Native advertising is content that looks like editorial but is actually paid for by an advertiser. It’s a newer form of digital advertising that savvy marketers are using—and you probably should be, too. According to a study from IHS on behalf of Facebook, by 2020, the majority of mobile display ads will be native and represent $53 billion in advertiser spend. Here are five reasons to take another look at native advertising.

Reason 1: You’re already writing the content.
Native advertising is the perfect match for an existing content marketing strategy, because blogs, e-guides and case studies that you’re already creating can be easily adapted as native ads. If you’re already writing the content, why not do something with it?

Reason 2: You can do a deeper dive.
If your product or company requires more explanation than the five words that can fit on a banner ad, native is for you. Add in illustrations, figures, photos or video to help tell your story to readers that are already in the right brain space to read your content.

Reason 3: It is more engaging than traditional display.
Native ads deliver up to 60% more engagement and up to three times greater retention than other digital advertising. That’s because readers are more likely to engage with a sponsored article that provides relevant information, and more likely to share it with friends and colleagues, than a display ad with minimal information. Click through rates can be two or three times higher than display ads.

Reason 4: It’s good for thought-leadership positioning.
Not only can native drive clicks to your site for a free trial, e-guide or webinar, it’s a chance to elevate your thought-leadership position, as well. Hand company executives a pen and invite them to share insights on trends related to your industry—the article can include a byline and mini bio.

Reason 5: It’s flexible.
Launch a native campaign in a trade publication for a one-month period with a few articles. Watch how many clicks the articles are getting and extend the run of the popular articles and swap out the unpopular ones—native is an incredibly flexible addition to your marketing mix.

Are you interested in investigating a native campaign for your company? Many of our clients are seeing success with it, so we’re well-versed in the practice. Give us a call or drop us a line if you’d like some help.