Money making options for your blog. {Day 23} Heart Matters

In the last post we talked about making money off of your blog. In this post I will discuss the ways I have monetized off of my own blog so that I can give you a realistic picture.

In the past, most of the money I made was a result of simply advertising for other things that I did where I made money: designing blogs at Split Decisionz, selling conference tickets for the HOTM Home Education Conference, and blog consulting which was also done from Split Decisionz. Those ventures were very successful but I want to add that they also demanded a lot of my time. So much that I no longer do most of those “side jobs”. But, they were successful in part because I used my personal blog space to advertise them. I used my stat service to track the sales that came from my blog. More than 70% of the Split Decisionz sales came from my blog. That is pretty decent.

What this means for you is that if you have a consulting, designing, personal assistant, Etsy, eBay, eBook, Amazon store or the like then linking to it from your blog is beneficial. I would also link to those places from keywords within your blog. For example, if I were talking about how someone has a cute blog design then I would link the words “cute blog design” to Split Decisionz. Make sense?

These days I make the most money from direct advertising and affiliate links. Let’s talk about direct advertising first. What I suggest to you is that you determine now what your guidelines for advertising will be. If you don’t then you will make decisions in the moment and possibly regret them later. My second rule is that they must have a 125px squared button or a 250px wide button. This way it stays in alignment with the design I have worked so hard on. I mention the second first only because it is minuscule. Let’s dig into the first rule.

My first rule is to decide what forms of advertising I will accept before the offer comes. I get emails several times a week from someone wanting me to post a link for them. Some of them offer cash up front. Others ask what I charge. Before I even reply I google the company and the person and see what kind of reputation they have. What do they sell? Would I buy this? I always ask myself if accepting this advertising is aligned with the purpose that I have established for my blog. I also ask myself if the amount of money I am making is really worth the space it will take up on my blog. This means I usually turn down every text link offer I get because $25 a year for a “vacation of a lifetime” text link isn’t worth altering my blog identity, my blog space and design, or losing you as a reader. Most importantly, my personal conviction (I just want to stress that it is my personal conviction) is that it is like selling Jesus for a measly 25 bucks a year. That is how I felt the one time I did it. I put a text ad on my blog for some carpet company that may or may not have been legitimate but at the time I needed the $25. That is why I decided not to do it again. Before the next offer came I had my guidelines in place. That way I can’t make the decision based on my need. I make the decision based on the purpose of the blog and my convictions. Everyone’s guidelines will be different. We don’t all have the same convictions. It is simply crucial to have some standards in place.

Sidebar Advertising

I do accept sidebar button advertising. You will see a few of them in my sidebar. All of them are from people I have spoken with, worked with, investigated thoroughly, or had a peace about. They are in line with the purpose of my blog and I think they would benefit my readers. In the next post we will talk about what to charge so I will leave it at that for now.

Affiliate Links

My constant stream of income comes from affiliate links. They are: Earth Mama Angel Baby LLC. – Nurturing, affordable, organic products for baby, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Easy step by step ways to improve your blog presence, List Plan-It – For the list lover in you, E-MEALZ – Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families, Clutter Diet – Everything you need to tackle the clutter once and for all, Plan to Eat – Because eating at home should be easier, and Christian Women’s Toolbar- everything from bible study tools and favorite blogs to podcasts and Christian radio at your fingertips.You will find those links throughout my blog on different posts and in the footer area of my RSS feed. If you have WordPress then you can get the plug in to do that. It is called RSS Footer. Sorry Blogger folks. There is no way you can do that yet.

I have used many affiliate links. These are the ones that I find sell the most on my blog. If your blog is about quilting then you should look into some affiliate links for that. The key is to own and use the products or services you affiliate with. I have made purchases from or used the services of each and every one of those affiliates I want to be sure of what I am recommending. I highly suggest that you do the same.

The other affiliate link that I use is Amazon. I even created a store with all of my favorite things. Again, it is all things I own or have owned and can vouch for. That one Amazon account affords me the opportunity to buy/discover new things to blog about. The commission isn’t very high but it is a real treat for me; like a big piece of cake after a long work out.

Free Opportunities

Lastly, my blog has been a catalyst for bringing opportunities to me. From companies and ministries, I’ve received free trips, free products, and free services. Most of the time all they want in exchange is a review or feedback. Again, as long as it fits within my guidelines then I am okay with that. One of the keys to getting these opportunities is networking with others.

IMPORTANT: always list your associations in a disclosure statement. You want to be in compliance with the FTC ruling and having a disclosure also keeps us all accountable and allows our readers to see what we may or may not have a potential for profiting from. You can get a great template here: Disclosure Template.

So there you have it. That is how my little blog brings in some cash. To go more in depth visit PRO Blogger and Blogging With Amy.

Find the rest of the series here: 31 Days to Online Ministry

Also check out:

• Missed BlissDom 2011? Get It Here. It’s just like being there!
• ? 31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Easy step by step ways to improve your blog presence!
• Simple Blogging. – Don’t have 40 hours a week to spend on blogging? This E-book helps you grow your blog with less time on the computer.