In 2014, Content Marketing is still the key to a powerful SEO campaign and an active, engaging social media presence. The opportunities for content placement are growing because online publishers need to make money!
The banner ads on newspaper and magazine websites are not doing the job; the average click-through rate is about .1 percent. (Source: DoubleClick). Online publishers, including such big names as The New York Times, Buzzfeed and Vanity Fair, are hoping Native Advertising will boost click through rates and increase revenue.
The Objective of Native Advertising
The objective of Native Advertising is to supplement an article with helpful information from a paid sponsor. Like other forms of content marketing, native ads do not directly promote the sponsor’s product or service. The expectation is that a reader will want to engage with the sponsored content because, unlike a banner ad, a native ad contains information that is relevant to the article that has already attracted the reader’s attention.
While a small business probably can’t afford a native ad placement on The New York Times website, there are affordable options—73 percent of online publishers and media companies offer some kind of native advertising program. (Source: eMarketer)
