How often have we read on some blogs where the writers discuss sponsored posts as something that you should not touch with a 10-ft pole. With their noses in the air, they brush off such contents on your blog and arbitrarily assume that nobody read them or click on sponsored posts.
Understandably, what they are saying is that they are "pure bloggers" and cannot afford to lose credibility by indulging in this sponsored post circus.
They demand disclosure from bloggers who are into these online writing opportunities. They frown on the buzz created by these posties on products and services. They even hinted at boycotting blogs that do such posts.
In their own language, these posts are worthless and won't do any good to your blog. To a certain extent, that's quite true. And it applies to bloggers who can't write without stumbling upon their grammar and spelling. They leave a black mark on their own blogs and generally project the wrong impression of paid posts.
But this will soon be taken care of as more sponsors are demanding better quality posts and posties are expected to brush up on their language. And, of course, there are many bloggers who have written top-notch quality posts as well.
Now here's the big surprise that will sound like sweet music, especially to advertisers. A study recently concluded by PayPerPost has revealed that sponsored posts deliver a 10.545% average ctr (click through rate).
What does that mean? In plain language, the amazing data tells us that sponsored content is being read and driving traffic to your site. It's a revelation.
The study indicates that people are clicking on sponsored posts, and "they click through at a higher rate than any other media." Some posties have clicked on their own posts and bought items themselves. It shows they are also potential customers.
The study collected data from more than 40k bloggers and 8k advertisers - and that says a lot about the naysayers who are just ranting in the wind.
Showing posts with label posts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label posts. Show all posts
23.7.07
Are you one of those "bad apples"?
Bloggers who write paid reviews, especially those who signed up with Sponsored Reviews, will have to "clean up their act" soon. Sponsored Reviews will be on the lookout for "bad apples" because their advertisers are not too happy with a number of reviews submitted by bloggers.
They are planning to introduce a new rating system for bloggers so that they can weed out those who deliver poor quality reviews.According to Sponsored Reviews, the new rating system will allow advertisers to provide feedback on completed reviews and rate their favorite reviewers.
Obviously, paid reviews have reached a point where sponsors have found that some poor quality reviews had slipped through, got posted and payment made to the bloggers. Moreover, there were discrepancies in the bidding price among bloggers which just don't make sense anymore.
What are the reasons advertisers are not happy with some reviews?
Here's Sponsored Revews' list of bad vibes that advertisers dislike:
What do you say to all this?
Well, if you're an advertiser you surely would like to see that any review of your product is of high quality. Paying for links is one thing but the writing must be up to standard as well. You don't want to see poor grammar or any slipshod spelling that reflect badly on your product or company.
Let's get real. This is business. Your image is at stake!
Look at advertisements in newspapers or magazines - and do you think the advertisers can afford to be slipshod with their copywriting or artwork? They are paying big bucks to get their advertisements in print.
Do they know that there's this breed of people known as editors or copyeditors? They are the ones who take care of the language and the writing style. Do the sponsoring sites have editors or copyeditors to do the job?
In fact, Sponsored Reviews are not the only one facing this problem. The competition like PayPerPost, ReviewMe, Loudlaunch, Blogsvertise and others are probably facing the same issue. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this point.
I know of one blog that had complained about a poor review and I had the same experience earlier on, too. There are probably many others, mainly advertisers, who have also seen poor reviews. That begs the question: How did those reviews get approved? No doubt, the reviewers got paid, too.
Hopefully, paid-post programs will evolve, fine-tuning themselves to provide better qualified services and greater values to advertisers by accepting only quality posts that can only do justice to their products.
Of related interests:
Shocking quality of blog reviews revealed
Can you do ReviewMe?
Blogsvertise are doing some cleaning up
Sponsored Reviews open the doors
They are planning to introduce a new rating system for bloggers so that they can weed out those who deliver poor quality reviews.According to Sponsored Reviews, the new rating system will allow advertisers to provide feedback on completed reviews and rate their favorite reviewers.
Obviously, paid reviews have reached a point where sponsors have found that some poor quality reviews had slipped through, got posted and payment made to the bloggers. Moreover, there were discrepancies in the bidding price among bloggers which just don't make sense anymore.
What are the reasons advertisers are not happy with some reviews?
Here's Sponsored Revews' list of bad vibes that advertisers dislike:
- Poor grammar and spelling
- Requirements like word count, links, etc. were not followed
- Bloggers made non-factual statements
- Duplicated content
- Over-pricing based on quality of post
- Showing a price higher on site than what was the bid.
What do you say to all this?
