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A native ad looks and feels like the content on which it is placed. Whether it is an article, image, or video, the native ad is so camouflaged that you cannot tell the difference. If you need programming help, experts are ready to give you the best college experience by saving you hours in the library.
Native ads are controversial because consumers do not realize that they are dealing with ads. Social media platforms force agencies and influencers to indicate that their content is sponsored to avoid misleading consumers. This is how powerful and effective native ads are in the current digital marketing environment.
More digital marketers and brands are running native ads because they are more effective. Here are the top formats to consider when thinking about adding native advertisement to your online marketing strategy.
6 Best formats for Native advertising
In-Feed Ads
The ad interrupts your reading experience without you noticing. Ideally, an article should read smoothly from the introduction to the conclusion. However, it is common to see images and ads eating a part of the paragraph or the entire article. As you scroll down the article, you encounter images related to the content you are reading. You are dealing with native ads.
Such native ads are easy to ignore. Most readers do not consider them as ads. They look at the layout as one of the ways the blog owner organizes his articles. Unknown to them, they are already consuming the ads.
Social media is also awash with native ads. As you move down the newsfeeds, you encounter pages you should like, ads on the sides, and invitations to visit links. The links appear suggested and will interrupt your social media usage as though they are not present. Notice that all these ads are related to the content you are consuming. Some of them may be indicated as ‘sponsored’ while others just sit on the layout.
Mobile In-feeds
While they are in-feeds like the first group, they are specific to mobile platforms. The ads merge naturally with other images and graphics on the page. However, they do not form a part of the content you have clicked to read or watch. You have the option of closing them or continuing to read or watch while they linger on the surface.
Mobile web-native ads come in the form of custom ads, recommended widgets, social in-feeds, and in-feed commercials, among others. Their manifestation is more graphical than text. You will easily ignore the ad and continue reading without realizing that you are interacting with a native advertisement.
In-App Native Ads
Statista projects that mobile advertising will hit $280 billion by 2022. It almost represents a 50% growth of $190 billion spent in 2019. Coupled with the increased uptake of apps, you can expect in-app ads to increase.
In-app ads are a format of mobile ads, but this one is specific to the app. Most of these ads are placed on free apps. Customers have the option of avoiding the ads by purchasing advanced versions. In other cases, you will find the ads on apps that are specific to a particular industry.
Since the apps are free, the ads become one of the ways to monetize the app. They come with an option to cancel, while others may appear for a short time then disappear from the screen. You may perhaps be given the option of moving the ad to a different location.
The non-intrusive ads on apps are the most difficult to spot. They mimic the colors, graphics, and fonts of the app. Wording or CTA on the ads is so concealed that you would click thinking it is part of the app or content on the app. It is this blending that makes the ads so effective.
Native Content Recommendation
The ads appear in the form of links within an article or on the page. Instead of interrupting images or video, you see content related to what you are reading interrupting your reading. For instance, an article on elections will be interrupted by what opponents said or previous news about the same candidate.
The recommendation is not direct but still effective. You end up opening the new links on a new tab to read once you are done with the current article. For most readers, you consider the new links to be the layout of the blog. By the end of the blog or article, you have opened three or four other pages to read.
Links also serve as native content recommendation ads. For instance, a story about a judgment made by the court of appeal may include links to other events that have happened in the course of the hearing. One article comes with four or five links to different pages but is connected to the main story or a similar story. The live link is indirectly recommending content for you to read.
Sponsored Ads
The ads come with a tag indicating that they are sponsored. Other names used for the ads include custom and paid branded ads. The publisher creates the content alongside the sponsor.
Sponsored ads are common for text and video content. The title is very specific because it advertises the achievements or the products offered. News publishers have segments for such sponsored content. They may even indicate that the content is sponsored somewhere on the tags.
Content recommendations and in-feed ads can promote the branded concept. The ad appears like your ordinary content, only that you will notice the bias towards a particular product. It may even take the slot of a regular column or article. In the process, people do not notice that they are dealing with an ad, yet they consume the information it captures.
Native Email Widgets
Email certainly remains one of the most powerful content distribution channels. The email widgets fit effortlessly into the content that a newsletter publisher is pushing. It creates an incredibly powerful combination because recipients trust the publisher. Publishers, in this case, act as social media influencers. The use of email has made native ads a revenue machine.
Things to consider
While native ads are effective, they require a strategy. Here are factors to consider when placing a native ad.
- Make it valuable- it is especially important for recommended content. If readers appreciate clicking on one link, they will be comfortable clicking on another.
- Be strategic- place an ad at the perfect place. Avoid the beginning of an article or content because the main aim of the reader is not to see an ad. Choose a location that feels like a call-to-action and where the reader will genuinely click.
- Camouflage- write in the same way you would speak. It makes the ad natural and enticing. In fact, it is the reason people often fail to realize that they are dealing with native ads.
- Call-To-Action- tell the reader or consumer what to do with your ad, for instance, click the link, follow the page, visit us, order, and such CTA terms.
The Bottom Line
Native advertising is popular simply because they are effective. Experts know how to conceal them and avoid interfering with visitor’s experience. When used correctly, they will transform your digital marketing strategy.
