You want to make money, right? Of
course you do. Everyone wants – and
needs -to make money. So you started
a blog since you’ve heard it’s an easy
way to make cash, but you’re not quite
sure how to actually make money
doing it. Or maybe you already have a
blog and you’re exploring ways to
monetize it.
No matter which group you’re in,
making money with a blog – whether
it’s a hobby blog or a business blog –is
possible. It’s not a get rich quick
ordeal, but if you do it right, you could
make enough to support your family
and more.
Let’s dive in and see how
you can make a profit with your blog.
Monetize with CPC or
CPM Ads
One of the most common ways
bloggers make money is through
placing ads on their site.
There are two
popular types of ads:
CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also
called pay per click) ads are usually
banners that you place in your
content or sidebar. Each time a
reader clicks on the ad, you are paid
for that click.
CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per
1,000 impressions,” are ads that pay
you a fixed amount of money based
on how many people view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for
placing these types of ads is Google
AdSense.
With this program, you do
not need to be in direct contact with
advertisers; you simply place the
banner on your site, Google chooses
ads relevant to your content, and your
viewers click on the ads. There are
countless similar programs available if
you find that AdSense doesn’t work for
you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and
Media.net.
Sell Private Ads
Working with advertising networks
isn’t your only option when it comes to
selling ads. If you end up with enough
traffic, advertisers may come directly
to you and ask you to place their ad on
your site.
You can also contact
advertisers yourself.
The biggest
difference from the above mentioned
option is that there is no middle man,
which means you can set your own ad
rates.
Selling private ads can come in the
form of banners, buttons, or links. You
can even make money writing
sponsored posts where you write about
or give a review of an advertiser’s
product or service.
Another option is
to write an underwritten post or
series, which is where you can write
about any topic, but the advertiser
pays for a “Brought to you by”
mention in the content.
The ways you make money with this
can vary. For instance, you might
charge a one-time fee for a link within
a post. If you are hosting banner ads,
you might charge your partner
monthly.
Bonus tip: To maximize your income,
you can also choose to sell sponsorship
space in your newsletters, podcasts,
and videos.
Include Affiliate Links in
Your Content
Affiliate marketing is also another
great tool for monetizing your blog.
Here is how affiliate marketing works :
1. An advertiser has a product she
wants to sell. She agrees to give you
a commission from each sale if the
buyer is coming from your site.
2. She gives you a unique link that
tracks your affiliate code. That way,
she knows when a buyer used your
link to make a purchase.
3. You include your affiliate link on
your site. You can do this directly in
the content or through banner ads.
If a reader clicks on your unique
link and buys the product you have
recommended, you earn a
percentage of what she purchased.
You can utilize affiliate marketing
through ad networks like Amazon
Associates , or you can create private
partnerships with advertisers and
businesses with an affiliate program.
Sell Digital Products
If you would rather not advertise
other people’s products on your site, or
if you are looking for another stream
of income, consider selling digital
products.
This can include items like:
eBooks
Online courses/workshops
Images, video, or music people can
use in their own content
Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to
choose one of these avenues that you
make it relevant and useful to your
readers.
A lot of bloggers make the
mistake of assuming they are
developing a product their readers
need; listen to your readers first, and
then create a digital product that will
meet their needs.
Use it as a Content
Marketing Tool for Your
Business
It is also possible to sell physical
products on your blog and to make
money that way. Instead of thinking of
it as making money from your blog,
however, think of your blog as a
content marketing tool that will drive
visitors to your business website.
The possibilities are practically endless
when it comes to developing a
business blog. You could sell hand-
made products, books, manufactured
products, and so much more. Or you
might already have a business and
decide to start a blog to convert loyal
customers.
Lets say, for example, that you
refurbish and resell used smartphones
out of your home. You could use a blog
to attract visitors to your website
where you list your current phones for
sale.
Your blog might cover topics
about DIY refurbishing.
On one level, it
seems counterintuitive because you
want people to buy your phones, but it
also helps you build a brand and gain
recognition. Social media guru Jay
Baer explains the concept on
Copyblogger :
I was at a conference a few years ago,
and this is where I first sort of started
thinking about this concept, and their
founder, Robert Johnson, was
speaking…
He said, “Well our best customers are
the people that think they can fix it
themselves.”
But eventually you are going to get out
of your depth either on that project on
a project down the road, at which point
who are you going to call? Are you
going to call somebody randomly that
you discovered on Google or are you
going to call the guys who you just
watched their logo in the corner of a
14-minute instructional video?
This concept can also be applied to
services in all types of industries. For
instance, if you offered electronic
repair services as opposed to physical
products, you could still use the same
blogging concept to increase brand
awareness and convert more clients.
Sell Memberships
Another option to make money is to
sell memberships to exclusive corners
of your website.
For instance, a career
blog might charge $10 per month for
users to gain access to their job board.
A startup business blog might sell
memberships to their forums where
people can get personalized advice
about their business.
The key here is that your exclusive
membership has to be more valuable
than something your visitors can find
for free somewhere else, so be sure
you’re developing something of
value and worth the price.
Use it to Build Your
Credibility
Blogging to build credibility can lead
to many money-making opportunities.
For instance, let us say you start a blog
in the finance industry. People start
reading your content, and your blog
becomes very popular. You are now a
recognized figure in the finance
industry.
Once you have that authority, people
might approach you to co-author a
book on debt management, or you
could charge to speak at conferences
or to run employee financial training
days.
This certainly isn’t a direct form of
making money blogging, but it has
worked for many well-known bloggers,
and it can work for you, too. If youâ
€™re looking for a direct revenue
stream, popular blogs have sold for 4-7
figures (sometimes more ) by selling
their branding and content.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is
that making money blogging is not
possible by putting your site up and
letting it sit there. The “if you build it,
they will come” mentality doesn’t work
here, so be sure you’re willing to
put in the time. Most bloggers don’t
see a spike of income for several
months (sometimes years) after
starting their blog.
Before you dive too
deep into blogging, remember these
little bits of advice:
Create Quality Content
You are not going to make any money
from your blog if people don’t read it.
After all, your readers are the ones
who are going to make you money,
whether they’re clicking on your ads
or buying your products. Always put
your readers first.
Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on
Your Blog
Developing a successful blog has a lot
to do with building relationships. That
can include relationships with
sponsors, affiliate partners, or simply
other bloggers who will direct traffic
to your blog. Be sure some of your time
is spent on forums and other blogs (or
whatever works for you) to build these
relationships and your blog.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Not all of these tips and avenues of
income are going to work for you.
Don’t be afraid to tweak your methods
to see what works best for you and
your readers.
Making money blogging can take a lot
of persistence, but it can pay off in the
long-run if you’re starting out from
scratch. Just remember that you don’t
have to use all of these money-making
avenues at once.
Consider what other
people in your industry are doing, and
start from there.
Over time, you will learn what works
for you and what doesn’t. If you’re
looking to make money from your
blog, which option will you start with?
Let me know in the comment section
:).
By oluwaseun afolabi
