If you have traffic on your blog, but not many sales, there is a reason. After working with hundreds of bloggers through coaching, in my Facebook group, and at the local affiliate marketing conference I co-founded, there are common reasons bloggers don't make more money as an affiliate.
You're Not Being Authentic
Write about products that fit your audience, instead of just to make money. A blogger I recently worked with had a post that reviewed trendy clothes. She likely never wore them, and it wasn't authentic to her brand, which was more Chico's than Forever 21.
Second, she wasn't linking to products she already liked and wrote about. Don't write about something you haven't tried or that doesn't fit.
Your Mindset Needs Work
You may have limiting beliefs like that Facebook pages or ads don't work. Or that you're not smart enough, not a good enough writer, or don't deserve success. Frugal bloggers can be so budget minded and afraid of spending money that they subconsciously pass their beliefs on to their readers, so they don't want to spend either. These aren't set beliefs and with work you can change them.
You Don't Invest Enough Time and/or Money
The most successful affiliate I know regularly spends time and money learning. The amount you invest in blogging is much lower than paying rent or other businesses, but there are still expenses. Udemy, books, webinars, and other sources can teach you a lot about everything from Facebook ads to SEO to building traffic. If you're not willing to spend anything but time, it really limits your results.
You Tell — Instead of Sell
Hilary of Pulling Curls told me she didn't enjoy selling and wasn't good at it. After looking at a popular post, it looked like she linked to products without any particular reason. She linked to a camera, which is just telling people, here's a camera. To sell it, she mentioned she used to be a professional photographer. She gave more information about the camera she linked to. Now she was selling and those changes brought more clicks and sales.
Selling is not being pushy. It's add your unique perspective, expertise, explanation, or voice, to make people more interested in buying a product.
Many people like the idea of affiliate marketing, but forget the marketing part. Millions of blog posts are published every day that are competing for attention. If you want a chance of being found, you have to market yours.
Remember that brands want to work with you. Content affiliates (bloggers) are affiliate marketing gold. Your network across different social media platforms, authentic reviews, original images, stories, and opinions are why people read your blog.
You matter to your readers, and the trust you have built with them is valuable. Leverage that and start making a higher income on your blog.
Janet Thaeler (Newspapergrl.com), connects bloggers and brands for sponsored posts and affiliate marketing campaigns.
This article appeared in issue 34 of FeedFront Magazine, which was published in April 2016. https://issuu.com/affiliatesummit/docs/feedfront-34
Source: Bloggers, Here's Why You're Not Making Money – By Janet Thaeler
No comments:
Post a Comment