Native ads have become an increasingly popular form of advertising lately. While native ads can appear in many different forms, the common goal is to blend in with the page's content without calling attention to themselves. But with today's technology development, especially with the birth of ad blockers, creating a successful native ad is becoming more challenging.
Crafting effective native ads requires skill, strategy, and many other considerations. At its best, however, a successful campaign can lead to major exposure and engagement with your target audience at a very low cost.
If you are looking to sharpen up your native ad skillset this 2023, here are a few tips to get you started on the path toward perfecting your craft!
Smart Native Ads Tactics to Employ
It's not just the behemoth brands that need to get a grip on native ad optimization for 2023! Even smaller businesses that lack the luxury of big-budget campaigns will find that taking a few small steps towards better native advertising optimization can go a long way in engaging with their target audience. After all, employing smart tactics that resonate and ensure their visibility across relevant devices is now at the heart of what successful marketing strategies require.
Knowing user behavior on each platform is key to reaching the right people using creative strategies. However, some minor tinkering can have mind-blowing results, so don't be afraid to take your advertising game up a notch with confidence!
Here are some smart tactics to make your native ads successful this 2023:
1. Improve Your Images
While there is no single "one-size-fits-all" solution for creating successful native advertising campaigns in 2023, research indicates that proper use of imagery can have a powerful impact on your campaign's success. This concept is especially true when considering how people interact with visual elements on smartphones and other mobile devices.
Here are some suggestions on how you can make images work in your next native ads:
Use Lifestyle Images
Lifestyle images are the way to go when it comes to taking your native ads to the next level. They have the power to create a connection with the viewer that generic product images simply cannot attain; putting a face, or perhaps a lifestyle situation, with a product or service can help attract the customer to the brand.
It’s important not to include logos, text, or other elements in your lifestyle image; an overlayed text could easily obscure them, diminishing the overall effect. So stick with stylish and subtle visuals instead.
Run Multiple Assets
Running multiple assets allows you to keep things fresh and engaging for your customers. By constantly mixing up your visuals, you can capitalize on the tendency of consumers to forget a commonly seen image quickly. Plus it helps you avoid banner blindness.
Publish three to five images per creative for maximum impact. This will show you which visuals and headlines are most effective so you can better optimize your ad and avoid ad fatigue by refreshing it regularly.
2. Test Emoticons/Emojis
The world of native advertising can be highly competitive, so your message must stand out. Emoticons are a great way to add interest and personality to the text in your native ad.
People love visuals, even with text, so having these tiny images appear alongside the copy can draw attention. Additionally, emoticons are incredibly versatile — from comical grins to hearts and kisses, you can use emoticons to craft any kind of feel or emotion into your ads.
They also add an element of fun and creativity to your messaging that could make it stand out from other content online.
Testing different emojis are something every advertiser should consider to make their native ads as engaging as possible!
Where can you get emojis to use?
Some native ads networks have this option, as shown below:
For those that don’t, you can search for emojis online and simply copy and paste them to the ad text/title when setting up an ad. One good source is GetEmoji.
3. Try Native Video Ads
With the great potential of native video ads, it's worth giving them a try! Compared to traditional display ads, these videos can attract more attention, generate higher click-through rates, provide a much more engaging experience, and grant users more control over their journey.
You'd be foolish not to consider this exciting option for your digital advertising strategy — native video ads provide rich visuals and sound with a level of authenticity that other forms simply cannot reach.
Furthermore, this type of ad lets you connect with viewers on an emotional level that regular content recommendation ads often miss out on. So go ahead and dip your toes in the wonderful world of native videos — the rewards could be bigger than you imagine!
4. Switch to Mobile Advertising
Native advertising ensures that your ads look and feel seamless on all users' devices — more so with mobile devices.
Mobile devices have become the primary way that people access the internet, with almost half of all web traffic now coming from mobile devices. This means that there is a larger audience available for advertisers to reach through mobile advertising.
Also, users tend to act differently when on mobile devices than when using desktop. There has been an increase in mobile banking and mobile purchases, so now is a good time to test this platform. Users are more comfortable using their mobile phones for transactions now, so grab that opportunity!
