If you like to browse news websites regularly, you’ve likely noticed the Taboola logo on some of the articles. If you’ve been wondering what that’s all about, know that the logo indicates that the article is paid advertising. Or, that it is native advertising. Native ads are promotional pieces that don’t look like conventional advertisements. Readers going through the post are unlikely to recognize it as an ad. They’ll consume the information on the page that typically describes a problem and how a specific product can solve it.
At the bottom of the page, they come to a link that they can click on. This link takes them to the landing page for placing an order. So, essentially, the ad is a promotional piece but does not come across as one. That’s what Taboola ads are all about.
Paid Advertising is Suitable for Established and eCommerce Businesses.
From the business owner's perspective, running native ad campaigns makes sense only when they’re ready to scale their operations. As your business grows, you might find that traffic from sources like TikTok, Facebook, Google, and others has become stagnant. That’s when you need to look for more substantial sources of traffic that translate into higher sales and profits. You’ll target a broader customer demographic, preferably from higher-income groups open to purchasing big-ticket services and products. And, native advertising can get you there.
Using this marketing strategy can get you cheaper CPA or Cost Per Acquisition and is excellent for lead generation. When compared to social media ads, you may find that native ads are much more scalable. While the spend is much higher on native ads, you can expect comparable results.
Let’s Talk About Taboola Ads
Taboola is one of the biggest native advertising traffic sources out there. The platform works out of Israel and places ads on several news sites worldwide. Typically, the ads appear at the bottom of the page and carry the Taboola logo. Most marketers are likely familiar with media buying or traffic buying on social media platforms like Google, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. However, media buying on native advertising platforms is entirely different. Unlike social media, you can’t expect to find algorithms, which is why you need to engage in manual bidding.
Native ads are more technical and labor-intensive since they need consistent tweaking. They also need expertise and know-how to execute efficiently and effectively. Further, each native advertising platform works a little differently. Whether you’re working with Outbrain, Taboola, Yahoo Gemini, or RevContent, each has its techniques. This is why, business owners wishing to scale their marketing efforts using native ads would want to rely on professionals.
Understanding How Native Advertising Works is a Long Process
Native advertising is not exactly easy to learn and execute. Unlike social media platforms where you can create and upload ads, native ads are a whole new ball game. You’ll need more than a few images and lines of text, and you can’t rely on algorithms to bring conversions. Social media lets you add links to product pages, which is perfect for eCommerce startups. Not so with native ads. Here you’ll design a specialized editorial feature or a landing page. This page acts as a funnel to capture traffic and has detailed, but concise information about the product or service.
Yet another native ad differentiating factor is the audience. While the traffic on social media sources like Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram is younger, Taboola has an older audience. You’ll target readers aged between 25 to 85 years or more, with no upward limit. Though, not every product or service is a good fit for advertising on Taboola.
How Native Ads Appear on News Sites
Should you check and typical news website, and scroll to the bottom, you’ll come to a series of boxes. Each has an attention-grabbing headline and a high-def image and appears like any other article. Often, the feature is a continuation or related to the information presented higher up on the page. However, you can distinguish them as paid advertising since they carry tags like “Sponsored,” “Sponsored by,” “Brought to You by,” or some such phrase. That indicates that the website has received compensation for publishing the piece.
Since the ads appear on a trustworthy or reputable site, the brand, service, or product gets validation. Readers will likely continue clicking to get more details because they trust the source, which is fantastic. Marketers and business owners placing the ad are capturing leads at the top of the funnel. You’ll simply present the ad without the option to select your target viewership or any other settings. Nor will you have the option for retargeting. At the same time, you’ll use a broad product or service approach. Essentially, the objective of paid advertising is to convert the reader or prospect within a few clicks.
Paid Advertising Works with Different Objectives
If you check the Taboola website using your favorite browser, you’ll spot logos of several top-ranking worldwide news sites. For instance, USANews, NBC, Business Insider, MSN, Fox, Bloomberg, and others. You’ll find that these channels have placements on the Taboola page. Of course, similar ads appear on other paid advertising platforms, including Outbrain, RevContent, and others. Other smaller, lesser-known websites with their dedicated viewership also run native ads.
Each ad you see carries images, headlines, and videos, as well as branding campaigns. Then you have advertising agencies like Purple Black that only run performance campaigns. Such campaigns translate into strategies where the ad spend is much lower than the returns you get from them.
Taboola Has a Selection of Placements to Pick From
Platforms like Taboola have a full selection of templates and ad categories. For instance, you’d go with a banner ad at the top or post it at the bottom of the page. Other campaigns are placed in the center of the page, so the readers can’t miss them as they scroll lower down. Videos and gifs are also popular ad forms. While most native or paid advertising features appear at the bottom of the page, you’ll also see additional placements like mobile-integrated news explicitly designed for Android users. Some stories may not be available for general viewers. However, they are similar to the ads on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and other social media platforms.
Native Advertising Funnels on the Taboola Dashboard Have a Distinct Look and Feel
The paid advertising funnels you see on the Taboola dashboard progress in three different stages.
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Box Ads or Widgets
You have the widget ad that appears at the bottom of the page and includes a static image and a headline. This headline is designed to capture the interest of specific audiences, whether age groups or other demographics. For instance, it might say, “Attention People Born Between 1990 and 2020,” or “Dog Parents Owning Cocker Spaniels – Read This!”
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Advertorial
Clicking on the box ad takes the reader to the article in advertorial form. An advertorial is a landing page that looks like an editorial, which is essentially an article or a news page. But, it’s more than that. This is a sales page with sales copy that talks about a product and entices the reader to purchase it. However, the copy presents in the form of information that offers value to the reader. As they come to the end of the page, readers see the Call to Action or hyperlinked text. By clicking on this text, readers can reach the order page and finalize the purchase.
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Order Page
Alternatively, users might land on the product page or see a form where they can add their contact information. That’s how ad sponsors can capture leads for future promotional campaigns. So, you see, creating a native advertising piece is not just about media buying. But it also hinges critically on legit copywriting skills and expertise. If this article is not compelling enough to interest the reader, the campaign is unlikely to be profitable.
In Conclusion
After checking through the Taboola platform, many business owners get the impression that creating native ads is super easy. Although the site makes it seem simple, the reality is that this form of paid advertising is actually quite complex. Remember that this blog's only objective is to give you a quick overview of how Taboola works. If you are dipping your toe into this marketing strategy, it is advisable to rely on professional assistance. Without it, you might end up investing large sums of money without getting results and generating traffic or an ROI.
If you have more questions about how Taboola works, we’d love to answer them. Visit us at Purple Black and click on the Consultation button to schedule a free call. Our team is standing by to share our expertise and assist you in getting significant traffic and profits for your business.
