Earlier, we published guide about banner ads and how to create stunning banner ads. So in this article we focused on Native ads and its comparison with banner advertising. Let’s roll!
What Is Native Advertising?
Native advertising is virtual content that lines up with a publication’s house style, and blends in snugly. It is designed to be non-intrusive, and fit the natural editorial style, with one distinctive detail: Native ads must not be deceptive. They must indicate in some fashion that they are adverts, whether with watermarks or through the products they sell.
How ads look on the sites of publishers varies from advert to advert, but the general guidelines are that as well as blending in with the site and being non-intrusive, they contain a thumbnail image that is displayed in the campaign, a headline of the main text which promotes the site, service or product, and that the brand name is promoted.
According to Kevel, in 2020, 62% of mobile display ads were Native, resulting in a revenue intake of $53.4 billion (yikes!).
There are multiple ways that Native ads can be presented on publishers' sites. Generally, the publication is divided into squares and a single campaign can be shown once in a Native ad spot, as shown here:
Conversely, Native ads with several thumbnails can show numerous creatives from one campaign with TrafficStars. Once again, it all depends on the nature of your campaign and how the publisher chooses to present it.
This makes sense when you consider how effective Native ads can be. According to OutBrain, users see Native ads 53% more than display ads. They also report that Native ads create an 18% increase in purchase intent, and the visual engagement with Native ads is the same, and higher than the original editorial content. Due to this, advertisers must ensure that they are transparent with their ad distribution.
Technical recommendations
For the best visual on the publishers' sites, it is generally recommended that ad thumbnails are presented as cubes with a width and length both of 1500px and a ratio of 4:3. Headlines tend to be 80 characters max, and brand names 30 characters max. Other factors such as correct grammar and not going ALL CAPS are standard and should be taken into account also.
TrafficStars – Native Ads platform
If this has piqued your interest, user-friendly echelons like TrafficStars allow you to create a Native ads platform and reap the benefits of Native traffic. There are multiple benefits including CPMv (CPM viewable), a pricing model exclusive for Native ads. Under this, users pay per thousand impressions in the visible area of the screen. This means you pay for ad impressions if 30% of the ad is displayed on the user’s screen for at least one second.
Examples of Native Advertising Placements
There are many ways that Native ads can fit a publisher’s website: between content, in the footer under a video player, etc. Here is an example of native ad placements.
Banners come in many different shapes and sizes. There are 6 sizes that can be animated, video, or interactive. In this guide, you will find a detailed description of the banner ad types.
Native Vs Display Ads
As a publisher or advertiser, it is important to recognize the nuances between each advertising form, and one area where people get confused is the difference between Native ads and display ads. Both forms are similar in that they are widely used and widely profitable. According to WriteCream, the total spending on display ads is expected to reach a market volume of $226.80 billion by 2027. Like Native ads, they are here to stay.
Display ads are image-based (static or animated), often interactive, and are brokered through display networks such as Google Display Network. They often come in the form of banners, square images, and animations, and they will often be oriented around a CTA. The main element that separates them though, is the fact that they are blatant, and it is always clear that they are promoting something. Moreover, it’s usually fairly obvious what they are promoting.
This is a stark contrast with Native ads which, as mentioned before, are designed to blend into the brand and become one with the publication. Also, Native ads are usually static with images, provide browsers with recommended or branded information and provide a great solution for educating audiences by giving them answers they may be looking for.
Native and banner ads costs
With TrafficStars, the top-tier prices for Native ads lie between $0.01 and $0.001 for RON (Run of Network) traffic, and between $0.005 and $0.001 for Partner networks traffic. In simple terms, For Banner ads, minimum bid starts at $0.002 and goes up higher depending on your target and competition. The minimum bid for top-tier GEOs is the same as Native Ads – $0.01.
To put it in a moderate way, the recommended budgets for mid-size companies often begin somewhere between $2-5k a month. Advertisers can even begin with $100 in their pockets to test the process out. A budget of this size gives you enough space to test different approaches, to find the best optimization patterns for a successful campaign. Keep in mind, that prices of distribution are higher with premium publishers.
