Blogging and Marketing Resources for the Average Blogger and Business
Posts tagged Donate
Your Turn to Provide a “Review”
Jan 9th
When I began offering Free Blog Reviews, I have been very pleased with the response and have grown quite a backlog of requests. Thank you for your interest and I assure all of you, I will get to all of them. However, this time I would like you for a review.
Recently, I added a PayPal Donate Button to the right panel of The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. My thinking is that if the information contained in “the kit” is of value to you, you may throw a bone this way. Pleasantly, even after the test I had a friend perform, I’ve actually received a few “tips.” (No, not “stay out of the stock market!”)
What do you think? Back in February of last year, I weighed in with Donate Buttons: Classy or Trashy. At that time, I had only advertising on the site and posed a number of questions relating to monetization in general, appropriateness and if “donate” can or should coexist with “ads.”
I want your opinion. Over this past year, I have become more confident in my blogging skills and decided to test the water. Your opinions are important to me.
Thanks,
Dave
Reinstating Adsense
Apr 11th
The @dsense Game (Part 2)
In Cover Your Adsense, I shared my experience of the unexpected decision by Google to suspend my @dsense account. I submitted the appeal and was denied. My position was clear that I did not know why this had occurred. My speculation was that possibly friends of mine had clicked on ads repeatedly, thinking they were helping me go to the bank. I even offered a strategy of creating a new blog, not promoting it with friends and only attempting to grow traffic organically.
Two outcomes resulted from that plea:
- Another rejection
- The Ultimate Blogging Toolkit
Of course, I was disappointed about #1, but I have been very satisfied with #2. The Toolkit was my “scorch the earth” way to start from scratch and apply the limited learning gained to that point. We’re not burning the house down with traffic, but visitors have arrived from 10 countries from around the world and 8 of our own United States. Sure, serious bounce rates, but traffic nonetheless.
But it’s important to point out that many people are successful in getting their accounts reinstated. Here’s the most straightforward post I’ve found, from eHow, about a common sense approach. It is one I have followed, but not yet effectively. No fault of eHow’s; I just don’t have enough supporting material to make much headway. But I’m still trying.
What I’ve learned from this process though, is to consider other ways to monetize my blog. As with investments, diversification is a strong safety strategy. If one source of revenue has issues or worse yet, dries up completely, the other revenue streams can continue while a replacement is sought.
As traffic continues to build, the next phase for the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit will be to begin to develop a monetizing strategy that is diversified, simple, and effective. Adsense may or may not be part of that picture.
How do you monetize your blog or site? How effective is it? Are there other strategies you haven’t yet tried? What’s been standing in your way? Help us learn.
Dave
Donate Buttons: Classy or Trashy?
Feb 8th
It’s all in how they are used.
Monetization is why many of us blog. On one end of the spectrum, there is a full, dedicated business model looking to emerge. The other is a hobby where costs are simply meant to be defrayed. The blogging work that each of do places us somewhere along that continuum.
There is considerable chatter on the Internet about the merits of “Donate’ buttons on blogs and other web sites. There are of course as many who believe Donate buttons are classy as there are people who believe they are trashy. Again, the answer lies somewhere in the middle – based on how they are used.
Many factors weigh into the “how they are used” argument. For example, a blog full of rich content that provides valuable assistance to visitors might succeed in placing a Donate button on the nav bar and possibly having a Donate page to further explain the reason for the request. However, a site with little useful and compelling content would likely be percieved as simply asking for a handout.
Here’s a blogging resource site where the comments added to the post are as elightening as the post itself. There are many perspectives, as one would image. It supports the notion that the usage dictates the perception.
Can a Donate Button and revenue-generating advertisements coexist?
To paraphrase the opening sentence: it all depends. If there is more blog real estate occupied by advertising blocks, affiliate links and direct advertising images that there is with meaningful blog posts and valuable information, probably not. However, is there are just a few well-placed and appropriately sized ads shown and there is substantial blog content, then that’s a definite… maybe. In my opinion, once ads appear on a site, it begins to be harder to simply ask a visitor for money. Not impossible, just harder. As ads begin to appear on a site, a certain air of “formality” begins to enter the equation and begins to move the position on the continuum from avocation toward vocation.
What if I sell my own products?
Nope. If you are selling a physical item, especially your own product, my sense is that it would not be good form to ask for a donation. The support you really want is for someone to buy your product.
What if I operate a non-profit?
Anyone in the world of non-profit organizations knows it’s all about the quality of “the ask.” To further the work your organization does, you must ask for the donation. But there are many factors involved – both in the online and offline worlds. A relationship must be built and educating the potential supporter must be accomplished. Only then can the ask take place. On this post, called Going Beyond the Donate Button, this blogger makes a sound case for not only using the Donate Button, but just how competitive the world of online donations can be. Her point: make it a part of a comprehensive strategy.