5. Exclude Older Devices, Operating Systems, And Browsers In Your Targeting
Native advertisements efficiently convey your message to the right people, offering tailored marketing messages and premium user experiences. However, it's important to remember that many older devices and browsers can't support the ad formats you are using and might not display them correctly.
Not only will this result in wasted impressions and dollars, but it also means a less-than-ideal return on investment for your native ad campaigns. It pays to keep in mind that old browsers may not offer all of the bells and whistles of modern browsers either — so don't risk delivering underwhelming user experiences!
To exclude or include operating systems in Brax, do so when creating or editing a campaign, as shown below:
However, take note that this depends on the ad network you are working with — they must have this option themselves. Revcontent, Taboola, and MGID have this option.
If they don’t have it (like Yahoo Gemini or Outbrain), it will not be possible to target individual OS and browser versions.
6. Convert Your Best Social Media Posts to Native Ads (and vice versa!)
Converting your best social media posts to native ads (and vice versa) can be a highly effective strategy for maximizing the reach and impact of your content. After all, social media is another form of native advertising! What might work there may also work with content recommendations.
By converting your top-performing social media posts into native ads, you can tap into the power of targeted advertising to reach new audiences that may not have seen your original post. Native ads blend seamlessly into the user experience, much like Facebook and Instagram.
Additionally, repurposing successful native ads as social media posts allows you to extend the lifespan of your content and reinforce messaging across multiple channels. By leveraging the strengths of each platform, you can tailor your message for different audiences and optimize engagement.
Converting between social media posts and native ads also allows you to experiment with different formats and creative approaches without starting from scratch each time. This can save time and resources while helping you identify what resonates most with your target audience.
Finally, native ads open up a world of opportunities for companies that can open a Meta Business Page but cannot promote their products because of social media’s restrictions on what can and cannot be promoted.
Check out our case study on we’ve done this successfully for Tommy Chong’s CBD.
In short, converting between social media posts and native ads is a smart way to maximize the value of your content while reaching new audiences across multiple channels.
7. Try The Informative Versus Disruptive Approach
Through native ads, advertisers can present content that blends seamlessly with the surrounding environment while also providing a customized experience tailored to the unique interests of each viewer. However, there is an ongoing debate in the advertising industry around which approach is most effective: informative or disruptive.
The informative approach uses visuals and copy that informs viewers about a product or service in an education-focused manner. This type of ad is designed to give viewers relevant information about products and services and how they can be used in their daily lives.
By taking this route, advertisers aim to provide useful knowledge rather than merely trying to sell something.
On the other hand, disruptive advertising employs flashy graphics, loud colors, and provocative images to grab viewer attention. The goal here is not so much to educate viewers as it is to shock them into taking action.
Disruptive campaigns use surprise and humor to break through the noise of all other advertisement messages competing for attention.
Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer when choosing between an informative or disruptive approach for your native ads — but depending on your goal and the target audience, you should consider which approach best fits your needs.
Informative campaigns can build awareness among consumers and draw them into exploring more details, while disruptive campaigns can create a sense of urgency that encourages immediate action. Take your pick.
8. Remarketing is Still Golden
These days, more and more people are using native ads to reach fresh audiences. But many advertisers forget that remarketing are still just as important in these campaigns.
Here's why:
It keeps your ad relevant.
By targeting specific users who have already interacted with your brand, you can ensure they see an ad tailored to their interests. Plus, you can create highly relevant and personalized ad experiences that are more likely to convert.
It helps build trust.
When a user receives an ad related to something they've already shown interest in, it reinforces the trust and connection between them and the brand. This leads to a higher likelihood of purchasing or consumption of content from the advertiser in the future.
Plus, it helps affirm that you are not a fly-by-night company — you are here to stay, and you’re going strong.
It’s cheaper!
One reason why remarketing ads tend to be cheaper than other types of advertising is because they are targeted specifically at people who are already familiar with your brand. This means you don't need to spend as much money on broad-based awareness campaigns to get your message in front of potential customers.
Another factor that makes remarketing ads more affordable is the fact that they are often less competitive than other types of advertising. Because you are targeting a specific audience rather than trying to appeal to everyone, you may not need to bid as high for ad placements or compete against as many other advertisers.
