At some point, every content marketer has considered getting their work featured on Forbes or Business Insider. Why not? With 66 million readers worldwide, Forbes is a powerful platform to get your company featured. It’s not difficult to get a feature placed on one of the most popular internet media properties in the world. You can work with a PR firm, get in touch with the magazine’s editorial staff, or even partner with frequent contributors.

But you have two quite significant problems. First off, you may lose up to $9,500 for just one mention on Forbes. Secondly, it may require several months to eventually land a feature on the website.

Fortunately, we offer a more straightforward method that enables you to share your content with hundreds of media outlets for less money than it usually takes for a single sponsored post.

What Are Native Advertising Platforms?

Instead of going directly through a publisher or PR company — which, as we saw, can be cost-prohibitive — native advertising platforms provide a cost-effective medium for placing ads on multiple sites.

The most popular native ad networks in 2023 are:

• Taboola
• Outbrain
• Nativo
• Revcontent
• MGID
• TripleLift
• Dianomi

Each platform has a vast network of publishers and advertisers. For instance, in the native advertising example above, Babbel used Taboola. The Taboola network has a broad reach, distributing content to thousands of media outlets, including Business Insider, NBC News, and Bloomberg.

Babbel didn’t have to talk to the Business Insider team before displaying their content on the site; instead, they used Taboola. These networks operate similarly to Facebook’s Business Manager. All you need to do is create killer content for a campaign, specify your target audience, and set a bid. The platform will do the rest of the work for you.

Recommendation widgets are one of the most common native advertising examples on sites such as Forbes or Business Insider, but they aren’t the only format. Other formats include:

• Search ads: Sponsored content appearing at the top and sometimes further down in the search engine results pages
• Promoted products: Ads on e-commerce sites like Amazon and Shopify for products similar to other items on the page
• In-feed ads: Sponsored posts that are displayed on social media feeds

Once you know what they are, you will likely start spotting native ads everywhere you look online.

How Content Marketers Use Native Advertising

Top SaaS organizations and eCommerce enterprises are turning to native advertising as a preferred alternative to Facebook Ads.

Most SaaS firms and agencies have been using native advertisements to assist their content marketing strategy, but many eCommerce marketers still view them as a means of directly promoting their products (which isn’t always the best plan, by the way).

Chatfuel

A no-code chatbot platform, Chatfuel, has been promoting how-to articles across the Taboola and Outbrain networks for a few years. By distributing top-funnel content with native ads, the company boosts brand awareness and likely collects audiences for future retargeting campaigns.

Voodle

Voodle is a video messaging platform for remote teams. By combining content marketing and native advertising, the company helps its target audience overcome the challenges of remote work and embrace its benefits.

Each native advertising example we’ve listed demonstrates how to use the format to reach target audiences best. If you want to promote your content across large media outlets with native ads, you’ll need to follow these tips:

• Choose a platform offering a relevant network: Do you want to distribute your content across sites focusing on financial and business news? You might want to explore Dianomi. Do you want to reach the broadest possible audience? Taboola and Outbrain work well. It’s also worth paying attention to which countries in a specific network drive the highest percentage of traffic.
• Choose your targeting parameters wisely: Specifying your target audience’s basic demographics is enough to expand your reach using a recommendations platform. However, advanced targeting options, such as lookalike audiences or interest-based targeting, perform better with social media-sponsored posts.
• Use ad headlines to filter out irrelevant audiences and attract the right people: Understanding your audience helps you develop headlines that target that audience. You can use software like Writer to help you create eye-catching headlines using artificial intelligence.
• Maintain a focus on user experience: Keeping your audience in mind ensures you craft content that adds value for viewers. You don’t want to pay for ads that result in a high bounce rate. Also, remember to maintain your brand’s voice in your ad content.
• Keep track of CTRs and user behavior metrics: Tracking metrics — such as time on page and scroll depth — on a publisher level provides insight into ad performance. If specific sites deliver many visitors who hardly ever read through your content, it’s best to exclude them.

