Leave Native Advertising Behind

Leave Native Advertising Behind

Native advertising fails on so many levels – and very few get it right.

Native advertising has been getting a lot of attention the past few years making it a multi-billion dollar industry. But the results don’t match the hype for most marketers. It’s time to rethink your native advertising strategies.

Native Advertising Takes Off

U.S. native advertising spending reached about $2.36 billion in 2013, accounting for nearly 40 percent of paid social ad costs and the pace doesn’t seem to be slowing. We’re seeing it on every major website, sometimes done well, sometimes done so poorly that it causes an uproar. Who can forget the Scientology disaster on the Atlantic Monthly, for instance?

The cost of native advertising isn’t cheap either. A Business Insider post, at the very least, costs $5,000. Some are paying as much as $40,000 a post. A post like that could create 20 million impressions, but the research shows that it doesn’t pay off in the way one would want. 

The Fundamental Problem with Native Advertising

By definition, native advertising seeks to meld ads with non-sponsored content, so that one is barely distinguishable from the other. This is a fundamental problem that will ultimately destroy the advertising model. Like early failed advertising methods, it seeks to trick users into accepting the authority of the website as holding true for the sponsored content.

But users must be able to distinguish ads from content. FTC rules on other forms of advertising make that very clear. For now, the agency has chosen not to get involved. User voices, however, should alert advertisers to the trouble. Consumers often see such ads as misleading. Users feel misled when they see ads present as actual content, especially with video. 

Content Marketing Simply Works Better

For most purposes, content marketing simply works better. Native advertising is only effective when it presents truly useful content, which can be done much more affordably on your own website. And native ads simply don’t convert well. They produce many impressions but few actual leads and often no sales whatsoever. Their greatest strength lies in brand awareness and many see that type of advertising as an enormous waste of money in itself. If it doesn’t convert, it doesn’t make sense.

Your dollars are better spent on developing strong content and improving the customer experience. Your content reaches those most likely to have a need for your product and sets the expectation for potential customers. Your customer experience is the delivery on that expectation. The successful fulfillment of these two objectives results in repeat business and growth by word of mouth.

efelle creative can help you develop a stronger content strategy.

Web marketing brings together many elements to create a successful growth strategy. Design and content are vital parts of that strategy. Content efelle creative by calling 206.384.4909 or setting up a free web marketing consultation using our online contact form. We’ll show you how to create winning strategies that build your brand and sales through online marketing.