With deep engagement sites like yours where the site’s content is so trusted, advertisers are really trying to tap into this wellspring of goodwill and trust that users have towards you. We are being asked how brands can position themselves in a more intimate way on site. You will have heard about native advertising, well this is exactly what I am talking about.

Native advertising is the process by which brands express themselves in a way and with a tone on site that is in keeping with the site’s own tone and style. In this regard, the advertising does not stand out and may in fact have a relevance and provide a user service on site. Native advertising usually takes the form of sponsored content. Content which is provided by the advertiser or written on their behalf which is value adding onsite.

We are running a campaign for Guinness at present right across our rugby sites which offers prizes to attend the various 6 Nations Rugby Games. In this case, this fits in, adds value and will attract attention to itself. These campaigns are restricted to one platform only. For a campaign to be truly integrated, it will run across desktop, social media and mobile. This again reinforces the need to build out your social media and mobile presences.

Advice:

• Think about how advertiser content could add value and fit in on site. You may have some brands in mind. This content will always be clearly delineated as advertising content but the true test of its success is the extent to which it appears natural onsite. It is only if it truly delivers value and commands attention that it will be read.

Benefits:

• – With smaller sites we need to move the value proposition away from purely selling ad impressions which are in short supply.
• – We need to translate the high levels of trust people have in your site into €. The way to do this is to help brands move from outside the content perimeter into the conversation stream onsite.
• – Also it is important to go cross platform across all the brand presences you have.
• – There are more engagement opportunities and therefore higher budgets when a campaign is scaled cross-platform.