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Jan
14

Blogging With Professionalism and Productivity Revisited

By | 12 Steps to Success, Conferences

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Heather Solos of Home-Ec101 and I are both firm believers in the idea of treating a business like a business. When we had the chance to speak at BlogWorld Expo LA this is precisely what we spoke about.

Here is the slideshow and audio of our presentation. You will find a couple main focuses in this conference session.

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Professionalism as a Blogger

Speaking with Heather Solos at BlogWorld Expo LA 2011

We talk about the benefits of professionalism and why it’s important. From there we touch on the hallmarks of professionalism, what it looks like, and how to increase yours.

Blogging at the next level doesn’t mean you have to put you into a corporate mold – you can still be yourself and keep a flexible schedule. However, if you want to be paid well for your blogging, you have to make sure that you are worth paying!

Acting with professionalism as a blogger means cultivating the business knowledge and experience that you need (see my list of must-read business and blogging books). Other hallmarks of professional blogging behavior include clear communication, acting with reliability, and knowing where you are heading.

Productivity as a Blogger

The other thing that happens when you are blogging as a business is that you have to get stuff done. Bottom line. You can’t not blog for weeks or months at time and expect to be taken seriously in this arena. I’m not saying you have to blog 5 times a day, or even every day. But you should be blogging regularly.

Our tips for getting more done aren’t magical in any way. Most are common sense but sometimes you need a reminder. Consider this your friendly kick in the pants. Plan your goals ahead. Prioritize your task list carefully. Delegate wisely and be sure you’re making the most of every opportunity. And use your tools wisely – you don’t have to do it all on your own with today’s level of technology.

I hope you enjoy the BlogWorld Expo presentation Heather and I put together. If you want to see the rest of the incredible BlogWorld Expo sessions from far more experienced bloggers than me, check out the BlogWorld Expo Virtual Ticket where you’ll get access to nearly every session.

See all Twelve Steps to Successful Blogging for more in this learning series.

What are your favorite tools for productivity? What areas are you best in when it comes to being professional?

Jan
04

12 Steps to Blogging Success in 2012 #12Steps

By | Blogging

22 Comments

Grab a cup and let's explore steps for success in blogging!

This year one of the focuses I’m planning for AngEngland.com is another big blog series. I still get emails and comments about Ten Habits of Successful Blogging. So this year I’m going to focus this series less on the attitudes of successful blogging and more on the action steps we can take.

These are twelve steps to blogging success I want to cover in 2012. Each month will explore one of these steps in-depth and take a closer look at all the ins and outs. So without further ado here are the twelve steps to blogging success

1 – Decide to Treat it Like a Business

This is the step where you put on your business mindset. I loved the quote from Darren Rowse he shared in his BlogWorld Expo Keynote Session – Blogging Motivations. He said, “If you want your blog to be a business “one day”….Treat it as one Today!” and that’s exactly what we’ll talk about in January.

2 – Understand Your Core Message and Branding

Once you decide your blogging goals, it’s time to settle on your core message. The beginning of branding yourself and your blog. This also involves being consistent and figuring out what to say – and what not to say.

3 – Don’t Ignore the Technical Details

Ah yes – those pesky little details. Things like security, hosting your own website, the basics of SEO and more. I’ll cover the best resources and how to get on the right path technically without going insane.

4 – Consider the Visual Elements

Design is so important. So are photographs and other visual elements. Learning how to use design, graphics, photographs and videos effectively can help you build a more successful blog. The other element of visual cues we’ll discuss in step 4 is how layout and structure effects readability of your site.

Brainstorm your content and strategy.

5 – Plan Your Content Strategically

One of my personal favorites – the content. You know me – always something to say. Good content strategy means assessing what you have on your blog, and planning what needs to be created next. It also means choosing keywords wisely and following an editorial calendar.

6 – Remember and Honor Your Readers

What would a blog be without our readers? Not much! Connecting with readers means that you aren’t writing for “followers” – you’re connecting with friends. Building relationships. Creating a community around your blog means that you are honoring your readers as equals. As valued.