Well, if you're an advertiser you surely would like to see that any review of your product is of high quality. Paying for links is one thing but the writing must be up to standard as well. You don't want to see poor grammar or any slipshod spelling that reflect badly on your product or company.
Let's get real. This is business. Your image is at stake!
Look at advertisements in newspapers or magazines - and do you think the advertisers can afford to be slipshod with their copywriting or artwork? They are paying big bucks to get their advertisements in print.
Do they know that there's this breed of people known as editors or copyeditors? They are the ones who take care of the language and the writing style. Do the sponsoring sites have editors or copyeditors to do the job?
In fact, Sponsored Reviews are not the only one facing this problem. The competition like PayPerPost, ReviewMe, Loudlaunch, Blogsvertise and others are probably facing the same issue. Please correct me if I'm wrong on this point.
I know of one blog that had complained about a poor review and I had the same experience earlier on, too. There are probably many others, mainly advertisers, who have also seen poor reviews. That begs the question: How did those reviews get approved? No doubt, the reviewers got paid, too.
Hopefully, paid-post programs will evolve, fine-tuning themselves to provide better qualified services and greater values to advertisers by accepting only quality posts that can only do justice to their products.
Of related interests:
Shocking quality of blog reviews revealed
Can you do ReviewMe?
Blogsvertise are doing some cleaning up
Sponsored Reviews open the doors
27.8.06
Looking For Heavy Traffic?
Think this article will be of help to those who want to see greater flow of traffic to their blogs. As you all know generating traffic to a new blog or website can be a real pain if you're in the dark.
How To Build Traffic To Your Blog
By Priya Shah
With the growing interest in blogging as a means of online promotion and branding, a lot of marketers are starting blogs to promote their opinions, products, books and services. But a blog is like a website. "Write and they will come" isn't exactly a magic formula to bring in traffic by the boatload.
If you need to promote your website in order to build traffic to it, you need to promote your blog as well.
Here are some ways you can become a well-read and influential blogger.
1. Write Posts That People Will Want To Read
This should be common sense, but many marketers tend to forget that their readers are real people and that you need to use the principles of online copywriting to make your headlines and copy interesting to your readers. If you write posts that people enjoy reading, they will reward you by returning to your blog regularly.
Make your posts conversational, pithy and topical. Keep them short and stick to one topic per post.
Write often and regularly so that both readers and search engines visit your blog more often.
2. Optimize Your Posts for Search Engines
I cover this topic in detail in my article on "Search Engine Optimization For Blogs" http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-seo.htm
But here are the most important rules to follow to get your posts listed for keywords of your choice.
* Make sure your blog URL contains the primary keyword you want to optimize for
* Use your primary keywords in the title of your post
* Use your secondary keywords in the body of your post
* Use your keywords in the anchor text of links in the body of your posts
3. Submit Your Blog and RSS Feed To Directories
If you publish a blog you should submit your blog and RSS feed to big directories like Yahoo and Dmoz, as well as the numerous blog directories and search engines.
Here is the best list I've found of places to submit your feed or blog, compiled by Luigi Canali De Rossi, who writes under the pseudonym Robin Good.
Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/
Another list of sites to submit your Blog. http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm
4. Ping The Blog Services
There are a number of services designed specifically for tracking and connecting blogs. By sending a small ping to each service you let them know you've updated your blog so they can come check you out.
Bookmark the Ping-O-Matic ping results page so you can visit it and quickly ping a number of services with a single click.
http://pingomatic.com
5. Build Links To Your Blog
I recommend the methods here as the best ways to get links pointing to your blog
* Link to your blog from each page on your main website
* Trackback to other blogs in your posts
* Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics
* Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites
6. Edit Your Blog Posts Into Articles
One of the best methods for promoting your website is to write articles and submit them to article directories.
The suggestion for extending this to edit your blog posts into articles and submit them to directories came from the coach at "Explode Blog Traffic" who also has other noteworthy suggestions at his blog here. http://bloghit.blogspot.com/2004/11/how-to-explode-blog-traffic.html
You'll find an extensive list of article directories here http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/write-articles/submit-articles.htm
7. Create Buzz About Your Blog
Creating a buzz about your blog posts and topic in the local and online media will give your marketing a viral component.
* Create a controversy around your blog or it's topic.
* Distribute bumper stickers or other merchandise with your blog's URL and tagline.
* Write a press release about something newsworthy and tie it in with your blog topic.
8. Capture Subscribers By Email
It may seem strange for a blogger to send out updates by email, but email is still the #1 choice of most people who want to receive news and information.
