It’s lovely l’il ol’ me again—Rey. The Boss is off on one of those tangents and asked me to do the first post on making money through blogging. Apparently, she’d promised to do two or three so a wee while ago.
I’m not into researching or shi-uh-stuff like that, so I told her to forget it. But she reminded me I was a P.I. and P.I.s investigate; they find things. Who could <bleeping> argue with that?
From what I’ve read, making mega bucks through a blog isn’t guaranteed. It can happen, but you have to be dedicated, commit the time and make the effort. Blog traffic is going to play a key part, too.
So let’s take a quick gander at a couple of common ways to bring in a few extra bucks (I’ll let The Boss cover others in the next post): Affiliate Marketing and Selling Ads / Google AdSense.
Affiliate marketing is said to be the easiest way of making money. You get to promote a lot of different products. Basically, you recommend a product (or service) to your viewers/followers with special tracking links. You can also join affiliate programs through on-line products and services. A seller gives you an affiliate code that you use to direct folks to the appropriate site. In either scenario, you receive a referral fee whenever someone buys something after clicking your link or using that code.
You can also earn fees (commission) through different affiliate program payments. Pay per sale is money earned when a purchase is completed. Pay per click is money earned based on the number of people you send to a seller’s site. And pay per lead is money earned when referred people provide contact info on the seller’s site. Find out who has what.
What are some good things about affiliate marketing? It’s cheap: no overhead or production costs to speak of. The sky’s—er, the world’s—the limit: think “global opportunities”. No costs; you don’t have to pay to join a program. You don’t always have to be on-line, but make sure you have your ducks in a row.
As The Boss would say (drives me crazy, but who am I?), do your due diligence. Get to know what’s out there. Become skilled at promoting. Check out Amazon, for example, to see which products you might like to sponsor/support. Ask viewers and followers if they have an affiliate program you can sign up for. Discover different affiliate marketing tools and apply them. Lastly, and maybe most importantly, have a plan.
Perhaps you’re thinking that selling ads might be a bona-fide way of generating income. It can be; just be aware that price negotiation and admin-related tasks, among other things, enter the equation. Consider blog traffic and design/navigation, which will play crucial parts in determining how much money you’ll actually earn through ads.
Google AdSense is a Google product that lets you place targeted ads on your site with the objective of, yes, making money. You get paid per click when someone clicks on, or looks at, the ad. The advertiser will put ads on your blog, so you’re not out any cash. You’ll also have to create an AdSense campaign, with ads relevant to your site. Realize money earned can be inconsistent, because every ad click brings in a different amount. You’ll also have to be approved; so, again, make sure you have those ducks in a row. Review Google Adsense’s site to see what’s required (uh-huh, that due diligence again).
There’s also the option of selling (“renting”) banner ad space on your blog, which offers some earning wiggle room. To be successful at this, though, your blog’s traffic has to have wide reach; if it doesn’t, advertisers aren’t going to be overly keen on placing ads on your site.
Look at blogs similar to yours to see what they’re up to. Maybe they’ll inspire you. Consult fellow bloggers; they may be willing to share thoughts and processes.
Whatever hat I’m wearing (private eye or actress), I always try to do—and give—my best. As a blogger, you should too. If you’re going to become involved in affiliate marketing and/or selling ads, make sure it reflects your blog and you. That, my friends, is called integrity.
The Writer's Grab-Bag 