Online attention spans are notoriously short, so getting your message seen and heard through the noise is like trying to have a conversation at a rock concert. But with strategic uses of native advertising and content marketing, you’ll have two powerful ways to connect with your audience effectively, rather than shouting at them.
Let’s break down the key differences between native advertising and content marketing, and explore when to use each approach.
What Is Native Advertising?
If you’ve ever scrolled through your social feed and did a double-take upon realizing something was actually an ad, not a regular post, that’s the magic of native advertising in action. Native ads blend in with content while standing out in all the right ways.
Still, native advertising shouldn’t be sneaky. It’s about creating ads that respect the user’s experience while delivering your message — in other words, it adds to the conversation, instead of rudely interrupting it.
Native ads show up in all sorts of places consumers are online, including:
- In social media feeds, looking like regular posts.
- At the bottom of news articles as “recommended reading.”
- In search results, marked as “sponsored” but fitting in with organic results.
- Within content platforms like YouTube, TikTok, or podcast episodes.
How Does Native Advertising Work?
Native advertising doesn’t look like your run-of-the-mill ad that’s easy to spot in the wild, which is why native ad placements may be harder to find. Publishers provide specialized content slots within their regular content flow, whether that’s in social media feeds, article pages or search results. Native ad placement typically involves:
- Creating platform-specific content that matches the host site’s tone and style.
- Working with publishers or social platforms to ensure proper placement.
- Targeting specific audience segments based on behavioral data.
- Monitoring and optimizing performance in real-time.
- Ensuring clear disclosure of the content’s promotional nature.
The technology behind native advertising has become increasingly sophisticated, allowing for real-time optimization and more precise audience targeting. Programmatic native advertising platforms now use artificial intelligence (AI) to match content with the most relevant audiences and context for ultimate brand suitability, too.
Pros and Cons of Native Advertising
Pros
- Attracts eyeballs quickly, ensuring your content is seen by the right consumers.
- Blends in naturally so it doesn’t look like a gimmick or ad.
- Super targetable to reach your ideal audience with pin-point accuracy.
- Easy to test and iterate, with quick feedback on what works (and what doesn’t).
- Scalable from one-off ads and projects to major campaigns.
Cons
- May be cost-prohibitive, especially in more competitive niches.
- Needs constant attention in terms of content and budget allocation.
- Depends on the platform — you’re playing in someone else’s sandbox.
- Requires disclosures that walk the line between natural and transparent.
- Comes with some creative limitations and different rules for each platform.
Examples of Native Advertising
- Sponsored articles on news websites.
- Promoted social media posts.
- Recommended content widgets.
- Sponsored listings on search engines.
- In-feed ads on social platforms.
- Brand content on video platforms.
When To Use Native Advertising
Timing is everything in marketing. Here’s when native advertising makes the most sense for your campaigns:
- When you need results fast.
- During product launches when reach/impressions count.
- For an end-of-quarter push to hit your numbers.
- When you’re testing out new markets or audience segments.
- To get a great piece of content more exposure than you’d get organically or through traditional advertising.
What Is Content Marketing?
Content marketing is your brand’s long game. It’s a library of valuable resources for your audience that drives revenue, in the simplest terms. It involves creating content that your audience wants to consume, share and revisit.
Content marketing is all about value, through content formats such as blogs, articles, white papers, eBooks, and social media posts. Unlike native advertising’s pay-to-play strategy, content marketing earns attention by delivering consistent value. The aim is to become a go-to expert in your industry or niche so that people naturally come to you repeatedly for advice or help.
However, creating good content isn’t cheap. The average cost of a content marketing campaign runs anywhere from $6,000 a month for a smaller business or brand, up to $60,000 monthly for an enterprise business, according to Siege Media.
The ROI, though, may be worth the effort, according to the 2023 IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report. “Search has seen a $4.4 billion increase in revenues in 2023, which equates to a 5.2% annual growth and an impressive $88.8 billion in overall revenues,” the IAB report states. “While it continues to have the largest market share (39.5%), its YoY growth is slower than the digital industry as a whole.”
Digital video now accounts for nearly a quarter (23.2%) of all ad revenue, or $52.1 billion. Meanwhile, digital audio, including podcasts, streaming music, and streaming radio, earned $7 billion in revenue, about 19% growth compared to the year prior, the IAB reported.