7 – Reach Your Audience Where They Are

Use a variety of means and methods to spread your message so that readers can easily stay connected. Rss, email newsletters, and mobile-friendly websites are all some of the ways you can make it convenient for your readers to be found.

8 – Use Social Networks Appropriately

This is where we touch base on some best practices – facebook and giveaways, pinterest and recipe stealing, and a bunch of others. We’ll examine some of the most interesting ways to build a conversation outside of your blog and the pros and cons of the most popular social networks.

9 – Create or Offer a Product for Sale

One of the best ways I’ve found to monetize a blog is to offer a product for sale. Whether that’s your own product, or someone else’s doesn’t matter. And of course, a “product for sale” can also be your own services – a consultation gig, a blog design or graphic work.

10 – Build Traffic and Market Yourself

Lots of tips coming in this step for how to build traffic and put yourself out there. Sometimes you need to just take a leap of action here – even when you feel a little outside of your comfort zone. Part of it is just having the confidence to say, “I have something valuable to offer the world!” Traffic building can happen organically and naturally – especially when you have a smart plan.

11 – Look Outside Yourself

You’ve heard the saying “Two heads are better than one” and that is definitely true in the blogging community. Some of the best things I’ve done in my blogging is to reach out to others. Attend conferences in person and connect with other bloggers. Reach out and create a joint venture project. Publish guest posts, or invite guests to post on your blog, and share your communities.

12 – Evaluate and Change When Needed

Learn how to read your analytics and use them to create a blog plan: new content ideas, new communities and blogging friends, and make note of pages that need to be cleaned up. You should regularly tweak your strategy based on what works, what your readers are asking for, and what you are learning in your personal and professional life.

These twelve steps to Blogging Success in 2012 are going to be exciting to explore in-depth. I’ll list resources, in-depth techniques and expert guests. If you have any recommendations feel free to let me know.

Which of these twelve steps of successful blogging do you need the most help with? Follow the hashtag #12steps on Twitter and subscribe to this blog to keep up!

Dec
20

Investing in Your Business – Two Great 2012 Opportunities

By | Conferences

11 Comments

Invest in yourself - woman typing on computerOne of the things I attribute my success in building a viable income from home (Number 8 on the list) to is investing in myself through conferences, webinars and other learning opportunities. I know it’s not always easy to do so – but in my opinion that’s when you need it the most.

I struggled with this for awhile. I used to say “When I make a little more money I’ll buy a conference ticket or go to this event” and it took my husband setting me straight to change my perspective. He said, “I think you should consider it an investment and learn what you need to learn to be more successful, more quickly.” Logic that was hard to argue with and has resulted in fabulous networking, motivational and learning for me on this journey of mine.

This coming year I’m hitting a couple conferences in person, and I’m also attending a couple online events – a much easier option for me with five little ones at home! February will find me at the Small Biz Success Summit (online event!) and at BlissDom 2012 Conference in Nashville.
Invest in Yourself!

Small Business Success Summit 2012

This online event will run through much of February and all the sessions and learning materials will be available not only live, but also recorded for playback later (or if you miss a session or two). Last year I attended one of the summits put on by Social Media Examiner and I got a lot out of it. I also developed a couple new clients and met some amazing people as a result of the networking that took place in the LinkedIn Group specifically created for registrants. You can check it out and register for the summit here (Note – I get a commission if you register using that link – I hope to see you there!)

BlissDom 2012

Join Me At Blissdom!I’m super excited about the set-up of this year’s sessions and the fact that we’ll have built in time for connecting with newbies. This is one conference I’m excited to be traveling to for the learning, connections and community. And also – I need to work on my photography skills and hello? Me Ra hKoh is teaching a full session in the Photography Track!

Sometimes the hands-on help is exactly what is needed to assist you in taking your business to the next level. See the list of amazing BlissDom ’12 speakers that have been announced so far – brilliant!

Invest in Yourself!

