Making Sense of Monetizing Blogs

dunlap.jpg One of the most frequently discussed topics at the recent BlogWorld conference was how bloggers can monetize their blog. A blog is a labor of love for many, but as they pick up steam, bloggers realize that as long as they’re putting in the work, they might as well earn some money too. Many bloggers have found that ad programs such as Google AdSense are good for earning pennies, but ultimately don’t deliver the kind of profits they’re looking for.

The real opportunity in monetizing your blog, discussed at length by several industry experts at BlogWorld, is through affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is where you place links on your blog for products that relate to your topic. For example, if you write about personal health and wellness, you would choose products such as diet and exercise books to promote on your blog – as your readers would naturally be interested in products that will make them healthier.

When you place a link, you become an “affiliate” of the person selling the product. If someone clicks the link on your blog and then buys the product, you get a commission on that sale. Commissions can be as high as 75 percent of the sale, depending on the product you’re promoting. In general, digital products like ebooks have higher commission rates because they have no manufacturing or inventory costs.

Because affiliate marketing is an Internet-based business, there are literally thousands of people talking about this subject online every day. Take your time to read reviews and comments, and pick which affiliate marketing opportunity is best suited to your needs. Like any other important business decision, doing your homework will pay off in the long run. It will give your blog the best chance to bring in significant cash, as many other bloggers have already discovered.

Bob Dunlap is director of marketing for ClickBank.

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11 Responses to “Making Sense of Monetizing Blogs”

  1. Jack says:

    Please don’t take any offense, but coming from the director of marketing, I would expect a little bit more than the basics.

  2. This is a great article , its Basic, but it forces you to think for your self, this is not a free lunch, you have to work for what you want to earn online, it does not get handed to you on a plate, and it weeds out those , who are not willing to do what it takes, earning a living online is harder that going to your job. Read between the lines, there are lots of hints, on what you can do, to grow an online income, it just takes a little work, one step at a time, even one dollar at a time.

  3. Pat Cauley says:

    I agree with Jack and Theo. This post was pretty basic, but it’s important to remember that some of this blog’s readers aren’t as well versed in e-commerce as others. When we put up more intricate, complex posts, they probably just skip right over. So, this one was for them.

  4. Matt says:

    I agree also that it was basic, although some of us “new” marketers appreciate basic sometimes. Too much info can be overwhelming and counter-productive to the beginners. Those are my thoughts.Thanks

  5. Rose Bolton says:

    Hi everyone, Thank you for the basic lesson on blogging. I am a beginner, and mostly self-taught on the online stuff. I like little bits to help keep me on track, and sometimes when in the thick of things, seeing the bigger picture is on the mind, and not in view sometimes when trying to learn something new. E-commerce is challenging I think for anyone to get or stay on top, but it’s the journey to get there is a reward within it’s self. Keep the lessons coming!

    A new student
    Rose

  6. chigozie says:

    You are really director of marketing in big company like clickbank.this articles makes of alot sense and am following it,my blogs contains chains of ebooks on wealth creation,how to make money online and offline and every ebooks on sucessful business is there.every one loking for how to make cash and run good business should go to my blog and do research at http://www.moneyisgoodo.blogspot.com

  7. chigozie says:

    that is a good article for any blogger or online marketer who wants make money.For any one whos wants tomake money fast and easy please visit my site because the contents now are hot .browse through it and get product that will match you.go to http://www.moneyisgoodo.blogspot.com

  8. Topic of your article is very interesting, i have bookmarked your blog
    regards
    fluflaken

  9. Hi, Just found your blog surfing on the internet! I am too much interested in the information like you are providing. Why you do not write a new ebook and publish it by collecting more information on this topic. NO! Do not take me wrong! I am not a publisher. Ha! Ha! Ha! You have written in a detailed manner that’s why I am asking you about the ebooks. Have you ever thought of any type of ebook and in its business. It is a really hardwork to create a blog like yours and to maintain it. But you have done really a great job. Congrates! I have few questions. Do you think that blogs are better than ebooks for providing information and making money. I Just take the ebooks as products. I have never tried to write any ebook and to do any sort of business. If I say something about my website here, then you will consider this comment as a spam and NO One like that. But would like to say, that while selling FREE EBOOKS I have made such a huge amount, just in few days, that you will be amazed! If you visit my website (by clicking on my name in this comment) then you are bound to be surprised. I am sure this is a new technique of selling, I have found over the net. But lets talk about writing ebooks and providing unique information to the internet community, have you ever tried writing anything and publishing it? Do you also sell ebooks? What is your experience? I am interested in knowing about it or your experiments? Waiting for reply - Thanks, Regards

  10. Luigi Fulk says:

    I want to quote your post in my blog. It can? And you have an account on Twitter?

  11. Hello! I’m newbie in Internet, can you give me some useful links?

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