1. Capitalize on search terms bring people to your blog.

Stats come in handy if you’re looking to make a little more money as an affiliate. Check out the search terms that are bringing the most people to your site, and think about what those people are looking to purchase. For example, if people are coming to your food blog using the term “cupcake advice,” try linking to your favorite cupcake tins or decorating products on your sidebar through a well-placed banner.

2. Write reviews.

Lots of bloggers work with brands to review products, but you can really capitalize on these posts by includigoodng affiliate links to purchase at the end of your review. In addition, you can include links to related products, which is an especially good option if you didn’t like the product – link to other items a reader can consider instead.

3. Sweeten the pot on a new product.

This is an especially good tip for informational products, which are often launched with tons of affiliates in the same community. Why should a reader buy from you and not one of the countless other bloggers out there promoting the same new product? Sweeten the pot! For example, maybe if the sale is through you’ll site you’ll send a free copy of one of your ebooks.

4. Don’t be afraid to email you list.

If you try to sell to your list every two days, you’re probably going to see a large unsubscribe rate. However, if you never send out a sales email, you’re not making the most of a great opportunity to connect with people who want to buy what you’re selling. You can use emails to sell affiliate products just like you can use them to sell regular products. I send out a sales-related email about every other month, typically for a product that’s discounted for some reason.

5. Take advantage of buying seasons.

There are certain times of year when everyone is buying, regardless of niche – right before Christmas and Valentine’s Day, for example. In addition, specific products sell well during specific times of the year (for example, right now, weight loss products are hot since everyone’s trying to keep their resolutions). When you talk about products on your blog, using affiliate links of course, time your posts well.

6. Choose affiliate programs wisely.

Sometimes making more money as an affiliate is as easy as signing up for different programs. Some products are available from multiple companies and, thus, are available through multiple affiliate programs. Amazon has just about everything, but the percentage you’ll earn per sale is lower. Other affiliate programs may be more limited, but offer a larger percentage. Compare rates before you insert links, and consider going back through older posts that still receive a lot of traffic to replace links to better affiliate programs.

7. Compare products.

Readers love to learn about products relevant to them, but reviews aren’t your only option. You can also compare products, especially if there are two or three brands all selling similar items. Comparing them is great for search engine traffic, since lots of people look up “vs.” advice before they buy something.

8. Switch the locations of your banners and links.

It really is that simple sometimes. Affiliate links are great to place within posts and emails, but you can also make sales with banners and links on your site. Sometimes, just moving a button above the fold or to the end of a post or somewhere else makes a ton of difference. For example, I saw my sales increase when I added a product carousal to the end of posts on one of the blogs I run. Previously, I had the carousal on the sidebar and it barely got any attention at all. So do some split testing to find out what works.

Now it’s your turn: If you’re an affiliate, what changes have you made that have given you a boost in sales? Leave a comment with your best tip!

He shelled out a ton of money to make it happen, but ultimately saw his investment multiply. And, while I’m sure people are still downloading his special illegally, the $5 price point made it a lot more accessible to fans on a budget.

Louis C.K. might not be a digital mastermind, but I think all of us online content producers can learn a few things from his success. You don’t have to be a celebrity to replicate what he did and find success of your own. Here are a few take-away points I think are extremely important:

1. Don’t clutter your website.

Check out louisck.net, or louisck.com for that matter. They redirect to a purchase page. You don’t get some kind of splashy homepage or profile or store with tons of options. There’s no flash intro, no silly sidebar with links to everything under the sun, no long sales page. You get a link to buy his special. If you look for it, you can get to the news page or watch some videos, but the site isn’t cluttered with a million things to take the buyer’s attention away from doing anything but buying. If you’re going to sell something, don’t distract your potential buyers.

2. Save your fans from dealing with tons of annoying restrictions.

People pirate digital content. I’m not okay with that; everyone deserves to be paid for their work. But making buyers jump through a bunch of hoops to give you their money is just silly. On Louis C.K.’s site, he specifically addresses would-be pirates and talks about why he formatted his content the way he did, even if it does make it easier to share illegally. For him, it’s more about making it easier for the fan than making it harder for the pirates, and I think a lot of people responded to that and clicked the “buy” button because of it.

