We’ve all seen them – sponsored stories that seamlessly blend into a Facebook News Feed, or in-stream ads that look like tweets and convince you to follow a company, product, or charity. Sponsored content, also called native advertising, is a strategic tool that targets potential customers on the platforms they use most. Ensure your native advertising campaign increases your audience reach and overall brand awareness with these best practices:
1) Blend in with your surroundings.
Native advertising means adapting to the “look and feel” of the platform on which your ad appears. The key to success is to keep consumer preferences and the overall user experience in mind.
2) Use consumer interests to your advantage.
Native ads can attach your brand to a story that piques the interest of current and potential customers. Purina, for example, sponsored a Mashable story featuring five heartwarming dogs. The story received more than 20,000 shares on social media. The company reached a community of online dog lovers and gained brand recognition without once mentioning the product.
3) Study before striking.
Study your audience and think about what interests them. Twitter makes it easy to research demographics by keyword, interest, gender or location, helping you tailor native ads to a general or specific crowd.
Native advertising can be a great way to subtly, yet effectively, reach new customers and reinforce existing relationships. Devote time and resources to native ads, and increase your brand’s awareness and bottom line.
Need Twitter to be a heavy hitter? Businesses of all sizes and industries can turn Twitter into a PR and marketing home run with sponsored content. Join Twitter’s Sebastian Turner at his Vocus webinar on April 23 at 2 p.m. ET for the blueprint to achieving your branding and revenue goals. Register now!
