How many of us can’t wait to visit a website on our mobile device and click the pop up banner ad that takes over the page we want? Furthermore, can we remember any of the banners we’ve seen in the past month?
[Crickets chirping…]
Plenty of organizations still spend hard earned money on traditional banner ads, even though average click-through rates are at zero and 50 percent of clicks on mobile ads are accidental.
The message is clear: It’s time to rethink traditional advertising and take notice of native advertising.
What Are Native Ads?
Native ads follow the natural form and function of the user experience in which it’s placed. They connect brands with targeted, engaged audiences by planting content directly into newsfeed streams. Native ads can be news feed ads and sponsored stories on Facebook, lead generation cards and promoted tweets on Twitter, sponsored updates on LinkedIn, or promoted pins on Pinterest.
Are They Better Than Banners?
The answer is simple: YES!
One reason social media ads work so well is because they allow users to consume information without interrupting their normal flow of attention. In other words, the ads don’t disrupt us from what we want to do. Think of a banner ad as a disruptive door-to-door salesman pitch and a native ad as a dinner conversation with a friend.
Social ads also allow you to target your audience in a wider variety of ways than those dreadful banner ads. For this reason, they can be instrumental in finding potential leads by using users’ own shared information to identify interest. Organizations can proactively target relevant prospects rather than reactively targeting prospects who search a certain keyword.
Still not convinced? These five stats prove native advertising outperforms traditional advertising:
- People view native ads 52% more than banner ads
- 56% of banner ads are never seen by humans
- Purchase intent is 53% higher with native ads
- Facebook newsfeed ads drive 28 times higher click through rates at 42% lower cost per click than banner-like right hand column ads
- 32% say the native ad “is an ad I would share with a friend or family member” versus just 19% for banner ads
The Native Future
With social media and mobile technology use steadily on the rise, more organizations are investing in their brand’s social presence. At the same time, social platforms are investing in features that help drive lead generation. The Red Chair Communications team can optimize your social media lead generation to help grow your members and advance your cause in 2016 and beyond.