3. Give buyers a way to stay connected – if they want.

I hate when I purchase something and am automatically added to a mailing list. It’s really just one step above spam, if you ask me. On his site, there’s a mailing list, but you can easily opt out of it when you make your purchase. If you never want to hear from Louis C.K. again, no sweat. In fact the “No, leave me alone forever, you fat idiot.”* option is default. You have to make a conscious decision to add yourself to his mailing list. It’s respectful. Treat your fans that way too – let them decide whether or not they want to stay in touch before you fill their inbox with tons of emails trying to sell other products before they even know if they like the first one.

*his words, not mine!

4. Be transparent.

Most people shy away from talking about their process. They just show you a finished product to buy and allow people to make the purchase. They definitely don’t follow up with sales stats in most cases. At least, not super specific sales states.

Louis C.K. took a picture of his PayPal account balance. He also talked about how much the special cost him to make, what he paid for his website, why he decided to sell his content digitally, and what he planned to do with the money. All of that makes me trust him so much more. It’s almost like your fans get to know you when you’re not only personable, but also transparent about the fact on your website.

5. Don’t be greedy.

It’s easy for your eyes to light up when you see big numbers, but let’s be honest; nobody needs a million-dollar salary to survive. Instead of keeping all the money he made, Louis C.K. was honest about what he really needed. He gave the rest to his employees (along with big bonuses) and charities. As a potential buyer, I’m more inclined to buy when I know that part of the money I spend is going to good causes. And it’s really attractive to know that the artist is deciding how the money gets divided, rather than a Hollywood production company, especially given the SOPA bs happening in Washington right now.

6. Let your fans get involved.

To go along with point number five, I also thought it was very interesting (and smart) that Louis C.K. crowd-sourced via Twitter to decide what charities deserved some of his cash. When you get your fans involved, it not only helps build community, but it’s extra press for your products. Every people tweeting with him was advertising his special to their followers. While I don’t necessarily think it was a marketing ploy on Louis C.K.’s end, I do think that he probably saw another small sales spike around the time he was interacting with people on Twitter, trying to choose charities.

7. Don’t pretend to be an expert when you’re not.

Lastly, if you’re not an expert on something, don’t “fake it ‘till you make it.” People will smell that bs a mile away! Louis, for example, is not technical genius. He doesn’t understand torrenting, and makes that pretty clear on his site (in fact, he makes a joke out of it which is even better). Do what you know how to do; you’ll sell more products and build a more trusting, loyal fanbase than if you claim to be some kind of expert when you’re not.

Even if you’re not interesting in buying you can check out Louis C.K.’s Live at the Beacon Theater page here to see a good example of someone selling their digital content in a positive way.

Image via Wikipedia.

To start things off this year, I wanted to highlight a topic that I know is on many of your minds: Monetization.

Monetization can mean a lot of different things – everything selling ads on your sidebar to writing your own ebooks. I’ve gathered some of my favorite posts from 2011 about monetization across a number of topic areas; check them out!

Post too long? Head to the Quick Links section for just a list of the links included in this post without all the analysis and quotes!

1. Looking for Money in the Grass by Tom Webster at BrandSavant

Tom’s story of finding a $20 bill one day as a child perfectly describes one of the biggest problems in monetization today – junk science. In other words, we’re so hungry for an answer to how to best make money online that we don’t take a moment to verify facts or test a hypothesis. Worse yet, in my opinion, is that we’re willing to do what other bloggers tell us is “best” without taking the time to understand how these actions will translate to our own monetization efforts. Writes Tom,

We mine our tweets and retweets, and discover that noon is the best time for us to post. Or we discover that more of our emails are opened on Thursdays. In short, we look at historical data, and we find a $20.00 bill. We watch webinars telling us that we are more likely to find that twenty bucks on a weekend, or after midnight, or on a boat, or with a goat. We accept the easy answer – the “what.” We don’t ask the more difficult question: the “why.”