💡 We recommend you to create separate ad campaigns for different traffic types: RON, Prime and Members Area.
Traffic Volume
Through TrafficStars, you are assured when you buy Native traffic because ads have a high traffic volume there. In fact, TrafficStars gets over 1.7 billion daily impressions. Banner ad volumes even higher with over 2.3 billion impressions per day.
To get your entrepreneurial brain ticking along, it’s helpful to think about the best places to generat traffic. When it comes to traffic volume, the top 10 locations for general advertising, from the best to worst, are as follows.
Native Ads Top-10 GEOs
- 🇺🇸 United States
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇨🇳 China
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇦🇺 Australia
- 🇨🇦 Canada
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇮🇹 Italy
Banner Ads Top-10 GEOs
- 🇮🇳 India
- 🇺🇸 United States
- 🇯🇵 Japan
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇨🇳 China
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇮🇹 Italy
- 🇲🇾 Malaysia
- 🇧🇷 Brazil
🌎 We have traffic from over 200 GEOs. Contact your account manager for details about required GEOs.
Top Converting Verticals
Here are some of the top affiliate marketing verticals that advertisers can use to disseminate their Native and banner ads.
Dating and Webcam
The Dating vertical is arguably one of the most popular, made more so by the pandemic. At the beginning of 2022, reports indicated that the total number of users would reach up to 413 million by the end of the year. That is a happy hunting ground for you to place your ads and promote them through a platform. To see more about the Dating vertical, check out this case study, as it shows some defined conclusions about conversion rates and the importance of understanding your audience.
Video-on-demand
By this category, we mean adult streaming platforms like Adult Time, Hot Movies, Hustler VOD etc. The principle of monetization is similar to Netflix: the user buys a subscription and receives unique content without ads. So instead of watching the next episode of "Ozark", you can choose something more relaxing on the Adult Time.
iGaming
iGaming is an online industry where users can win prizes. There is a geo-specific formatting to follow in each location, which is described thoroughly in regards to India in this case study. Depending on where you are targeting your ads there will be a protocol to be aware of for the best returns. But regardless of this, iGaming is a big industry with lots of potential for traffic.
Games
Mobile games, as well as mainstream video gaming platforms like Steam and Xbox Game Pass, are internationally enjoyed, and their numerous interfaces have spaces for advertising. Once again, if your target audience lives there, these are fruitful locations to generate interest in your products and/or services. TrafficStar has another salient case study on this topic.
Nutra
Nutra, or Nutraceuticals, promotes health and beauty products. Existing in such a broad and varied industry, they have many affiliate networks associated with them, and have top-tier traffic performance. This is because sexual health products, libido-boosting pills and the like are seen by many people, which equates to a wealth of ad visibility and potential engagement. And this case study proves it!
Benefits of Native ads in TrafficStars
Through TrafficStars, you are assured when you buy Native traffic because ads have a high traffic volume there. In fact, TrafficStars gets over 1.7 billion daily impressions. On top of this, you have a viewable CPM model that is readily accessible and indicative of how well your ads are performing. This CPMv model is exclusively available for the Native ad format. Through it, you can plan your next marketing strategy, and find the customers that need you.
Also, the CPM rates are low compared with other platforms, and you get a higher conversion rate compared to banner ads. In short, a smaller expense and potentially a higher return. This is helped by the numerous ad formats that the platform supports and its self-service nature. Also, explicit content is accepted, so you receive additional traffic from that. You also get great support from knowledgeable professionals along the way.
The Verdict
Native ads, and display advertising, is an enterprise that is growing by the day. By 2030, the marketing expenditure on it is likely to have massively increased. What’s more, the products that it encourages designers and publishers to create are innovative, subtle, and generate a lot of traffic.
Native ads have the lowest bid on many platforms and generate a great deal of traffic. If you recall from earlier, Native ads are 53% more visible than display ads, and they also see a whopping 18% increase in purchase intent despite similar engagement levels.
Nevertheless, both ad formats are equally great at generating conversions. If your company is looking to expand or even just experiment with new and snazzy ventures, or target your consumers in a different manner, then both ad formats are great options to go.
