Using Blogs To Sell
There are so many to gain from writing a blog. Not only it allows you to express and share your ideas and opinions, it can also be used to sell your products. And as an affiliate marketer, this is an important aspect of your business.
Why Blog?
As an affiliate marketer, you need to build a relationship with your customers. One of the reasons for this is that you can have a bond with your customers. The customers need to know that they’re not purchasing products from a robot on the Internet. Let them in on the side of you that is not just an affiliate marketer.
This ‘human touch’ goes a long way as it builds trust between the customers and you. Use your blog to share opinions, ideas, or maybe just on things that you enjoy, like pictures of your travels and adventures. Some may groan at the idea of doing this, but it is to remind the customers that you are like them.
All affiliates should have personality or, more correctly, an affable and approachable personality. If you go on this venture without a personality, hiding behind a name and a picture, it might not be good for business. The customers want to see the other side of you, too, the side that is just not selling products.
What To Do With Your Blog
Well, as mentioned, just write about anything that pertains to the business that you do and also the products you sell. It’s perfectly fine to stray away from that to talk about your interest in a couple of posts every now and then.
The key to having a lot of readers and followers on your blog is to have good content. But you also need to interact with the readers. When they read on something you’ve written and they want to chime in on that particular topic, you have to entertain them. They appreciate that you read and acknowledge their ideas and opinions. Also, by reading and replying the comments, you can something new for yourself, too.
Establish Relationship With Other Bloggers
As you know, networking is important in business. It is equally as important to network with other bloggers of the same niche.
You can interact with other bloggers by leaving comments, liking their posts, or share it on your social media such as Facebook and Twitter. You should also interact with them on social media by adding them on Facebook or following them on Twitter.
When you promote their posts, in return, they might share yours, too. From there you will get new unique readers from their following. And if they are experts in the same field you are, you can get advice and pointers.
The benefits of networking are a lot and there is no reason to shy away from it. Also, another great reason for networking with other bloggers is that you can write guest post on their blog.
Guest Blogging
This is one of the best methods to bring in new readers to your blog. Guest blogging is just you writing a post to be published on someone else’s blog and they in return do the same to you.
To do this, you must first find a blog that discusses the same topic that you do on your blog. It’s best to find a blog that has almost the same amount of readers and followers as you.
Then, you must interact with them as mentioned above, via social media or commenting. After that, propose the idea of guest-blogging to them.
Why should you do this? This is so that you can get new traffic of the same niche without venturing out to other unfamiliar places on the Internet. By writing a guest post, you have access to the other blogger’s readers and followers’ attention. Should they like what you write, they will go to your blog, too.
Finding the blog with the same niche and topic is important, because you know that the readers and followers are interested on that particular niche. Hence, the chances are higher that they like your blog, too. And remember, these readers are also your target audience. By guest-blogging, you have new exposure to an untapped target audience.
Usually, a guest-blogging arrangement doesn’t require any monetary involvement. If you have a high number of readers and followers, the other blogger would agree to do this guest posting for free. This is another type of advertising that doesn’t need money.
Writing A Guest Blog Post
Writing a blog post is totally up to you. You can choose however way you like but here are just some recommendations based on what popular posts.
1. Have Images
Include images in your posts. Nowadays, communication has gotten more visual than before. Also, having images are a surefire way to grab the attention of a blog frequenter.
If your blog post is a tutorial or guide, then visual aid is needed. This is so that they readers can understand your post better. Especially when you write something that involves numbers, you will need images to boot. You can share images such as charts, etc.
2. Include Hyperlinks
When you are making a point and need evidence to support in a post, it’s a must that you quote the source of that information. This can be included in the form of a hyperlink in the post itself. You don’t have to worry about readers diverting away from the post because that usually doesn’t happen.
Rarely do they click on these hyperlinks but it’s still a good idea to have them accessible.
3. Make Your Blog Accessible & Visible
In the end of the post, (and also the beginning, if you want) include the link to your own blog so that the readers would know where to find more of your writings.
People tend to shy away from naked links, so you must dress them in a hyperlink. Make the link to your blog as visible and accessible as possible. This will encourage them to go to your blog for a visit.