Sponsored posts has been around for decades and started in print publications. However, as digital marketing has taken over the way we consume content, it can be seen how the sponsorship went from print to digital media.
Now, sponsored content is thriving even on social platforms like Instagram . But, the question is: “What makes sponsored content more attractive than traditional online ads?”
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Some initial data to discuss
Sponsored content, also called native or sponsored ads, is the system by which brands pay for news services. Although some consider that it is two different ways since the focus of the first is merely informative. On the other hand, the second has one more sales intention.
- Around 30% of Internet users consider that advertising in this medium is too invasive . Websites loaded with annoying banners are no longer the best way to get the user’s attention, quite the opposite!
- The ad blockers (adblockers) represent millions annually in lost for content publishers.
- Users spend an average of two and a half minutes reading a sponsored article. Could it be that they are not differentiated? Or perhaps they are not bothered by this type of non-invasive advertising because it adds value?
- 70% of users prefer to learn and learn about the products that interest them through branded content rather than traditional advertising.
- 32% of users say they prefer native advertising. In addition, she would share it without problems with her friends or family if they find it interesting.
- Sponsored articles that include rich content (video, images, infographics …) increase the conversion rate by 60% .
Why is sponsored content the king of Inbound Marketing?
It’s simple. Sponsored content generates visibility for you. Although Inbound Marketing is based on supplying audiences with relevant and useful content for their needs, having sponsorship helps to mobilize search engines and make us present within their options.
The Inbound methodology is the best way to turn strangers into clients and promoters of your company. This, without having to strain to attract the attention of potential customers unlike traditional marketing.
According to a study by Statista, spending on advertising on Social Networks amounts to $ 102,292 million in 2020. Advertising spending is expected to show an annual growth rate of 7.0%. Resulting in a market volume of $ 125,482 million by 2023.
One of the main trends in advertising on social networks is increasing the monetization of content and messaging applications. This includes sponsored posts that will have greater visibility.
Integration of shopping and payment solutions on social media combined with exact location will increase user engagement, conversions and advanced targeting performance.
And you, what do you win?
Sponsored posts are very effective in attracting potential customers to your brand. Some of the main benefits of working your content through sponsored posts are:
1.- Conscious clients, clients for which you are present
Maintaining your presence on social media in a real way and, at the same time, positively representing your brand in a present, interesting and attractive way can seem like a tightrope-like journey.
The Internet is a world where everyone shows only the highlights or carefully selected moments. They always try to beautify with lighting and apply filters to reality to make it more attractive. It is not easy to avoid getting caught in the traps of comparison and uniqueness.
Try to choose to develop honest content, consistent with reality and that, at the same time, adds value to the lives of your users. You will guarantee that they return to you because you will be engraved in their mind. If you add to that the scope of sponsored posts, the return on investment is a fact.
Sponsored posts allow you to access a larger number of customers not yet captured. This gives you a license to present who you are and what your business proposes to change people’s lives.
This works whether you are a new company, a new product, or a consolidated brand that opens space in other fields with new alternatives.
2.- Instruct your target audience to get where you want
When developing content for any platform, it is extremely necessary to go through three scenarios before clicking on the famous “publish” button. And those are three fundamental questions: What do you want people to know? What do you want people to feel? What do you want them to do?
In this sense, it is good to bet on answering these questions with the intention of educating or instructing the target audiences . Thus, you can make clear the benefits of adding our inventory to your list of assets or of taking our services as a first option.
Sponsored content is a great way to improve the lead nurturing of your target audience on aspects of your company , product or service. This may include sponsored videos, testimonials, or reviews, for example.
Nothing generates more confidence than seeing or reading a real person that generates empathy. The user must be able to perceive the benefits of what you offer without having it in their hands. Your product is something he will want to have with him. Something you will pay for right away.
Year after year there is more and more data showing the importance of consumer behavior . Positive reviews, social validation, and more. For example, according to the BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey, 91% of consumers ages 18-34 trust both online reviews and personal recommendations.
3.- Influence and notoriety in purchasing decisions
Among the most relevant options when opting for sponsored posts, without a doubt the use of influencers will surely come to light. Presenting your content as an influential proposal, endorsed by personalities that impact within the environments of your target audiences, guarantees with quite reasonable numbers the importance of taking this path.
Opting for sponsored posts with the use of influencers allows, as an organization, to obtain content generated by different people who really add value in the target communities.
Speaking in figures, to better understand the impact of sponsored posts using influencer marketing:
- According to the survey conducted by Influencer marketing hub, this is the state of influencer marketing in 2020.
- The average value for every $ 1 spent on sponsored posts with influencers increased to $ 5.78.
- Large companies have almost doubled the number of creators they activate per campaign in the last 2 years.
- The majority (55%) admit to having a separate budget for content marketing .
- The influencer marketing industry will grow to approximately $ 9.7 in 2020.
- More than 380 new agencies and platforms are currently focused on influencer marketing established in 2019.
4.- Sponsored posts guarantee to reach the end of a strategic campaign
For a brand, running a sponsored post campaign is like having different ads with different shades. Unlike campaigns that have an expiration date, sponsored posts are born to stay until the end.
It’s not just about social media. As already mentioned, sponsored post campaigns allow you to participate as a brand in different scenarios. For example, do you remember Netflix’s promotional campaign for the second season of Orange is the New Black?
For the campaign, Netflix partnered with a medium of influence like the New York Times. The newspaper giant launched a report on the condition of women’s prisons as Inbound content.
What must have been a journalistic piece by itself was actually content paid for by Netflix. She thus managed to make noise around the program. It was interesting that the report did not mention the series at any time or direct public attention to it . In contrast, she only took the theme of the series as a pretext and developed something of journalistic value. But this is not always the case.
5.- It is almost imperceptible advertising
As in the previous case, the importance of this strategy lies in the almost imperceptible form of promotion that eludes adblockers . If this type of content is treated with delicacy, consumers don’t usually notice the difference between a sponsored ad and an editorial piece, because when done correctly, it is almost nil.
When it is possible to develop a content that precedes the principles of advertising, it is achieved that the proposed is integrated naturally and organically into the rest of the content.
This makes identification even more difficult. In this case, the possibility of awareness increases . And, depending on how it is played, the return on investment also increases.
However, you may lose credibility as a content creator if this resource is abused. That is why experts suggest being very explicit in pointing out which editorial content is sponsored and which is not.
