Native Advertising:

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According to what we're seeing work best on the Yahoo Gemini platform, we recommend that financial advertisers highlight
Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Introduction In 2015, native proved to be an ad unit of choice—driving action, conversions, brand storytelling, and premium content creation. As users cross over from desktop to mobile experiences, advertisers confront an even greater need to shift spending from traditional formats that don’t perform as well on mobile devices. While native ads work across screens, they are conceived with a mobile-first mindset and have been proven to work on mobile. Although the native advertising ecosphere is relatively new, the Association of National Advertisers estimates that U.S. spending on native ads will grow to $13.9 billion in 2016 and $21 billion by 2018. With powerful performance and enhanced user experience, the native ads marketplace

U.S. Native Ad Spend to grow to $13.9 billion in 2016 and $21 billion by 2018.

is positioned to remain a dominant player in digital advertising. We hope the following guide for financial advertisers helps you get started with your native ad creative.

Tips for Native Ad Copy Copy should read naturally and conversationally but still give users an indication of the product or services offered. • Native ad copy should describe benefits, not features. • Avoid using exclamation points and other hyperbolic characters that can cheapen the look of the ad. • Sparingly use trademark symbols such as ™, ©, and ®, as they can call too much attention to the ad and disrupt from the editorial-like feel.

For more tips on ad copy, you’ll appreciate our “Write Ad Copy that Converts” eBook.

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Incorporating Images Beyond the Logo Images need to be compelling. Think beyond a logo.

Entice Your Audience Try something to draw the user in. For instance, use a picture of a resort for a travel site or a sleek car racing down a road for an auto advertiser.

Best Face Forward Incorporate people’s faces whenever possible. According to a recent study based on internal Yahoo data, ads that showed faces performed significantly better than those without faces.

For more tips on ad images, refer to our “Choose Images that Connect” eBook.

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Best Practices for Financial Services Advertiser Categories According to what we’re seeing work best on the Yahoo Gemini platform, we recommend that financial advertisers highlight the following in their native ad creative to drive performance:

Credit Card Advertisers

Rewards Programs for air miles, cash back, and exclusive perks are a great way to distinguish yourself from the competition.

Money Management Include specific options to benefit the card owner. Special Offers Promote special rates and features that your competition can’t compete with.

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Tax Advertisers Emphasize Urgency

Offer Help

Speak the Consumer’s

Tax season is only a few

The process of doing one’s

Language

quick months of the year,

taxes can be overwhelming.

While everyone pays taxes,

so be sure to use attention-

Highlight any tutorials

not everyone understands

grabbing and time-sensitive

or other resources you

accounting jargon. Don’t

ads. Tests have shown

provide. Remember that

botch the opportunity to

conversion rates of 2X when

convenience and simplicity

connect with your audience

using time-sensitive copy

are appreciated by end

by using tax jargon. Mention

in both the title and the

users. Words like “simple”

a benefit that enlightens

description.

and “easy to use” will stand

your audience, but don’t

out in the stream.

drown them in the details.

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Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Insurance Advertisers

Compare Plans When it comes to insurance, consumers have many different options and need to know they’re choosing the right one. Include copy to let them know that they’ll be able to compare plans once they click your ad.

Free Quote People tend to love anything that’s free. Be sure to call out free quotes in your ad copy. Health, Auto, Life Not all types of insurance apply to everyone. Be sure to specify the type of insurance being offered.

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Banking Advertisers Ways to Save Money Savings accounts, investment guidance, and refinancing are a few ways banks can help current and potential customers save money. Be sure to highlight your best offers and current initiatives.

Eligible/Pre-Approved Getting a loan isn’t always easy, but it is often necessary. Call out whether consumers are preapproved for loans or other financial products to help draw them in.

Special Rates and Offers Not everyone has the ability to put down a large sum of money. By calling out special rates such as $0 Down, you can attract a larger pool of consumers.

Convenience Many financial institutions give customers the option to handle all of their finances in the same place. The ability to manage all of this with one login is appealing, so be sure to point that out if it’s something you offer.

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Using Native Video With unmatched reach, inherent viewability, and a consumer-friendly ad experience, native video is a powerful tool for financial advertisers. On Yahoo Gemini, we’re seeing native video ads deliver on both brand and performance goals for advertisers, with 89% higher video completion rates, 50% lower eCPV, and CTR that is 2x the industry average for native video.* By following these best practices, financial advertisers can better scale their video campaigns and ensure their ads resonate even more with their desired audience:

1. Make it Quick and Relatable • The most successful native videos tend to be about 15 seconds in length, although 30-second videos can be effective in promoting intricate topics such as life

We Can Make your Home Dreams a Reality.

insurance or mortgages. • Include real-life situations and events in your video that allow the consumer to relate to the products or your brand as a whole. DreamBank.com

*According to a recent analysis of native video campaigns on the Yahoo Gemini platform, as compared to third-party reported industry averages for native video

Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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Tighten your Belt After All that Holiday Spending

2. Make it AttentionGrabbing and Personal • The first three seconds are the most important for native video and need to capture the viewer’s attention up front. • Use humor or light-hearted interactions that draw people in on a personal level. • The video’s static images should be just as

Financialez.com

compelling as in a standard native ad.

3. Highlight Your Programs and Offers • Like with standard native ads, it’s beneficial to highlight what you’re offering, how you can be of service, and how your brand is differentiated from the competition.

Make Sure to Sample All the Credit Cards You Can.

• Running multiple videos is recommended so that you can optimize for better performance and determine which message or offer resonates the most with your target audience. • Ad titles should always be engaging and include the brand name as it may be the

ReviewCardsNow.com

only text a viewer sees.

Put these tips to use today to drive performance with your native ad campaigns. To get started, reach out to your Yahoo account rep, or log into your account at https://gemini.yahoo.com/advertiser. Native Advertising: Creative Best Practices for Financial Services Advertisers

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