Quality Metrics: How to Determine the Value of Your Native Ad Campaign

We’ve mentioned it before, but we’ll say it again. Native Advertising kicks butt in today’s ever-changing world of online advertising. It’s a tactful way to deliver valuable content—your brand story—to prospective customers, leading to impactful impressions and brand lift. Advertising that’s beneficial to both the consumer and brand? Yeah, that’s pretty powerful. Of course, sponsored content doesn’t automatically guarantee engagement. Creating relevant, meaningful content is only part of the equation. You also need to take a strategic approach by using quality metrics to inform and ultimately define the success of your Native Ad campaign.

Ever wondered if you’re getting the most value out of your ad campaign? Quality metrics will get you answers. As is true with most types of advertising, employing metrics is the best way to monitor performance and assess ROI. And no, we’re not just talking click-through rates.They’re important, sure; but they aren’t the only way to monitor performance or justify your investment, especially when it comes to Native Advertising.

With Native, your brand has the unique opportunity to connect with prospects well before the buying cycle, in a way banner ads simply can’t. Banners rely on clear calls to action, leading users through the buyer journey forthright. Native Advertising applies a subtler approach through a longer buyer journey, enabling users to absorb the value of your content and associate that value with your brand; users don’t necessarily need to click to connect with your brand or for the ad to be considered a success. Native is all about increasing brand awareness and connecting with your audience in a way that adds value to them.

So what does adding value for the consumer have to do with metrics? Quality metrics determine campaign success by uncovering things like average attention in minutes, scroll depth, engagement, and virality. These measure the full value of user engagement with your content, thereby revealing which content your intended audience deems of the highest quality. Bingo!

In short, the right metrics enable your brand to make more informed, strategic decisions when it comes to creating content. Time spent on a site or with an article is valuable, but so is the number of times a piece of content is shared. The more informed you are, the more influential your Native Advertising campaigns can be.

So, if you don’t track quality metrics to determine success, how can you really prove your ROI? Using metrics to gauge performance will inform your decision-making process and drive an evolving, strategic campaign that is invaluable to your success in Native Advertising.

Food for Thought: 

• Why Pageviews Matter in Measuring Native Ads
• Fixing Advertising Means Fixing the Metrics We Measure
• 5 Essentials for a Successful Native Advertising Campaign