Native Advertising: What You Need to Know

With the boom of the internet and the access it has provided to countless people worldwide, advertising changed and moved away from traditional methods. No longer are large, unique pieces of advertising that stand out the way to go. With the internet providing all the platforms you could ever need, advertising started adopting new forms. One of these new forms that have swept the market by storm is known as native advertising . If you’ve used the internet recently, there’s not a single chance that you’ve been able to avoid native advertising years, and that’s what the advertisers want.

Okay, So What Is Native Advertising ?

Native advertising goes by a name that you may know better, as it’s been in the news and has been a heated topic of debate. Native advertising is better known as sponsored content . Native advertising is a crucial part of internet marketing and is present on any and every website that uses advertising to generate income. The word ‘native’ in the term native advertising refers specifically to how the advertisement takes on the qualities of the platform that it is hosted on. Native advertising looks like it originated on the website you’re using, populating as a video, an image, or even a full-length article. Native advertising can be considered a tactic of content marketing , along with infographics, generating blog posts and utilizing different types of social networks , from Snapchat and Twitter to LinkedIn just to name a few. This assimilation of the platform it uses is a way of decreasing the ad recognition of the user, allowing them to ingest the advertisement more easily.

It’s Sneaky!

Native advertising is highly effective because it doesn’t feel like you’re viewing an advertisement . It feels like another form of media or news, making it more palatable to most users. Advertising has always been designed to appeal to the viewer or listener. Now, it’s designed to be consumed without the realization of the consumer entirely! Not a bad trick when you want to reach an audience by any means.

Why Did Native Advertising Come About?

The success of native advertising has a lot to do with the earlier years of the internet. With the internet came online advertising , which for the most part were large banners , images, or pop-ups that would appear on the web pages visited by a user. As we continued to use the internet, these types of advertisements became harder and harder to view. They wouldn’t allow for seamless consumption of the media we were looking to view. It got to the point where ad-blocking add-ons were created for internet browsers! Native advertising is designed to feel like part of the media you were consuming. It takes on a form factor that makes sense on the web page you’re viewing, and it often results in a click if the information it pertains is relevant to your interests. Studies have shown native advertisements are clicked on far more than banner advertisements . This is largely due to the fact that unlike display ads or banner ads , native ads don't really appear like ads.

Are Native Advertisements Effective?

That’s a big yes, and the strength of native advertising is just getting started. This is based on a few factors listed below.

They’re Noticeable

Native advertisements are noticeable. Since they show up in the same style and form as the media they’re laid into, they often get seen. It’s estimated that they’re seen 25% more often than the traditional advertisements online that are willfully ignored.

They’re Compelling

Because they can show up as editorials, blogs, or articles, the nature of native advertising lends itself to be more compelling when making a case for the product or service they’re selling. Native advertising is the perfect way to convince your target audience that what you’ve got is worth looking into. According to studies, these native ad campaigns can create an 18% increase in purchase intent .

They’re All the Rage

One of the more recent examples of native advertising is done through the use of social media influencers and celebrities. Companies can pay them to endorse or advertise a product and post about it on their social media platforms , so long as the post is marked as being an advertisement . Having your product or service natively advertised by having an influencer do the work for you (at a price) is a great way to reach millions of potential customers. It works.

When we talk about social media, it used to mean that we were talking about platforms like MySpace or Facebook , but in recent years, many websites have begun to take shape as social media platforms of their own, like YouTube. That being said, native advertising is insanely popular and runs rampant on all forms of social media , in more ways than you may think. Additionally, the publishing industry is now following the trend, as media companies like Forbes , the Wall Street Journal , and USA Today , are continuously introducing new advertising means on desktop and mobile devices that match the functionality of their editorial content .

Collaborations

Collaborations feel similar to sponsored videos and posts because the company typically sponsors an individual to advertise their product, but rather than paying upfront, they provide a discount code and a contract. The creator then receives compensation directly related to how many people use the code on the product or service. The contracts are typically placed on a timetable, and this allows for more revenue to be generated than a one-time payment if the creator’s fan base is large enough.

Effective, But Controversial

While native advertising is incredibly effective, it is also a controversial form of advertising . Many think that it has its roots ingrained in the original advertising method, where people were more or less tricked into purchasing goods or services and were not being told they were being advertised to. Native advertising can often feel the same way. Because of this, some guidelines have to be followed when pursuing native advertising , established by the Federal Trade Commission , or FTC for short.

Disclosure

All native advertising done on the internet has to be disclosed as an advertisement clearly. This means marking on the page that the content is an advertisement , and if a link is attached to the advertisement , the link also has to be clearly marked. In video content, the disclosure must happen before the advertisement is delivered. On social media posts, specific verbiage and hashtags are to be used to comply with FTC guidelines.

Deceptive or Outrageous Claims

The FTC can take down advertisements that make deceptive or outrageous claims, as they are misleading and damaging. This really has a lot to do with health and lifestyle advertisements .

Should Native Advertisements Be Used?

Very simply, the answer is yes. While they can be somewhat controversial, most people prefer native advertisements . While they are meant to blend in, the FTC ’s guidelines prevent that, and almost everybody knows an advertisement when they see one, native or not. Native advertisements have appeal, though, and often bring worth with them to the table. The use of native advertising normally allows for a more in-depth look at a product or service than traditional forms of advertising , while also increasing engagement , and people tend to like that! Native advertisements also fight advertisement fatigue. Remember when we mentioned that people don’t like looking at advertisements ? Looking at native advertisements doesn’t feel like looking at traditional advertisements whatsoever. They’ve become their own form of online content and can be quite entertaining in their own right.

The Takeaway

While you may not have known what native advertisements were, you’ve undoubtedly seen them before. All forms of sponsored content on the internet, from YouTube videos to Instagram posts, are native advertising being used to its fullest. Chances are, you’ve even looked ad native advertising intentionally. If your business is considering pursuing native advertising but has been unsure how, just know that sponsored content works, and people like it. You’ve got nothing to fear when you use native advertising if done well. Sources: https://www.taboola.com/native- advertising https://www.oberlo.com/blog/native- advertising https://www.outbrain.com/native- advertising /

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Everything You Need To Know About Native Advertising