You may have heard of the concept of “native advertising” and not be quite sure what it refers to. It is a type of online advertising that provides value and aims to be relevant for users of websites and online services.
In this article, you’ll find an in-depth explanation of what native advertising is and the different ways to practice it.
What is native advertising
With the evolution of the Internet and the arrival of what is known as ‘Internet 2.0’, thousands of platforms appeared at the beginning of the century that allowed users to create and share digital content worldwide. Many of them allowed ads to be implemented, which forced companies to find increasingly specific and less intrusive ways to advertise. This is how native advertising was born.
Native advertising is that which implements the advertising message organically and naturally within content. The goal is to reduce intrusiveness and offer extra value to the user, generating greater engagement with the end user. It could be said that it is a kind of ‘covert advertising’ that aims to connect naturally with the recipient.
Native advertising not only integrates into the content, but also into the aesthetics and design of the platform where it is promoted. For example, on X (formerly Twitter), this type of advertising will take the form of a tweet and will not stand out to the user. But it is by no means the only platform that integrates it. In fact, it can appear on any website—for example, as content marketing—or online service.
Characteristics of native advertising
First of all, it is a simple type of advertising. Its goal is to integrate organically within content, as its main function is not to overwhelm the user with advertising. Therefore, advertising should not overuse visual elements (images, banners, videos, etc.).
In this sense, its content naturally provides value and, at the same time, exposes the products or services it promotes, but always discreetly, following the editorial line and format of the medium in which it is displayed.
This type of advertising must be relevant to the user it targets. To do this, it must provide value, whether in the form of informative or entertaining content, that goes beyond highlighting the benefits of the product it advertises. This point is very important, since if the user does not perceive the piece as an ad, they will receive it much more positively and their interaction with it will increase.
How to do native advertising
If you want to integrate advertising formats into your website or online service, you should follow these steps:
-Identify your audience: The first step is to identify the audience you want to reach with your message. To do this, you should use all the information about your buyer persona, understand their needs, interests, and how they behave when browsing the Internet.
-Choose the platform: With the information from the previous point, you should know which platforms your buyer persona uses. Choose the one where they spend the most time (blogs, social networks, news websites, YouTube, etc.).
-Create content: Once you are clear about the medium, use what you know about your buyer persona to create a message that provides value. Use a tone and style that resonates with them. If they consume entertainment content, use memes. If they prefer news or information, create informative or educational content.
-Optimize: Since the “Helpful Content” update, Google is very picky about the content that is published. Even if you have created an informative article, you must use the “sponsored content” or “ad” tags if you don’t want to be penalized. Likewise, optimize your content for mobile devices.
There are many examples of native advertising, from Google and Facebook Ads, which appear in the search results page and the Facebook feed, disguised as normal content, to brand blogs, where they offer advice on topics related to their products.
