Going Native: A Guide to Native Advertising for Small Businesses

A reporter was commissioned to write this in-depth article via NewsLauncher.

Since the first website banner ad appeared more than 20 years ago, the web has changed dramatically, marketing included. Though it might not strictly be true that we’re more likely to climb Mount Everest than click on a banner ad, there’s no doubt that banners have lost their mojo. Relying solely on them to promote your brand makes as much sense now as paying five bucks at an Internet café for 15 minutes in a chat room.

“Content marketing is the only marketing left,” ad guru Seth Godin has famously said. In other words, it’s no longer enough to just position your product in front of potential customers, cross your fingers, and hope for a hit. Now you have to earn their loyalty and trust by telling them stories they want to hear—and share.

But who writes these stories, and where do they appear? That’s where native advertising comes in.

For small businesses, this brave new native world can be daunting. For one thing, there’s the terminology, including 20-plus names for the same thing: sponsored content, custom editorials, promoted posts, and so on. Then there’s the fact that advertising regulators have yet to agree on exactly how such content should be labeled. And some digital publishers remain nervous about breaching their readers’ trust.

But with major names like Forbes and The New York Times embracing sponsored articles, and U.S. spending on native expected to increase from $1.3 billion in 2013 to $9.4 billion in 2018, this is a strategy that no small business can afford to ignore.

What Is Native Advertising?

Native ads are typically articles appearing on business, entertainment, or general news sites, written and published for a fee. That fee is paid by a business looking to draw traffic to its own site or product—just like with a traditional display ad.

But native ads aren’t explicitly selling anything at all. In style and subject matter, they fit naturally with a site’s regular content.

“Brands that utilize sponsored articles are seeking to inform, educate, and entertain an audience, rather than sell to it,” says the Media Buyer’s Guide to Sponsored Editorial Content, produced by Digital Relevance.

“By publishing relevant, thoughtful, useful, and compelling content, brands can evolve into more than just companies that make and sell things; they can become producers of ideas and distributors of knowledge. The result is greater exposure, readership, loyalty, and relevance in the lives of their consumers.”

All of which sounds terrific for business. But what does a native ad look like? And how do you know when you’re reading one? (Spoiler alert: it’s happening right now.)

Buzzfeed is a good example. Known for its hilarious “listicles,” this wildly popular site depends almost entirely on native ad revenue. A story like Ten Phrases That Have Totally Different Meanings Once You Have Children, sponsored by Allstate, is guaranteed to appeal to a new parent. That new parent will one day be in need of an insurance policy. And since Allstate just amused and empathized with them, there’s a good chance they’ll eventually look to that company to provide it.

Or, at least, a much better chance than with a regular ad. The 2014 Native Advertising Roundup proved that 25 percent more consumers looked at sponsored articles than display ad units. More important, compared with banner ads, native ads produced 18 percent higher lift in purchase intent, and 9 percent higher lift in brand affinity.

Taking the Plunge

Before you go native, keep a few things in mind.

First, to quote Steven Covey, “Think win-win or no deal.” A good fit between your brand and your chosen publisher is crucial. Make sure your content enhances a site’s credibility, and the credibility of your content (and your brand) will be enhanced in kind.

Second, budget sensibly. A good number of the 2.73 million blog posts published daily worldwide will gladly feature your sponsored content for as little as $100. At the other end of the scale, $150,000 will buy you three months of unlimited native articles at Forbes. Regardless of where they stand on the pricing scale, don’t waste money at sites that won’t work for your brand.

Third, don’t betray the reader. A sponsored story that tries too transparently to promote a specific product will lose readers faster than a blow-by-blow account of paint drying. The hard sell will take a hard fall, every time.

Finally, don’t forget to market your content. The days of “publish and pray” are over. Even with your native ads featured at high-visibility sites, you can always do more to divert potential customers towards them. Social media remains a powerful tool: your followers may be sick of in-feed ads, but they still love to read a good story.

The best native advertising is relevant, authoritative, and authentic. It taps into the timeless human desire for compelling narrative, and adds value to publishers as well as sponsors. And it is absolutely here to stay.