Taboola and Outbrain lead native advertising through content, and create more quality leads to the advertiser than any other method online
At the end of almost all of the articles we all read on all content sites, we see a “more articles that may interest you” section.
What most readers do not know is that it is an advertising platform, just like Google ads or Facebook advertising, and that most of the articles that appear therein are promoted as a paid online advertising method. In Israel, the most common platforms for content marketing are Outbrain and Taboola.
Native Advertising: Looks like a regular article
More than half of the articles published in Taboola or Outbrain are actually advertiser marketing content, the purpose of which is to expose the reader to a particular product or service, and generate enough interest so that he/she also makes contacts and closes a deal. Does it work? According to Mali Sandler Beker, Editor-in-Chief and campaign manager of the native digital agency Malis Digital, the answer is definitely, yes.
“Advertising like this does not look like another banner or advertisement, but rather like a link to a regular article on a website that the reader is in at that very moment,” she explains. “Such an article manages to convey the marketing message for a few minutes straight – much more than any other online advertisement.”
“For the ad to be effective, it is important that the article is not “over-marketing,” but is written from an objective point of view, and generates enough value and interest for readers. A marketing article alone will not work, and on Outbrain – chances are that you will not be approved for publication.”
Content Marketing: How Does It Work?
“The first step in the process is creating a marketing article that appeals to the right target audience. Once the article is ready, it goes to the advertiser’s site or content site, and then you can start a campaign. Once the advertising starts, a link to the article starts appearing on large content sites like Ynet or Mako, and the reader that clicks on the link – is redirected to the site to read the article. If the topic interests him/her, one can also leave contact details on the contact form.
How much does it cost?
Before promoting content on Outbrain or Taboola, you have to take into account the advertising budget you want to invest, the cost of running a campaign, and also the one-time cost of writing the article. This is a total of several thousand dollars a month, which generates thousands of clicks per article”.
“The cost-per-click is more or less like the cost on Facebook, but the difference between the two types of advertising is huge. A Facebook advertiser is trying to produce an immediate result – usually trying to get the reader to a website or landing page to leave their information on the leads form. With Taboola and Outbrain, it works differently. Advertisers lead the reader to an article that provides them with a lot of information and makes them understand the product or service they offer, a lot better.”
In practice, does this lead to higher quality leads?
“Promoting content on Taboola or Outbrain is considered to be very effective advertising because it generates serious leads from serious customers. There are no ‘garbage leads’ as we call it, which is prominent with Facebook advertising, for example. A marketing article creates quality leads. Those who read the article for an average of 2-3 minutes, already know and understand what it is about – so they are at a much higher readiness to close a deal.”
What about Facebook leads?
“One of our clients posted on Facebook for months and got a lot of leads – but found himself talking all day on the phone with people, most of whom didn’t even recall they requested more information, or just wanted to ask more and more questions but wouldn’t close a deal.
When we started publishing articles with Taboola and Outbrain, very high-quality leads began to roll in and sales started to be made. Because they had already read the article, the people who contacted the advertiser knew what they were going for, that’s what made all the difference.”