Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Blogging 102: Advertisements and Sponsorships

So you've done it, you've started your own blog and thus far it has been a great success - congratulations. Now the big question is: what's next? Blogging, like any other social platform, is not just meant to be a means of pushing out information at readers. Blogging is a great way to grow and strengthen your network. An awesome way to do this is through the implementation of sponsorships and advertisements.

A blog sponsorship usually takes place between two independent blogger. The two bloggers will often exchange links or "link buttons" to display on one another's blog for an agreed upon period of time. Sponsorship usually does not indicate any form of monetary incentive. Through a sponsorship program, you not only get to share credible and useful websites with your readers, you are also having readers from other blogs pushed to your site. This is a great way to expand on viewership while interacting and networking with other bloggers.

Advertisements can come from a variety of sources. Many independent bloggers will establish relationships with outside companies to create a monetary gain from their blog. This can happen in various forms: placing advertisements in a viewable spot on the blogger's site, drafting sponsored posts that promote a brand or product, or even placing links to other blogs on your site for an agreed upon period of time in exchange for money. Advertisements are a great way to turn a hobby into a new means of income, as long as the addition of ads does not interrupt the integrity of your blog. Your goal is to gain money, not lose readers.

Only you as a blogger will know when you are ready to take this next leap even deeper into the blogosphere. Keep in mind that these things take time to come. You should already have a steady blog following, regular updates, and some interaction with other bloggers before you reach out to gain sponsors or advertisers. No matter what, alway remember that you are there to serve the readers. If you drive them away from your blog with constant sponsored posts or website plugs, you may lose the following you worked so hard to gain.

Have you ever considered adding these contributions to your blog? Let us know how it worked for you!

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