The Benefits of Native Advertising
The native advertising market, which includes digital display ads, video advertorials, and print and online branded content, is slated to make up more than half of all digital display ad spending in the United States this year, with recent estimates stating it will grow 36.2 percent this year to reach $22.09 billion and 27.8 percent in 2018 to reach $28.24 billion. At that level, it will make up more than 54 percent of all display ad spending in the United States.
“Growth of native digital display is being driven by publishers’ pursuit of higher-value and more mobile-friendly inventory, as well as by advertisers’ demands for more engaging, less intrusive ads,” says Lauren Fisher, principal analyst at eMarketer and author of a new report that highlights the forecasts.
What Is Native Advertising, and Is Your Budget Allocated Correctly?
Native advertising is a well-proven and effective way for consumers to discover a new business, product, or service. It is a less intrusive, highly successful advertising strategy. By leveraging media outlets that are characteristically loyal, trusted advisers of the consumer community, advertisers significantly increase their return on investment.
Here are ways that your business can benefit from incorporating native ads into its marketing strategy:
It captures consumer attention
In marketing and advertising, performance metrics are important—they guide marketing—and native advertising offers higher visibility. If your company uses native ads to share content, the engagement with your audience can be significantly higher than with any other form of advertising.
It becomes a subset of content marketing
The content in native ads should offer useful information or advice on a specific product or service, and not function as just a vehicle for the sponsored message. The sponsored post should blend into the site without distracting the reader, and should entice a click-through with a powerful yet attractive message.
It improves the performance of ad campaigns
Compared to banner advertising, the performance of native ads is impressive. Based on findings from the United States, where native advertising has grown substantially in the past two years, you can expect results in improved response rates, ranging from 5 to 20 times the normal response rate; a deep level of engagement, averaging about 45 seconds per interaction; and a 40 percent brand lift and 50 percent increase in purchase intent. When integrated into a multichannel campaign, the results can again significantly increase, maximizing the ad spend ROI.
The content is shareable
Because native advertising can be disguised as valuable content, the consumer is more likely to share that content with their friends or followers on social networks or via email, amplifying a brand’s content and special offers.
It builds relationships
Better engagement and higher share-ability create opportunities for businesses to build relationships with consumers through interaction. When businesses connect their native advertising with the media outlet and its target audience, they improve their chances of their content being shared.
It works on mobile devices
Native advertising works well on mobile devices as text links, promoted videos, or editorial content. Sponsored posts are hosted on a website’s main content area, and consumers experience it the same way as any other content being viewed. It can be deployed across any technological platform: desktop, tablet, or smartphone.
It is innovative
Businesses are not constrained by small text requirements and limited graphics; native advertising allows for a deeper and richer level of engagement and innovation. With native advertising, there is more opportunity to cover all the areas of a specific campaign, brand, or product launch. Native ads work best when used inside campaigns specifically designed to take advantage of multiple channels during a specified period of time. Businesses must be innovative and different to attract inquisitive consumers to a brand message.
How Air Age Media and the ADP Can Help
Our Audience Development Platform (ADP) is a comprehensive community ecosystem of hypertargeted enthusiasts ingesting content simultaneously across our digital and other channels. We create innovative and custom native ad campaigns to meet any budget designed to leverage the ADP’s strategic, multichannel approach for targeting the right consumers, thereby maximizing your ROI.
Please contact your ROI advocate or account executive for a free needs analysis on how you can start or further benefit from advertising with Air Age Media. Provide comments and feedback to this newsletter at myroi@airage.com.