After checking out Tom’s post, head to @webby2001 to follow him on Twitter. You can also pick up the books he’s written: Twitter Users In America, The Social Habit, The Podcast Consumer Revealed or find him as the Vice President of Strategy and Marketing for Edison Research, a company best known for providing exit polling data for U.S. presidential elections.

2. How to Make Money Online Though Blogging and Writing by Kristi Hines at Kikolani

This is a different kind of post, focusing not on making money on your own blog, but on how to make money as a writer for other blogs. This is my main source of income, so it has a special place in my heart! Kristi’s post on making money as a blogger is amazing. I’ve been freelancing since 2005, so it’s rare to come across a post that is totally original and helpful. If you’re interested in making money online this way, this is a post you want to bookmark. She even covers topics like promotion in this post. Kristi writes,

No matter how you decide to make money online through writing, the one thing that you will need to do to make a good impression with the sites you write for is promote your posts. Blog promotion isn’t just for blogging contests. Blog owners and businesses will be more likely to want more content from you if your posts are some of the most popular ones on their site.

Like I said, this is one you’ll want to bookmark if you’re interested in getting paid to write blog posts. You can also find Kristi on Twitter @kikolani, add her to your Google+ circles, and check out her ebook, Blog Post Promotion: The Ultimate Guide.

3. My First Product by David Risley at DavidRisley.com

I love it people aren’t afraid to talk about some of the mistakes they’ve made or the processes that led to the success they have now. In this post, David Risley talks about his experiences mailing out CDs loaded with ebooks and software, and how the same ideas behind this product are still relevant today.

Writes David,

I eventually stopped selling that CD because times had changed. More and more people were using high-speed internet connections. And the medium of delivery was very much turning to the Internet rather than CD.

But, it all started somewhere.

With a necessity. And with me simply providing a convenience to my readers.

You can find David on Twitter @DavidRisley or add him to your Google+ circles. He leads The Inner Circle, an exclusive members-only club, as well as offers training programs for bloggers such as 3-Day Money and Blog Masters Club.

4. 101 Ways Monetize Your Blog Without Irritating Your Readers by the Inside CRM Editors

Holy list of resources. This is a fantastic post with over 100 links and tips to help you get started making money online. I love it when a post really delivers, and this one definitely does. They writers can compiled a list here that covers a huge number of monetization methods, from RSS ads to merchandizing to sponsored posts. From the post:

Blogging is big business these days, with some bloggers reporting six-figure or even million-dollar incomes. There are a number of ways that these bloggers earn such large paychecks, and the best know how to do it in a way that won’t scare off readers. Check out 101 ways that you can earn money from your blog and learn strategies for using these tools and methods in a way that’s reader-friendly.

Inside CRM is a great resource site for marketers and sales professionals. You can find senior editor analyst Chris Bucholtz on Twitter @bucholtz.

5. Should You Monetize Your New Blog Now or Wait? by John Chow at JohnChow.com

It’s one of the most commonly-asked questions: when should a blog be monetized. As monetization master John Chow says it best, though, there’s no right or wrong way to answer that question. It depends on your blog. However, just because you can monetize right away doesn’t mean that you necessarily should. In the post, John writes,

The right answer for you depends on what your goals for the blog are. If you’re goal is just to make a few extra bucks, then you can use Google Ads from the get go. If you’re looking to build a solid and lasting blogging business that will allow you to live the Dot Com Lifestyle, then my recommendation is to wait before putting on the ads. John Chow dot Com made no money for the first eight months of its life. There were zero ads on it and no affiliate promotion of any kind.

John then goes on to explain the reasons why waiting made sense for him and why it might make sense for you as well. After reading the post, you can find John on Twitter @JohnChow and like his blog on Facebook, where you’ll find information on how to download his Ultimate Blog Profit Model ebook for free.

