Brandon Koon Blog

If you’ve ever wondered how some people really make money from their blog, it takes a little more legwork on your part.

Yes, there are the affiliate programs as well as online marketing companies that pay you to blog about different products and services.

Then again, you can eliminate the middle man and keep the profit for yourself.  Yes, there is one online marketing company that takes 50% of what an advertiser pays to have a link and relevant text (sometimes up to 400 words) placed on YOUR blog.

And unlike some content management services (CMS), you get no byline or residual, just a one-time payment that could be as little as $5 per blog post.

Some of these marketing companies may even pressure you to place ads that have nothing to do with your brand that you have worked hard to create and maintain.

While you may see this as a cup of coffee at your favorite franchise, you are actually killing your brand by accepting all of these ads.

Oh yeah, the best part is that you may have to wait at least a month to receive your money, depending on who is remitting payments.  I’ve even had to remind people that they forgot to pay me.

Taking Control

Now if you have decent traffic or a good number of social media followers, you can solicit prospects with a simple letter.  O,r if there is a product that you already use and have reviewed it a few times, then you can reach out to the marketing contact of the company and negotiate a deal on your own terms.

Some may want for you to keep the post up for as long as 30 days or on the main page for a certain number of days.  If you’re a daily blogger, one solution would be to increase the number of visible entries per page.

The First Contact

Before sending an email to the owner of the site, you want to gather data about your brand.  The purpose is to present to them what it is you can offer them.  Does your site have a lot of visitors?  If so, how many? How many Twitter followers do you have?  What is your Alexa page rank?  What associations do you belong to? Every little bit of information you can present helps a great deal.

When you have all of this together, you can do one of two things.  If your data exceeds one letter-size page, then list everything but keep it separate from the initial letter.

In the letter, you want to get the name of the site owner or person in their marketing department. After the salutation, you want to describe who you are, what your brand is about and that you are interested in having them buy space on your site in exchange for more exposure.  You can include about 3-4 of the benefits or if you have a separate sheet, offer to send this data in a follow-up email.

The Response

There is a chance that your letter and information may be forwarded to an outside marketing company and they could be a little discriminating when it comes to compensation or whether your brand would be compatible.

Don’t fear as some companies may offer freebies in lieu of monetary compensation.  You may be asked to participate in a campaign for a product that is not yet on the market.  If your brand is new or rebounding, then don’t be too eager to negotiate for money.  This could also be a test to see how well you deliver first.

You also may need to adjust your approach but keep it simple and without buzzwords as this can be a little too aggressive or come off as spam.

Growing up, you probably knew of someone that had a “reputation”.  Why?  Because they were usually quiet, mysterious and probably new to the neighborhood. Yet, when you got to know them, they were probably one of the coolest people you’ve ever met.

Working online is somewhat similar.  Unless your brand is already known within a particular industry, then getting people on board can be a little tricky at first.

Creating a Level of Engagement

As a business owner, you’re responsible for the creation, distribution and marketing of your product.  You may even take on accounting duties as well.

While this is common with most small businesses, you also have to be your own PR (public relations) person.

Though you can hire a blogger that’s experienced in marketing and communications, you may want to take a stab at the process before you begin to go through portfolios.

In the meantime, if you don’t have a basic analysis of your customer base needs, now’s the time to find out what type of content you can place on your site that they will find entertaining or useful.

Whether or not you use a blogger/ghostwriter, you should find a voice that will convey best who you are and one that represents the product or service.

Also, don’t be afraid to develop a rapport with your viewers.  Answer their inquiries, if you have additional information or resources to share, provide a link.

Keep communication open and positive as often as possible, especially when you are in the beginning stages.

When Bad Things Happen

A customer says they ordered 12 of an item but only received 10 or half of what they ordered was damaged or inoperable.  They’re hot and you have to fix it, even if it cost you your inventory, shipping expenses and time you may not have.

In business, it happens and the best way to ensure that a bad transaction doesn’t ruin your reputation is excellent communication from the start.

If you’re not in the habit of thanking customers for their purchase, then you may want to start.  This way you can leave your contact information, should they need to reach the person who’s responsible for sending out the order.

Keep detailed records of each action taken to remedy the situation, including dates, confirmation number and their response.  This way, if they post a negative online review, you will have arsenal to defend yourself.

Be Your Own Cheerleader!

When someone says something nice or positive online, post a link on your blog or website.  Even if it’s in print, scan and post as a low-res JPEG so that it can easily be read online.  If you sell through e-merchants like Amazon or Etsy, keep open communication with your customers so that they will feel confident buying from you again.

Even if you operate your own shopping cart through your internet service provider or host, you can create your own short forms where customers can describe their experience.  This will also help you in creating your next promotional campaign or better target your services.

So don’t get caught in the trap of being stuck behind a monitor for hours.  Take the time to get to know your customers and prospects as it will be one of the best investments you will make in business.

Growing up, you probably had a job at a fast-food or retail chain and your boss got on your case about letting customers know that free shakes come with that order. Or, if they buy one pair of glitter shades, the hot pink ones are half-off – today only.

Such wonderful memories they are but this was to get you ready for the world of moving units in business.  Yes, you were probably that employee or boss who wondered why things must be so hard when one small order of fries will not make or break the company.

Yes, that burger clown on TV has a crazy advertising budget and can afford to give away meals to many people before there is an actual loss.  Same goes for that retailer that wants you to create that sense of urgency by implying that the stock is low on a sale item, even though there are more than a few dozen in storage.  And as far as the remaining items go, you knew that they would be marked down to nearly $0 the following week.

Now you’re the one in charge and though you don’t want to twist anyone’s arm, you’ve got bills to pay or worse, you’re working on a credit extension now.

In the online world, there are many business advantages and one of those is that digital items need no storage, other than your hard drive.

So isn’t this more reason to seize the opportunity?  For one, if you don’t ask then you won’t know if your customer wants to buy this extra item at 50% off – TODAY ONLY.

Say you have a series of online articles related to your industry.  Not only do you collect a residual (pay-per-click, or PPC) but since you (hopefully) own the rights, you can tailor them to a particular audience, throw in some graphics and call it an e-book.  Charge $10 (or more) from your site but when you buy ‘X’ product; you can get the book for only $7 as part of a “bundle deal”.

Those big corporations had to start somewhere and most likely used these tactics and more to get ahead.

Another example would be a bookkeeper that is experienced in consumer finance.  Though she makes a nice living preparing taxes during the early part of the year, she’s noticing more business from brand-new small businesses that need to file taxes quarterly.  Most of these people are former 9-5ers who’ve been laid off or decided to strike out on their own.  All they know is to get a weekly check and spend it.

So our bookkeeper decides to reach out by creating a series of e-books based on her revenue-based blog.  These are entertaining yet informative articles that let people know how to spend wisely while transitioning, how to make small investments and find resources that pay more interest than the usual bank savings account.  The bookkeeper can also double her money by placing advertisements from other companies in the book where she already has an  affiliate account. She gives one book away with every referral or new customer and often people return for more unaware that the same information can be found online for free.  It’s only her level of  candor that makes it a great match for her audience.

Sell, sell, sell.