No one wants to see an advertisement in the middle of something, so now, it’s a challenging task for advertising agencies to capture the users’ attention. Now, what they are doing is creating content which will not only advertise their brand, but will also provide sincere and interesting content. Native advertising is a paid form of advertisement which is inherently non-disruptive. It is slighted as an actual, reliable content that actually fits in. Native advertisements create interests and not interruptions, which mean people find these relevant and interesting. The dragon challenge by Range Rover where a FORMULA 1 driver drives up to Heaven’s Gate is a terrific example of native advertising. Such feats not only grab people’s attention, but they also subtly advertise the brand’s product.

How can you identify a native ad?

Although Native advertising is camouflage in nature, you can still identify them by certain format issued by Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)

1. In-feed ads- These are the ads that appear directly in line with other articles or posts on various social media platforms or on a publisher’s website. They differ on various sites as they are made to fit in.
2. Search and promoted listings- The articles which appear on the top when you search something, below which the ad is written are the native ads that the company bids on. They are made to look like organic search results. Several promotional listings also appear on online sites which are paid for, but actually look organic.
3. Content recommendation- These ads are either on the side of a web page or just below an article which is recommended by the site based on the content you have just viewed.
4. Suggested or sponsored posts- These ads appear on any social media platform, and the text always shows either ‘sponsored’ or ‘suggested’ written on it.

Benefits of native advertising

• In comparison to other ads which pop up on the screen and interrupt a user’s search, native advertisements are able to attract more customers by blending in.
• As it uses the camouflage technique and creates content which fits in, users do not even mind using it, as it turns out to be useful and informative.
• It’s a win-win opportunity for all the parties. The user enjoys the content with no intrusion, the publisher does not have to worry about losing credibility, and the brand can effectively communicate without worrying about annoying its viewers.
• Regular ads are often removed from mobile devices to make it user friendly, but you do not have to worry about this in native advertising.
• The conversion rate is more. When people like certain native ads, they are going to read or watch the same type again.

Future of Native Advertising

Marketing agencies work at a very fast pace, and native advertising is soon going to be popular. But, for some reason, it is an overwhelming concept for now. Most of the companies aren’t even aware of what native advertising actually is and that is why they are not investing in it. One main reason why marketing agencies are not investing in it is because they do not have enough budgets to invest in first place. They have specialised content writers and creative heads for storytelling, but not the financial resources. They want to reach this level of quality with the limited budget they have. For native advertising to advance as an efficient business model worth paying for by the advertisers, one needs to increase efficiency and simultaneously deliver quality content.

Unawareness of the companies can be turned into a great advantage. As the competition is low in comparison to other forms of advertising, one can invest in it as it is sure to yield positive results. Publishers consider native advertising a significant part of them. According to a report published in 2018, by 2021 the percentage of publisher revenue from native advertising will grow to 36%.

60% of all the display ads consist of native advertisements. This shows it is growing gradually and will soon be adopted by many. One of the main factors for its success is the personalization of content for each user. The insights provided by various social media platforms helps advertisers build content which will cater to the needs of the customers. It helps to create meaningful relationships and give the audience more value.

Conclusion

It is not always necessary to push your products on people’s faces. Instead, if you build quality content and subtly slide it into a publisher’s site or on social media platforms, it will work exceptionally. You do not have to brag about your product and place advertisements that just talk about your brand. In lieu, you can give people the articles that will be relevant to them with some aspect of it advertising about your brand. This will not only help you, but it also increases your credibility and builds your brand image.