What Are The Advantages of Using Native Advertising Over Traditional Digital Advertising?

Characterized by their subtle integration with surrounding content, native ads offer a non-disruptive approach that resonates with users, setting them apart from traditional banner advertisements. Spending on native advertising in the United States saw a sharp increase of 37% in 2021, and experts project it will reach nearly $99 billion by the end of 2023.

Blending in, Standing Out

Unlike conventional banners or pop-ups that interrupt the user experience, native ads match the form and function of the platform they appear on. Whether presented as articles, videos or social media posts, native ads effortlessly blend into overall aesthetics and user behavior, making them less intrusive and more enjoyable for the audience.

Positive Engagement and Credibility

The statistics speak volumes. Consumers are 25% more likely to engage with native ads than traditional banners, and 53% of native ad engagement is positive. They allow brands to establish credibility and build trust, fostering a positive experience that resonates with potential customers.

Unlocking Valuable Benefits

Investing in native advertising yields numerous advantages for businesses. Native ads allow brands to reach a broader audience without disrupting online activities, enhancing brand exposure and awareness. A study jointly released by IPG Media Group, Forbes and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University found consumers have a 59% higher chance of remembering native ads compared to display ads. Additionally, they provide a platform for delivering valuable, relevant and engaging content, effectively educating consumers about products or services and driving interest and consideration.

Elevating Conversion Rates

As consumers are more likely to trust authentic and helpful brands, the positive engagement and credibility of native ads are vital in influencing purchase decisions and boosting the overall conversion rate for brands and publishers.

Advantages of Native Ads for Brands

Native ads have emerged as a powerful brand strategy. Seamlessly integrated into the user’s browsing experience, these ads offer many advantages. Let’s look at a few.

• Enhanced engagement: Native ads provide a user-friendly experience to viewers, fusing with the content they consume. This integration fosters higher engagement rates, as users are more likely to interact with ads that feel like a natural extension of their browsing journey. Here is where native advertising shines. Research has found native ads have a far better click-through rate than standard display ads — 8.8 times higher, to be exact. People look at native ads 53% more than traditional advertisements and native ads make people 18% more likely to want to buy something. Native ads make people like a brand 9% more than banner ads. Plus, people engage with native content as much or more as they engage with conventional articles and content.
• Audience optimization: Native advertising platforms offer powerful targeting capabilities, allowing brands to tailor their content based on user behavior, preferences and interests. This level of audience optimization ensures the correct message reaches a receptive audience, increasing the ad campaign’s overall impact. By understanding your audience’s preferences, you can create content that resonates with users, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.
• Improved brand perception: By leveraging native advertising, businesses can align their content with the publishing platform, resulting in a consistent and smooth user experience. This alignment helps improve brand perception and creates a lasting impression in consumers’ minds, enhancing brand affinity. As people associate your brand with valuable and authentic content, they are more likely to develop positive sentiments toward it, increasing brand loyalty.

Benefits for Publishers Using Native Advertising

Native advertising presents a lucrative opportunity for publishers seeking effective monetization strategies. Retaining editorial control while providing non-disruptive user experiences, native ads boost revenue and user retention and foster valuable brand partnerships in the following ways.

• Editorial control: Publishers retain full control over the appearance and placement of native ads on their platform. This control ensures the ads fit into the overall content, maintaining the platform’s integrity and offering a cohesive user experience. By integrating native ads into their editorial style, publishers can preserve their content’s authenticity while still effectively monetizing their platform.
• Increased revenue: Native ads present a lucrative revenue stream for publishers. In a world of “banner blindness,” native ads stand out by providing valuable content that attracts more eyes. Advertisers are willing to pay a premium for the heightened visibility and engagement native ads offer, leading to increased revenue for publishers. Additionally, by providing various formats, publishers can cater to different brands, attracting a diverse pool of advertisers. Native advertising ROI offers a highly advantageous strategy for publishers seeking successful marketing solutions. One survey conducted by Sharethrough/IPG Media Labs showed that native ads can lead to an 18% increase in purchase intent compared to other types of advertisements.
• Improved user experience: Non-disruptive native ads improve user experience, encouraging users to spend more time on the platform. This increased user satisfaction boosts retention and loyalty, ultimately benefiting publishers in the long run.
• Building partnerships: Native advertising attracts more brands to partner with publishers. As brands recognize the value of fostering genuine connections with consumers, publishers can secure long-term relationships, establishing a thriving and sustainable advertising ecosystem.

