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In the latest episode of our podcast, we sat down with Shaun Hall, the Director of advertising demand partnerships at RevContent, to dig into the intricate world of native advertising in affiliate marketing. He also shared some of the best native advertising examples if you're looking for inspiration.
The insights Hall shared based on his vast industry experience are invaluable for anyone looking to up their affiliate marketing game. In the episode, Hall's insights highlighted the effectiveness of native advertising over traditional methods.
We also discussed the best practices for integrating native ads into WordPress blogs, the importance of maintaining a clear brand voice between ads and landing pages, and how native advertising impacts affiliate marketing.
What is Native Advertising?
Native advertising is advertising that blends so seamlessly with the platform they're hosted on in both feel and function that they don't actually feel like an ad.
(Unlike, say, banner ads.)
As Shaun Hall explained, the term “native” refers to the natural integration of ads within a platform, making them less intrusive and more engaging than traditional advertising methods. This seamless blending of ads within content significantly enhances the user experience, which ultimately drives higher conversion rates for marketers.
Types of Native Advertising
- Instagram and Snapchat Story Filters: Brands often sponsor filters on Instagram and Snapchat to promote their products in a fun, interactive way.
- Twitter Hashtags: Brands frequently create unique hashtags on Twitter to promote a product, event, or campaign.
- In-Feed Ads on Social Media: These are ads that appear directly in a user's social media feed. They look like regular posts and blend in with the rest of the content.
- Content Recommendations: These are suggestions made by a platform based on a user's browsing history or preferences. They can be found at the end of articles, within content, or on sidebars.
6 Examples of Native Advertising That Consumers Loved
1. Eni Energy and CNN
This is an example of graphic storytelling, featuring green landscapes, promoted by the oil and energy conglomerate. It demonstrates how a brand can leverage the power of visuals and narratives to promote their products or services in an engaging way.
2. Spotify and Stranger Things
Spotify collaborated with the popular Netflix series Stranger Things to create a unique and immersive listening experience for fans of the show by creating playlists for each of the show's main characters. This is an example of a brand partnership where both brands benefitted from the association.
3. New York Times and Allbirds
In this instance, The New York Times partnered with sustainable shoe company, Allbirds, to create a piece of content that was relevant to the newspaper's audience while also promoting the shoe brand.
4. Amazon and Babana
In this search result, accessories manufacturer Babana paid Amazon to highlight their pastel bags on top of relevant search results.
5. National Geographic and DHL
National Geographic created this paid content for DHL. The content is a documentary-style video about how the shipping giant contributes to saving big cats around the world.
6. Apartment Therapy and IKEA
Editorial sites, like Apartment Therapy, have been working with brands for years to create sponsored content with their reader's interests in mind. Apartment Therapy, a site that specializes in designing and decorating your home, often writes roundups of products they recommend. In this native advertising example paid for by IKEA, they focused solely on IKEA products.
What is the Traditional Advertising Method?
Traditional advertising refers to the conventional methods of advertising that have been used by companies for years to reach their target audiences. These methods are typically offline and include a broad range of formats.
Here are some examples:
- Television advertising: This is one of the most expensive forms of advertising, reaching a large audience. Advertisements are usually shown during commercial breaks and can range from short 30-second spots to longer infomercials.
- Radio advertising: While not as dominant as it once was due to the rise of digital media, radio advertising still reaches a significant number of people, especially during rush hours when people listen to the radio in their cars.
- Print advertising: This includes advertisements in newspapers, magazines, brochures, and other printed material. They can be full-page ads or smaller ones, depending on the budget and the message that needs to be conveyed.
The Importance of Congruency Between Ads and Landing Pages
Hall emphasized the importance of congruency between ads and landing pages. An ad that resembles content rather than a traditional advertisement and leads to a landing page that delivers on the promise made in the ad is key to a successful native advertising campaign.
He shared some practical tips for implementing native ads into a WordPress blog and the advantages of using a platform like RevContent to connect with high-intent publishers.
- Seamless user experience: Ensuring that the content of the ad aligns with the content on the landing page provides a seamless experience for users. This reduces confusion and enhances user satisfaction.
- Increased user engagement: When users click on an ad expecting specific information and find that information on the landing page, they are more likely to engage with the content, leading to longer page visits and increased interaction.
- Higher conversion rates: A congruent experience from ad to landing page builds trust. Users are more likely to convert (make a purchase, sign up, etc.) if they find a consistent message and offering, reinforcing the value proposition presented in the ad.
