The first thing you need to keep in mind when creating your native ad campaign is that the objective is to educate and inform potential customers of your brand and brand message.
You are not building these ads to hard sell. That’s not the purpose, and it’s important to keep that in mind when creating your ads so that they feel authentic, and are tailored to what your target audience is actively seeking out (quality content, informative posts, etc.). If you create your ad correctly, readers will find it very difficult to differentiate between what is sponsored content, and what is informative content or impartial journalism.
How do you do this easily? Always focus on over-delivering exceptional value in the form of highly engaging content that matches the editorial style and tone of the website it’s on. This will not only maximize click-through rates, but will ensure that your ads don’t actually look like ads.
So, rather than direct selling, consider creating helpful videos, interactive tutorials or infographics, or perhaps recipes, if that’s your niche market. You could create humorous pieces, funny video clips, and any other type of content that is focused on engaging with your customer.
When you start off with building high-value sponsored ad campaigns, you will, by default, lead your visitor to your website or product. You won’t even have to ask for the sale, because your brand will be front and center in their mind, and they will actively seek YOU out.
So how do you get started?
By taking a look at a few examples of successful sponsored ad campaigns, of course!
The King of native advertising is BuzzFeed. They have abandoned all traditional advertising methods including banner or display advertising and have chosen to focus only on native advertising, such as promoted posts and articles.
Here are a few examples of highly successful native campaigns on BuzzFeed:
13 Things You’ll Miss Most From Your Twenties, published March 2015.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/youngertv/things-youll-miss-most-from-your-twenties
This advertisement strongly promotes the TV Land brand message without being too in-your-face (even though the entire page promotes their brand with links to their Facebook page, twitter and website). The content is entertaining with different videos, animated cartoons and engaging content that keeps readers browsing the page. This is native advertising done right.
15 Bands That Probably Wouldn’t Exist Without Led Zeppelin, published December 2013.
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/h2/osmo/spotify/bands-that-wouldnt-exist-without-led-zeppelin
Spotify is the sponsor of this highly engaging piece, and what they’ve been able to do with this page has been nothing short of amazing. By tapping into a huge audience of rock fans, they lure in readers with a captivating title and then slam them with great content while casually (and effectively) building brand awareness.
11 Jokes Only Call of Duty Fans Will Get, published October 2013
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/callofduty/jokes-only-call-of-duty-fans-will-get
Any COD gamer will want to read this article that outlines 11 jokes that only COD fans will understand. This sponsored ad on BuzzFeed was created to promote the launch of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and was an instant hit with visitors.
BuzzFeed isn’t the only one with success in native advertising. One of the most hilarious, satirical websites online, The Onion, also features native advertising on their website as does Vanity Fair, Forbes, and Gawker, just to name a few.
By analyzing these examples of successful campaigns, you should have a better understanding of how native advertising works, and how you can make it work for you.
Think:
How can you emulate a successful native ad by imitating what has been proven to work?
What article titles come to mind that would capture your audience’s attention?
What kind of entertainment value can you offer up?
What sort of images, cartoons, trivia, riddles or jokes, or other content would your readers find interesting, and likely to share with others?
Regardless of your industry or niche market, you can easily adapt your ad campaign to focus on engaging methods of driving in traffic, and getting your readers attention, as long as you have a firm understanding of your market and what they are looking for.
If your business is in gaming, think about article titles that would instantly capture attention with your audience. If you are in weight loss, think of a catchy headline such as “10 Pounds in 10 Days”, and go from there.
Keep in mind that your native ad doesn’t have to be too extensive, or even lengthy. The most important component is that it’s informative, and highly entertaining. The more you can engage readers while reminding them of your brand and products, the more successful your native ad will be. So put on the thinking cap, and get to work!