Pro Business Tips

Making Money with Donations

Donations are good method for blogs starting up, especially if you can get some friends and family to chip in. One possible solution is to head over to Paypal and create a free "Donate" button which allows you to create the equivalent of a tip jar for your blog. It's free and easy to sign-up.

A counter-point to consider: A tip jar can also make you look like a beggar. This strategy tends to work better for a small-time blog with limited aspirations or a non-profit concern.

Building Blog Traffic with Google and Technorati Submissions

Technorati is the leading blog directory, sort of like the Google for blogs. It's very heavily trafficked and is a great resource. Make sure you get an account at Technorati so you can get it indexed in the directory. In Technorati parlance, this is called claiming your blog.

And of course, you want to make sure that Google indexes your blog as well. Google now has a special blog search engine, called Google Blog Search, and you want to go to it to submit your URL.

Building Traffic with Wikipedia

A free online user-edited encyclopedia, Wikipedia is one of the most trafficked websites in the world. Used as a reference by consumers, casual internet surfers, college students and hobbyists, Wikipedia is a massive online collaboration run by volunteers and enthusiasts.

Wikipedia dominates Google search results because of the presumed quality of its content. Search for almost anything and chances are that a Wikipedia entry will appear on the first page.  

How Wikipedia Can Monetize a Blog

1. Credibility from being listed in Wikipedia increases customer and visitor trust, which might lead to repeat visits, bookmarking and a bigger audience base. If you are pushing products on some other pages of your website, you might have a higher potential for affiliate conversions and product sales.
2. Wikipedia traffic is ultra-targeted. Visitors arrive through a keyword search onto a Wikipedia page and then onto your blog via a link.
3. Getting listed in Wikipedia has a direct correlation to any website’s long-term monetization strategy and should be considered a strategy to explore within any traffic building or marketing campaign.

But, before you get too enthusiastic... Keep reading to find out what to watch for before you sign-up and start using Wikipedia to market your brand.

Advertorial Blogging

A few years ago when I worked at one major media company, there was a lot of internal debate between business development and editorial when a Volvo advertorial appeared on the network of sites. Why? The advertorial was so subtle it was indistinguishable from content, with the sole exception of a virtually invisible 7-point disclaimer buried in grey text at the footer of the piece.

These days, a more extreme example is raging in the blogging community. Several sites, including Blogsvertise, PayPerPost.com, ReviewMe, and SponsoredReviews.com are paying bloggers to review sites and products for advertisers, as well as link to their sites to increase SEO.

To many bloggers, this is a sell-out and naked shilling. But other bloggers say that as long as they maintain editorial discretion, why shouldn’t they be able to make some money through reviews.

If you can live with the ethical gray boundaries, it's another way to make cash. But you have to balance that against the integrity of your content and what sort of relationship you want to build with your users.

What do you think of advertorial blogging? Would you do it?

The 5 Rules of Traffic Building Link Exchanges

There's probably no more proven way to generate traffic than via link exchanges. This is where you promote a site with a link in exchange for the same on a partner site. 

There are many places where you can put this link list, such as a Resources or Partners link list.

But before you approach a webmaster or blogger for a link exchange, it's important to keep the following in mind:

1. Avoid using canned emails. Nothing is a bigger turn off to bloggers than an auto-generated email (or one that lacks any personal touches).
2. Know who you are talking to. Just as bad is being pitched to by someone who gets your business or personal details wrong. For example, if someone approached me and said they love Pro Shopping Tips and can't wait to do a link exchange. Get the person’s name, business, and URL right.  
3. Keep it your pitch brief; it shouldn't be longer than 2-3 paragraphs. Make a quick introduction and then get to the point. Make sure you include the URL to where your link list will be. Also, you will really get their attention if you compliment them on something they've they’ve recently written or a new product feature.
4. Highlight the benefits of link exchange - it’ll have more chance of success if there’s something in it for the partner you’re pitching to. Clearly outline what you’re asking for and how it will your prospective partner.
5. Be polite. An obvious point but you'd be surprised how many people actually turn requests into demands.

The Blog Advantage: The 4 Reasons Blogs Are So Popular

What makes blogs so popular with publishers and readers alike?

1. Content - Blogs are updated frequently and the content is usually ordered in reverse chronological format. It makes a static website seem more than just a brochure or catalogue by comparison.
2. Syndication - All blog platforms include a technology called RSS (Really Simple Syndication). Basically I can subscribe to your blog and each time a new article is posted, I am notified. If I no longer want to read the information I just unsubscribe. So distribution and consumption is painless and easy.
3. Conversation - The conversational, intimate tone of blogs encourages community and loyalty. Since blogs are updated by individuals (or a group of individuals), the ‘voice’ of the blog author(s) will often shine through. Adding personality and approachability to your blog encourages two-way communication.
4. Easy publishing - A lot of people find website building and maintenance daunting. That’s why many people don’t have a website or pay a web designer to not only design and build the site but to also update content. The current technology available for content management in blogs removes this hurdle. Now, more than ever, it has become easier to run a site and update content yourself--even if you have no technical knowledge or interest.

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