Blogging for Fun and Profit

[Halx]

By Andrew Gonsalves

(If this intrigues you as something you'd like to do, please send me a PM. As mentioned, the company I work for IS looking for bloggers.)

Is that blog you're reading trying to sell you something? While they were once used as platforms for vocal members of the online community to broadcast their lives and opinions, blogs have evolved into a marketing tool. As content-rich and informative websites, blogs are easily read and categorized by search engines. With easy access from search traffic comes the prospect of profitability. With the Long Tail theory of niche relevance in full effect, you no longer have to be a blogging celebrity to make money from your traffic.

The company I am working for is looking for bloggers to... blog. They want to find people who can write about various themes. For instance, in an attempt to sell "personal lubricants" they are looking for someone who can write about erotic things on a weekly basis. They will pay a monthly stipend, plus commission from all sales referred from the blog. The blog will attract readers who are geared toward erotic goods and it will direct them to a place where they can purchase such goods.

From an advertisement standpoint, this would appear to be a cheap-but-complicated method of driving sales, but there are a few elusive elements to internet marketing that this strategy touches upon. For online shoppers, trust is a huge factor in deciding whether to purchase from a store or not. An online store can only do so much to ensure its shoppers that it is a trustworthy business that will fulfill their orders to expectations. Having a "3rd party" website building consumer confidence with informative content and then passing them off to a place to purchase related goods is just another way to increase conversion rates. As well, in a society where consumers are more and more wary to the point of resenting (and suppressing) advertisements, a cool authority in a particular field may be the extra step needed to sway them toward purchasing.

From a writer's standpoint, these are not strictly commercial endeavors. A blog that promotes belt buckles should not just be about belt buckles. Not only can you probably count on your parakeet's claw the number of interesting topics that can center around belt buckles, suspicious readers can easily detect the lack of sincerity in the theme. Instead, an ad-blog should be geared toward a particular community or lifestyle that is likely to purchase such items. Country-Western sceners and net-savvy rodeo-riders will read and subscribe to a western-themed blog without suspicion.

It might not shock people to know that most of the information they obtain throughout the day was brought to them with commercial intent. The top tech blogs hawk electronics and accept sponsorships for special coverage. Special interest news segments are often centered around sponsors. Even mainstream advertisers constantly attempt to win over audiences with viral marketing. Ad-blogging is an attempt to bring useful and relevant content to the table BEFORE asking the user to purchase something. It is an exercise in establishing genuine authority, credibility, and a relationship with the customer.

For an intelligent person in need of a little extra money each month for minimal effort, this is a good option. Independent bloggers are faced with the challenge of marketing and distributing their blog, while writing a blog for a bigger firm puts the burden of attracting the audience on the company that writes the check. Imagine being paid to write for an audience that will be brought to you; it's almost like being given your own publication. As internet users ask for more and more information, they seek out 3rd party authorities for opinions on purchases. Have you ever considered being one of those authorities?

[QuasiMondo]

Sounds interesting.

As a blogger, will there be a requirement to plug a product, or will they just insert banner ads?

[Halx]

That's the thing. Product plugs are done around the content, not necessarily in the content. So, you can write whatever fits the theme of the blog, and just let your traffic and any supplemental ads on the blog direct traffic to the sales site.

[Plan9]

Any educated guess as to particular themes they're interested in?

[ngdawg]

Sounds like Google's Adsense. It picks up on tags, etc., from properties and your keywords, meta tags and you configure where on the site the related ads would be placed.
So far, I've earned a whopping $19.11, mostly from friends clicking on the links....*
I'm hoping that during the show season, May thru September, there will be an increase in the clicks as there is always a marked increase in site visits.

I'm also hoping I will someday have a photo in National Geographic, so....

My site has a linked blog, which gets seen by....almost no one.


*But I didn't say that.

[Sion]

Originally Posted by Crompsin

Any educated guess as to particular themes they're interested in?

ditto

[Halx]

The various themes that the company is interested in (there may be more, but these are the ones I know of): semi-erotic, baby-oriented, dog owners.

[Plan9]

...semi-erotic baby-oriented dog owners...

Audience consists of suburban housewives?

...

Shucks, I'm better at reviewing technical things.

[Kaimi]

Semi-erotic? I am more a full-auto erotica (... without the asphyxia)type myself. I would have to be censored I am afraid.

[Halx]

Cromp, you'll be writing for newyorkpersonalizedbabydoglubricant.com

This niche trend is out of control.