Advertising has become so commonplace today that we have become somewhat averse to it.

We are now suffering from what is called banner blindness.

This simply means we overlook ads whenever we come across them as domineering displays.

On the television, videos and social media, banners and promotional are simply distractions.

This is somewhat akin to driving past billboards on a highway.

You know they are there, but you prefer to focus on the road.

But marketers are smart.

To overcome this public distaste for banners and ads, marketers are banking on native advertisement.

This concept though not entirely new is now growing in popularity.

Before we go ahead let us make things clear what a native ad is.

It is an art of creating ads that have brilliantly and discreetly blended with the page content and have harmonized with the platform behavior in such a manner that the viewer feels the ad belongs there.

Another way to put it is native ads appear in the content itself unlike most advertisements  that appear as a banner on the top or side of a portal.

Even if the native advertisement is shown in the form of a banner or a video, it contains a value proposition that people love.

You can also say native ads are paid media where the advertisement follows the expected structure and function of the user experience in which it is viewed.

Because native ads have content that is informative, you may like to compare native ads to content marketing.

But they are not same.

Content marketing in a strict sense is a strategic marketing modus operandi with the aim of creating relevant and valuable content to attract an audience or potential consumers.

The primary driving purpose of content is to persuade the audience into action by changing their behavior.

On the other hand native ads are paid advertising.

It is not simply an ad but is also a promotional that harmonizes with the user experience on the website where it is displayed.

This simply means that the native ad must blend with the visual experience in which it exists and deliver a feel of the natural non-sponsored content.

The underlying difference between the two is – with native ads you are paying another entity to gain access to their audience, and with content marketing you are creating a narrative to build an audience of your own.

Native ads are gaining in popularity simply for the reason that they are delivering chameleon content with integrated ads in order to influence users to convert in a subtle way.

Statistics prove it.

• Native ads have higher click-through rates
• Native ads are delivering higher brand affinity with a better purchase intent than traditional ads.
• A majority of users say they are able to personally identify with a brand after viewing native ads.
• It is an answer to many of the viewer grievances. It combats the issue of ad blocking

The best way to leverage the native ad potential is by using video.

Video after all has dominated the digital marketing space and is slated to do so in the years to come.

Video advertising created a radical change for marketers. This mode is allowing marketers to communicate much more with less, and construct a narrative for a brand with punch.

Other advantages of video advertising include:

• A good platform in these days of short attention span.
• Less time to spark interest – It communicates better than words do.
  • Videos promote sales, build value proposition with compelling product description.
• You have control of the story. Instead of hoping the audience to read your content , you are showing them a compelling video.
• Functions great in all kinds of formats. Whether it is a presentation, social media video, or a promotional, the public loves watching videos.
• An excellent mode for improved conversion rates.

Video creations are now easier than you think.

You have tools that help even newbie to create beautiful and persuasive videos.

Video Creation

You have several video creation tools in the market. They have features such as

• Easy to use template. You just need to drag and drop elements into the video builder

• User friendly. All you need to do is add your own story including graphic, videos, images and text and use their professionally crafted motion graphic templates.
• You can optimize the text from the videos, and even create collages or split screens

If you are still relatively new in this field, here are some ways you can make use of video for your business

• Social media updates – Video is now ubiquitous on social media. A compelling video will get you much more engagement than what conventional texts do.
• Presenting testimonials – Customer testimonial videos are great for driving purchaser intent and converting leads.
  • A video testimonial by an existing user of your product will add an extra element of persuasiveness to convince your audience to take action.
  • A testimonial video provides value from a neutral source. Your content can stand out as impartial and real – and not as overtly promotional
  • Showing a satisfied customer effectively displays the excellence and best value  of your product/ service
• Behind the scenes video – These are great to provide your potential customers an insight into your company or business.  It improves loyalty, confidence and commitment.
• Product reveal video – In straightforward words, a product reveal video is one that displays a product’s tangible benefits.
  • It is about a problem, the solution, the experience and an overall vision of what you are trying to achieve.
  • A good product video will have appealing narration, and will be just long enough to explain the benefits and short enough to sustain viewer attention.
  • Will be professional in style and content
  • Will have empathy and relatability
• Presentations – Presentation videos offer value. Whether it is sales presentation, event presentation or a travel video to an interesting destination, presentation videos can get your audience really pumped up about your message.

In conclusion

Creating native ads is worth the effort.

But make sure that you are using the right native advertising service to get your stuff at the right place.

It is a good idea to make native advertising as part of your content marketing strategy.

Importantly ensure it is relevant and solves a genuine problem people face.