In today’s digital landscape, native advertising has emerged as a powerful tool for marketers to reach their target audience seamlessly. According to research conducted by eMarketer, native advertising spend increased 37% in 2021 and is expected to hit over $98 billion in ad spend this year. And with good reason: native advertising offers a non-intrusive way to engage customers by blending in with surrounding content. My colleague Bob West wrote a helpful article when native advertising began to gain more popularity with ag marketers a few years ago (for those still unfamiliar with native advertising, I highly recommend you check it out). However, with the increasing volume of content bombarding users, it’s necessary to have compelling headlines to make sure your target audience is reading what you have to say.
Here are a few tips that can help make you stand out…
Consumers are often driven by their pain points and needs. By offering a solution in the headline, ag marketers can explicitly address these concerns, instantly capturing the attention of their target audience. “How X Product Can Increase Your Harvest Yield by 50%” is an example that promises a solution to a problem they are facing, and thus is more likely to have readers engage further with the content.
You are probably well aware of content that uses headlines that start with “Top 10,” or “5 Reasons Why,” or “3 Pre-Trade Deadline Moves the Guardians Should Make.” (for example). Why do you see it so often? Because it works.
People are more willing to check out content with a set number of key points because it provides a clear and structured format that is more likely easy to scan and comprehend quickly. The next time you’re preparing your native advertising content, make sure you have a set number of data points to share. (Also, if anyone here knows anyone in the Guardians front office, let them know I have ideas…)
It may sound simple, but calling out exactly who you want to reach is something that is underutilized and very powerful way to entice readers when it comes to native advertising. Even in specific markets like we at Meister Media Worldwide serve where it’s very likely that your products and services are reaching your target buyers, you still want to make sure that it’s for them. You can be broad with a headline like “Vegetable Growers Use This Pesticide…” or as specific as “Leafy Green Growers Use This Pesticide…”, and you’ll know that any clicks you receive are likely the ones you want to target.
Similar to understanding your ideal buyer, using your most enthusiastic customers as the mouthpiece for your content is a surefire way to get readers’ attention. Per our recent media usage study, peers of growers and retailers are among the most influential in providing educational information and thus who better to talk about how great your products are than your own customers? BASF has a good example of this recently by highlighting a cotton and peanut grower in Georgia that used their product, and the metrics of the article greatly exceeded the benchmarks against other native ads on CottonGrower.com.
As native advertising continues to thrive and evolve, incorporating these strategies will help ensure that your message cuts through the noise and reaches the right people at the right time, delivering meaningful results for your business.
For more information on how Meister Media Worldwide can assist with your digital marketing strategy, reach out to your representative, or contact Mike Bloom at [email protected].
Mike Bloom is the Director of Digital Sales Development for Meister Media. He can be reached at [email protected].