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Has it ever happened to you that you are so focused on reviewing an article or navigating through a website that when an ad pops up, you automatically discard it? All it’s doing at the moment is interrupting what you are doing. It happens all the time!

What would you think if I told you that there is a form of advertisement that would camouflage the layout of any website, allowing you to show your ads in a compelling, effective but, more importantly, non-disruptive way?

Sounds impressive, right?

Well, this is something you can do by embracing a native advertising approach. 

Check out these stats to give you more perspective!

• Native advertising spend in the US is expected to reach $98.59 billion in 2023.
• Compared to other advertising formats, native ads show an 18% higher lift in purchase intent and a 9% higher lift in brand affinity responses.
• Native ads’ engagement is 53% higher than display ads.
• 68% of consumers trust native ads seen in an editorial context, compared to 55% for ads shown on social media.

Let’s Start With the Basics

Native advertising was brought into the digital world in 2011. Its origins began in editorial advertising to promote brands and were initially used in magazines and newspapers until this approach was adopted to advertise on digital platforms.

We can define native advertising as a paid advertising method where the ad seamlessly fits the media in which it is published. 

When this advertising method was introduced into the digital sphere, it was mainly used to advertise on social media platforms like Facebook. Nowadays, native ads can fit any website or app.

Types of Native Ads

Whether you run campaigns manually or programmatically, there are different types of native ads that you can run across platforms.

In-Feed Ads

These ads are usually seen on news-based sites since they can adopt the form of a blog post or video ad. Moreover, they can be used on e-commerce websites as in-feed lists to increase sales.

Search Ads

You might already be familiar with this ad type. Paid ads shown in the SERP are a type of native advertising since their text size, font, and link color look the same as the organic listings.

Social Network Ads

As previously mentioned, social platforms were the first to adopt native advertising. In-feed and carousel ads are the typical native ads you could find in a social media platform’s feed.

Why Should You Adopt a Native Approach?

By using native advertising, you can connect with your audience in a compelling format and increase brand awareness or conversions.

Below are additional benefits you can gain from native ads.

Eliminate Ad Fatigue

It’s common for users to get bored of seeing ads popping up all the time, resulting in a lack of interest. Native ads can fit any editorial content perfectly, making it easier to connect with your audience without getting users overwhelmed with your advertising efforts.

Align With Your Marketing Funnel

Whether you are targeting the top-of-funnel to drive awareness or the lower funnel to increase your sales, native ads can perfectly adapt to any strategy since you can run these ads across various platforms in different ad formats.

Reach Relevant Audiences

Native advertising is the answer to the need for a tailored approach. You can build up your campaign by selecting specific criteria, such as demographics, location, channel, and customer intent, so your ads can reach your target audience.

What to Keep In Mind for an Effective Native Approach

1- Place Your Ads Strategically

It is no use investing time designing or developing valuable content for your ads if nobody will be able to see them. Avoid users scrolling right past your ads by ensuring they are placed in the best-performing spots across the platforms you use.

2- Prioritize Design and Content

Keep your customers in mind by making sure that your content is informative and entertaining for your specific audience so you can establish a connection with them.

Additionally, it is imperative that your ads fit the platforms’ design, including colors, fonts, and text.

3- Use Retargeting Wisely

Take into consideration what it has previously worked. You should create your ads with the same characteristics that have made them attractive to your audience on previous occasions. If your customers have shown willingness to interact with them in the past, they might be willing to do it again.

4- Leverage Mobile Ads

The fact that mobile devices are used for activities like shopping and navigating through websites and social media gives you the perfect opportunity to connect with your target audience. Make sure your ads are mobile-friendly and adjust seamlessly to the platforms and campaigns that get the most traffic from mobile users.

The Go-To Platform for Native Advertising

Native advertising can be implemented across different channels; however, there is one particular platform that potentializes the chances to get higher results.

The Microsoft audience network holds unique features specifically designed to target and effectively get to your target audience using a native approach to its fullest.

These features include a deep understanding of customers’ behavior, higher privacy standards, and access to fully integrated campaigns. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are the pillars of these advancements due to their capacity to process valuable information, such as user intent, web activity, and user data.

At White Shark Media, we strategically run campaigns across the most-converting platforms, such as Microsoft Ads, and stay up to date with the most effective strategies to ensure outstanding results. Visit our blog to learn all the secrets our experts have to share that will help you master the digital marketing field.