Sharethrough defines Native Advertising as: “an ad experience that follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed”. Native Advertising has grown steadily in use by B2B marketers (90% say that Native is important or very important to their company) in large part due to the ineffectiveness of traditional banner advertising in creating truly immersive experiences with audiences. Banner ads, hosted in the same placements on the page, have contributed to over-saturation, broad banner blindness and declining click-through rates.

As placements have become more and more standardized, even the most contextually-relevant ads struggle to engage the typical viewer. And poorly placed or non-contextual ads are flat out ignored.

Unlike traditional banner advertising, Native Advertising meets buyers where they are specifically seeking out information. Rather than simply aligning your ads with the editorial content, the goal of Native Advertising is to fully integrate the two so your ad becomes extremely relevant to the viewer’s search and allows companies to insert themselves directly within the search patterns of their target audience.

As a result, Native Ads are 53% more effective than banner ads.

By creating Native Ads and content tailored to third-party sites like TechTarget – where millions of B2B tech buyers perform their initial research – you can leverage contextual integration and branded content to provide a higher level of engagement with your target audience.

If you’re looking to take advantage of Native Advertising, the strategy can take several different forms with varying outcomes and results. Below are a few approaches to consider:

Content Embedded Banners

While a traditional banner ad disrupts the research journey, by directing the user off the site they were conducting their research, content embedded banners encourage content engagement while keeping the user on the site. These can be used to drive brand awareness and education.

Branded Content Marketing

Instead of trying to distract the readers of someone else’s content with your potentially disruptive advertisement, branded content marketing allows you to publish your own content on a publisher’s domain. This helps to create deeper engagement with the audience while still conveying your viewpoint. When using this tactic, avoid making your content too salesy or it could backfire on your brand.

The TechTarget approach

TechTarget takes a hybrid approach to Native Advertising, coupling strong content with a distribution and integration strategy that attracts the most targeted audience of technology professionals. When the content aligns with audiences’ educational and research needs, the results follow.  To see a real world example of this approach in action, click here to check out a Native Site demo within the TechTarget network.

Learn how TechTarget can condense content and brand engagement together in one powerful experience here.

Article originally posted on:

Why Native Advertising Should be an Important Part of Your Marketing Strategy