For many business owners the goal of content marketing is to generate a profit. From affiliate marketers to membership sites to information marketers, the ultimate goal of any piece of content is to convert a reader into a buyer.
Even service providers can benefit by monetizing their content. This lesson offers a handful of different tips and approaches to help experienced marketers further monetize their content and increase sales and profits.
1. “Hire Me”
You can add a hire me page to your blog or website to monetize the site itself. You can also add a hire me call to action in the bio box of any article you publish online or any guest blog post you publish. Additionally, consider adding a call to action at the bottom of key blog posts and downloadable content that motivates your readers to hire you.
For example, a virtual assistant might create a report on how to manage multiple contractors. At the end of the report they might transition into the benefit of hiring a project manager to oversee contractors and include a “hire me” link.
2. Increase advertisers
Once you’ve attained a respectable amount of blog traffic, consider adding an “advertise with us” page on your blog. You can also help potential advertisers see the benefit of advertising with you by helping them visualize it. If you don’t have any present advertisers, use affiliate ads on your blog.
You might use a widget that places ads between blog posts or in the header or footer of posts. You might also create a static sidebar for advertiser placement. If increasing advertisers is your goal, make sure that there’s an opportunity and/or call to action on every single post or page.
3. Boost subscribers
One of the best ways to convert readers into buying customers is to get them to sign up for your mailing list. In the age of video and visual content you can embrace this by creating a personal message that invites readers to subscribe to your list. Monetize each post by including a call to action that invites readers to subscribe, and offer subscription opportunities to folks who comment on your blog.
4. Happy customers
Monetize visual content by sharing photos or videos of happy customers. They can read their testimonial, take a photo of themselves using your product or even share a helpful video or photo hint for benefiting from your products or services. Make sure the content links to your sales page.
Next Steps…
- Assess your current monetization tactics. What is working and generating sales? What isn’t?
- What monetization goals do you have and how might your use your content to help you achieve those goals?
- What goals best suit your business model and audience needs?