People around the world have taken to blogging on virtually every topic imaginable. Whether they are doing it because they have a passion for the subject or they love to write or they are just looking to make some money, the number of blogs online continues to skyrocket. What most blogs have in common is that the author or owner of the blog wants to at least make enough money from the site to pay for their expenses and maybe a little more. There are many different ways to earn money from a blog, but they are certainly not all created equal.
Many bloggers today are taking the easy route of slapping up some ads provided by Google or other ad networks and hoping for the best. This can certainly earn a good amount of money when done right, but for many bloggers and most blog readers it seems unnatural. The reason most people read blogs is because they want to get straight information about the topic or they are interested in the bloggers themselves. Large ads which attempt to lure people away from the webpage is almost counterproductive. Readers may also feel used or deceived when they see that the blog they are reading is actually trying to get them to click off of their page through these advertisements.
The solution, according to studies and many bloggers, is to begin monetization through more native methods. Offering a product which is created specifically to compliment the topic or content which is already on a blog page will not only result in higher conversion rates, but also a more engaged reader base. According to a VigLink press release about the 2012 holiday shopping season, e-commerce which is driven by content rather than direct marketing is growing faster than other areas.
This is an excellent indication that native advertising is one of the most effective options available. Whether the blogger creates their own informational product to sell to users or offers one through an affiliate product, it can be extremely effective. The blogger has built up the trust with the user, and when done properly the selling of a product like this can actually help to improve that long term relationship.
Even major companies like Google & Facebook use targeted advertising like this. With Google placing advertisements based on what people are searching for they have found that they get far more clicks and can make far more money. Bloggers are quickly adopting a similar strategy by marketing only items which they believe their readers will be strongly interested in, therefore increasing the number of conversions.
Do you run blogs, and if so, what types of advertising or monetization have you found most effective?