- Relevance and credibility: Congruency reinforces the credibility of the advertised content. When users see that the landing page delivers what the ad promised, it establishes trust and relevance, making them more receptive to the message.
- Optimized ad performance: Ad platforms often reward relevance and quality. Aligning ads and landing pages can contribute to higher Quality Scores, leading to improved ad visibility and potentially lower costs per click.
- Brand consistency: Maintaining congruency supports overall brand consistency. Consistent messaging across ads and landing pages strengthens the brand image and helps in creating a recognizable and trustworthy brand identity.
- Reduced bounce rates: Inconsistent experiences, where the landing page does not meet user expectations set by the ad, can result in high bounce rates. Congruent experiences help in keeping bounce rates low and retaining users on the site.
- Enhanced user satisfaction: When users find what they are looking for seamlessly, they are more likely to have a positive perception of the brand. This positive experience can lead to repeat visits and increased customer loyalty.
Congruency is not just about matching visual elements but aligning the entire user journey, from the ad impression to the post-click experience. This holistic approach contributes to the effectiveness of native advertising campaigns.
RevContent's New RevGPT Tool for Marketers
In the episode Hall also introduced RevContent's RevGPT, their new generative AI headline creation tool. The tool allows advertisers to easily generate multiple headlines for their campaigns and is a game-changer for affiliate marketers.
The ability to quickly produce multiple headlines not only increases efficiency, but also enhances the effectiveness of campaigns, as different headlines can appeal to different segments of the target audience.
The tool is just one of the many in RevContent's robust platform that is focused on supporting marketers in a variety of ways, including improving campaign performance, facilitating split testing, and enhancing engagement rates and, ultimately, a return on investment (ROI).
Overall, the podcast episode shed light on the immense potential of native advertising in affiliate marketing. For anyone interested in this field, the insights shared by Shaun Hall are a goldmine of information that can help drive success in their affiliate marketing journey.
Episode Timestamps
Timestamp | Summary |
---|---|
0:27 | Dustin introduces the Affiliate Nerd Out show and welcomes Shaun Hall from RevContent. |
3:49 | Hall introduces himself as the Director of Advertising Demand Partnerships at RevContent, highlighting his extensive experience in affiliate marketing. |
5:30 | Dustin transitions to discussing RevContent and prompts Hall to share more about the platform. |
7:10 | Hall elaborates on RevContent as a native traffic platform, emphasizing its focus on customer service and advertiser success. |
9:13 | Hall defines native advertising as placements designed to resemble content on websites, especially at the bottom of articles. |
10:02 | Hall explains how native and affiliate marketing synergize, highlighting the user journey and ease of working with native traffic. |
14:04 | Hall discusses the partnership with DSPs (Demand-Side Platforms) and the percentage of clients using them |
15:41 | Hall emphasizes the versatility of native advertising, reaching diverse industries and objectives beyond direct response. |
16:44 | Hall delves into best practices for native advertising, emphasizing alignment between ads, landing pages, and offers. |
23:13 | Hall introduces a new feature, RevGPT, an automated headline generation tool, and teases its benefits. |
25:22 | Hall demonstrates the RevGPT feature, showcasing how it generates alternative headlines for a campaign. |
26:19 | Dustin and Hall express excitement about the new RevGPT feature and its potential to streamline the creative process. |
26:49 | Hall shares strategies for finding native affiliates, suggesting spy tools and reaching out to networks. |
30:04 | Hall discusses the benefits of the affiliate and performance marketing automation platform, Phonexa. |
32:34 | Hall advises affiliates to reach out for an introductory call, highlighting RevContent's account management team support. |
34:42 | Hall identifies Q4 trends, emphasizing the success of gift and e-commerce campaigns and hints at the Q1 health and wellness rush. |
37:42 | Hall defends his tradition of an annual beard shave before the New Year, sharing the superstition and pampering routine. |
40:23 | Hall invites connections on LinkedIn or via email, emphasizing his accessibility on various platforms. |
42:27 | Dustin encourages trying native advertising, expressing excitement about setting up a live demo with Hall for his YouTube channel. |
Dustin Howes
AFFILIATE MARKETING CONSULTANT
Dustin Howes is a partnership nerd spreading the good word about performance marketing. He is the chief coach at performancemarketingmanager.com and is dedicated to helping companies grow their performance marketing channels. He also provides affiliate manager training and private consultations, helping companies find the right solution for their budget.
Find out more about Dustin here.