Ad blockers are increasingly popular, reducing the impact of traditional online advertising.

According to Statista, 33% of computers now have a least one type of ad blocker, and this number has doubled since 2014.

People use ad blockers primarily to prevent disruptions in the browsing experience.

Ad blockers prevent advertisers and publishers from reaching their target audiences. In response, marketers must implement creative strategies to drive web traffic and conversions.

To balance a high-quality user experience (UX) and advertising needs, businesses should use more intuitive and less disruptive techniques to reach their audience.

Use these 3 strategies to bypass ad blockers:

• Ask users to whitelist your website
• Expand mobile advertising
• Invest in online advertising strategies

#1. Ask People to Whitelist Your Website

Website UX is a priority for impatient online audiences. Any minor interruption or glitch in a browsing experience can result in users abandoning your site for new content.

If your site experience is valuable, however, people are more willing to tolerate ads.

According to research from Dean Murphy, ad-blocker users will whitelist a site that:

• Performs optimally
• Displays a transparent privacy policy
• Only serves them “acceptable” ads that don’t annoy, disrupt, or deceive

People are the least tolerant of ads that create visual clutter or disrupt page load times. Tolerable ads respect the visitor’s intent and present relevant offerings.

To earn a place on users’ whitelists, your website must have compelling content and acceptable ads.

Before you develop a whitelist call-to-action, you need to create a robust content strategy that attracts visitors at every stage of the buyer’s journey.

Once this content strategy is established, research web designers and developers to incorporate “soft ask” pop-ups into their websites to request that users disable ad blockers.

Companies that release a stream of diverse, relevant, and engaging content improve the chances they secure the loyalty and whitelisting from devoted visitors.

#2. Expand Into Mobile Advertising

Ad blockers aren’t yet fully functional in mobile browsers, so your company has an opportunity to advertise to mobile users. According to Visual Objects, only 28% of mobile devices use an ad blocker.

This low percentage is due to the fact that mobile users must install ad blockers for themselves. In addition, most of users time on mobile devices is spent on apps, most of which don’t allow ad blockers.

This disconnect between mobile and desktop behavior presents an opportunity for businesses, but only in the short-term.

Downloads for the top mobile ad-blocking apps more than doubled in 2018, according to App Annie.

As mobile ad blocking becomes more common, companies should diversify their avenues for online advertising.

#3. Invest in Stable Online Advertising Strategies

Businesses can access new channels of engagement by investing in varied forms of online marketing. Here are three forms of online marketing to help grow your audience:

#1. Native Advertising

People don’t hate all ads, just ads that hinder their content consumption.

Native ads are paid media that match the form and function of the advertising medium. For example, sponsored posts on Facebook are native ads that are formatted the same as other content on the site.

People perceive native ads as more relevant and less intrusive, which is why they interact with native ads 20–60% more than traditional banner ads.

You can serve native ads across many channels, including:

• Paid search
• Social media
• Promoted listings on other websites
• Display banners with native elements

Advertising on social media apps allows access to mobile audiences in a non-disruptive format.

Source: Instagram

The interface of social apps allows users to scroll past the videos, preventing disruption of the overall user experience.

For best results, closely align the advertisement with the channel’s content. The more the ad matches to the content, the more likely you are to get clicks.

#2. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a highly effective way to drive awareness and engagement in the age of ad blockers. It’s also free — not counting the internal resources you use as part of your content strategy.

Your audience wants to be educated and entertained to make quality purchases as necessary. Ask yourself what unique value can you deliver to customers and produce content around those ideas.

You can appeal to your audience with a blend of informative, fun, timely, and evergreen content. Distributing your content across multiple channels provides the widest reach and generate the most awareness.

To ensure your content grabs and secures attention:

• Communicate in a branded voice that stands out from the competition
• Highlight your brand’s unique perspective or thought leadership
• Leverage uncommon forms of content such as podcasts to reach people in new ways

#3. Email Marketing

Email marketing allows you to pitch interested prospects directly.

According to Wordstream, 59% of B2B marketers rank email as the most effective channel for generating revenue.

When marketing via email, use personalization, catchy headlines, and videos to increase open rates.

You can also use email marketing to distribute your content to further engage prospects and move them toward purchasing from your company.

Email marketing succeeds when it cuts through the noise, deepens people’s’ knowledge of your products and brand, and helps them envision success as your customer.

Engaging Customers Despite Ad Blockers Requires Creativity

Consumers are avoiding ads more than ever, so businesses must explore new engagement strategies.

Mobile advertising is feasible, but only until people begin to demand an ad-free mobile experience.

Instead of seeking new ad opportunities, consider investing in your content strategy. Quality content incentivizes your audience to whitelist your site and tolerate relevant ads. Quality content also helps drive sales.

Finally, businesses should diversify online advertising tactics to include native advertising and email marketing.

Bio: Kelsey McKeon is a Content Writer for Visual Objects, a portfolio website designed to help web development companies and designers to showcase their notable projects and help B2B buyers compare services providers.

This article is contributed by Kelsey McKeon, Content Writer for Visual Objects — web development company

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