Maybe you’ve heard of the concept of “native advertising” and don’t know exactly what it means. This is a type of online advertising that provides value and tries to be relevant to users of websites and online services.
In this article you will 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’, at the beginning of the century thousands of platforms appeared that allowed users to create and share digital content around the world. Many of them allowed ads to be implemented, forcing companies to find increasingly specific and less intrusive ways to advertise. In this way, the native advertising.
Native advertising is one that implements the advertising message organically and naturally within content. The objective is to reduce intrusiveness and offer extra value to the user, which generates greater engagement with the end user. You could say that it is a kind of ‘covert advertising‘, which aims to connect naturally with the recipient.
Native advertising is not only integrated into the content, it is also integrated into the aesthetics and design of the platform on which it is promoted. For example, on X (formerly Twitter), this type of advertising will be in 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 occur on any website – for example, in the form of content marketing – or online service.
Features of native advertising
First of all, it is a simple type of advertising. Its objective is to integrate organically within content, since its main function is not to saturate the user with advertising. Therefore, advertising should not abuse visual elements (images, banners, videos, etc.).
In this sense, its content adds value naturally and, at the same time, it exposes the products or services it promotes, but always discreetly, following the editorial line and the format of the medium in which it is shown.
This type of advertising must be relevant for the intended user. 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 advertisement, they will receive it in a much more positive way 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 must follow this step by step:
-Identify audience: The first step is to identify the audience you want to reach with your message. To do this, you must 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 must know which platforms your buyer persona uses. Choose the one you spend the most time on (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 adds value. Use a tone and style that resonates with him. If you consume entertainment content, you use memes. If you prefer news or information, create informative or educational content.
-Optimize: Since the “Useful Content” update, Google is very picky about the content that is published. Even if you created an informative article, you have to use the “sponsored content” or “ad” tags if you don’t want to receive a penalty. Likewise, optimize your content for mobile devices.
There are many examples of native advertising, from Google Ads and Facebook Ads, which appear on the search results page and the feed from Facebook, camouflaged as normal content, to brand blogs, where they offer advice on topics related to their products.