Advantages of Native Ads for the Consumer

Consumers benefit from native advertising’s integration and engaging content. Unobtrusive and personalized, these ads enhance user experiences by delivering relevant content, building trust and creating meaningful connections with native advertising and user engagement in these three ways.

• Enhanced user experience: Native ads can harmoniously blend with the user’s browsing experience, creating a more enjoyable and less disruptive environment. Consumers appreciate native ads’ subtle nature, leading to reduced frustration and an overall positive perception of advertisements. As a result, users are more likely to willingly engage with these ads, making them an effective means of conveying the brand’s message.
• Engaging content: Native ads deliver valuable and relevant content to consumers, even if they choose not to click. This focus delivers a rewarding journey, encouraging people to interact with your ad and the brand it represents.
• Relevance and personalization: Native ads leverage user data to deliver highly personalized content that aligns with individual preferences and interests. This targeted approach ensures users receive content relevant to their needs, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

Advertising Tips for Small Business

1. Target the Right Audience

One of the best ways to maximize your budget and spend your ad dollars efficiently is to ensure you’re reaching your business’s target audience. To do this, first make a profile of your target customer. You can survey your existing customer base, or refer to demographic information you’ve already gathered about your audience, including details included in mailing list sign-ups. Once you have a demographic profile of your target customer, choose advertising platforms that make sense for that audience and your location.

2. Advertise Where Your Audience Is

Now that you understand who your target market is, do your research on the various ad platforms available to make sure your advertisement will reach your target customer. For example, if your target consumer is under 21 years old, mobile advertising through Snapchat might be a great choice. If you’re considering print, broadcast or outdoor advertising, request a media kit before purchasing ad space to make sure the demographics make sense for your targeting.

3. Track and Measure Success

It’s important that you evaluate the performance of your advertising campaign so that you can make informed decisions about future ad decisions. Digital ads make it easy to track the success of your efforts; social and PPC ad platforms give you detailed reports on how much you spend, how efficiently you spend your budget, the best-performing ad creative, and the demographics of the people who engage with your ads. You can get a sense of how many people click on your digital ads and what percentage of those people go on to make a purchase or take another desired action on your business website.

It’s important to ensure when people make a purchase that you back all your hosted content with a CDN to ensure your content is delivered more quickly. With broadcast and outdoor advertising, it can be more difficult to measure success. Consider using a unique URL, email address, or phone number in those ads, so you can see how much interest they generate. Or, include an offer code that can be used for a discount on your website. If you use a unique code for each ad you create, you’ll be able to compare the success of all your advertisements.

4. Get the Timing Right

If you don’t have the budget to advertise all year long, it’s best to run your ad campaigns during the most effective times of the year. Study your business earnings and identify your busiest seasons. Maybe, if you’re a retail business, your peak season is during the December holidays. Or, if you run a landscaping business, you’re probably busiest during spring and summer. Advertising during the time of year when people are most likely to pay for your products and services can increase your return on investment.

5. Try Remarketing Strategies

Remarketing is relevant for most forms of digital advertising. It involves targeting your ads at people who have visited your website before but haven’t converted to paying customers. You can create highly personalized ads to engage with these users, based on what they previously viewed on your website. These ads will then be more relevant to the customer and with engaging copy or a discount offer, you can hopefully convince the person to convert.