Understand information flow advertising in one article! A must-read for promotion novices!

Recently, due to work needs ( Internet marketing product operation ), I started to come into contact with information flow advertising . Since the introduction of information flow advertising on the Internet is rather confusing and disorderly, and there are many forms and categories of information flow advertising, many people who are just starting to get in touch with information advertising always seem to have a vague understanding of it.

In order to help partners better understand information flow advertising and reduce resistance to product implementation. I will try to combine my own understanding and update some original content of information flow advertisements in succession, hoping it will be helpful to everyone.

Now let’s get to the point. Today I will explain to you in a simple and easy-to-understand way what information flow advertising is and how to identify it. And some advantages and categories of information flow advertising.

What is information flow advertising?

The most frequently asked question recently is "Brother Sa, is this an information flow ad? What about that one?" I think many of my friends have similar questions, because the definitions of information flow ads given online are either very narrow (information flow ads are ads that appear in the updates of social media users' friends) or very broad (ads that don't look like ads). They are limited to introducing products, which is not conducive to understanding, let alone judging and applying marketing strategies. As shown in the picture below, is it an information flow advertisement?

Without further ado, the answer is yes. This is an information flow ad, an information flow ad for Tencent Computer Manager. In fact, it is very simple to judge whether it is an information flow advertisement. Just look at two points:

1. Native ads mixed with product features

For example: ① When using the WeChat Moments function to check friends’ updates, advertisements loaded together with friends’ updates are just like the updates sent by friends. ② When using the Toutiao APP function to browse information, the advertisements mixed in with the consulting information look very much like news information.

Similarly, the information flow ads in Computer Manager were mixed with product functions. When you were checking the computer evaluation status, Tesla ads were pushed.

2. Active push

Information flow is also called feed flow. The English meaning of feed is supply and feeding. As the name suggests, the same is true for information flow advertising, which is actively pushed advertising. Therefore, passive advertising on some vertical information platforms cannot be considered current information flow advertising. For example, 58.com’s product function is to provide local information services. When netizens search for information on 58, the platform application will display merchant advertisements. These advertising information are themselves platform functions, but they are not actively pushed, but passively triggered, so they are not information flow ads.

To sum up the above two points, the advertisements currently known as information flow in the marketing market are: native advertisements that are actively pushed to users when they are using Internet product (service) functions and are mixed with product (service) functions. Generally common in social media and information products.

This is a good way to judge whether it is an information flow advertisement.

Types of information flow ads

Through the introduction of information flow advertising in the previous chapter, we will find that many Internet products (services) can launch information flow advertising. This is why there are so many information flow advertisements in the current marketing market, which is dazzling. As shown in the picture below, I can easily list a dozen.

Due to the popularity of the Internet + concept, Internet products (services) are almost linked to 360 industries and are very functional. Therefore, it is not feasible to understand them one by one. To understand information flow advertising, you first need to classify them by product functions. Due to space constraints, I will briefly introduce the six categories.

1. News and Information:

Toutiao, Yidian Consulting, Zhihuitui ( Tencent information client , Tiantian Kuaibao ), Sina Fuyi (Sina news client), Sohu Huisuan ( Sohu news client ), and NetEase News client. These are all information-based feed ads.

Its features are:

① Users use the app for a long time, with high frequency and strong stickiness.

②Since consulting products were the first to launch information flow advertising, advertising sales formats are diverse and there are many types of advertising slots .

③Limited accuracy, suitable for strong exposure.

2. Social Media:

Weibo Fans Channel /Fans Headlines, Guangdiantong , Momo, Tieba, etc., have the following characteristics: ① strong user interactivity and information can be spread secondary. ② It has a large amount of user registration information, and the user's natural attributes can be determined with high accuracy. ③Since it does not have multiple channels like consulting apps, the advertising form and style are relatively simple.

3. Search Engines :

Currently, the most representative one is Baidu Mobile, and Baidu Mobile currently has dual superimposed functions: search function + news information. Its features are:

①Since it has dual overlay functions (search + information), it has a huge number of users.

