Many internet users constantly use ad blockers and pop-up blockers. However, it doesn’t mean that these people hate ads. They use ad blockers because they don’t want to see annoying ads that distract them from their regular online activities.
Native advertising represents a completely different approach, where ads are integrated into online content seamlessly. Native advertising offers numerous benefits for businesses. For example, when used properly, it can help you not only effectively promote your products but can also build trust.
What Native Advertising Is
Native advertising implies using sponsored ads that match the content, functionality, and design of the website where these ads are displayed. Native ads are effective because they are customizable. You can adapt them to your niche and your aesthetics so that these ads will perfectly resonate with your audience.
Native ads look similar to other content that visitors have already seen on the website. As a result, they get more clicks and provide more value. Such an approach to advertising enables you to prioritize your visitors’ online experience, so you should certainly consider native advertising if you want to improve your customer experience.
Building Trust
Prioritizing your customers’ online experience allows you to improve your relationships with them and cultivate trust. According to research, people who see high-quality native ads report a higher level of trust in the brands. However, the quality of these ads is key. If your native ads are mediocre, they will only make a negative impact on your relationships with the audience. To help you create effective native ads, we prepared some useful tips.
1. Establish an emotional connection
Make sure to appeal to your audience’s human side. Consumers are more likely to connect with brands that are relevant to their lives. Show your audience that you care about them and that your brand is here to make their lives easier. We recommend that you think of native advertising as a conversation. Your potential consumers will be much more likely to pay attention to your products or services if you get an emotional reaction from them.
2. Create stellar content
As we’ve already mentioned, the reason native ads are successful is that they perfectly complement the content. People click on your pages because they are interested in your topics, so you must make sure that your ads are relevant. Customized ads can help you give your audience more of what they’re interested in, and you may not even directly mention your services or products in these ads.
3. Include labels
Your audience is used to seeing ads everywhere so you shouldn’t hesitate to label your ads. Let your audience know that a certain piece of content was “brought to them by” your brand or that it’s “promoted content.” Users won’t mind seeing your ads as long as they are relevant. Besides, it’s impossible to build trust without making it clear that readers are seeing an ad, not editorial content.
4. Focus on trust
The most effective way to earn trust is to build good relationships with your customers. No matter what your niche is, the chances are that your audience has many options. Modern consumers often do some research before making a purchase. Simply promoting your products or services is not enough if you want to stand out.
5. Create shareable content
According to research, people trust information their friends share with them. If people start to share your marketing content, it means that this content is amazing. Shareable content boosts your credibility and enables you to reach a wider audience. Therefore, it’s very effective.
Establishing a strong emotional connection with your customers can help you not only create effective and relevant content but also boost brand loyalty. Maintaining an emotional connection will make your customers choose your products consistently.
You need to put a lot of effort into producing top-notch content, especially given the fact that the internet is filled with tons of high-quality content on any topic. Of course, not every business has talented in-house writers capable of writing engaging content and compelling copy. Fortunately, you can always outsource writing tasks to professionals. For example, you can find experienced writers on Writing Judge.
Most often, users can quickly tell the difference between regular content and ads. However, if an ad is properly adapted to match the editorial content, it can be hard to distinguish between these two things. Labelling your ads will help you make sure that your audience won’t get frustrated or confused. Otherwise, some people might quickly click your ad and then bounce off, damaging your stats and having a negative opinion of your brand.
The best way to stand out is to provide additional value. Building trust is worth more than generic slogans about how good your products are. We recommend that you build your native advertising strategy based on the principles of transparency and authenticity. Don’t focus on sales too much and treat your readers as individuals.
You won’t need to push your products if you show your audience that you care about them and have their best interests in mind. We also recommend that you always be honest with your audience. Irrelevant and misleading ads may help you get more clicks, but they will damage your credibility and therefore your relationships with customers.
There’s no universal recipe that would enable you to create viral content with a 100% probability. Everything depends on the type of audience and your niche. However, you can make people more likely to share your content if it’s funny or relatable. People also like to share content that provides great educational value.
Wrapping Up
Native advertising is effective because it perfectly integrates with content. Your native ads should be relevant and honest. This way, you will not only promote your products or services but also establish a strong connection with your audience and build trust. Don’t be too focused on your offers but provide value and focus on the emotional connection. This way, your customers will be more likely to come back and buy from you again.
NOTE: This post was originally published on November 30, 2020 and was updated on February 24, 2022.
Native Advertising Institute
