There are a lot of reasons people fail native advertising. Sometimes it’s because it’s not their top priority. Another reason is due to a lack of resources and the right technology. Others fail because their creatives don’t jive with their intended audience. Fortunately, though, this last reason is something entirely fixable—all it requires is understanding your audience and their journey better.

According to native ad giant Outbrain, there are three scenarios in which a consumer might be looking for a product.

• Scenario 1: Awareness. The buyer has an unnamed problem and they need to understand or solve it.
• Scenario 2: Consideration. The buyer is seeking ways to solve their problem.
• Scenario 3: Decision. The problem is defined and the buyer is searching for the best product or solution to their problem.

Unlike traditional display ads, native ads match the form of other ads on a page, which usually means they also offer users some extra value in the form of content. This content might be an article or video, which is why native advertising maps so well to the above scenarios. Where buyers are understanding, solving, and searching for solutions to their problems, advertisers have their own goals.

For advertisers, the three main goals are building brand awareness, capturing new leads, and driving sales. The first thing to understand is your own campaign goal. Are you trying to attract new customers? Encourage signups for emails or texts? Up your sales? Once you know what the goal of your campaign is, then you can start planning how you’ll reach your audience.

Having a clear goal also helps you understand where you’ll meet your audience along their buyer’s journey. After that, all that’s left to do is tailor your creatives to where you expect your buyers to be in their journey. 

One of the most popular options for driving brand awareness is a piece of sponsored content. A well-written article with a catchy headline is a great way to draw in a new audience. 

When people are in the consideration stage, they’re looking for options, which is your chance to generate leads. By offering something of value to the audience—an ebook, guide, or even a service—you’re helping your audience meet their goal while you meet yours.

Finally, if you’re simply trying to drive sales, it all comes down to the creatives. By using custom creatives and giving audiences a reason to click right in the headline, you can drive up purchase intent. But you also can’t forget about what comes after: a landing page that matches the ad’s promises and maybe even a retargeting campaign. 

Ultimately, everyone’s native ad journey will look a little bit different. However, by prioritizing these nearly universal steps in the buyer’s journey and honing your content until it’s the best it can be, you too can succeed at native advertising.

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