So, whatever level you are currently at, you can only benefit from investing in your business and taking yourself seriously. Serious entrepreneurs invest in their businesses and we can do the same. If you can make it to Nashville – COME! If you can’t, check out the online options available like Small Biz Success Summit 2012. I hope to see you at one or the other…or even both.

What are you doing this year to invest in yourself?

Dec
04

From Freelance to Full-Time – Transitioning from Blogging to More!

By | Blogging

40 Comments

2011 has been a year of huge growth for me. We relaunched Blissfully Domestic to 100% paid content and staff as a high-quality women’s magazine site. I had both this site and Untrained Housewife professionally redesigned by Becky Bayne and both my personal career, and the path of Untrained Housewife have taken off. I spoke at 5 conferences this year and attended SOBCon as an attendee only (a first for me and a lovely treat). I helped Kelby establish the Social Ebook Library at TypeAParent.com and reworked/expanded one-third of my Make Money Blogging, Moving Beyond Banner Ad Sales ebook into a separate title – 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook.

And now I’m incorporating myself as Angela England Media. Because of the level of growth I’ve experienced and the amount of contractor work I’m both doing, and hiring out, it was time. Past time. With my new job as Remote Manager with Cambrick Yard, I’m officially bringing in a full-time income.

It’s odd to think about how my original goal was $250 a month to keep my son out of daycare and be able to afford some guilt-free pizza nights. Now, I’m crunching numbers and looking at the possibility of hiring a virtual assistant for myself and column managers for Untrained Housewife. Now I’m paying others who are where I was three years ago. It’s an amazing feeling!

How did it happen? I’m still asking myself that sometimes, but here are ten things I’ve learned along the way if you are seeking to make the transition from freelance tidbits, to full-time income. [Read more...]

Nov
19

Blogging Motivations by Darren Rowse – Marrying Heart and Smart

By | Conferences

2 Comments

He really is as friendly as he looks.

This is a live-blogged recap of a keynote session by Problogger Darren Rowse he delivered at Blog World Expo in LA earlier this month. These notes were typed up in real-time and I’ve only edited for stray typos. If I add my own thoughts they will be in parenthesis and italics. If you missed Blog World Expo, or missed this session, you should check out the Virtual Ticket that will give you access to power point slides and recordings of ALL the fabulous sessions from the conference.

Blogging Motivations – Darren Rowse

Bloggers sharing their blogging motivations. Heart-based reasons were the initial ones – had to share my story, had something important to say, etc. One brave soul said “I started blogging because I heard you could make money.” Others began sharing – platform, job creation/to get a job, etc.

The Myths are: “If you blog from the heart the rest will take care of itself.” but this leads to disillusionment.

Or for money – “I’m following the following but it’s not working.”  Content + branding + ads + SEO + Marketing + Link Bait + Design + etc = Successful Blogging?

When Harry Meets Sally is the sweet spot!  When the Heart Meets Smart.

Are you Heart-Brain Blogging?

You should be blogging from the heart, but you should do some smart strategic things to help develop a successful blog. (Oh my gosh thank you SO much for saying this. I’ve been saying this to the bloggers that I teach or mentor for YEARS and sometimes it’s a hard sell.)

Part One – Blogging From the Heart

Bring Passion –

“No Tears in the Writer

No Tears in the Reader

No Surprise in the Writer

No Surprise in the Reader

~ Robert Frost”

Your passion and engagement with the topic will draw readers and become contagious.

Tell Stories! – The most emailed and commented on posts on both digital photography or problogger are the STORIES. Not the how-tos and technical detail. (I have found this to be true as well. At conferences a reader who purchased my ebook on Making Money Online may comment about a photo I tweeted of our beehives, or newborn goats.)

Build Community! – They want belonging and they want to participate. Engage with your readers! Connect with them.

Inspire People! - Example post he shared was “Long Exposure Photography 15 Stunning Examples”

The photos were inspiring and the post went viral. With inspiration comes the how-to searches as a result.

Start with a photo. Start with a story. Start with a dream. Start with a quote.

