don’t interrupt their experience online. We like them because they drive results - users interact with native ads 20-60 percent more than they do with standard banners. Business Insider predicts that native display ad revenue in the US, which includes native in-feed ads on publisher properties and social platforms, will make up 74 percent of total US display ad revenue, up from 56 percent in 2016. So let’s keep investing in native - and doing it the right way.
Jeffrey Kamikow, President and CEO of Cross Audience, has nearly 20 years of media experience including sales and operations management, business development and executive management at companies including Pulse 360, Time Inc. and Ziff-Davis.
