This is a guest blog post by Karon Thackson. I’ve known her for a long time through my coach’s membership/workshops. She’s an expert on copywriting and blogging. You can read more about her at the end of the post.
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For many online entrepreneurs, blogging often starts as a hobby or a way to drive traffic to the primary pages on their site. Granted, blogging offers tremendous help with:
- Expanding your reach
- Attracting new followers
- Gaining traction in the search engines
- Building a community
- And more
But blogging doesn’t have to be remanded to a support role. When you think of blogging this way, it falls into the category of a money pit. Do you realize that your blog can — and should — be a moneymaker?
#1 Amazon Affiliate Links
Becoming an Amazon affiliate is quick and easy. Once you’re in, sharing your links is as simple as finding a product on Amazon, copying your affiliate link (text or image), and adding it to your post.
Because Amazon offers billions of products on their site, you have a gigantic selection to choose from. It takes only a few minutes to find the right item that fits with your topic and insert the affiliate link.
#2 Become an Affiliate for Digital Products
If your list responds better to digital products or services, consider becoming an affiliate for digital product creators directly. Have you ever purchased an ebook or course? Did you love it? Do you think your followers will love it, too?
If so, contact the course creator and ask if s/he has an affiliate program. Chances are pretty good they do. After you’ve been accepted as an affiliate, you’ll be provided with a special link. When you share your opinion about the courses you’ve taken, use your affiliate link to earn a commission on any sales that result.
#3 Sell Your Own Digital Products
Some people balk at the thought of creating their own courses or books. These days, it is easier than you might think. And, if you use a third-party marketplace to sell your digital goods, it becomes a no-brainer!
Most people are familiar with Amazon’s Kindle ebooks. Plus, Amazon’s Kindle Direct Program (KDP) offers print-on-demand publishing for paper books. But did you know you can sell digital products on eBay and Etsy?
That’s right! These two marketplaces allow the sale of digital books, digital artwork, and other printables such as quotes, etc. You can be up and selling on Etsy or eBay in under one hour. Reference these ebooks or other printables in your blog posts and you’ll drive traffic to your Etsy store, which will drive dollars into your bank account!
#4 Give Stuff Away
You read that right. I make a lot of money giving away free stuff. My own freebies and those from other people. The trick is to make certain you are an affiliate for each free ebook, guide, worksheet, or video you give away, and that those freebies have upsells.
The process works something like this:
- Find a high-quality piece of content your audience will love.
- Check to see if the freebie has an upsell in place that leads to the purchase of a paid product.
- Request an affiliate link from the content creator.
- Mention the giveaway in your blog post and earn commissions.
Because most people are eager for something free, they’ll bite more quickly than with a paid product. When they find the freebie offers excellent information they can use, the trust factor increases and they are more likely to purchase the upsell.
#5 Solve Problems
Even in the Information Age, it can still be amazingly hard to find the solution to a problem. Make it easy for your readers!
Most of your followers will find great benefit when you share products and services you’ve found useful. Including an affiliate link (when available) will give your passive income a bump. Another approach is to ask people what they need, and then find it for them.
For example, I once asked people to tell me what product or service they wished they had a coupon code for. Many people asked for products I already had codes for, so I was happy to share.
When I didn’t have a certain code, I approached the company mentioned by my follower and negotiated a coupon on their behalf. Most of these businesses had affiliate programs, so I was able to get a commission on the sale. A win-win, for sure!
We live in the era of shared income and passive revenue. Take advantage of that when you create your posts, and you’ll soon turn your blog from a money pit to a moneymaker.
Karon Thackston started MarketingWords.com way back in 1999. Since that time, she has created training courses and tools that help bloggers and copywriters entice, engage and earn more!
Karon has a free gift for you. Get her Monthly Blog Content Ideas delivered to your inbox along with blog post announcements, special discounts, and more.
I subscribe to Karon’s Monthly Blog Content Ideas and find it perfectly suited to coming up with topics that are relevant to the current season yet general enough for anyone to use.
1 Response to "5 Easy Ways to Blog for Profit & Pleasure"
Very informative and helpful