Drugi jezik na kojem je dostupan ovaj članak: Bosnian
By: Hando Sinisalu
Source: Marketing magazin
First a few basic things. Native advertising is a form of paid media that merges with the environment in which it is published. This environment is an independent platform that, for example, means that it is not brand’s own media channel. Native ads are more similar to journalism and entertainment, compared to traditional advertising. The content must be relevant, usable, informative, entertaining and motivating. It should look like the content people are looking for when they search through certain media, whether it’s a magazine, a journal, YouTube, or Facebook. The sales aspect is finely tuned into the content itself.
Native advertising is the second most favorite buzzword in marketing, right after content marketing. Obviously not without reason: native ads reach up to 60 percent higher levels of consumer engagement. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) in its report recorded a 33 percent increase in response to native ads that appear in credible websites and apps. At a time when the clickthrough rate on classic ad formats is drastically decreasing, and is already close to zero, it makes sense to take a closer look at this sophisticated and less aggressive marketing approach.
The media such as The New York Times, BuzzFeed, and The Guardian, have already jumped onto that train and set up in-house native studios, which help brands create attractive stories on their media platforms. Whether you are a media, an employee in an advertising agency, or simply looking for ways to increase your brand’s visibility, you’ll certainly have use from the tips below which will help you on the road to quality native advertising.
1. Who is your audience?
The first step goes to the very basics of marketing. In order to create attractive stories, you need to know who you are targeting. Who is your buyer? What are their interests? What content do they follow? And now consider the appropriate media that suits your customer (whether they are newspapers, YouTube, business magazines, Facebook or something else entirely).
2. Establish close collaboration
After you have determined the right media, both for your brand and for your consumer, use your partner’s knowledge. The beauty of native advertising is that everyone involved benefits from collaboration. For example, choose a local daily newspaper. Its management team is your best advisor that will lead you to create effective articles that fit well into their editorial content.
3. Internal sources
Every brand has a story. Every product has a story. The people around you have excellent ideas and experiences that they are ready to share. Now try and transform that internal knowledge into something relevant and interesting to the wider public. There is nothing wrong with talking about your product as long as it is a natural part of the story and is useful to the reader.
4. Help from an expert
There is no point in ignoring the fact that brand interests always concern business results. This also applies to marketers. So you will subconsciously always try to sell the product. Since we talk about fitting your content into the editorial concept, we recommend you seek help from professional writers or journalists. As independent experts, they will write an interesting article about your product (or service) and omit the unnecessary sales element.
5. Goals and KPIs
Measuring the effects of native advertising can be tricky. First, determine your own goals. What do you want to achieve with a native ad? Then relax a bit when it comes to ROI, CTR and so on. Clickthrough rate is a good starting indicator whether your content is attractive enough, but it does not go deep. It is much better to track how much time the consumer allocates to your content. I will reiterate that native advertising requires an editorial approach. That is why comments, shares and time spent scrolling down are a much better indicator. If possible, include links that will help you track traffic and conversions encouraged by native articles.
6. Formats
And now we come to the most important point, which is essentially simple because it will take into account the previous three. A wealth of media platforms means you can choose between different forms of native ads. Native advertising is not limited to written articles. The main goal is to offer value with high quality content. Depending on your story and the media, it could be anything, from video to entire series, from articles to sponsored Facebook posts (whatever creates effect among your audience).
7. Quality content
While the process of creating interesting content is the result of common expectations when different knowledge is combined in order to achieve the best result, there are certain proven effective elements. For example, high quality photos, which show real people, and specific captions (emotional, instructive, those that solve problems …). On the Internet you will find numerous studies to help with such sophisticated details. Do not go down the slippery slope of clickbait. Do not forget that you must provide value – from top to bottom.
8. Branding
Bearing in mind you are “competing” with editorial content, strong branding will leave a bad impression. Depending on the context, try to stay more or less subtle. People will appreciate you for having different approaches. For example, if you made someone laugh, or provided them a great advice for home improvement.
9. Transparency
This point is tightly connected to the eighth. Native content must be clearly marked as sponsored or branded content. If you are transparent, you will establish trust and increase the brand’s credibility and encourage people to look for more information about your offer. Respect your readers and media partners.
10. Time
And finally, respect the fact that native advertising is very time-consuming – the results show only after a longer period of time. Think fast food vs. a refined experience of a reputable restaurant. Or think quick offerings of traditional advertising vs. carefully designed branded content with high value. Take your time and find an interesting story, test different formats and consider how the experience you provide can bring even greater success.
