Native Advertising Explained

In recent years, native advertising has become a staple in most marketers’ media mix. Native ads are highly reliable for communicating your brand’s message effectively.

Native ads are paid advertisements that match the look, form, and feel of the media format they appear in. They seamlessly blend into the content that a user is viewing on their mobile device or desktop. Unlike banner or display ads, native ads don’t look like ads at first glance.

Let's dive into what native advertising is, how it factors into programmatic advertising, the formats of native ads, and the benefits of this channel.

What is Native Advertising

Native advertising integrates high-quality content into the organic experience of a given platform. Native ad units conform to the design and feel of the sites on which they display, preserving the user experience while producing click-through rates similar to editorial content.

Native advertising is more than just a buzzword; it’s a highly scalable and beneficial ad channel for a multi-channel strategy. At its core, native advertising combines beautifully customized content delivery with the power of programmatic technology.

What is Programmatic Native Advertising

Programmatic native advertising serves each ad unit on an impression-by-impression basis, using real-time data and decision-making to ensure the most relevant ad is placed on each site, creating a unique user experience.

Native Advertising Adoption in Numbers

According to eMarketer, native advertising spend in the US jumped 37% in 2021 and is expected to reach $98.59 billion in 2023. The popularity of this ad format continues to rise, with native video advertising forecasted to comprise 84.1% of all video ad spend in the US in 2022.

Native Advertising 101

Native ads blend seamlessly into the content a reader is already engaging with, making them more likely to pay attention. You’ll commonly see native ads in social media feeds or as recommended content on a webpage.

Much like content marketing, native ads work best when the ad content provides value to the reader. It should align with your target audience’s interests and address their problems or provide valuable information. Present the information in an easily digestible format, like a listicle or educational blog, making it simple for readers to learn from your content.

Native ad content should add value to the user’s experience without being disruptive. Whether your goal is to build an audience or drive an action, start with engaging content for users to click through to.

Types of Native Advertising

The term native advertising is broad and continues to evolve. It includes various forms designed to deliver high-quality, value-adding branded content. Here are three key types:

In-Feed Native Advertising: Pioneered by social platforms, this common form drives users to advertisers’ media properties. It includes promoted listings and paid results.
In-Ad Native Advertising: Uses elements of native ads, including images, headlines, and logos within display inventory. It achieves greater reach while maintaining the engaging nature of native ads.
Content Recommendation Widgets: Found at the bottom of articles, these widgets help publishers drive traffic and monetize content while reaching a wide audience cost-effectively.

How to Use Native Ads

Native advertising is ideal for educating your audience. Its subtle nature makes it effective in a world of “banner blindness.” Here are some statistics from the Content Marketing Institute on native advertising:

53% say it is extremely or very effective.
90% agree it can be used to build audiences.
88% agree it can drive an action.
85% agree it offers valuable content to the reader.

Native Advertising Best Practices

Regardless of the ad format, native advertising can help you build audiences, drive actions, or promote content marketing efforts. It’s a great programmatic option because it leverages social proof. When a native ad appears on a trusted publication, users are more likely to trust the content or promotions.

Here are 5 best practices for native advertising:

1. Ensure your demand-side platform (DSP) offers the best inventory for your campaign.

2. Build your native campaign around engaging content that provides value to readers.

3. Leverage native as part of a multi-channel strategy to boost click-through rates (CTR).

4. Remember that publishers may arrange and render your assets in a native format appropriate for their platforms.

5. Include post-click engagement metrics to understand the campaign's reception and reach.

Ready to get started with native advertising? Contact OptiSEO to learn more about running exceptional native advertising campaigns.