Be Personal! The personal touches helps build a memory and build your brand.

Be Playful! Example shared - His spoof post about problogger being acquired by google. Surprises are fun.

Write in a Different Voice! Shared an example where he wrote a post as though from his 2 year old son.

Be Yourself! Sometimes trying to emulate a style that you don’t feel comfortable in is a sure way to kill connection. A more casual style is his style – often turns an email into a blog post.

Do Good! Went to Tanzania with CBM (?) Turn your passions into an opportunity to raise awareness for something you’re passionate about. Can twist it into a relevant angle no matter what your niche is.

Be Useful! “You’ve helped me out of so many holes/issues that I faced.” You’re creating something that is valuable and lasting!

Part Two – Blog Smart

If you want your blog to be a business “one day”….Treat it as one Today! (I love this quote. Ended up using it in my session about “No Excuses” because I think it’s ok to make money while still helping others. Doctors do. Hair dressers do. Why should bloggers and writers be exempt from that? Hint – the answer is ‘we shouldn’t')

Define Success – What is success for you? “4 Hour Work Week” book. Knowing what you’re aiming for will help you achieve that.

Naming those things helps you put steps into place. Makes it easy to plan your efforts. (I have written a lot about creating a smart blogging plan. One of my favorite posts on the subject is from my Ten Habits Series – Have a PLAN.)

It's ok to think strategically - as long as you're also keeping it real!

Know Your Readers – Who do you want to reach? Who are you reaching? Put together a persona about your readers. “Reader Profiles” post on Darren Rowse. Issues, challenges, where they hang out, etc.

Branding – Branding for Darren has been intuitive and gut

“A brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” ~Jeff Bezos(?) What do you WANT people to say about you? Will inform the content, relationships, technology used, etc.

Marketing – “Build a great blog and people will find you” – that doesn’t happen right away. You have to get it out there and build it.

Where are your potential readers gathering? How can you participate there?

Hooks – You get readers to your blog – do you let them pass through? Or do you STICK THEM

Social media followings (facebook/twitter/newsletter sign ups/etc) – Email is the biggest on digital photography.

Problogger = twitter and RSS readers are bigger percentage. Take into consideration the audience.

Visit – Subscribe – Follow – Comment – Join – Buy – Spread the Word (What is the path of interaction that you want your readers to follow when they land on your blog?) Think of ways to reinforce your connection.

Create Something to Sell – Ebooks, affiliates, courses, etc. What you writing about? What are your readers coming to you for? (You all know I’m a HUGE proponent of creating an ebook out of the topics you’re already known for. If you need help pulling it together check out How to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook in 30 Days.)

Editorial Strategy – What are commented on? What are trafficked? Posts for current readers. And also think about posts that are highly shareable and will go “viral”. Interaction with my readers and inspire people. Mix it up and consider frequency of your posts.

Experiment – Test – Tweak

(I love that he included the need to re-evaluate your strategies periodically. Don’t be afraid to change things up a little so you can improve your performance.)

Nov
04

No Excuses – Professionalism and Productivity BlogWorld Expo

By | Conferences

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Heather Solos and I are teaching a session about professionalism and productivity at BlogWorld Expo today. You can download the document of our slide notes so you can follow along and take notes, or see what we’re speaking on for your own if you weren’t able to attend.

Professionalism in Blogging

With so many newcomers to the space it’s important that even those with no background in entrepreneurial business smarts learn the basics of what it means to have a blog as a business!

Productivity

How do you get things done, Angela? If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that I’d be rich. Heather and I are going to share our top tips and tools for getting done – not everything – but what NEEDS to get done.

 

Oct
07

Using Categories and Tags in WordPress Blogs

By | How tos

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How are you using tags on your blog?

So we’ve touched on 15 must-have items for a blog post and in this list I mention categories and tags. It’s one of the elements that got the most questions and I’m going to break down how I use and think about Categories vs Tags when it comes to WordPress blogs. (Note that blogger/blogspot blogs are set up differently.)