② The marketing delivery is highly accurate and can target users’ recent purchasing needs.

③The ROI (return on marketing investment ) is high. Due to the large number of users, the traffic cost is reduced and the accuracy is high, the ROI is slightly higher than that of other information flows.

④It started late, and the forms and styles of delivery are still relatively simple.

4. Video:

iQiyi, Tencent, LeTV , Youku, etc. In view of the improving prospects of the Internet online video market, it is one of the more popular information flow advertisements at present. However, the characteristics of native information flow advertisements make the production cost of video information flow advertisements relatively high, and it requires the integration of resources from multiple parties. Currently, the most representative example is the advertisements inserted during the online drama "Ghost Blows Out the Light" (drama actors + advertiser's products + video producer + video distributor).

5. Browser :

UC Browser, Baidu Browser, Sogou Browser, etc., their features are:

① Large user base, mostly integrated with other platforms, such as UC+ Ali .

②Only triggered on the home page, user attention is low.

6. Other content alliances:

FI-WI keys, lunar calendar weather, etc. This type of product (service) has limited and single functions, a small user base, and low frequency of use. Therefore, information flow ads are usually launched jointly for multiple products. Compared with other types of information flow ads, their delivery range, accuracy, and conversion rate are slightly insufficient.

From the above introduction, it can be seen that the product functional attributes of information flow largely determine the usage scenario, that is, the product value. News information, social media, and search engines (such as Baidu) are the information flow advertisements that advertisers currently prefer due to their large number of users, high accuracy, and strong operability.

Advantages of information flow advertising

Since I am an Internet marketing practitioner, if I were to list the advantages of a product, I could write ten, eight, or even more. But this article is written for my friends, so I will only talk about three of the useful and insightful points.

1. For advertisers, marketing model innovation (traditional model + new media technology)

The traditional advertising model is to use high-quality marketing channels (TV, radio, etc.) to push information publicly and proactively.

New media advertising is information provision, which is more triggered by vertical information platforms. Whether it is Baidu, 58, Tmall , etc., potential consumers search for information on the corresponding information platform according to their needs. The platform uses network technology to better cater to the needs of the audience.

Today, after more than 20 years of development of the Internet, traditional advertising has gradually lost market share due to its decreasing audience, poor accuracy and sustainability, and insufficient effectiveness. New media advertising has also been booming for more than 10 years, but the blue ocean advantage is long gone and marketing bottlenecks are emerging.

Information flow integrates the advantages of both and forms a whole. Using traditional advertising models (with the help of high-quality Internet media - products with high user volume and stickiness), combined with new media technologies ( big data , artificial intelligence , audience profiling), we proactively provide potential users with easy-to-accept marketing information through high-quality media. It undoubtedly provides advertisers with a brand new blue ocean marketing market.

2. It is more in line with the way people obtain information today.

Today is an era of extreme information expansion, and people's ways of obtaining information have become diversified. You may no longer buy a big brand's product just because of its TV commercial. On the contrary, you might buy a bar of handmade soap from a small town in the UK because of a post shared by your friends .

Pushing advertisements through information acquisition channels that people prefer to use will undoubtedly result in a higher response rate and be more conducive to acceptance by potential audiences.

3. For the audience, it is easier to be accepted by netizens.

What were you doing during the TV commercials? What do you do during the online video ads? How many display ads on a web page do you watch?

I think everyone’s answer is similar to mine. No matter what you are doing, you are not watching ads. This is also a problem that many marketing practitioners face. What should I do if the audience doesn’t watch my ads? It’s difficult.

The native characteristics of information flow advertising can solve this problem. Ads in information flow need to be mixed with product functions (information or social sharing, etc.), so when writing them, we usually avoid hard advertising, so that the audience can browse your ads naturally while using the functions of Internet products. To the greatest extent possible, it solves the problem that people like to ignore advertisements.

Mobile application product promotion service: APP promotion service Qinggua Media advertising

This article was compiled and published by @艾萨you (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting! Site Map