Get All Access for $5/mo

Here Is Why You Should Be Running Native Ads 'Natives' allow you to create ads that are far more interesting to consumers.

By Jonathan Long

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Peopleimages | Getty Images

There are multiple options when it comes to attracting customers online -- promoted social media posts, pay-per-click ads and banner advertising are just a few options to throw your advertising budget at. While these are all very effective, there is another option that you should consider -- native advertising.

It's a form of advertising that's designed to match the look and feel of the website upon which it appears. Kyle Ryan, CEO of Earnify, a native advertising platform for both publishers and advertisers, sees first hand how effective this form of advertising can be for businesses. I recently spoke with Ryan at length about native advertising, and he explained why businesses should be using it in their marketing campaigns.

Businesses of all sizes can benefit.

While native advertising is quite new to the digital advertising space, many brands, big and small, are starting to use it more. Banner ads on some of the larger websites, for example, will often require a large financial commitment, which eliminates the smaller businesses. Most native advertising platforms have very small financial buy-ins to get started, allowing even the smallest businesses to experience native advertising.

Related: 4 Reasons Your Company Should Use Native Advertising

We have run several split-test campaigns pairing traditional ads against native ads, and we have found that native ads consistently received nearly 25 percent more engagement. This is a significant number, especially at scale.

Provides an overall lower cost-per-click.

Native ads provide excellent custom targeting, allowing you to create advertisements that prove to be more interesting to consumers when compared to traditional digital advertising. Cost-wise, native ads are more efficient.

Overall, they are much cheaper because they are so targeted, which results in high click-through rates and a low cost-per-click. Native ads attract clicks because they are not intrusive, unlike in-your-face animated banners and pop-ups.

Native ads attract more genuine interest.

Native ads perform exceptionally well because they don't interrupt the use experience like other forms of advertising, which consumers appreciate. They are marked as advertisements, so it's not a deceptive form of marketing, like some might assume.

Related: 3 Questions to Ask When Deciding Between Content Marketing and Native Advertising

Top performing native ads appear within relevant content, blending in to give a fluid and pleasant user experience to the website visitor. When someone views the ad and click on it you are attracting someone with genuine interest in what you are offering. Attracting a higher quality visitor to your landing page is going to ultimately result in a higher conversion rate. Leads generated via native ads are always going to be high quality because their level of interest is higher.

There is less resistance from the consumer.

In-feed native ads allow you to blend in and not stand out like a conspicuous banner ad. You experience more user engagement because they aren't avoiding your ads like the plague -- which is what happens to the banner ads that typically sit in a website's header areas and right-hand sidebar area.

Related: Native Advertising, a Boon for the Media, Can Help You Cut Through the Noise

Consumers are highly educated when it comes to online marketing -- they have become almost immune to traditional advertisements and their locations. Now is the time to take advantage of the limited resistance and test the effectiveness of native ads for your business.

Ryan founded his native ad platform after being on the other side of the table -- he understood what both the publisher and advertiser required in order to be successful. I have seen several of my consulting clients experience success with native ads and we have a native ad campaign set up for one of my newest companies, a teeth whitening kit, for the upcoming holiday season.

Jonathan Long

Founder, Uber Brands

Jonathan Long is the founder of Uber Brands, a brand-development agency focusing on ecommerce.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Business News

'Let It Go': A Couple Has Spent $400K Suing Disney After Being Banned From the Park's Exclusive 33 Club. Social Media Reactions Have Not Been G-Rated.

After getting banned from the exclusive members-only club for alleged bad behavior, a California couple has spent a fortune trying to get back to paling around with Mickey.

Business News

These Are the Best Cities for Starting a Business — and Surrounding Yourself With Millionaires

Here are 10 U.S. cities that stand out for entrepreneurship, according to a new report.

Business News

Is MySpace Coming Back? An 18-Year-Old Made a Clone and It Just Hit 1 Million Users.

The founder of the MySpace clone website wouldn't have been old enough to sign up for the original when it first launched in 2003.

Side Hustle

How a History Student Turned Her Side Hustle Into a Startup That's Raised $7 Million: "People Always Tell Me, 'I Thought I Had to Major In Computer Science to Be an Entrepreneur'"

Audrey Wisch never imagined she'd be one of those kids who dropped out of college to grow her side hustle into a startup. But with the help of AI, her "human-centric" service is scaling up.

Franchise

Taco Bell's New Mountain Dew Baja Blast Gelato Is Causing a Frenzy — But Fans Have One Big Complaint

The company released the dessert to mark the 20th anniversary of the iconic Mountain Dew Baja Blast, which has garnered a cult-like following since its debut in 2004.