Monetization Models: Customize Your Plan at Blissdom

Monetization Models: Customize Your Plan

Janice Croze, Nathan Engels, Carrie Isaac, Jessica Turner

Affiliates

Get paid when someone clicks on link or when they click and buy.

Pay-per-lead/click affiliates

Examples (you receive payment for a lead or click) :

• MySavings Media
• Logical Media
• WeUseCoupons.com
• Panthera Network
• Escalate Media Affiliate Networks

If you are a food blogger and have recipes, include links to coupon affiliates where you earn every time someone prints out the coupon.

Pay-Per-Sale Affiliates

Examples (you receive payment when a sale is made):

• Commission Junction
• Share-a-Sale
• Grocery University Affiliates
• Amazon Associates
• Google Affiliate Network
• LinkShare

Find affiliates that are a perfect fit with your blog and your readers.(disclose that they are affiliate links)

Affiliate Link Tips

– banners/sidebar ads tend to do worse than the text links within a blog post

– Link to the direct page for the product you are referencing

– Don’t include lots of other links to other stuff if you include affiliate links. If less to choose from, will click on the link.

Passive v. Active Earning

Reach out to the affiliate manager of all the products that you link to. Build a relationship.

Write about the product and use the affiliate link (active)

Passive is posting a link and not writing anything about it (banner ads too).

Have to disclose in the post (not a random page on your blog) MUST be in the post (end of post is ok).

Build the affiliate link into your content. Make it relevant to your readers.

If another blogger links to your deal, recognize them, thank them.

Highly placed passive ads can perform well if relevant.

Think about what you are riding and find ways to link to the products you are discussing.

Find out if you can put your affiliate links into the guest post that you would write on a blog with more traffic.

Thank readers for clicking on your ads and affiliate links. Click on the links on other blogs when you visit.

Flash Deal Sites

• Groupon
• Mamapedia.com
• Gilt Groupe
• RueLaLa
• Jasmere
• zulily
• LivingSocial
• One King Lane
• Eversave
• Plum District

Give readers/PR easy way to contact you. (media page, about me, etc.)

Flash Deals vs Affiliates

Flash deal sites typically offer site credit, not cash payout. Usually the sites are for limited time periods.

Many flash deal sites are on many different affiliate networks. Shop around.

If you do the deal and then blog about it and include the affiliate link, you are validating the sale.

AdSense 101

AdSense is Google’s ad network. Largest in the world.

Pay per click ratio. Get paid when you have $100

Google AdSense Terms of Service

• Don’t click on your own Google ads EVER!
• Don’t ask readers to click on Google ads EVER!
• Don’t put up pop-up prompts.
• Don’t change with the AdSense code.
• Don’t place ads on sites that contain prohibited content (illegal stuff or porn)
• No misleading placement.(don’t trick them to click on the link)
• 3 image ads & 3 link ads on your page and NO MORE.

You are required to have certain things in your privacy policy about the things that Google AdSense is collecting from your readers. (can get kicked out if violate these terms)

If you accidentally click your own ad, note the time and notify Google.

AdSense Psychology

You can block channels on AdSense if you don’t want certain types (weight loss, political) or you can block specific URL’s or specific links.You have more control over what ads show up on your site.

Who clicks on ads?

3 types of readers

Bouncers (read 1 & never come back) – they are going to leave no matter what, give them a reason to leave (they click on an affiliate link or AdSense ad)

Loyal (know you well and read you everyday)

Casual (read sometimes)

by surrounding your content with ad units there is more likelihood that they link will be licked on.

AdSense Maximization

Create channels in AdSense and track how well your ads are doing. track placement and text or image. Experiment with different ads to see which performs better.

Think about ad saturation (don’t flood pages with ads)

WordPress plugin – AdSense Now (can control per post & will automatically watch # of ads)

Well placed & well designed ads & text ads do well.

Make the text links look like your blog with colors of background and color of the links.

Ad networks

paid in CPMs (per 1000)

good passive income

• BlogHer
• Beacon (you can price it & they sell ad for you)
• Lijit
• Glam
• Lifetime Mom
• Federated Media (for larger blogs)

If small blogger, you will not make a lot of money. Usually sign contract and READ contract. Don’t sign long contracts.

Often, if done correctly, AdSense or affiliates will make you more money.

What to look for in the contract: exclusivity, position guarantee & content stipulations.

If not sure about whether want to do it, start slowly.

Go back and monetize your older posts that have high traffic.

eProducts

Write the ebook that you want to write.

Presale the book. Do not collect money, but that way you know whether there is a need for the book and have incentive to write it.

Is there a market for the product? do your research.

Is there another product like it?

What would you charge? Is there a free one available? Price it for what it’s worth, but build a sale into it.

Who would your audience be?

Who promote and how promote?

Hard time to sell product with double digits.

May be good to offer ebook for free to build your network and subscribers and figure out how to monetize the larger network.

WP E-commerce Store (wordpress plugin to run your own store)

Create an affiliate program so your network can help you sell your product.

Have a good sales page.

Simple order process.

Offer incentives (bonus)

Report sales tax (in your state).

Monetize the customers in the future. Have them sign up for a newsletter.

Private Ads

How set your rates? Look at your page views. Be realistic. Do not sell for less than you would make from AdSense for that ad.

Build your product and they will come to you.

Be flexible.

Have a plan in place.

Have an advertise page with stats on your blog.

Have contact page and media kit available.

Janice, 5 Minutes for Mom – When and What a Blogger Could Charge for their Services

Sponsored Posts

Random sponsored posts just because someone is paying you and not relevant to your site are not the best.

Make sure it is relevant and gives value to your readers.

Be creative with how you can offer sponsored posts.

Helpful Resources

• Problogger
• Adsense
• Savvy Blogging
• John Chow

Giveaways

Often sponsored posts because blogger charges for the giveaway.

Integrated Campaigns

PR Firms do sometimes have money for integrated campaigns. Sometimes there is only product in exchange.

Integrated Campaigns – Cost per Influence. We are more than our page views. Use many different channels to promote (blog, video, twitter, Facebook, etc)

Be particular about who you align with and who takes up space on your blog.

Banner ads work to align your campaigns and bring awareness to brands. Definitely adds value even if it doesn’t bring in any money.

Don’t forget disclosure statements.

Other Ways to Monetize

Brand Ambassadorship

Freelance Writing

Consulting

Social Media campaigns

Do not complain on Social Media sites. You are a business. You are a brand.

Your design is part of your optimization and monetization. It is OK to use partial posts. You should!!! You get more page views & click throughs. Page views matter.

Related articles

• Advanced Monetization: Make Your Own Opportunitites #Blissdom (scrapsofmygeeklife.com)
• [Geeky Guide] Monetization in 2011 (geeky-guide.com)
• How I Monetize Mobile Traffic on My Blogs (problogger.net)