John from My Family Loves It asked me to outline my general procedures for monetizing my blogs.  I decided I would answer this in a few parts, and focus on different concepts in separate posts.  Anyway, for now, I’m going to focus on finding direct advertisers for blogs.

Got Advertisers Billboard

For many bloggers, the only way they seek out direct advertisers is by placing “Advertise Here!” banners on their pages.  While this works for many, you are generally required to really sell your advertising real estate, even after someone has contacted you.  Most bloggers don’t realize that you could have already pre-sold your blog’s ad space to several potential advertisers.

For me, I generally look through the affiliate programs I have done well with, and who, as a result, have done well with me.  If I’m pulling decent numbers, I will contact them directly with some options to remove the affiliate company from the mix.  Remember, most affiliate companies, such as NeverBlueAds and Share-A-Sale, take between 20% and 40% of the true price paid to affiliates, so many merchants are *very* willing to work out a direct agreement.  This usually translates into them saving a bit of money, and you making some extra, which is perfect for everyone involved, save for the affiliate company. ;)

When finding direct advertisers via any method, of which there are dozens, remember to do the following, or you will have a very difficult time getting started:

  • Adequately track your traffic.  Use Google Analytics, Mint, or something similar.
  • Ask other bloggers tons of questions!  As you know, I can help you if you shoot me an e-mail or IM me.
  • Pay attention to affiliate revenue, click-through-rate, and conversion rate.  You want to show that your traffic actually converts!

The beauty of building relationships with advertisers directly is that you can launch more creative campaigns on existing sites, and also have advertisers jump on board when new sites are launched in the future.

Share This