Monetizing A Blog – Part 2
First of all, please take note of our new publishing schedule. We’ve made some changes so that we have the time to meet with potential advertisers and vendors. We are working diligently to monetize this Blog in some creative ways…
One of the models we are developing is a theme and variation on generating income on a per-action or per-sale basis. When I worked at various radio and television stations we would have at least one vendor stop by wanting us to give up a half-hour of air time for a percentage of the sale. It was an interesting idea because we would make $10,000 for a half-hour of time that would normally sell for $300.
Usually, though, the general manager would say no in very clear terms. Not because it wasn’t a good idea, but because it was difficult and expensive to track the sales and collect the money – especially collect the money.
Now, with the sophistication of today’s software, a shopping cart (like the one we are adding to this site in the next week) can track sales, collect the money, break out commissions, build a database based on buyer profiles, send out email blasts when new product is added and a great deal more.
I bring this up, not only because this is what we intend to start doing in the next week or so, but also because of something I read in the Wall Street Journal about how media buyers are going to want online newspapers to charge. According to the article, media buyers are going to request that newspapers “have to tie ad rates more closely to results, charge less for ads and provide Web content that readers can’t get at every news aggregation site.”
As this Blog evolves, we will be adding content from other writers as well as marketing what we hope to interesting products and services from throughout the Northwest. Stay tuned…more changes are coming…
© Copyright 2009 Moody Publishing Co
Monetizing A Blog
I’ve been looking at ways to monetize Blogs in order to turn them into financially viable business model. I bring this up, partly, because more and more newspapers, as reported in the Newspaper Death Watch Blog, are in financial trouble, going out of business or, like the Seattle PI are becoming online only entities.
As this trend continues more and more journalists are teaming up to create hyper-local Blogs that give them the opportunity to continue to in their chosen profession. The challenge they face is monetizing the Blog in order to provide the means to run the Blog, while also paying themselves a salary.
Some Blogs, like the West Seattle Blog, have been able to create income through advertising. Patrick Sand, who heads the marketing team, says he researched where most businesses in west Seattle bought advertising, researched their rate cards and then came up with a rate card he thought might work.
He also said that he didn’t start marketing until his “unique visits” reached 3,000 a day. At that point there was enough traffic to justify meeting with local businesses to convince them that they would get a reasonable return on investment. (His rates range from $100 to $300 a month, depending on placement).
The lifeblood of a Blog is traffic, which can be developed in several ways:
- Creating associations with major area Blogs (like the Seattle PI), drawing on the million or so unique visitors they produce each month.
- Creating a Twitter every the Blog is updated.
- Creating an advertising account on Stumbleupon, taking advantage of its 7 million users each month. This can be expensive, but the return in traffic is well-worth it.
- Be visible at local events, trade shows, theater events, etc.
- Be a celebrity (journalists already enjoy this status to some degree) of a kind by becoming involved in trade associations, leads groups and business organizations.
The key: Treat the Blog like a business and market it constantly. This has been the real secret to business success for hundreds of years. Direct mail techniques still work well, all that has changed is the technology behind the product.
© Copyright 2009 Moody Publishing Co.
WD40 And Lovebugs
When worked at one television station the chief engineer was adamant that WD40 and duct tape could fix almost anything. It might just be true, because, according to their website:
WD-40 is the ultimate multi-purpose problem solver.
WD-40 cleans/degreases, penetrates to loosen up stuck parts,
prevents corrosion and is a light lubricant.
I bring this up because someone sent me an email with 43 other things this stuff can do. For example:
- Protects the statue of Liberty from the elements.
- Removes Lovebugs from grills and bumpers (a favorite use in Florida).
- It attracts fish. Spray a little bit on hooks and lures and *poof* instant fish on the line.
- If you washed and dried a tube of lipstick, saturate the lipstick spots with WD40 and they are gone.
- Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots – this one really works, I tried it.
- Finally, eliminates all traces of duct tape.
Just a final note based on observation. Duct tape sticks to almost anything EXCEPT duct work.
© Copyright 2009 Moody Publishing Co
Flying Around The World
I was privileged to fly the world with Continental Airlines for almost 5 years, most of that time as an international flight attendant. During that time I got to explore London, Paris (my favorite city in the world), Madrid, and Amsterdam. I even had some English ghosts tickle my feet on one of our nightly stop overs.
One of the favorite past times for me and the crew was exploring the different restaurants and foods at each of our destinations. Sometimes one of the crew would recommend we all go out to a restaurant, each order something we liked and then share. Other times we would go shopping at some of the local shops and take the food and wine back to our rooms for a quiet get together.
Another of my past times was exploring each new city on my own – when I got brave enough. I managed to get lost in Madrid. I also got turned around while exploring Notre Dame de Paris. In every case, though, the people I met were very friendly and helpful in getting me back to my hotel.
I was saddened when my tenure with Continental had to end as a result of September 11, 2001. I remember that day very well. I was on a flight from Washington DC to Houston when the news came through. The crew and I knew what was happening, but could not tell the passengers, making the entire trip quite stressful.
Shortly after we landed I called my husband and woke him out of a dead sleep. When he turned on the TV to watch the events unfold, he was convinced that someone had “airbrushed” the video to make the plane disappear behind the World Trade Center buildings.
The best thing about that fateful day was the birth of Mack, my grandson, who arrived on that same day. He is now a very dynamic 8 year old with a mind of his own.
As this column unfolds each week I’ll share my favorite past time with you – finding something and someplace interesting to eat.
© Copyright 2009 Moody Publishing Co
3 Dots…Writin’ For A Livin
At various times in my rather storied career I have been a professional writer. I’ve written news copy for radio and television stations and newspapers of various sizes and shapes. I’ve also written comedy, taken a stab at commercial copy writing and, at various stages in my career did a stint as a script doctor. Somewhere along the line someone decided I was a writing expert and asked for my advice.
My advice is to use techniques similar to those used by Rita Rudner, who now headlines – and very successfully – at Harrah’s Las Vegas. When she decided to become a comedian, she went to as many comedy nights as she could and studied the structure of the jokes to learn what worked and what didn’t. Then she added in her own unique personality, developed her own style and the rest fell into place.
That’s the same with any other kind of writing…study the structure of each type of writing to learn what works, then add your own unique style. The rest is constant writing, rewriting and rewriting to sharpen your skills.
One word about copywriting – using words to sell products – the products change, but the basic human response remains pretty much the same generation to generation…study the ideas of PT Barnum for inspiration.
And another word of advice to would-be writers. Writing is work. My wife once asked me how long it would take to write a 1,ooo-word sales letter. I told her I could write a 1,000-word journalistic piece in about a half hour (assuming I knew the subject matter). A 1,000-word sales piece , I explained, would take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours to craft. She didn’t believe me the first time.
I haven’t written professionally in over 15 years – like Bugs Bunny I took a left turn at Albuquerque and somehow ended up in Boise. I do enjoy the writing lifestyle and I’m slowly working my way back into it. Now the question is…novel or not a novel…Hmmm. I’m not sure…
EF Cussins, helping you sharpen your competitive edge with creative business solutions…MOZY where you can back up your important documents for only $4.95 a month…GlassPro McCall for top of the line mirror and window installation and great customer service…Got the travel bug? Check out the Northwest Journal Bookstore…
© Copyright Moody Publishing Co.
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