6. Every Tool You’ll Ever Need To Create and Launch An E-Book by Jonathan Wondrusch at By Bloggers

Dudes. This is a seriously awesome post that really does include all the information you need to know to create your own ebook. It’s a super long post, but well worth the read, even if you’ve created ebooks in the past, because it will make your ebooks better. Even better, Jonathan includes both premium and open source/free products that will help you create your next ebook, so even if you’re on a budget, this post will be beneficial for you. It’s another “must bookmark” link! From the post:

While there are a lot of amazing tools to choose from, I realize that not everyone is going to be able to dish out the money needed for the higher end ones.  Mixed in with the premium products that are used in professional digital publishing, there are Open Source and free options included whenever possible.

Blogging Bootstrappers need to find a balance of keeping their expenses down, but also creating killer products.  With the tools listed, there’s no reason that won’t be possible.

Jonathan is on Twitter @bybloggers and you can also like By Bloggers on Facebook. In addition, he has a free ebook available called Epic E-Book Creation, and if you sign up for his mailing list, you’ll get the Bootstrappers Toolkit, which includes the The E-Book Creation Explorer’s Guide.

7. How To Increase Sales For Your Online Store By Tracking Custom Variables by Steve and Jennifer at My Wife Quit Her Job

This post is actually a follow-up to a post they published about using analytics tracking to improve their online store. Both are worth a read if you’re interested in merchandizing. Really, though, I find that their tips and techniques for using analytics to track sales can work for a variety of monetization methods, including affiliate sales and informational product creation. There are some fantastic methods outlined in this post.

Don’t get me wrong. The default tracking of Google Analytics is extremely powerful. But if you want to get down and dirty with specific aspects of your shop, you will need more power than what is provided out of the box with Google Analytics.

By default, Google Analytics spits out too much broad based information for you to interpret correctly. In order to effectively use analytics, you must learn how to filter out only the information you need and focus on what will make you the most money.

Also available on the My Wife Quit Her Job site, you can sign up for their mailing list to receive the free mini-course How To Create A Profitable Online Store In 5 Easy Steps. You can also follow them on Twitter @mywifequit and like the blog on Facebook.

8. 10 Quick Steps to Becoming a Virtual Entrepreneur! by Chris Ducker at Virtual Business Lifestyle

No matter how you’re monetizing, you need to start thinking of yourself as a business owner. In this post, Chris goes over nine steps to get started, and his awesome community chips in with lots of comments with more tips. There’s nothing “quick” about building an online business, but in actuality, when you break it down like Chris has in this post, it doesn’t have to be such a daunting undertaking. Writes Chris,

To become successful as a virtual entrepreneur takes more than just building a few niche sites and relying on Adsense (although we do enjoy it, don’t we VBL Niche Site Project peeps!?). I’ve taken a huge journey over the last couple of years, becoming more and more virtual as time has passed. And I’ve loved every minute of it.

So, today I thought it would be a good idea to create a small selection of tips and tactics for everyone to follow, if they are not ‘quite there’ in regards to ‘going virtual’.

You can find Chris on Twitter @chriscducker. He’s the virtual CEO of the Live2Sell Group, Virtual Staff Finder, and YourWebPA. You can also find him on YouTube and get his free ebook, Saving the Day the Virtual Way, by signing up for his mailing list on the Virtual Business Lifestyle sidebar.

9. A Counterintuitive Guide to Pricing Your Best Work by Tyler Tervooren at Advanced Riskology

I’m frequently asked how I price my services, and although I think the process is different for every person, I really like the argument that Tyler makes in this post: sometimes, you should give away your very best work for free.

Writes Tyler,

The rule I try to follow:

• General and insanely useful = Free
• Specific and insanely useful = Paid

The very best pieces of your work that apply to a general audience should be free and if someone wants it in a format that fits their unique situation, there’s a good opportunity to ask for a sale.

Don’t fret about giving away so much for free. That’s a silly problem, and I think too many people worry about it. Instead, worry about how you can give even more of your very best work away for free. When you do that, you find hordes of people paying when you ask them to even if they can’t personally use what you’re selling; they’re so happy with what you’ve given them already, they want to support you however they can.

