Native ads in Affiliate Marketing: Definition

What is Native Ad? We suggest you discover the essence of the term, its types and benefits in affiliate marketing.

Native Ads Meaning

Native ads are created in a way that they appear as natural and organic content within the website. They can take various forms depending on the platform, such as sponsored articles, recommended content, promoted listings, or in-feed ads on social media platforms. The goal is to make the ads appear like regular content so that users are more likely to interact with them.

In affiliate marketing, native ads can be used to promote advertisers’ offers: products or services. Affiliate marketers can create native ad campaigns by integrating affiliate links within the content. When users click on these links and make a purchase, the affiliate marketer earns a commission.

Types of Native Ads

There are different types of native ads. Let’s take a look at them:

Sponsored ads: This is a format that can be found within the article, either at the bottom or on the side. These ads often feature brand logos and names;
Recommended content: It refers to a type of native ad that is displayed within a section featuring similar materials. This ad is particularly noticeable as it is integrated among the news, making it more prominent than sponsored advertisements;
In-feed ads: The ad appears within a webpage, such as in a news feed;
Videos: Native video ads are presented on a website in video format.

When choosing the type of native advertising, you should first of all consider the interests of the target audience. In one case, video ads may work well, while in another case users will like recommended content.

Mechanism of Native Ads

How do native ads work:

1. Integration with content. Native ads are meticulously designed to appear as part of the original content on a platform, whether it’s a social media feed or a news website. This could mean mimicking the visual design, the writing style, or even the behavior of standard content elements on the platform;

2. Focus on user experience. By aligning with the host site’s content, native ads offer a less disruptive and more cohesive browsing experience. The idea is for these ads to be perceived not as interruptions, but as natural, integral parts of the user’s content consumption journey;

3. Content relevance. These ads are typically highly relevant to the content or the interests of the viewers on the platform. For instance, an ad for crypto trading software might appear in an article about money-making ideas. This relevance boosts the likelihood that the viewer will find the ad valuable and engage with it;

4. Engagement and interaction. Native ads encourage user interaction by offering interesting, useful content that invites readers to click through to learn more. This can range from sponsored posts and recommended articles to in-feed video ads that start playing as the user scrolls;

5. Measurement and adjustment. Like other ads, the performance of native ads is tracked through clicks, impressions, engagement rates, and conversion metrics. This data allows marketers to optimize their campaigns in real-time, adjusting content and placement to improve effectiveness.

Benefits of Native Ads

Native ads have many advantages that influence the choice of this particular format for the promotion of offers. They are:

Eliminating Banner Blindness: Native ads stand out from traditional banner ads, as they are seamlessly integrated alongside engaging content, making ads appear more like the surrounding material;
High User Engagement: A user engagement increases thanks to elimination of banner blindness. Therefore, affiliates receive high commissions;
Accepted in Offers: The acceptance of native ads in affiliate marketing is largely due to their ability to blend seamlessly with the platform’s content, providing a more user-friendly and less disruptive advertising experience. However, it is important to note that there can be restrictions.