When Should You Hire A Native Advertising Expert – Little Pointers To Avoid Mistakes

The thought of hiring a native advertising expert has probably crossed your mind, recently.

Something triggered that thought. Perhaps you read an article about it, someone in your circle told you it’s a good idea or you’re just curious.

Either way, we’re here to share some pointers and give you clarity. So you can make the best decision possible.

Maybe it isn’t the right time to hire an expert. Sometimes, brands think they need help from an external consultant but it’s not the best thing for them at the moment.

However, if you resonate with any or many of these pointers, it’s probably a good idea to take the next step and consider a native advertising expert.

You’re New To Native Advertising

Perhaps the most effective way to reduce risk is by arming yourself with knowledge and experience.

An amateur driver is likely to be scared or anxious driving a car at 120 km/h in the rain. But the professional driver doesn’t feel those emotions in the same way.

So, what’s the difference? Knowledge and experience.

The professional doesn’t just know, he’s practiced driving fast in the rain many times. So, he’s not scared because he can anticipate the experience.

A good native advertising expert can save you from the pain, frustration, and anxiety of “trial and error.”

Since native is usually more difficult to crack than social for example, without the right guidance, you could be on a long, painful drive all by yourself.

You Want To Reach Audiences Outside “Walled Gardens”

Often executives reach out to us saying they’ve exhausted Facebook, TikTok, or YouTube, and that performance isn’t what it used to be.

This usually happens when companies with large budgets are unable to find new audiences in what’s called “walled gardens.”

“Walled garden platforms” such as the ones mentioned previously have no visibility outside their ecosystem. So it’s hard for them to attribute results to users visiting publishers’ sites, from other ad networks.

For example, Facebook usage in the US these days, is considerably high, around 82%. However, a couple of questions pop up immediately:

1. What if you’re targeting countries where it is not so popular?
2. What if your audiences are not even on the platform?

In fact, most users are “hanging out” outside these “closed” platforms. They’re on the open web, browsing content.

With native advertising, you can reach a wider pool of traffic and scale easier, without running the risk of annoying users with interruptive ads.

Besides, you can access industry-leading brand safety controls, from services such as DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.

You can still run ads on “walled gardens” and complement your strategy with native to reach new audiences.

Your Product Is Restricted On Other Ad Platforms

Gambling, dating, affiliate, or CDB advertisers have difficulty with most “walled garden” platforms.

On a majority of ad platforms, these types of businesses/products are restricted and in some cases, not even allowed.

That leaves advertisers with very few traffic choices. Many find success with native.

A classic example is the partnership between RevContent and a leading CBD brand, Tommy Chong, in 2020.

With native ads, the brand brought in high-quality, profitable traffic, allowing them to increase daily spending week over week.

Here, native proved an excellent alternative to Facebook, which doesn’t allow the promotion of CDB products.

You Want To Diversify Your Media Mix

More brands are becoming aware that platform reliance is bad for business.

For some, the realization came after the terrifying iOS updates on social media platforms, which many businesses suffered from.

You don’t need Nike’s ad budget to diversify your media plan.

But you do need a plan, especially with native advertising.

The chameleon-like nature of native has many executives turning to this channel as a way to become less reliant on the tech giants and their whims.

These days, native can work well for any objective, from awareness to consideration and acquisition. It’s a versatile, performance-driven channel.

Plus, you have a wide range of ad networks to choose from and test.

Some would say having too many traffic choices can be overwhelming. That is true. Hence, why native advertising is difficult to crack and full of opportunities at the same time.

Your Marketing Team Doesn’t Have The Expertise

Marketing executives we talk to are often frustrated because they don’t have in-house native expertise or can’t seem to find the talent.

It’s not uncommon to hear things like this…

“Social media or search ads specialists are everywhere but we can’t find many native experts.”

Maybe you’re in the same boat. Nobody in your team knows how to run native advertisements or they don’t have experience with native.

Perhaps, you’ve searched for an expert but still struggling to put together a shortlist.

You’re not alone!

Still, many ad agencies are “afraid to touch native”, refusing to add it to their offering.

Others don’t know how to do it. A few can’t find the talent either.

Another obstacle is the shortage of training, compared to Google or Facebook, which do a better job of educating marketers on their platforms.

From my perspective, it’s sort of a vicious cycle, where few are willing to try native, and even fewer are willing to teach it. Then we end up with only a handful of generous industry players providing education – Outbrain Academy is one of them.

You’ve Tried Native Without Much Success

Kudos to you for trying!

There’s nothing wrong with failing. In fact, the more you fail the closer you are to succeed.

I usually say “with native ads, fail often and fast.”
The more you test, the faster you can get the data and extract learnings, and the faster you’ll be back on your feet with successful campaigns.

Let’s examine why companies fail with native advertising. I believe there are two main reasons:

1. Small market product. Native tends to work better for products with a mass appeal because traffic is cheaper and it’s easier to scale profitably.
2. Not enough testing. You have to test more than social or search, for example, to find the best offer, publishers, or image-copy combination, as there are more variables to optimize and waste budget on.

So, if you’ve followed some key native advertising best practices but still haven’t found gold, maybe it’s time to ask an expert for help.

Outsiders always come with new perspectives that you might be missing.
This is because their judgment is not clouded or stuck in the problem, so to speak, and can often uncover new solutions for you.

Speak To A Native Advertising Expert

If any or multiple of these pointers resonated with you, consider speaking to an expert.

There’s no shame in asking for help. It’s actually very noble.

Ask questions, clear your doubts, and listen to their feedback and insights. No pressure to make a decision or commit to anything.

A good native ads consultant should be able to recommend a strategy that works for your business, or at least point you in the right direction.