I like to use the analogy of a book. Categories are like chapters of the book – the main breakdown on the blog’s topics. Tags on the other hand, are like the book’s index in the back – crossing multiple categories.

For example, if I write a post about Easter Dinner Menu Plan I might place it in the Meal Plans category, but the tag will be “Easter”. Then when I’m writing about the latest Easter Hat Fashions, I’ll put that post in the Fashion and Style category, but still include the tag “Easter”. When I write about how to dye your own eggs it’ll go in “Crafts and DIY” but the tag will be “Easter”.

A reader who wants to see only crafts will go to the craft category, but someone who wants to see EVERYTHING you wrote about Easter can click the Easter tag and immediately see every post on your blog related to Easter – regardless of which topic category you place the post in.

Are Tags Still Important for SEO?

Not so much, no. But good tags make it easy for readers to find their way around your site. AND good tags make it easy for you to direct readers to content types on your site. For example, on Blissfully Domestic I set up tags for baby crafts and within the various articles I can now say “Visit all our baby craft ideas for more DIY tips!” and link readers to all the infant-related craft posts.

But Google isn’t likely to direct very much search engine traffic to the tag page vs a post or page so in that regard, tags aren’t as important. What I have found is that tags help me mentally stay on track with a post. And I use the keyword research tags to help me focus my posts.

Sep
25

15 Tips to Cover Before Publishing Your Post

By | How tos

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Keep a checklist in mind before publishing.

Sometimes it’s easy to get so excited about a blog post that we click that Publish button before we’ve really maximized the potential of the post. These 15 things to check before you publish a new post will help you “score” yourself before you turn that blog post loose in the world.

1. Does Your Post Cover One Topic

Your blog post should one specific topic. And that’s it. If your blog post covers three different topics; your homemade pizza recipe, what your neighbor said to you earlier, and your kids’ soccer game, then you should actually have three different blog posts. This will help naturally improve the SEO performance of your blog.

2. Clear and Concise Title

With more and more sites being accessed via mobile units, your titles need to be more clear and concise than ever before. While Google.com search results show 60-something characters of the title, on a mobile phone or tablet only 30-something characters may be visible to the reader. Make them count!

3. Did You Include a Photo?

Pictures are key for a blog post to help capture reader attention and give them something to share. Have you noticed how pinterest, stumble-upon, facebook sharing, etc all include a thumbnail or photo from the post? People are visual – give them a visual!

4. Include Links to Your Other, Relevant Posts

Did you add links to other blog posts that are relevant to a keyword phrase in your post? It doesn’t have to be related to THIS specific post. For example, in #1 you’ll notice I’ve linked the words “SEO performance of your blog” to a post about improving blog SEO. Even though that post isn’t really about what to check before publishing your post, the way this one is, the link is still relevant.

5. Did You Check the Appropriate Category?

You do have relevant, keyword rich categories for your blog right? Like chapters of a book – they should tell what topics you’re covering on your website. Don’t be cute here – be specific. And put your post in the right category to help future readers find it.

6. Add Relevant Tags to Your Post

This helps serve as a blog “index” of sorts, pulling together similar posts from across more than one category. Tags also help your SEO in an organic, reader-friendly way.

7. Add Links to Outside Sources When Appropriate

Google is getting smarter and smarter – outgoing links won’t kill your blog or page rank. In fact, linking to high-quality posts and articles when relevant shows Google you know what you’re talking about. And encourages others to link to you. If you mention another blog, are inspired by a particular post, or reference someone else’s article, you should be linking to it. (Ditto the same with photo attributions when necessary.)

8. Did you SEO Your Images?

By this I mean – did you maximize your SEO potential with your images? Your image titles, alt text, description and caption should all be relevant to your post. Google can’t view your image so it relies on these other factors to determine what the picture is about.

9. Is Your Post Complete?

If it’s the “Ultimate Guide” to something, but you only include five items, your readers are not likely to share it. In fact, they may feel cheated. Just as in #1 I stressed the importance of covering just one topic, you should also make sure that the topic is thoroughly covered. I recently published a post about ten tips to success with affiliate sales. It’s a LONG post – longer than my average. But it covers the material thoroughly and I’m still getting emails thanking me for the post.

