Running a high-traffic blog is no simple effort. From overly passionate readers to potential income disasters; high-earning opportunities to stressful moderation and management, the amount of work involved in running a standard blog can become more than a full-time job. It is no surprise that many bloggers, even those with relatively limited audiences and traffic statistics, give up within months of starting their blog.
But that does not mean that all blogging is done without reward. Over the seven years that blogging has been a mainstream occurrence, a growing number of bloggers have worked out how to draw something more than enjoyment and improvement from their blogs: income.
To follow are four methods that can help you do the same. From affiliate-based sales programs to blogger advertising, there are hundreds of ways to monetize your personal or business blog. We have found the four most effective forms of blog income, and pulled them together for you to select from. If you are tired of blogging without any measurable returns, give these recommendations a try.
1. Use Amazon’s Affiliates Program to promote new products and books.
Amazon’s commission sales program is one of the most popular on the internet, and for good reason. While the online retail giant offers little in the way of income, it makes things as simple as possible for bloggers by creating a huge selection of books, movies, and high quality products to select from. If you are worried about conversion rates with other products – perhaps you are considering designing your own but want to build base income first – Amazon Affiliates is the way to go. This was the first method I tried on my own blog. You’ll see that I recommend a some business books and use Amazon affiliate links.
2. Create your own product.
A growing number of bloggers are looking beyond Amazon’s affiliate program for their blog income. EBooks, audio programs, video courses, and even tangible goods and services, have become a popular option for bloggers, especially those invested in a particular niche or industry.
I am a big proponent of re-purposing content that you already have so you aren’t creating from scratch. You are a skilled professional, with unique expertise, and probably have enough information to offer some type of eProduct to your audience. People love checklists and how-to products – products that help save them time or make them feel more productive. What complimentary offer can you create? (hint: if you need help launching a digital product, check out eProduct Flight Plan – a product Mary Motz and I designed and now sell on our blogs).
3. Use Google Adsense to cash in on your clicks.
Google Adsense won’t be the top-paying network out there, and it is unlikely to help you turn your blog into an advertising powerhouse. However, it is one of the most reliable advertising networks on the web, helping bloggers and webmasters generate billions of dollars annually without having to constantly monitor their websites and advertising statistics. For low-maintenance income, it is certainly worth a dedicated effort.
4. Partner with media buyers and direct marketers.
If you have got a really high-traffic blog, the best way to monetize it effectively is to partner with media buyers and direct marketing organizations. From Coca-Cola to small family businesses, a surprising amount of online and offline businesses will be interested in buying traffic from you.
If you are uncertain about jumping in on your own, it is worth working through a media buying agency at first. Search around using Google, or look through local advertisers yourself – you could end up building a long-term partnership with businesses, and even open yourself up to additional opportunities.
How many times have you heard about a friend or colleague losing precious data because of an equipment failure? ‘ Too often’ is probably the answer. How can this be avoided? Data loss can be avoided by employing several methods. Let’s cover a few here.