Using a free service like Bloglet to manage your subscriptions is easy and it allows your subscribers to manage all their subscriptions from one interface. http://www.bloglet.com
However, if you want more control over your list and don't mind mailing out the updates yourself, you can use an autoresponder system to capture and follow-up with subscribers.
RSS responder is a new script that allows you to keep in touch and follow-up with your subscribers without the hassle of email. http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/rssresponder.htm
These tips should give you a good start to building your blog traffic.
About the Author: Priya Shah is a partner in the search engine marketing firm, SEO & More http://www.seoandmore.com Request the whitepaper Boost Your Search Engine Visibility With Blogs And RSS http://www.seoandmore.com/blogs-rss/
How To Build Traffic To Your Blog
By Priya Shah
With the growing interest in blogging as a means of online promotion and branding, a lot of marketers are starting blogs to promote their opinions, products, books and services. But a blog is like a website. "Write and they will come" isn't exactly a magic formula to bring in traffic by the boatload.
If you need to promote your website in order to build traffic to it, you need to promote your blog as well.
Here are some ways you can become a well-read and influential blogger.
1. Write Posts That People Will Want To Read
This should be common sense, but many marketers tend to forget that their readers are real people and that you need to use the principles of online copywriting to make your headlines and copy interesting to your readers. If you write posts that people enjoy reading, they will reward you by returning to your blog regularly.
Make your posts conversational, pithy and topical. Keep them short and stick to one topic per post.
Write often and regularly so that both readers and search engines visit your blog more often.
2. Optimize Your Posts for Search Engines
I cover this topic in detail in my article on "Search Engine Optimization For Blogs" http://www.blog-maniac.com/blog-seo.htm
But here are the most important rules to follow to get your posts listed for keywords of your choice.
* Make sure your blog URL contains the primary keyword you want to optimize for
* Use your primary keywords in the title of your post
* Use your secondary keywords in the body of your post
* Use your keywords in the anchor text of links in the body of your posts
3. Submit Your Blog and RSS Feed To Directories
If you publish a blog you should submit your blog and RSS feed to big directories like Yahoo and Dmoz, as well as the numerous blog directories and search engines.
Here is the best list I've found of places to submit your feed or blog, compiled by Luigi Canali De Rossi, who writes under the pseudonym Robin Good.
Best Blog Directory And RSS Submission Sites http://www.masternewmedia.org/rss/top55/
Another list of sites to submit your Blog. http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-submission.htm
4. Ping The Blog Services
There are a number of services designed specifically for tracking and connecting blogs. By sending a small ping to each service you let them know you've updated your blog so they can come check you out.
Bookmark the Ping-O-Matic ping results page so you can visit it and quickly ping a number of services with a single click.
http://pingomatic.com
5. Build Links To Your Blog
I recommend the methods here as the best ways to get links pointing to your blog
* Link to your blog from each page on your main website
* Trackback to other blogs in your posts
* Post legitimate comments on other blogs with related topics
* Offer to exchange links with other similarly themed blogs and websites
6. Edit Your Blog Posts Into Articles
One of the best methods for promoting your website is to write articles and submit them to article directories.
The suggestion for extending this to edit your blog posts into articles and submit them to directories came from the coach at "Explode Blog Traffic" who also has other noteworthy suggestions at his blog here. http://bloghit.blogspot.com/2004/11/how-to-explode-blog-traffic.html
You'll find an extensive list of article directories here http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/write-articles/submit-articles.htm
7. Create Buzz About Your Blog
Creating a buzz about your blog posts and topic in the local and online media will give your marketing a viral component.
* Create a controversy around your blog or it's topic.
* Distribute bumper stickers or other merchandise with your blog's URL and tagline.
* Write a press release about something newsworthy and tie it in with your blog topic.
8. Capture Subscribers By Email
It may seem strange for a blogger to send out updates by email, but email is still the #1 choice of most people who want to receive news and information.
Using a free service like Bloglet to manage your subscriptions is easy and it allows your subscribers to manage all their subscriptions from one interface. http://www.bloglet.com
However, if you want more control over your list and don't mind mailing out the updates yourself, you can use an autoresponder system to capture and follow-up with subscribers.
RSS responder is a new script that allows you to keep in touch and follow-up with your subscribers without the hassle of email. http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/rssresponder.htm
These tips should give you a good start to building your blog traffic.
About the Author: Priya Shah is a partner in the search engine marketing firm, SEO & More http://www.seoandmore.com Request the whitepaper Boost Your Search Engine Visibility With Blogs And RSS http://www.seoandmore.com/blogs-rss/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
