5 tips on how to make money from business blogs

Blogs, that are emerging as an integral part of many business websites, were earlier not taken more than tools to sing praises of company products and services. But if employed smartly, blogs can also bring in some money.

GIVING A business virtual presence with a website has been in vogue for sometime now and considered one of the must-have elements for growth. But the trend of adding a blog to a business website has also emerged at the same time and is steadily gaining popularity amongst entrepreneurs. Smart Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are using their blogs to declare their market strategies. They have made it their mouthpiece to interact with their clients and promote their product line and do much more. Interacting with clients and customers is surely a money-puller method. And it is the most common and palpable reason behind having blogs. A little twist and you can evolve ways to use blogs or web-logs as money spinners.

Although, interacting with customers and declaring your market plans are also part of making money via business blogs, but the virtual pitch cannot be raised without other measures that we are going to talk about. Let your blog do its due on the virtual pitch with these tips. In a nutshell, use your business blog to bring in a little cash too. The following few steps can turn your blog into a cash mint.

1. Selling advertising space on your blog.You can monetise from your blog by selling advertising space. This is one of the commonest ways of utilising a blog to generate income. Things become more simple when you have got already a well-known blog or the one that is a well-received unique source.

But if you are a new into enterprise blogging and have a lesser-known blog, it would be better to use services like Google’s AdSense or BlogAds. These services lend bloggers support to establish ad programmes.

AdSense — which allows you to choose several ads that match the content of your blog — pays you under pay-per-click programme. It examines as to how many readers clicked on the ads placed on your blog for further information.

2. Helping sell others’ products.You can use your blog to help sell others’ products by selecting upon affiliate programmes available on the web. This can be a good click-through opportunity that promises scope for more bucks. Affiliate programme is the ideal way to make your web-log profitable and is an affiliate marketing initiative. Affiliate marketing is a kind of online programme used by a website for driving traffic to another. In return the website which has used it for other one gets paid. There are number of web affiliate programmes available on the web. You can select programmes that suit you and your blog. These programmes enable your blog to serve as a channel between readers and online sites offering multiple goods and services. One popular choice can be Amazon.com.

Some other affiliate programmes include Google’s Cost Per Action, ClickAffiliate.com, Games Warehouse Affliate, BidVertiser, eBrandz, eAffiliatez and QuickBooker, among others.

3. Soliciting contributions.Helping sell others’ products or taking shelter under affiliate programme does really play a crucial role when online money is concerned. But hawking goods and services does not alone work on the blog. For blog-related income opportunities, you have to use the strength of your loyal readers. You have to rely on their kindness and can simply ask them for contributions. Suppose, for example, your business blog supports a cause or comes out for an issue in fashion—we mean if your blog keeps on raising voice on tax reforms, a fashion trend, a political controversy, health care or topics like that—you can ask your readers for their support. Even though you’ve earned loyal followers who like reading what you have to say, they may like to underwrite their loyalty with a little financial help.

You can easily establish an on-site contribution collection button with programmes like PayPal to solicit their contributions.

4. Use your blog to market your services. It is an acknowledged fact that blogs have become soapbox on the Internet where you can shout your opinions or do a little more than that. But besides your opinions, it can turn out to be a great tool to market your services. You may write blogs about the kind of services you offer, tell your readers the benefits of your services and hence leave an impression on them about your product/service line.

But while blogging what you have to keep in mind is that you are never cryptic about whatever you say either about your services or about your marketing strategies. Explain everything at length that demonstrates your strategies, abilities and perspectives on particular product or market issues. When your customers will read it, they will come to know at length about your services and will have least doubts. It will help you win more customers. And more customers mean more business. And more business means more money.

5. Blog to build a rapport with your existing customers.Never distance from your customers, or business will distance from you.

   
   
   Seems like an old adage, doesn’t it? But it can simply be applied in the case of business blog. When you have got a blog, try regularly to communicate with existing or new clients using a blog post. Take every opportunity that your blog lends you to come closer with them. Inform them about whatever your business does, what are the upcoming plans with regard to services, and how your business can serve them better, etc. In simple words, if you will show proximity to your customers, they will show proximity to your business. It will help you tap new customers as well.

These are simple steps for which you need not have hardcore technical expertise to handle. You can bring them is use and add more to your treasury. After all drawing out money from every possible source is what a business is generally aimed at. Moreover, it will enhance traffic on your website, helping your business become popular.