It’s been quite a long time since I wrote something on a topic that is my favorite, talking about affiliate marketing. It happened so because of me acquiring and managing AffiliateHat.com and transferring all of affiliate marketing related stuffs to that blog and focusing more on general marketing and blogging tips here in this blog. But anyway today I would like to talk about a simple affiliate marketing topic w/c is about promoting offers in blogs.
Most people make the mistake of thinking affiliate marketing in blogs is just like affiliate marketing as a whole. Totally false. In promoting in blogs, you are more toned down, laid back and careful. When you use a blog, in most cases a make money online blog, you risk your reputation, unlike in the traditional, landing page–pay per click combination wherein people would not even know (or care) your true name and personality.
Another is when promoting outside the blog, the tactic tends to be more of hardselling whereas in blog, you’d more likely have to be transparent and honest to your readers.
Last year I made a post about why some bloggers make so much w/affiliate referrals and I got a lot of responses about it. The truth is, your conversion rate would depend on how reputed you are in your industry. I see a lot of big bloggers promoting shit products and I doubt that they don’t make any money with it. Why? Because they are famous!
Another big factor is how you write your reviews. Obviously, the only good way to promote something in your blog is through product reviews. Again most people do wrong with it by stuffing their readers too much to buy the product, making it obvious that they are being biased. What happens then is that readers get annoyed and leave.
You see, things are about different when you do use your blog as a marketing tool for affiliate offers. If you are looking out to use your blog as a tool for affiliate promotions, make sure you’re not doing it wrong, or maybe you should rethink of the strategies that you would use. Remember, it takes a lot of time to build a reputation online. But it only takes a while for you to completely ruin it.
It would be better if you are going to pick out the best product for your blog.
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Ok, so i build the reputation first. 😀
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Just because one can’t make everybody happy all the time, it doesn’t mean one should start promoting bad products or reviews just to earn a buck 🙂 It’s important, as you say, to remain trustworthy in the eyes of your readers.
Good post!
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Reputation and trust is the foremost thing required to be able to promote something. I have realized it long before so these day I am trying to build my reputation.
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Well… I’m not so in into doing affiliate marketing products like the “make money online” stuff already, since there are just too many bullshit products being created without any sort of value in them and worst… too many top blogger and marketers are JV together to get more sign up from one another… I feel this people don’t know shit about marketing a business online seriously… they kept pumping free report that had no value in it.
The only real marketer are those that really do great launches such as stompernet, Affiliate Commission or Mass Control which really give real marketing values and benefit to people that wanted to succeed online.
To me I believe blogger should not do any product review unless he or she brought the stuff and really use it, I mean can you imagine someone writing a review of a product where he never use… well… that sucks, right?
Melvin Reply:
September 19th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Well dude, its just that I can’t imagine about it, but I’ve already seen it firsthand! I’ve seen bloggers who blog about something giving thumbs up and stuffs and yet they overall conclude they haven’t tried the product yet! Makes me LOL!
ArJay Reply:
September 21st, 2009 at 2:16 am
Absolutely right! How one can give a review on a product that they had never used or tried in the first place?
But for those prominent bloggers in this industry, to them it’s not a problem, why? because they already gained that credibility and trust from their readers. that’s why whatever they say and promote, their readers are also curious to try it.
Good post.
.-= ArJay´s last blog ..Five (5) Quick Steps to Start a Call Center at Home =-.
Oh shoot Melvin. I didn’t know you actually run AffiliateHat. :p
About what you said, yeah, the pesky irritating thing actually about blogging and affiliate marketing is that whenever one tries to promote products, reputation is already being risked. Unlike the conventional marketeers who juts build a salespage and let the customers roll in. Sometimes I just want to be an anonymous marketeer, then again, where’s the fun in that 🙂
.-= Liane YoungBlogger´s last blog ..The Two Worst Blogging Styles in Writing That You Should Really Stay Away From =-.
Melvin Reply:
September 20th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Yep. That’s why its risky to promote something, even if its a good one because people tune out promotions quickly.
i am trying Affiliate Marketing now aside from blog monetizing. So far, i have signed up with Amazon and Clickbank.
Hi Melvin!
I must say that those were characteristics of real genius in it. I am impressed mostly by in-depth comparison & sense of wisdom. Great!
.-= Chris Peterson´s last blog ..Want To Become More Impressive, READ ON! =-.
I couldn´t say it better! You are totally right! Affiliate marketing on blogs is a complete difference to the usual affiliate marketing tactics, until it comes to list building. Here you need to build a releation-ship to your “readers” too, but i think it´s much more important for blogging, of course!
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I have never done any affiliate marketing yet and if I would, I might try it first to give the most reliable information and personal views about the product.
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This is a great site. It is my first time here, and love the information found here so far. Keep it up.
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