Editorial content marketing approaches are gaining momentum in the online marketplace. eMarketer reports that U.S. Internet users are more likely to act after viewing ads in editorials, according to longitudinal research conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation for ARAnet.
The survey found respondents were most likely to act based on reading an online article with brand information, at 53 percent -- up from 51 percent last year.
In addition, nearly six in 10 Internet users said they searched for products and services they read about in online articles at least somewhat frequently.
According to the March 2010 survey, brand-related articles interest key demographic groups, with younger and higher-income users more likely than average to take action after reading them.
"We're seeing that article-based advertising rates highest with these important and discerning audiences," said ARAnet president Scott Severson. "Compared to other online advertising options, consumers prefer reading an article, evaluating it, and then deciding to click through for more information."
I believe that the same approach that's proven to work well for B2C marketers is equally effective -- if not more so -- for B2B procurement scenarios. Particularly with complex products and services, such as those within the technology marketing sector.
Sponsored search links also appealed to younger and higher-income targets, with 23 percent of 25- to 34-year-old consumers saying they were very likely to act on such ads -- compared with 11 percent of respondents overall.
Banner ads and e-mail offers appealed most to the 18-to-34 age group, as well as the Hispanic and African-American market segments.