The Future of Mobile Content: Native Ads

The Future of Mobile Content: Native Ads

Content consumption has changed drastically over the past few years and people these days are consuming more content than ever before. Social media has an immense effect on how people consume content now.

A study found that 68% of smartphone users unlock their phones everyday within 15 minutes of waking up and an average mobile user checks their phone 110 times a day. No matter why people use their phones, mobile devices are pretty much a part and parcel of people’s lives.

Therefore, it is a huge opportunity and as well as challenge for brands is to make sure that users are discovering their content. So, a savvy marketer will offer mobile optimized websites and natively placed content to today’s mobile-first consumers.

What is Native advertising?

Native advertising is all about placing an ad on a website, social media or app in such a way that it looks like a part of the design, layout and content of that platform.

In layman’s language, native advertising is basically paid ad content which is camouflaged as the actual content. It can be included in various ways such as, articles, videos, ads, infographics, etc. Content promoted natively provides value to the consumer and also meets the desired aim of selling a product or a service.

It is a non-interruptive way of promoting any product or service which helps to build powerful brand credibility. Since these ads are strategically placed on web pages with similar content, they seem well-disguised and a part of actual content on that site.

Native advertising has become extensively popular in the mobile ad world. A study shows that users are 25% more likely to respond to a native ad than a usual display banner ad. It has proven to be more effective as compared to the interruptive and pop-up ads that most smartphone users resist.

Reasons why Native Advertising works

There are many reasons why consumers prefer native advertisement to any other type of advertising methods. Here are some of them:

1.           People actually see native ads

Consumers actually notice in-feed and native ads more than typical ad banners.

2.           Fetches more views than editorial

Natively placed ads get more views and attention than standard editorial content.

3.           No distraction

Modern audiences resist conventional advertisements like pop-ups and banners.  They use ad-blocking software just to ignore those interruptive ads. Basically, people hate being interrupted. This is the reason why native advertising is so powerful and effective.

4.           Great for branding

97% of mobile media buyers claim that native ads have been extensively responsible in achieving their business goals.

5.           Drives Purchases

Native ads drives higher conversion rate as compared to the banner ads.

6.           Native Advertisers knows their audience

Native ads are crafted around a profound understanding of the ad placement environment and the needs of that platform’s users. Native ads are placed in such a way that consumers find them useful.

7.           Seamless advertising

All the social networking giants (including Facebook , Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr) have developed their revenue model around native ads, as they are aware that it is the most effective and seamless way of advertising.

Benefits of Native Advertising

Native advertising has plenty of benefits for both advertisers and the users. Let’s look at few of them:

a.           Improved user experience

Pop-ups and display banner ads hinder a user’s mobile browsing experience with irrelevant ads. As opposed to that, native ads do not interrupt the mobile browsing experience of a user. It effortlessly engages a user by analyzing his/her online behaviors and interests.

b.           Higher conversion rates

Native ads are more likely to engage a consumer because the ad content caters to their interests and doesn’t essentially look like an ad. Since native advertisements fetch more views than conventional advertisements, they naturally have higher conversion rates. It helps brands to build reliability and a positive rapport with their users.

c.            Deterministic ID tracking

 One of the key benefits of native advertising is that it allows the advertiser to reach their targeted viewers via deterministic ID tracking. This way, advertisers can reach individual users and access their online and offline behavior data which is extremely helpful in placing personalized native ads.

If you are a marketer who is looking to incorporate native ads into their mobile marketing strategy, below are the crucial key pointers you need to consider:

     I.                  Good content is key

You ad content must be of high quality, appealing and meticulously targeted to the desired group of viewers. Native ads must be contextually similar and relevant to the actual content on the page as they are placed within a website’s editorial. It should seamlessly mix into actual content and behave like an integral part of it. Therefore, marketers need to pay key attention to the design and the format of the native ad.

   II.                  Set KPIs

KPIs should be set to measure the success of native ads. It will ensure that the growth is tracked and ROI is calculated accurately. Monitor the major business metrics such as viewability, engagement, and time spent with the content in order to measure success based on specific goals and targets.

 III.                  Transparency

Transparency is extremely important when it comes to native ads. They may be seamlessly integrated to the actual content but they must be labeled accurately as native ads. Being transparent and relevant helps in building trust in the long run and boosts profitability.

Conclusion:

Soon, the advertising industry will witness a considerable increase in native ad spend.  However, to keep up with the current pace of content consumption, this growth has to be rapid. To make the most of the countless benefits of native advertising, marketers should carefully analyze the consumer behavior and interest. This is the high time for Brands to integrate native advertising into their ad campaigns to stay ahead of everyone else, boost conversion rates and create a positive brand value.