Trust me, everyone; this post is worth a read. I’m into making money as much as anyone, but some of the points Tyler makes in this post hit the nail right on the head. After checking out the post, you can find Tyler on Twitter @tylertervooren and like Advanced Riskology on Facebook. He also runs the Guerrilla Influence Formula e-course and has a number of other products for sale at his store.

10. The Give Me Society by C.C. Chapman at CC-Chapman.com

On the other end of the spectrum from Tyler’s blog, there’s C.C. Chapman’s post about why you shouldn’t be ashamed to charge money when you have something of value to offer. I actually don’t think the two posts are in competition with one another – they both make the point that it is okay to sometimes do work for free, while other times charging for your time. I like C.C’s assertion that we don’t have the right to judge anyone for charging for a service or product. Writes C.C.,

I’ve been seeing more and more people complaining about individuals or groups deciding to charge for some of what they create. This give ME mentality reminds me of whiney first graders who can’t always get a cookie every time they ask for one. Not only do they want fries, but they want them drowned in gravy, covered in cheese and then fed to them by a half naked waitress with a cute smile. In other words, they want it all and they want it on their terms.

After reading the post, head to Twitter to find C.C. @cc_chapman or add him to one of your Google+ circles. You can also pick up a copy of the book he co-authored with Ann Handley, Content Rules.

11. Seven Ways You Can and Should Start Charging for Your Content by David Spark at Spark Minute

So now that I’ve included two posts about whether or not you should charge for your content itself (not just monetizing your blog with ads and the like), I wanted to highlight a post that reviews the different options you have for doing so, should you decide that this is the monetization route for you. This is a fantastic post from David Spark that covers everything from creating content tiers to fabricating scarcity. In his post, David writes,

Now that people are paying for digital content, and we’re making sense of what has value. How have people successfully charged for their content, and how can you do it? Here are seven successful techniques you can use to actually charge people for consuming your content.

Not all of these techniques are going to be right for you, but there are some good ideas here that you should be considering. After checking them out, you can follow David on Twitter @dspark and find out more about his social media company, Spark Media Solutions.

12. How to Create an Affiliate Program that Doesn’t Suck by Sean Ogle at Location 180 (Guest Post for Laura Roeder)

Normally, I try to include posts from the blogger’s own site, but this was such a great guest post that I just had to share it! One of the best ways to monetize is to create your own products, whether that’s some kind of informational virtual product (like an ebook or e-course), a physical product (like a print book or t-shirts), or an event (in-person or virtual like a webinar). To help make more sales, having a good affiliate program is key. In this post, Sean talks about how to make that affiliate program attractive. Remember, the more people promoting your products, the more sales you’ll ultimately make. Writes Sean,

Just yesterday I received an email about promoting a product that said this:

“Includes an incredible affiliate offer where you can make nearly 25% off every single sale!”

The product was $47 with a 20% commission and no other incentives.  I’m sorry but $9.40 just doesn’t excite me that much.

The reason most affiliate programs suck is because most owners of these programs care only about themselves.  They don’t want to devote the time and money to doing it right, which results in very few sales for you, and even less money for your affiliates – which let’s face it, is the whole point.

So how do we fix this?

Check out the post for the answer to Sean’s question, and then head to Location 180 to read more of his work. You can also follow Sean on Twitter @seanogle and join his membership community Location Rebel to learn how to build a virtual business. (This guest post’s host, Laura Roeder, is on Twitter too @lkr)

Quick Links

For those of you short on time, here’s a list of the links covered in this post:

1. Looking for Money in the Grass by Tom Webster (@webby2001)
2. How to Make Money Online Though Blogging and Writing by Kristi Hines (@kikolani)
3. My First Product by David Risley (@DavidRisley)
4. 101 Ways Monetize Your Blog Without Irritating Your Readers by the Inside CRM Editors
5. Should You Monetize Your New Blog Now or Wait? by John Chow (@JohnChow)
6. Every Tool You’ll Ever Need To Create and Launch An E-Book by Jonathan Wondrusch (@bybloggers)
7. How To Increase Sales For Your Online Store By Tracking Custom Variables by Steve and Jennifer (@mywifequit)
8. 10 Quick Steps to Becoming a Virtual Entrepreneur! by Chris Ducker (@chriscducker)
9. A Counterintuitive Guide to Pricing Your Best Work by Tyler Tervooren (@tylertervooren)
10. The Give Me Society by C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman)
11. Seven Ways You Can and Should Start Charging for Your Content by David Spark (@dspark)
12. How to Create an Affiliate Program that Doesn’t Suck by Sean Ogle (@seanogle)

