In recent years, news publishers have seen native advertising grow as a revenue source. Learning how to deliver desirable content that attracts an increasingly distracted audience is key to the success of native advertising.

During this week’s INMA Webinar, Growing native advertising sales through personalisation with Amedia, Sara Narvhus Oksdøl, CEO of Amedia’s Native Advertising Studio, shared how the company has learned to deliver native content that is relevant to its audience while generating satisfying results for advertisers.

Providing paid content with the style and format of the platform it is on, native advertising is successful because it seamlessly blends information with the type of experience the user is looking for. With the decline in print advertising, Oksdøl said, native advertising has filled the void.

Why it works

Amedia has identified some of the key factors that make it so successful, and Oksdøl told INMA members it has higher CPM rates than banner ads because of the content’s relevance — and because audiences have developed “banner blindness” and tend to ignore display ads.

Native advertising, conversely, “delivers content that adds value, educates, entertains, or informs rather than solely focusing on promotion. They offer a fresh, integrated approach [and] use compelling headlines to capture user’s attention, encouraging them to engage with the content.”

Further adding to the appeal of native advertising is that when it appears in a trusted publication, users tend to see the ads as more credible: “Native ads benefit from the trust users placed in the platform,” she said. As more audiences access content via mobile, native ads integrate well with the limited screen space, too.

“So the success of native advertising is closely tied to the ability to deliver relevant and valuable content in a way that respects the user experience,” Oksdøl said. “And by aligning with the preferences and behaviours of modern audiences, native advertising has become a valuable tool for advertisers seeking effective engagement and brand exposure.”

A changing market

As consumer behaviours continue changing and technology evolves, advertising strategies will change and the growth for native advertising appears bright. According to eMarketer, digital display advertising remains stable, comprising about 60% of ad spend, and native advertising is increasing.

“As publishers, we have great competitive advantages going forward when it comes to native advertising,” she said. “And that is especially true when it comes to trust. High-trust media environments provide a conducive atmosphere for brands to connect with their target audience in a positive and impactful way.”

In addition to trust, publishers have a competitive edge with data. An increased focus on the subscription economy means news media companies have an immense amount of data from readers. For example, Amedia sees about 700,000 logged-in users on its sites every day, and it has quality data on what type of content they consume.

“This means we also have quality information on our readers and their interests. That gives us a great opportunity.”

Appealing to audiences

Armed with trust and data, publishers may have the advantage, but they have to present content in an appealing way to get the results they want. Using different types of creative to reach different target groups is essential: “When the content aligns closely with the interests, needs, and preferences of the target audience, it leads to higher engagement, improved brand perception, and increased conversion rates,” Oksdøl said.

Relevant content captures the audience’s attention because it addresses their specific concerns and interests, she added, and users are more likely to notice and engage with content that speaks directly to them.

“This extended engagement also provides advertisers with a longer opportunity to convey their message,” she said, which solves the challenge of getting people to spend time with an advertiser’s brand or message. That makes it a win-win for the reader and for the advertiser — and, of course, ultimately for the publisher, too.

Some of the ways Amedia leverages the appeal of native advertising include tapping into the audiences’ emotions and aspirations, positioning the brand as being knowledgeable and customer-centric, and ensuring that the content is of value to users.

“The content that directly addresses users’ pain points and actually offers solutions is more likely to lead to conversions,” she said. “Consumers trust brands that understand and actually address their specific needs. Also when people find the content more valuable, they’re more likely to share it with their network. This extends the reach of the advertising message.”

Making it personal

Using examples from Amedia campaigns, Oksdøl showed INMA members how it used native advertising and personalisation to create successful content-driven campaigns. Personalisation plays a key role in native advertising: “Personalisation … has the potential to drive brand value and purchase, which can be much larger values [than CTRs] but they’re harder to measure,” she said. And going forward, the success of native advertising will depend on it.

“It’s about leveraging the data and the analytics to understand your advertisers’ target groups, unique needs, preferences, and behaviours, and then using those insights to create relevant experiences that increase engagement, loyalty, and ultimately conversions,” Oksdøl said. “My advice is that you should work on how to use your data to personalise your content at scale going forward.”

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