From Netflix to BuzzFeed, native advertising pops up everywhere you look today.

Enjoying a steady rise in popularity over the past few years, it has become a favoured form of marketing among both companies and consumers.

With ad-blockers on the rise, it is clear that internet users aren’t fans of in-your-face adverts. Instead, they would rather invest their time in consuming content that gives them something back. So what makes native advertising such a great investment for businesses?

1. It creates curiosity

For many companies who choose to use native advertising, one of the prime aims is to build brand awareness and piquing people’s interest is a great way to do this. Media company BurdaForward reported that native advertising helps encourage users to gather further information and can achieve a 70% increase in visits to a company’s website.

2. It increases purchasing potential

The predominant reason for any type of advertising is to sell more, and it seems native can help companies fulfil this aim with its ability to influence sales. BurdaForward found native advertising led to a 50% increase in users’ readiness to buy across all industries. And it was particularly notable for FMCG firms, with native advertising users in this sector deciding to buy the product 93.4% times more often.

3. It boosts brand image

It is apparent that native advertising helps increase awareness about the brand in question. It could therefore be the perfect tool for businesses that specifically want to influence how people percieve them, with one study finding it helped boost brand image by 11.4%. Furthermore, native advertising also helps to position companies as experts – and BurdaForward found that this perception increased by 37% after using the tool.