10. Call to Action

Do you include a call to action? A question someone can answer in the comments? Suggestions to purchase your ebook or subsribe to your newsletter? Or even a simple “Did you like this post? Please stumble it or share it on Facebook.” which can improve the shares on your post.

11. Read Your Post Aloud

No really. Sit at your computer and read your post out loud to yourself before you publish. Preferably AFTER you’ve stepped away from the post for a few minutes. You’ll be amazed at the things you suddenly see that you didn’t notice when you were writing the post.

12. Take Notes for Future Posts

Oftentimes when I’m working on one blog post, I’ll find myself inspired to create another one. For example, when working on this post I realized I never really covered Categories and Tags yet. So I’ve made a note to discuss them in a future blog post. Write down your ideas! I cannot say this enough. Write them down! These brainstormed blog post ideas are highly valuable!

13. Do You Have Reader-Friendly Formatting on Your Post?

Bold. Lists. Quotes. Numbers and Bullets. Images. These things all contribute to create a reader-friendly experience on your blog. Shorten your paragraphs. Tighten your copy. Make it easy to scan and browse in a variety of digital formats.

14. Check Grammar Basics

Spelling. Punctuation. These things are basic building blocks of the English language, and while no one expects you to be a master builder (unless you’re blogging about grammar) you should have the basics covered. Like loose and lose. And write, right and rite.

15. Preview Your Post and Check Everything Out

Do all your links work? Did your formatting show up right? Are your images visible and not bleeding into your sidebar? These simple checks are so important to the reader experience. How often have you visited a blog post you saw being tweeted and been disappointed by a lack-luster post? Don’t be that person to your followers – make your post worth the click.

Aug
28

How to Choose a Web Host – Guest Post

By | Blogging

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This guest post is by Peter Pollock, someone I was priviledged to meet at Type-A-Parent Blog Conference this summer. Web host, web designer and more, I knew he’d be perfect for explaining to you guys what to look for when shopping for a web host. You know how I’m always harping on about self-hosted blogs helping your SEO and giving you more control? Here are some tips for how to choose your web hosting company. Follow Peter on Twitter, leave a comment or visit his website if you have any further questions.

Where are you hosting your website?

Where are you hosting your website?

Choosing a web host is as personal and individual a decision as buying a car, choosing a color of lipstick or even picking a brand of toilet paper.

When Ang asked if I’d like to write a guest post for her on How to Choose a Web Host, I jumped at the chance… but now, sitting here trying to come up with some intelligent words of wisdom on the subject, it’s a little harder than I first thought.

I should probably throw in a disclaimer here and say that I run a web hosting business, so there’s a part of me that’s screaming to tell you the way to choose is to just come to us. Problem solved.

HOWEVER, that’s not what I’m writing this for.

You see, everyone’s needs and situations are different.

  • Some people run lots of blogs while others only run one
  • Some people want support for their blogging platform (which should always be WordPress in my not very humble opinion ;-) )
  • Some people prefer telephone support over email or online chat.
  • For some, the price is the key
  • For others, going with a ‘big name’ brand is essential.
  • Some people want cast-iron uptime guarantees
  • And some just want someone to do it all for them so they can just get on with doing what they love best… Blogging!

So how do you go about choosing a host?
Really?

I find it best to use a set of rules that my wife and I always use when making big purchases (even though a blog host isn’t THAT big of a purchase).

It goes like this:

  1. Make a list of your requirements – the things you can’t do without
  2. Ask friends for their input and their experience with the different choices available
  3. Go window shopping and narrow it down to a few possibilities that meet your requirements
  4. Step back for a while and reassess whether what you thought were your requirements really are the most important things to you.
  5. Do a little research, look for reviews etc of what it is you’re considering.
  6. Jump in!