Wiki Support
By now, you’ve realized my reliance on Wikipedia as a source for basic and sometimes more elaborate definitions. I’ve used it in a few posts already and expect to continue to use it frequently in the future. This is my opportunity to promote Wikipedia and encourage all of us to support the effort.
The Wikipedia Foundation supports the ongoing work of the Wiki. Please support their efforts.
Classy or Trashy?
It’s up to you. Consider your content, your visitors, your intentions and your blog’s real estate. Each situation is different, but with some thought and careful planning, you can find a solution that works for you.
Provide support to your favorite non-profit. Donate to Wikipedia. Call your mother. Hug your kids.
Dave
Marketing Offline Businesses in the Online World
Apr 10th
Posted by Dave in Uncategorized
1 comment
Promoting Physical Jobs in a Virtual World
A friend of mine recently lamented over her husband’s challenges in marketing his new paint contracting business. (This picture isn’t him, by the way.) It caused me to think about my previous post entitled, “Crowdsourcing Your Next Creative Project.” My self-imposed question is, “How can offline businesses benefit from the online space and the community that exists there?” Let’s see if I can make some connections.
First, let’s look at a few of the topics already explored on the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit. In Frequent vs. Relevant, I talk about post frequency to entice the search engine spiders into coming back more often. In addition, I make the point about ensuring the subject matter relates to the readers. How does that affect our painter?
What if our painter contacted the local elementary school’s parent group and volunteered to paint the wooden sign outside the school? He could indicate his desire to assist the school, but acknowledge that he would also like to promote his business, and would appreciate a simple mention in the school newsletter. It would be relevant since schools are not usually sitting on dump trucks of cash and a professional painter has his own equipment and probably some leftover paint that could be used. Everyone seems to benefit.
That’s fine, you say. It’s relevant. But what about frequency? Once the sign is painted, the following spring our painter may offer to re-stain the raised planter boxes the students use to grow vegetables in their Environmental Sciences class. Again, by reaching out to the parent group and sharing with them just how much he enjoyed sprucing up the sign last year that he wanted to tackle another task. Hopefully, another mention in the newsletter might occur. Frequency doesn’t have to be daily – it can simply be again during the next painting season – to allow the school’s parents to see again that this person is taking yet another step in becoming a friend of the school.
The beginning of a “relationship.”
In Social Networking to Promote Your Blog? But Which Platform to Use?, I make the following point in my “moral to the story” statement:
“Be social, but be selective. Decide on the sandbox in which you should play, take your time to develop the right relationships for the right reason, and enjoy the benefits.”
Our elementary school is just one example, but let’s build on that. In business, the best way to develop a relationship is to first provide something for nothing. This lets potential customers see the benefits of your service through information sharing or in this case, painting a school sign. By showing that our painter’s heart is in the right place through occasional offers to assist, people begin to:
So, when you need a garage painted, or a room freshened up, or an entire house painted, with whom do you like to talk to have the work done? I would venture a guess that it would first be someone with whom you have a relationship. It doesn’t have to be a brother-in-law (in fact, I might argue against that, but that’s a topic for another day), it simply needs to be someone with whom you are familiar and about which you have a neutral to positive feeling.
Can our painter push too hard? Absolutely. Too frequently, or too impersonal in the content, and the recipients will begin to tune out. In “When is a comment SPAM?” I make an example of a few of the blog comments I’ve received (and deleted and will continue to delete!) where any sort of attempt at a relationship is non-existent. Be relevant; be on topic; be appropriate. Again, reach out for the right reason.
These are just a few ideas, but you can see how the online world’s tenets carry over into the offline version. So how might our painter start to also use the online world to help his offline pursuits? Sure, there’s the static web site and possibly a blog. Regular readers of the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit know that I like to share seemingly unrelated topics from around the Internet and attempt to tie them together to make a point. This is no exception.
In “Crowdsourcing My Renovation – How Faceless Friends in Web Forums Helped Remodel This House,” a Canadian blog showcases a process whereby a homeowner faced with a renovation used Crowdsourcing to garner advice. The advice sought ranged from paint colors on birch cabinets, to acrylic sink issues, to fireplaces on corner angles. My point? A presence and active involvement on the web can not only further the relationship cause, but it can also begin to position our painter as a trusted expert in his field. Sharing perspectives and opinions, without expectation of direct remuneration, will not likely make someone run the other way.
Whether or not I’ve made the intended connections is entirely up to you. More imporantly, what other creative ideas would you offer to our painter friend for kickstarting his painting business? And remember, the ideas can either be of the online or offline nature.
Dave