Native advertising promotion strategies in modern conditions
Native advertising promotion strategies in modern conditions
Native advertising, or as it is often called in professional circles, native network advertising, has become one of the key tools for arbitrageurs and marketers. With growing banner blindness and the widespread use of ad blockers, traditional formats are losing their effectiveness. Users are tired of aggressive and intrusive creatives. This is where native advertising reveals its potential, offering a more subtle and organic approach to attracting audience attention.
The essence of native advertising lies in its mimicry of the main content of the platform on which it is hosted. This can be a blog article, a news item on an information portal, or a recommendation in a social network feed. Thanks to this approach, native network advertising is perceived by the user not as a direct commercial offer, but as useful or interesting information. This significantly reduces the rejection rate and increases the likelihood of a click and subsequent conversion. For traffic arbitration, this means a higher CTR, high-quality traffic and, as a result, an improved ROI.
Choosing the right native advertising network
The first and perhaps the most important step in dealing with native traffic is choosing the right advertising network. The modern market offers dozens of platforms, each with its own characteristics, audience, and rules. The choice depends on the vertical you're working with, geo-targeting, and budget.
Large networks such as Taboola or Outbrain offer huge amounts of traffic from news and content sites around the world. They are great for broad coverage and working with verticals such as interior, merchandise, or finance. However, the entry threshold and moderation requirements can be quite high here. For beginners or for those who work with more "gray" offers, there are specialized networks that are more loyal to creatives and landing pages. When choosing a platform, it is important to analyze not only the CPC, but also the quality of the traffic it delivers. Native network advertising requires a thorough analysis of sources.
The key aspect is the possibility of detailed targeting. Modern native advertising networks allow you to set up campaigns by geography, devices, operating systems, browsers, and even by audience interests. The more precisely you can set up targeting, the more relevant your audience will be and the higher the chances of success. Do not forget about the optimization possibilities: the presence of blacklists and whitelists (blacklist / whitelist) for platforms is a mandatory feature for effective arbitration.
Creating effective creatives and headlines
A creative in native advertising is a combination of an image and a title. It depends on them whether the user clicks on your ad or ignores it. Unlike banner ads, which often use bright and flashy images, native network advertising requires a more natural approach.
The images should look organic in the context of the donor site. Often, stock photos don't work best, but "live", amateur photos that inspire more trust. For example, for a weight loss offer, instead of a polished photo of a fitness model, you can use an image of an ordinary person showing the result "before and after". The picture should be intriguing, but not overtly promotional.
Headlines are 80% of the success of a creative. They should be catchy, arouse curiosity, and promise a solution to any problem. Approaches based on storytelling or "shocking" facts work well. For example, instead of "A remedy for joint pain", you can use "Doctors were shocked when they found out about this cheap remedy that restores joints in 3 days." Such a headline creates intrigue and motivates you to find out more details. Native network advertising is very sensitive to the quality of headlines.
The role of prelanding in the sales funnel
Almost no successful arbitration campaign using native advertising is complete without prelanding, or "laying". This is an intermediate page between an advertisement and a landing page with an offer. Its main task is to "warm up" the user, prepare him for the purchase and increase the level of trust.
Prelanding is usually disguised as a news article, personal blog, or expert review. The story mentioned in the creative's title is described in detail here. For example, if the headline promised to tell about the secret of a famous doctor, then an article will be posted on the landing page, allegedly written on his behalf or in the format of an interview with him. This approach allows you to smoothly bring the user to the product, describe its advantages and remove possible objections. The network's native advertising works in conjunction with prelanding for maximum conversion.
The structure of effective prelanding usually includes:
Problematization. The beginning of the article describes a problem familiar to the target audience (excess weight, health problems, financial difficulties).
The history of the solution. The story is told about how the hero of the article (or the author himself) found a solution to this problem using the advertised product. The story should be emotional and empathetic.
Product presentation. The product is presented as a unique and effective solution. You can also add other people's reviews and comments that create social proof.
Call to Action. At the end of the article, links are placed to the main landing page, where the user can already perform a target action (submit a request, buy a product).
Using high-quality prelanding allows you to significantly increase the conversion rate, since an already interested and "warm" audience gets to the main landing page. Native network advertising becomes much more effective when using this tool correctly.
Campaign optimization and scaling
Launching an advertising campaign is just the beginning. The real job of an arbitrageur is to constantly analyze, test, and optimize. Native network advertising provides ample opportunities for this.
The first step is to set up a tracker to track all key metrics: CTR, CR, EPC, ROI. Without this data, any optimization will be blind. After receiving the first data (usually 1-2 conversion rates per site are enough), you can start analyzing it.
The main optimization tool in native networks is working with sites (donor sites). It is necessary to identify and disable (add to the blacklist) those sites that spend the budget but do not bring conversions. Conversely, sites with high ROI can be placed in a separate campaign (whitelist) and gradually increase the bid on them to get more high-quality traffic. Native network advertising requires constant monitoring of sources.
In parallel with the optimization of the sites, it is necessary to conduct A/B testing of creatives. Rotate several image and title options at once to determine the most clickable and conversion bundles. Even a small change in the headline can dramatically change the campaign's performance. Native network advertising is a field for constant experimentation.
When you have found a profitable combination (offer + creative + prelanding + whitelist), the scaling stage begins. There are several ways to scale:
Increase the bid on current profitable campaigns.
Launch similar campaigns on other GEO sites.
Transfer of the successful bundle to other native advertising networks.
It is important to remember that when scaling, it is necessary to closely monitor the indicators, since an increase in traffic volumes can lead to audience burnout and a decrease in ROI.
In conclusion, native network advertising remains one of the most promising and stable sources of traffic for arbitration in modern realities. It requires a more thoughtful and creative approach than classical media buying, but with the right strategy it can bring consistently high income. Success here depends on the ability to choose the right networks, create catchy creatives, build effective funnels using prelanding, and, of course, constantly analyze and optimize your campaigns. Native network advertising is a tool for thinking arbitrageurs.