So let’s break it down:
1) Take a look at the first list I made. Which of those things are absolute requirements for you?
2) You probably know a lot of people who have hosting already. Who do they recommend? Check out this post by @tentblogger, who makes some great recommendations: http://tentblogger.com/blog-hosting/
3) Look around, see what you can find. Remember, if they don’t say they’ll do it, then they probably won’t. For example, most hosts won’t support your blogging platform so unless they specifically say they will, it’s a safe bet that they won’t.
4) Now you’ve seen what’s available, what are your REAL requirements, not just your wants in an ideal world?
5) There are reviews of web hosts all over the place. Check them out, see what other people are saying.
6) Go for it. Pick a host, purchase a plan from them and have fun!

It really is as easy as that. And don’t forget, if you feel you’ve made the wrong choice, you can switch host at any time and most hosts will help you migrate your site to their server.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments or email me through my website (peterpollock.com). I promise I’ll give impartial advice… I just want to help you find the right host for you

Aug
06

Ten Tips for Monetizing Your Blogging Through Affiliate Sales

By | Making Money

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This post was written as part of the Blog Hop Conference at Home and you can check out the other 2 dozen + conference sessions being offered at Blog Conference Newbie’s Blop Hop Conference Agenda!

Something that has been coming up a lot recently is whether affiliate sales is useful for bloggers, or is a waste of time. My answer would be – both! (So helpful, I know.) Affiliate sales via a single banner stuffed into a crowded sidebar is probably not going to do you any good at all. However, affiliate links as part of an overall blogging plan (you have one, right?) can be highly successful! Even for “mommy bloggers” or lifestyle bloggers or whomever the black-sheep of the blogging community is this week.

Affiliate sales may seem small at first but can quickly grow.

Here are some tips for increasing your revenue using affiliate sales wisely, without spamming your readers or junking up your sidebars.

1. Link in the Sources or Recommended Reading Section of a Post

This is especially helpful when covering a health, technical or scientific type of topic. For example, this post about relieving back pain during pregnancy is something I felt the need to source my information on. Notice the links in the book titles at the bottom of the post? Anything where you would source your information or include additional resources for your readers to confirm or expand on what you’re telling them. Just add the affiliate link to the book title anytime you mention a book as a source or recommended reading. Quick, easy and can add up over time.

2. Find Affiliates for What You’re Already Talking About

Are you a foodie? Then look for affiliate programs from kitchenware companies, coupon sites and cookbooks. A pregnancy website will have affiliate links to maternity clothes, baby diapers and cord blood banking. This website has affiliate links to WordPress Themes, ebooks and educational stuff for bloggers. That’s what I’m already talking about so those are the links my readers are most likely to click and most likely to ultimately purchase.

3. Only Use Affiliate Programs That Represent Products You Can Talk About

I would never affiliate for basketball equipment. Why? Because I know nothing about basketball. My husband, a point guard in high school, is a basketball freak and even with that it took me 5 years and marriage before I realized there were plays in basketball. (True story.) If I started representing basketball equipment it would be the biggest sham in the world, for reals. And I’m just not willing to go there. Especially where there are so many other affiliate opportunities that ARE things I actually care about.

4. Use Affiliate Links Within the Text of Your Posts

I touched on this already but I will tell you – a banner ad for me has about a .8% conversion rate. That means 100 people have to click the ad before anyone buys. And my click through rates on banner ads are pretty high on this site, but still not THAT high. Not compared to posts with the link actually put right into it. For a good, recent sample you can see the post I wrote about the Savvy Blogging Summit Recordings Special. See how I put a link right on the words of the post? That converted so much better for me because people reading the post were more likely to click that link, and also more likely to buy. They were automatically interested in the topic because they took the time to read a post about that topic.

Selecting the right affiliate program is like the selecting the right tool.

5. Choose Affiliate Programs Wisely – Get the Most For Your Link Value

I know I mentioned Amazon earlier and I just want to say – it’s one of the worst affiliate programs out there. There are no cookies attached to your affiliate code so your readers have to click your link and then purchase immediately in order for the order to “count” for you. In addition to that, the sales percentage you are given is minuscule, only 4% or so, compared to many of the other affiliate programs available.

