Having great content on your Amazon affiliate blog is a wonderful way to market your business. But without a plan and some monetization, you’re apt to leave money on the table.
When it comes to monetization, it’s important to think about how you can provide value and profit from each piece of content you create. Bear in mind that not all of it will generate cash right away, but you should have some sort of plan in place.
Two Monetization Methods For Your Content
There are basically two monetization methods … direct and indirect.
Direct Monetization
Direct monetization can take on a couple of forms, such as:
- Advertisements strategically placed on your site
- Links to products you’re mentioning or recommending in your content as an Amazon affiliate.
When site visitors click on the ad or link you provided and subsequently buys a product, you earn an affiliate commission right away. In the short term, this is a good way to directly benefit as a result of the things you write and share, but it can be “hit or miss.”
Indirect Monetization
Indirect monetization is slightly different in that it takes a bit more time and interaction to turn your readership into buyers. Case in point, presenting content in a way that helps you capture email addresses and grow a list, such as:
- Blog Posts with options to optin for more valuable information from you
- Free Offers that require an optin (Special Report, an eCourse, eNewsletter, etc)
By doing this, you have an opportunity to get in touch with your readers over and over again. You can build a relationship and make multiple offers a little further down the road.
The great thing about indirect monetization is that you’re growing another asset beside your Amazon affiliate site. You are growing an audience with a way to get back in touch with them.
Think about it … They may not be interested in the product you mention in your post right now, but just might pull out their wallets for different offers you make in the future.
Plan How You Will Make Your Blog Content Work For You
It’s simple really . . . Take a look at your content and think about what your goal will be. Sometimes it may be . . .
- to write a great review post and make some direct affiliate commissions.
- a more personal piece with the intent of allowing your readers to get to know you better . . . and eventually come to trust you more.
- an awesome informational piece with a strong call to action at the end that invites readers to sign up to learn more from you.
As an Amazon affiliate, take a minute to think about what your short-term or long-term goal is with each piece of blog content . . . and then write or edit it to make sure that goal is fulfilled.