Other posts in the 12 New Media Days of Christmas series will be linked here as they go live:

12 Bloggers Monetizing (this post)
11 Emailers List Building
10 Google+ Users a-Sharing
9 Vloggers Recording
8 Links a-Baiting
7 Community Managers a-Managing
6 Publishers a-Publishing
5 Traffic Tips
4 New Media Case Studies
3 Must-Read New Media Interviews
2 Top New Media News Stories of 2011
And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

You can also check out the all the posts from 2010 and 2011 here , and don’t forget: If you wrote a post in 2011 about today’s topic (monetization), PLEASE leave the link in a comment below to share with the community!

Finally, ad networks and social networks are getting smart and letting the advertisers do the work and setup ad campaigns the way they want. Now you can target specific demographics, only target to certain countries and use a full rotation of different ad copies, all thanks to the self serve ad networks listed below.

Facebook Ads

With over 800 million users and quickly approaching the 1 billion mark, Facebook has changed the way we advertise, thanks to their amazing Facebook Ads platform. Since every one on Facebook is all about sharing information, Facebook uses that same information to allow advertisers to create ad campaigns that advertise to their exact customer match. Looking for single females in New York that love “Desperate Housewives“? In a few simple clicks you can target them all on Facebook.

Facebook allows you to create your own ad campaigns made up of headline text, a description and a 110×80 image to represent your offer. Through the Facebook Ads manager you can create a ton of ad campaigns and different ad copies, which makes it extremely for you to perform split testing. All advertising is on a CPC or CPM basis.

Plenty of Fish

Just like Facebook launched their own advertising platform, Plenty of Fish, which is the largest free dating web site in the world, soon followed up with their own self serve ad platform. Dating web sites work the same way social networks do, as in people provide detailed information about themselves, which is then used by the networks for advertising targeting.

Plenty of Fish has even more detailed information than Facebook when it comes to targeting. From pet ownership to hair color and how many children someone has, POF has become a playground for internet marketers. Through the use of a Plenty of Fish Ads Uploader you can quickly create hundreds of ad campaigns in just minutes, then weed out the best offers for further monetization and improvement. All advertising on Plenty of Fish is on a CPM basis, so make sure you work on your click through rates!

Mochi Media

Lastly we have an exciting wonderland for anyone in the gaming niche. Mochi Media is one of the largest networks out there when it comes to gaming and getting the attention of players around the world. Through their advertising platform you can target nearly any county in the world, while also selecting what type of gamers you want to connect with.

Advertising through Mochi Media is setup through a CPC or CPM basis, and will vary in price depending on what country to you target. The only creative allowed on the self serve network is the 300×250 ad size. Don’t forget to check out our Mochi Media review.

As you can see, the way advertisers are creating ad campaigns is much different from what you may be used to. If you are still buying traffic without full demographics and targeting, you need to start playing around with these self serve networks. Not only will you reach a whole new audience, but you will learn a ton about yourself and advertising in the process.

Feel free to leave any comments on your favorite self serve platforms or any that may have not been mentioned.

It’s taken WordPress quite awhile to make something like this available and they say it’s because what they had seen as far as advertising, wasn’t very tasteful. And while it seemed Google AdSense was state-of-the-art (at the time), WordPress says “you deserve better than AdSense”.

WordAds won’t be open to everyone. It’s open only by application and to publicly visible blogs with custom domains. Selection for WordAds will be based on traffic levels, engagement, type of content and language used on the blog.

To apply for WordAds, fill out this form.

For those of you who use WordPress.com, will you apply for WordAds?

If you’re new to the world of AdWords (or even if you’ve been around for awhile), you might be wondering how it all works and how you can get the best bang for your buck.