Price and Revenue Share Considerations - Look for affiliate programs with either a high percentage of revenue share or higher priced item (or both). After all – 40% of an $11.99 ebook is much better than 40% of a $5 ebook. When comparing two similar products, price and percentage should be taken into account when making a final decision.

Cookies on the Affiliate Link – Look for a longer cookie on the affiliate link. This just means that if someone clicks your link, checks out the product, but then leaves, will you still get credit if they buy later? With cookies, the website will know that YOU sent the reader first so when the reader goes back a week later and finally purchases, you will still get credit. I like to set up my affiliate programs with a 30 day cookies because that gives a full month for a purchase to take place. Longer is better.

6. Share Affiliate Deals and Specials When They Have Good Value for Readers

Some affiliates spam you with weekly “deals” and coupons that never seem of high worth. But other times those specials are really of value and a timely savings for your readers. The Savvy Blogging Summit Specials I linked to in #4 is a really good example of that. Got the email, thought hey 50% off is a great deal, it was time sensitive, I checked it out, I bought the recordings myself and wrote the post while I was downloading my own learning lessons. It was a high value for my readers.

7. Resources Page or What You Need Page

EricaSays has a great example of this on her Resources for Bloggers page. It’s a great place to link up many of the most common tools or books or items that you use personally, or that you often recommend to clients and friends. I love that on this page she lists not only what the item is, but what she loves about it, who it will help, when you should get it, etc. The page looks nice and her readers consider it HELPFUL…a useful tool to bookmark and come back to, not a hard-sell-car-salesman feeling thing.

8. Don’t Duplicate Your Affiliate Programs Within Topics

You can't color with every pencil at once - and you can't sell every affiliate program at the same time either.

I have two WordPress Themes I do affiliate programs with, Genesis and Headway. Those are the two themes I use all the time. Those are the two themes I love. Those are the two themes I can answer questions about when readers ask me questions. Why would I promote other themes I’ve never used, can’t help my readers with, don’t know anything about. Besides that there is the trust factor.

When I tell my readers, try Genesis or Headway, they can trust that I’m familiar with those two themes and have used them. If I say try Genesis, Headway, Thesis, Woo Theme, Elegant Themes, ……..etc, etc they will lose trust in me and my affiliate sales will be lower overall. It might feel that giving more options will lead to more sales but that simply isn’t true.

9. Don’t Be Afraid to Talk About Your Affiliate Programs

None of you thought I was “out to make a buck” when I mentioned Genesis and Headway Themes. You understood that it was part of the discussion to illustrate a point. It provided value to you as a reader, and a link on the title of the theme didn’t seem out of place (everyone who wants more info can click the link and if a reader doesn’t care for more info they simply don’t click the link.) It’s all very low-key, however you HAVE to actually mention an affiliate product and include an affiliate link in order to make money with affiliate sales.

I was so afraid of this at first but once you start getting the hang of it you learn your audience. For example, I had two very affiliate-oriented posts this month because two of the programs I’ve been with for awhile had time-sensitive specials. I was a little afraid at mentioning both in the same month. But you know what happened? My readers thanked me. Why? Because I’ve been here a long time and they know I’m going to give them value. And I did – even with two affiliate posts….both of those posts provided items of value that I myself invested in.

10. Affiliate Sales Will Build up Slowly but Continue Over Time

The best time to start generating revenue through affiliate sales is 2 years ago. But since you missed that deadline already, the next best time is today. There are some large affiliate networks that make it easy to sign up with big-box stores or large companies. These include LinkShare, Share-A-Sale, EJunkie, Commission Junction, Pepperjam and others.

What you’ll also find is that many small business owners, ebook authors and bloggers have affiliate programs as well. I have affiliate programs for my ebooks. Don’t like my ebook? There’s an entire ebook library you can become an affiliate for. I know bloggers who offer affiliate programs for menu planning services or blog design referrals. Check around your local circle of influence and see what is available!

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