Retargeting is a powerful advertising option for any native ad campaign, giving brands renewed opportunities to engage with customers through personalized content and experiences. So make sure not to overlook their importance when crafting your next campaign!
If you're not sure how to get started with remarketing, visit our Comprehensive Retargeting Guide.
9. Schedule Your Ads through Dayparting
Dayparting can be a clever strategy for advertisers looking to get the best results from their native ads. By setting the times when the ads appear at specific times during the day or certain days of the week, you can reach your target audience more precisely and you can avoid showing ads to those who are not likely to convert.
For instance, eCommerce offers perform better during lunchtime and after office hours. Why? Because this is the only time viewers can snatch out their credit cards from their wallets!
Another example would be dating ads, which perform better when the weekend is approaching (such as Thursday and Friday nights). Why these days? Because tend to feel lonelier when weekends approach and they don’t have any plans.
However, the best way to learn the best hours of day or days of the week for your ad would be to run some tests. Once you have enough data, then you can optimize these campaigns for better results.
With well-timed dayparting strategies tailored to each platform, advertisers can ensure their ads reach their intended receivers.
10. Monitor Widgets
Analyzing how each widget or placement performs provides critical insights into the success of your advertising campaigns. It will allow you to optimize your ad spending not just based on the performance of different types of content but also on the available placements.
Getting familiar with monitoring widgets can take your digital campaigns up a notch, thus saving you money and increasing your ROI simultaneously!
Here are some tips on how to monitor widgets in native ads:
1. Track viewability
The main goal of any ad campaign is to ensure that viewers interact with the ad. Therefore, it is essential to track the viewability of your widgets to know if viewers are actually seeing them. Use tools like Brax to measure viewability metrics like viewable impressions.
2. Analyze CTR (click-through rate)
Click-through rate (CTR) is an important metric to measure how often viewers click on the ad when they see it. This allows you to get an idea of how engaging your widget is compared to other ads in your network or across competing networks.
Increase CTR by ensuring the widget contains highly relevant content and visuals for each operating system or channel you’re running the campaign on.
Here in Brax, we have two types of CTR: the regular CTR (based on total impressions) and the viewable CTR (based on viewable CTR).
3. Blacklist and Whitelist Widgets
Reaching your CPA goals isn't impossible — and widget blocking is the key to getting there. By carefully evaluating and monitoring the performance of your widgets, you can start to effectively cut down on budget spend and optimize for those widgets that provide profitable conversions.
You'll want to make sure you block any underperforming widgets as they can drag down overall results and throw off your false impression of a bad overall campaign status.
You may also want to create new campaigns using your best creative and buying traffic only from the best widgets/placements.
11. Test The Waters Through A Competitive Starting Bid
Testing the waters through a competitive starting bid can be a terrific way to get the most out of your native advertising efforts. Before launching a campaign, it's important to take the time to research the average and recommended bids for your network based on geolocation, device type, ad type, operating system, and bidding models.
Doing so can help you find the ideal starting point for your campaign — one that won't break the bank but will still give you an edge over the competition.
Once your campaign is rolling, keep tabs on your bid's performance with an eye on the win and click-through rates. If either is lower than optimum levels, consider adjusting accordingly. If wins are low, try increasing your bid, and if click-through rates still aren't high enough, try tweaking the creatives of your ads.
With careful testing, you can reach new heights in your native advertising journey!
Wrapping Up
Crafting impactful native ads for 2023 goes beyond featuring entertaining visuals and snappy taglines.
To make waves in the marketing space, businesses need to tap into their customers’ inner worlds and create multi-layered stories full of emotional value and entertainment.
Whether you insert your brand’s message into a viral video or tell stories through a captivating article, a myriad of opportunities can help you capture your customers’ attention and inject your logo into the conversation in an unforgettable manner.
The idea is to provide users with value while maintaining an engaging and creative approach that speaks to their feelings on a deeper level. With attractive visuals, immersive experiences, useful native ads tracking tools like Brax, and smart personalization tactics, the sky may be the limit when crafting effective native ad campaigns for 2023!
We can help you reach your business goals in 2023 through native ads. Book a demo and let’s talk how!