WordStream has put together an infographic titled “What Is Google AdWords? How the AdWords Auction Works”. It’s a good resource for companies who would like to know how to cut costs and get better rankings.

It walks you through how Google decides what ads to show and how much you pay, as well as some alternative bidding methods. (Click on the picture to see it in its entirety.)

Have you used Google AdWords successfully before? If yes, what’s your secret?

See what I did with the title? Because it’s Halloween??? I’m so clever…

Advertising isn’t the right profit route for every blog. In fact, if you’re selling products and services of your own, adding advertising to your sidebar or posts can actually take away from your income potential. But for some bloggers, it’s a great choice. I regularly sell $500+ per month in advertising on my anonymous blog, even though I’m not actively looking for sponsors. I know bloggers who make thousands by selling banner ads – and you don’t have to have millions of hits to make it happen. Here are a few tips to help you become more attractive to advertisers – and how to avoid scaring them away:

• Pick a niche and stick to it.

Having a clear niche helps you more easily define your audience, and advertisers really love to know stats about your readers. Having a specific audience helps you find niche-specific advertisers. For example, if you write a blog about bird-watching, a great potential advertiser is a company that sells binoculars. If you just write a blog about your life in general, they wouldn’t be as relevant to your readers, even if some of them are bird-watchers. The more niche-y you are, the easier it is to find smaller, specific companies who are a perfect fit for your readership.

• Be prepared with stats.

It scares potential new advertisers to not know your stats. Every company has to justify how they spend their advertising money, and not everyone has the money (or time or ambition) to do a few months of testing. Be prepared with stats from a trusted source (like Google Analytics). Your Alexa rating matters, but the more you can tell potential advertisers, the better.

• Offer discounts.

Long-term advertising especially worries companies, since they can’t foresee the future. So, sweeten the pot a little. I offer a pretty good discount for advertisers who pay a year in advance – and probably half of them take me up on that offer. It can calm the nerves a little because not only are they taking less of a financial risk, but it also shows that you’re confident that you’ll still be around 12 months from now. Blogs tend to come and go pretty quickly, so offering the year contract for advertisers tells them you’re serious about the continued success of your blog.

If you’re not willing to offer a discount, at least offer multiple price options. That way, if

• Load your site with testimonials.

Of course you’re going to say that advertising on your site is a good idea. It’s your site. Testimonials can help strengthen your case. If others are willing to speak out about how good their results were with an advertisement on your site, the move is less risky for potential advertisers. Often, if you’re willing to ask, advertisers who are happy with their results are more than willing to provide you with testimonials.

I don’t have tons of experience working with advertisers. So, I hope that if you do work with them or are an advertiser yourself, leave a comment with some tips of your own!

As bloggers, I truly believe we should continually be educating ourselves about this ever-changing industry. Allison gives us some fantastic blogging tips here and there are several blogs I follow on a weekly basis that give me ideas and insight into the blogging industry.

There are also some great books out there that I believe are a must-read. Here’s my list of three books written by bloggers for bloggers:

1. ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income – by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

I devoured Darren and Chris‘s first Problogger book when it came out in 2008. I had only been blogging for about 3 years and knew I had so much more to learn. I still remember fixing myself a cup of coffee, turning off the TV and computer and snuggling up on the couch for a good read. I am so glad I invested the money and the time in this book.

And now they have the updated version of ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income that came out in April of 2010. Yes, I bought that one as well.

If you’re fairly new to blogging, I would recommend picking up a copy of this book. It lays a good foundation for you and walks you through the steps of turning your blogging hobby, into a full-time career. Which is exactly what the authors of the book have done.

2. Mom Blogging for Dummies by Wendy Piersall, Foreward by Heather Armstrong

Obviously the title gives it away that this is for mom bloggers. Mom Blogging for Dummies was written by Wendy Piersall, who is a brilliant blogger and has turned it into a career. The book came out in July of this year, so it’s very up-to-date (although blogging seems to change everyday doesn’t it?).

