Many digital publishers are investing in the outgrowth of sponsored or branded content to replace the revenue they used to get from premium-rate print or television advertising.
Native content such as articles, audio, images, videos, infographics, or other items created or co-created by advertisers – is not only a smart, partnership-driven approach to earning ad revenue, but also provides a high-value way for advertisers to share their messages without making the direct sell. Mindful of that soft-sell appeal, however, publishers have to take a more nuanced approach to pushing native content at readers, without allowing that push to feel like a direct sell, either.
If done successfully, publishers can boost the value their native ads deliver to advertisers by showing they drive substantive levels of readership, clicks, or conversions.
Here are three messaging-based tactics for publishers to try.
Utilize a Rich Inbox
Rich inboxes are email-esque, that are available to all users, with the added advantage that users do not have to sign up for your email list to be reached. Because a rich inbox can exist on your website or within your app, they are a high-value avenue for driving interactions with users who are already active on a publisher’s site (i.e., right website where they will be most prepared to engage with native content). By distributing native content based on the interests of the visitor, publishers can deliver significantly higher levels of reach for advertisers.
Incorporating Web Push Notifications
With web push notifications, publishers can send messages to opted-in users as notifications in their desktop or mobile browser, rather than just inside their site or app. This opens the door for publishers to engage readers – even when they’re not on their platforms. Publishers can place native content headers or calls-to-action into web push notifications to drive measurable, attributable increases in engagement with sponsored content.
Use Sophisticated Segmentation
Publishers can segment their user groups in a more targeted way through the use of intelligent messaging – enabling users to receive native content based on criteria such as the depth of engagement with specific content categories. Doing so not only increases the potential for end users to interact with the content, but also provides greater insight into which messages created the most clicks, or which ads had the longest read times. That intelligence helps sales teams price their premium content more accurately and helps marketers better measure (and improve) the value of their messaging campaigns.
