Email LinkedIn Twitter

Archives for March 2011

Monetize your blog and website with Newport Interactive Marketers

1 Comment

By Julie Woodside

You are an expert on a certain topic and you like to write about it, so you decide to create a blog.  That’s great, but don’t you want to make money off your talents?  Read on…

At Christie’s on February 17, 2011, Newport Interactive Marketers gathered for professional blogger Julia Scott’s presentation on how to monetize your blog.

Julia has made a career from her blog, BargainBabe.com.  She founded BargainBabe.com to help people save money on everyday expenses like groceries, gasoline, and gifts.  Her blog attracts more than 50,000 unique visitors each month and has been featured on NPR, Good Morning America, Forbes, ABC News, and Mint.com.

Julia shares her knowledge on how to monetize blogs in her presentation.  Take her advice and start making money writing about what you love.

Monetizing websites & engaging bloggers with Newport Interactive Marketers

Advertising on your blog or website

Ad networks: Check to see which are the top ad networks in your subject area.
Join/create an ad network with blogs similar to yours, to leverage similar blogs and offer packages to brands and advertisers.

Affiliate programs for your website

Feature Flat-fee referral programs in your blog posts and banner sites

 

Note: Rhode Island-based sites may not accept these due to Amazon Law

Leverage your content and your expertise

  • Sell your blog posts to online media sites
  • Promote your content with newspaper
  • Publish a book based off your blog
  • Share content in exchange for publicity, links, traffic (mint.com)
  • Look for different and unique opportunities out there
In all of these venues, DO YOUR RESEARCH on who you are selling to: Have a story idea, know your stuff, and pitch it!
Blogs are a soft sell for business.  In blogs, don’t sound like an advertisement; use them to be truthful and share knowledge.

Beyond blogging: Get out of the house

  • Go to offline events
  • Julia hosts a Frugal Festival: allows people to meet face-to-face and promote their businesses
  • Consult with other bloggers, brands, and organizations
  • Attend workshops to gain knowledge and network
  • Teach a high school or college course

Offer sponsorship opportunities on your site

  • Host a contest/giveaway
  • Sell sponsored posts
  • Be a brand representative
  • Get paid to attend conferences and events

Blog metrics: Data required

  • Install a stat counter and e-mail sign-up on your blog
  • Gather site traffic information
  • Learn the demographics of your audience
  • Track users with email lists & customize your email

Use information to make pitch to advertisers

Misc. revenue streams

  • Grants:  Does your blog have public benefit?
  • Solicit donations with PayPal button
  • Voluntary membership with perks
  • Ghost write for other sites
  • Paid tweets
  • Sell your site

Prevent online plagiarism

  • How do you know its plagiarism?
  • “If you aren’t sure, it probably is”
  • To avoid plagiarism, summarize and quote
  • Use whois.net, a domain based research service to see who owns the site
  • If you are plagiarized, fill out a Google DCM complaint

Grow your blog: Simple steps

  • Focus on publicity: Press & interviews
  • Know your audience: Research & network
  • Communicate with others
    • Retweet & comment
    • Be engaging
    • Link to other quality sites

Julia Scott’s presentation provided great resources to use to monetize your blog.  As a blogger, it is up to you to take advantage of the various revenue streams and put effort toward making them work.  Best of luck!

Newport Interactive Marketers video review Social Networking for Business book

2 Comments

Newport Interactive Marketers (Twitter #NIM) brings together 70 +/- marketers, creatives, developers, business owners, and anyone interested in new media and interactive marketing. We gather monthly for networking and presentations, and we’ve just launched Newport Interactive Marketers’ Fab Finds & Great Reads series.

Newport Interactive Marketers’ Fab Social Media Finds and Great Marketing Reads series: Rawn Shah’s book “Social Networking for Business” with

“Social Networking for Business: Choosing the Right Tools and Resources to Fit Your Needs”

by Rawn Shah, Jan 2010, Wharton School Publishing

NIM members’ interest in reading “Social Networking for Business?”

Interplay and reinforcement of communities both online and offline. How can each help build a stronger community overall, thinking of Newport Interactive Marketers in particular.

Overview

More of a scientific approach to social networks, not for the casual Facebook user. In fact, Shah makes an important distinction between social media and social networks, which is more along the lines of community:

  • Not much social about the book, other than examples: Fiskateers and Wikipedia.
  • Not much to spark creativity, more on structure.

Who should read “Social Networking for Business?”

Brands and managers considering designing a community.

What can readers expect? Social network models

  • Chart of social government models (p. 30-31)
  • Centralized, Delegated, Representative, Starfish, Swarm
  • But there’s no strong recommendation for which model works best.

Defined goals and tactics to help nurture your social network, such as

  • Which metrics to use
  • Understanding motivators such as badges (p. 92-93)
  • Interpreting the style & possible meaning behind it
  • Contributions
  • Leadership models, such as community managers, key players
  • Community manager qualifications and actual tasks: such as identifying special interest niches

Most enlightening parts of “Social Networking for Business?”

  • The importance of sense of belonging
  • Whether the group’s vision is understood and whether members are aligned  with group values (p. 101)
  • Identifying commitment levels and gauging where folks are at (p. 116)

Social networking traps to avoid

  • Constant marketing or not encouraging a diversity of opinions (p. 116)
  • Warnings about the level of effort and planning required from dedicated leadership to “oversee the growth of the social group and environment.” (p. 118)
  • Community manager attributes & activities chart is excellent for generating ideas (p. 130)

How can you best benefit from “Social Networking for Business” — or not?

Reading this book and determining whether you have the determination and resources to launch a social community is a whole lot easier than launching one  with real clue of what you’re doing, pouring your heart and energy into it, only to fail. If you’re considering launching a social community, better to research & fail fast.

Thanks to

Be sure to check out the Newport Art Museum’s 4th Fridays: Kick off the weekend at the museum, fantastic bands, art, beverages, and lots of friendly NIM folks to meet.

Let us know what you think of the #NIM Fab Finds & Great Reads series and follow Priscilla & Suzanne & New England Multimedia on Twitter. For more information on Newport Interactive Marketers, check out our website.

« Previous Page