Whether you are ready to start your very first mom blog or you need some help taking your existing one to the next level, this book is for you. I’ve been blogging since 2005 and gained so much by reading Wendy’s book.

My favorite part was definitely the 10 examples of successful mom bloggers that she gave. It was interesting to read about their stories and how they got to where they are today. Some make money from their blogs and some make money as a direct result of their blog. It goes to show blogging isn’t a cookie cutter industry.

Wendy takes you through topics such as choosing a business model, writing a blog post people will want to read, how to be brand friendly and how to think like an entrepreneur.

3. The Digital Mom Handbook: How to Blog, Vlog, Tweet, and Facebook Your Way to a Dream Career at Home by Audrey McClelland and Colleen Padilla

The Digital Mom Handbook to me was very inspirational. It also was recently released in July of this year. Audrey and Colleen told their stories of how they got to where they are now – both top mom bloggers and making a fantastic living at it. They also talk about juggling the role as mom and business woman, something a lot of moms struggle with on a daily basis.

Here are their seven basic steps to success given in the book:

1. Find your passion.
2. Hang a digital “shingle” and start typing.
3. Find your tribe.
4. Make opportunity knock and learn how to answer that door.
5. Manage the Benjamins.
6. Don’t forget the children!
7. Live happily ever after by living your values.

A great read for any mom who has found herself, by accident or on purpose, in the world of blogging and trying to turn it into a living.

All of these books do have one common theme – find your passion and write about it. Don’t do what Deal Debbie is doing just because it seems to be working for her. Find a topic you love and go for it!

Are there any books on blogging you have read and would recommend?

WordPress.com bloggers will now have the option to opt-in to the Federated Media advertising program. This partnership is huge for both FM and the brands trying to target the right audience. This gives brands direct access “on the largest, most powerful independent online platform in existence today, effectively letting them reach the most passionate communities on the Independent Web”.

These content driven campaigns will include marketing solutions such as:

• Content-Curation
• Sponsored Posts
• Conversation Targeting

In an email a FM spokesperson said, “Anyone creating high quality, brand-safe content will be considered for the program. The focus initially is on the long tail, so we are more focused on quality of blog, not number of users or page views.”

Quality of the blog. That’s music to a blogger’s ears.

In my talk at BlogWorld LA, How Not To Do Everything Yourself I’ll be discussing how an online business can move from being a one-man show to creating a team of dedicated, proactive people that you love to work with.

One of the most important ways to bring in great people is to have a stellar culture. When you’re the best person to work for, you’ll naturally attract the best and brightest people to work for you.

But most online businesses see “culture” as something reserved for brick and mortars – it usually refers to free snacks, company picnics, or memberships to the local gym. What does it mean when people are working remotely, or when your “company” is just you and one virtual assistant?

Here are three easy ways to build your unique culture at a small, online business:

- Use yammer as your water cooler

My team loves yammer, a free online tool that serves as an internal twitter for companies. We use it to keep each other updated on what we’re doing, but also to give praise and link to a youtube joke or two.

- Mail small gifts

When I read a business book that I love, I make sure to send out a copy to my entire team. (Amazon makes this quick and painless.) Just because you don’t have a physical library doesn’t mean you can’t share learning with your team, and books also make a great token of appreciation.

- Use skype to get face-to-face

There are many subtleties that are lost in the written word and even on the phone – luckily we have video skype to keep us all connected. Every month I have scheduled one-on-one time with each person on my team via a video skype chat. This means we have time set aside to catch up, work through issues, and brainstorm on how to improve. I also use video skype for phone calls as much as I can. (And if you’re like me, your company culture will also include a “pajamas-acceptable” dress code for those skype calls!)

For more strategies on building a stress-relieving team, come see my talk on Monetization: “How to NOT Do Everything Yourself” at BlogWorld LA on Thursday November 3rd at 2:45 p.m. And in the meantime, here what Laura has to say about the track and why she attends BlogWorld:

Laura Roeder focuses on helping small businesses with training programs such as Your Backstage Pass to Twitter, Creating Fame and her book, Facebook Fame: The Facebook Marketing Bible for The Small Business.