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Let’s face it. Banner ads on websites are no longer working. Users see them as a nuisance. Many people refuse to click on them. Worse still, many visitors leave websites that display them, with no plans to return.
Native advertising, however, is the opposite of a banner ad. Instead of getting in the way of the user experience, they blend in and enhance the experience. With native advertising, you provide useful content that is directly related to visitors’ interests.
Getting an advert to blend in may seem like a) defeating the objective and b) tricking the visitor into clicking. By blending in though, we mean that the advert will be relevant. Relevance makes native advertising a seamless and powerful approach to reaching your audiences.
Useful content in the right environment
One of the main benefits of native advertising is that it provides worthwhile content that perfectly matches its environment.
For example, a user is on a website about fishing. They’re reading an article about popular fishing spots in the United States. At the end of the article is a link to another article about the species of fish found in these spots. Sounds good, right? The article is native advertising. It is sponsored and subtly promotes a business, but because the content is relevant to the original web page and the article the visitor was reading, the user does not feel interrupted.
Flashing ads = interruptions. Native advertising is part of the browsing experience. The ad content must state that it is a sponsored post, so it is not a scam. This is a sound technique that involves creating an ad that matches its context and does not interrupt the user experience the way banner ads can.
Relevant content gets high user engagement
By providing high quality, useful, and relevant content, native ads receive a higher click-through rate than intrusive banner ads.
An article, video, or ebook that contains information your audience perceives as valuable will capture attention and allow people to discover your services. A well-presented and useful native ad will gain even more reach as it will be shared by the user to other interested individuals.
This high engagement cannot be ignored by anyone running a digital campaign. The effectiveness of a native ad is unparalleled when compared to more obvious forms of marketing.
Relevant branded content builds awareness
It’s crucial to keep in mind that customers aren’t shopping online for a new product or service. They’re shopping online because they need a reliable solution to their problem. Branded content allows you to provide those solutions in a non-intrusive way that builds brand awareness and trust.
If your content gives its users a quality experience, they’re highly likely to remember your brand positively and equate that positivity to your products.
Do you want to be remembered as the irritating business that insists on flashing, intrusive banners or the business that provides interesting, useful, and engaging information on relevant websites? Probably not.
Native ads have a unique position in the world of advertising. Consider native advertising to improve your brand awareness and to build deeper relationships with your customers.
