uberMental.com

Affiliates, Widgets And Branding…

I do believe that I did mention in ActiveRain.com that my next uberMental moment would be explaining the scripts I have selected to run in tandem with the digital store and how you can go out and select your own to embed in the quest to monetize your blog. I like the Amazon set up so I shall start the series by talking about them. I don’t just talk, I do. If you are going to come along for the ride here are a couple of useful points (six actually) Amazon tells you when they welcome you into the fold:

Their affiliate program provides a complete range of features for exclusive use by Amazon.com Associates. You may log in to Associates Central 24-hours a day to:

1. Build new links
2. Generate online earnings reports
3. Access our extensive graphics library
4. Update your account information
5. Get the latest news about what’s new at Amazon.com
6. Learn how to increase referral fees

For newbies trying to monetize their blogs that is great news. They really want to help you succeed at this and if you are into analytics it will give you an idea of how many people clicked through and whether any conversions to buy took place. Linking different stores and items to different blogs will give you an idea which do better with what.

You can start out small with the topics you like and go back to edit and expand your store as you learn what items do and don’t work for you and your readers. BTW, you don’t need a store, you can simply pick a handful of specific items you want to showcase. Since I create music and art that’s what I kinda lean towards: Books, Movies, DVDs, Video on Demand, etc. If you are going to be an affiliate you might as well pick stuff that you already like and do, eh? It also helps to select items that are meaningful to your blog. Talking about stuff you actually buy is always easier than talking about products you do not use. BTW, you do not need to talk about them at all if you don’t want to. As a writer, I tend to share thoughts on just about anything. “When Your Toaster Starts Ringing You Know You Are In Trouble” is a perfect example of that, but I digress… (LOL).

I want you to pick your banners and widgets carefully because you have to start thinking of the fact that you are syndicating advertising content. When you create or accept an ad you are doing so to place information in front of a new reader/user base. Never assume they already know about the product. Showcase the product and if you write a review, then review it well. If your kid likes Thomas The Train, cool, talk about it and let the other Mom and Dads know what shorty wants you to buy (LOL).

If you are swapping ads with your talented friends, then that also means you are potentially enjoying the link back to your site where your friends may be giving you a new reader/user. The goal is to produce a wonderful series of content with relevant advertising to match what you do and not ad spam them.

When I write I tend to keep Google in the back of my head. Google attempts to keep the content of their results pages as varied as possible and it appears that the search engine really doesn’t want to have all of page one reflecting the same article, so if you have plans to develop and monetize multiple sites, write different articles, use different ads and watch how you syndicate duplicate articles.

I am not saying that syndication of the same article is either good or bad, I’m just saying people who read you want to read you and not the same thing all day.  Syndication of your original content has the potential drive traffic across your multiple sites so make sure you link back to them in your blog rolls or within the posts themselves. I’m a bit quirky and I have very quirky writing habits, so if you are going to read me you may want to know that I tend to write like I speak and link on a whim.

My point? If you are going to have a digital conversation and direct people other places, then it should be that: an actual conversation… one with relative links. These may be helpful examples of what to expect from me (or not – LOL):

1. Strange Is…

2. I Own 35 Websites…

3. Ever Have Dinner For Breakfast?