In the old days of digital marketing, it used to be all about display ads. Display ads, also known as banner ads, were everywhere. But these days? There’s a new ad on the block: native ads.
Photo by Joshua Earle on Unsplash
Native ads have some distinct advantages over display ads. Display ads are clunky, cheesy, and are easily blocked with free ad blocking software. They may have been the pinnacle of advertising back in the 90’s, but times have changed.
To best determine which ads will best suit your business, let’s take a look. This article will explain the difference between native and display ads. It will also show you how native ads work, and how to determine what’s best for your business.
Native and Display Ads: What Are They?
You are probably familiar with display ads. They are the original form of digital advertisement. Banner ads are the most popular form of display ads. They can be altered in size and shape, so you can put them in different parts of the web page.
Unfortunately, people are so used to seeing display ads, they usually don’t look at them. Too many display ads create visual clutter. Why should you care about any one ad in particular when there are just so many? The overuse of banner ads creates blindness to them.
That is, if people can see them at all. Did you know that 80% of consumers use some kind of ad-blocking software? That means 80% of the total market will not see your advertisement if you rely on display ads alone.
Native ads are a bit different. Native ads are designed to not look like an advertisement at all. While the general strategy of a display ad is to be as eye-catching as possible, a native ad works through camouflage.
Native ads are designed to match the look and feel of the website they’re posted on. You may be familiar with blog posts with the word “promoted” in small text under the tile. That is a classic example of a native ad. You may be familiar with product placement in movies. Native ads are like product placement for the digital age.
When it comes to advertising, timing is crucial. People hate banner ads because they disrupt the experience of content. Native ads have an edge in timing. They either come at the end of content or are the content itself.
Examples of Native Ads
Native ads can vary greatly in format. Examples of native ads include:
Promoted Facebook posts
A great way to stay on your customer’s radar is to stay in their newsfeed. Keep yourself from getting buried by the algorithm which sponsored Facebook posts. Sponsored Facebook posts are a great way to increase customer engagement as well as drive traffic to your site.
Paid search units
When you search for something on Google, there is sponsored content at the top of the page. These are all native ads. The layout of these search units is very similar to the organic search results. Why bother writing the perfect SEO content when you can just skip to the top of the line?
Promoted listings
A promoted listing is a way to put your product at the top of search results on e-commerce sites like ebay. With a promoted listing, your merchandise goes to the top of search results. This increases the likelihood of a sale.
Influencer sponsorship
Do you know your customers? Who do they watch on YouTube? Influencers are gatekeepers of attention. If you want attention for your brand, get them to talk about it on their channel.
This is especially important if you’re trying to reach a younger audience. Influencers aren’t like the celebrity sponsorships of the past. Influencers have a direct connection with their audience. They cultivate an engaged following. They have a lot of sway with their audience.
The cool thing about native ads is that they benefit from creativity. Anything can be an ad with enough creativity! Want to make an advertisement out of a meme? Go for it!
Do Native Ads Work?
It depends on what you mean by “work,” but in most metrics, yes! People view 53% more native ads than display ads. Native ads have more than eight times the click-through rate of display ads. If you are looking to reach a younger audience, 66% of Gen Z consumers trust branded content. No matter what metric you’re using to measure the success of your campaign, it’s clear that it can benefit from native advertising.
Which is Best for My Business?
Trying to decide which advertisements are best for your business? Let’s look at your business goals. Display ads are good for retargeting campaigns. This is good for businesses that already have an established customer base. Display ads are cost-effective ways to get an eye-catching ad on multiple platforms.
If you are trying to introduce a new brand to people, focus on native ads. Native ads are much better at getting their message across to the viewer.
As a business owner, you’ve got to make a lot of tough choices. But with proper market research, you can start your very own digital marketing campaign!
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