How Does Content Marketing Work?
Content marketing, especially good content marketing, takes time to see results. Think of it less as a sprint and more like a marathon: You’re building your brand’s endurance and strength over time through:
- Creating valuable, relevant content that solves real problems for your audience.
- Distributing it across owned channels (your website, blog, newsletter, etc.) that you control.
- Optimizing for search engines (SEO) to attract organic traffic.
- Building relationships by delivering consistent value and expertise.
- Establishing thought leadership authority in your niche.
The magic happens when your content starts working for you 24/7, bringing in new customers and leads around the clock. The key to making content marketing work is having different tiers of content that take your audience from the top of the funnel (TOFU) to the bottom of the funnel (BOFU) where they’ll eventually transact or do business with your brand.
Pros and Cons of Content Marketing
Pros
- Builds long-term audience relationships.
- Creates lasting brand authority and trust.
- Generates organic traffic.
- Lower long-term costs.
- Adds value over time.
- Supports multiple business objectives.
Cons
- Takes longer to see results.
- Requires consistent work/fine-tuning.
- Need for regular content updates.
- Initial investment in content creation/production.
- Competitive content landscape.
- ROI is harder to measure.
- Susceptible to search platform algorithm volatility and policy changes.
Examples of Content Marketing
- Blog articles or posts.
- Videos or webinars.
- eBooks.
- White papers or case studies.
- Newsletters.
- Infographics.
- Social media posts.
- Podcasts.
When To Use Content Marketing
Content marketing makes the most sense in certain situations, but you need to feed the content beast with an up-front investment in creating high-quality, engaging content. The more evergreen your content is, the more staying power and relevance it has with your audience.
You might want to use content marketing to:
- Get regular, long-term organic traffic.
- Promote specific products or services.
- Reach a targeted audience.
- Create multiple touchpoints in your sales funnel.
- Test different content approaches and topics.
- Support a product launch or campaign.
Similarities Between Native Advertising and Content Marketing
Native advertising and content marketing are less in-your-face approaches than traditional advertising methods. Both strategies prioritize valuable, relevant content to build trust, credibility, and authority with a target audience, both now and over the long haul. Great storytelling that entices your audience to engage with your brand is at the heart of these gentler approaches to grabbing attention.
Key Differences Between Native Advertising and Content Marketing
While both of these strategies engage audiences more subtly than traditional ads, they differ in their approach and execution. Content marketing focuses on creating and distributing useful, relevant content to attract and retain a well-defined audience. This ultimately drives profitable customer engagement, resulting in conversions. Brands use content marketing to establish themselves as a trusted authority rather than relying on overt promotion, providing genuine value through educational or entertaining content that addresses audience needs or interests.
On the flip side, native advertising is a form of paid media that matches the form and function of the platform on which it appears, blending in seamlessly with the editorial content around it. While content marketing typically lives on brand-owned channels, native ads are placed on third-party platforms and are designed to look and feel like the surrounding editorial content (hence “native” advertising). Still, brands must disclose these ads as sponsored or promotional content. Native advertising is aimed at reducing audience resistance to promotional messages through a format that seamlessly blends in with the user experience of the platform.
Key takeaways
Native advertising provides quick results but requires ongoing investment, while content marketing builds long-term value, but takes time and up-front resources to show results. Both strategies can work together in a comprehensive marketing plan, based on your timeline, budget, and business goals. Remember that success in either approach requires high-quality, valuable content.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
What are the best native advertising platforms?
Top platforms include Taboola, Outbrain, Facebook Ads, LinkedIn-sponsored content, X (formerly Twitter), promoted tweets, TikTok, and Instagram-sponsored posts.
What are the best content marketing platforms?
The best content marketing platforms are those where your brand controls its own content. These include WordPress (for your website or blog), Medium, Substack, YouTube, HubSpot, Mailchimp (for email marketing), LinkedIn Publishing, and other social media platforms.
Keep in mind, though, that non-owned social media platforms are susceptible to limitations and can never fully be in your control. While they have considerable reach and are an important part of your content marketing strategy, it’s important to have a mix of content marketing platforms, rather than putting all of your eggs into one basket.
Which agency regulates native advertising in the U.S.?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulates native advertising in the United States. The agency provides guidelines for marketers to ensure that native ads are clearly disclosed as advertising, to protect consumers from deceptive practices.
