It may be a topic that is often repeated but it’s worth underscoring at every opportunity: when it comes to connecting with any audience, blogging is critical to your business. You must produce regular content that not only entices customers to your site in the first place, but also engages with them in a way that makes them feel valued. In other words, strong blog content will not only be the bait that lures your site visitors, it should also pave the way for their return. Again and again.
Essential communication
Large companies sussed this out a long time ago and will frequently go out of their way to hit their potential clients with original content on blogs. Guest bloggers can be worth their weight in gold (or should that be bitcoins these days?!) Retail organizations are always trying to think of new ways to connect with their audience using the two-pronged approach of pertinent keywords for the search engine rankings, and engaging articles for readers at the front end.
Given that blogging is an essential communication channel in the world of E-commerce, where does its important sit with the specific activity of affiliate marketing? The answer to that is quite straightforward. Blogs are just as important to a site promoting affiliate programs as any retail company. Moreso, in fact, and there are several reasons why.
Ongoing conversations
In the wrong hands a blog can be a less-than-satisfactory way of connecting with customers. The commonest flaw any company blog can possess is to contain content that doesn’t so much engage with customers as equals as ‘talk down’ to them. This isn’t done deliberately, but some retail groups consider a blog’s main function is to inform readers how they are performing. This somewhat one-dimensional approach will only alienate customers who are made to feel undervalued.
When handled correctly, a blog is where clients can be brought on-board a company’s business plan. What better way to encourage participation than to advertise product launches well in advance, letting the customers in on market trends, giving them snippets of inside information, as well as little tips and tricks about how well a new item is anticipated to perform.
Where affiliate marketing is concerned this level of proactive communication is immensely important because it empowers customers. If they feel valued by the party introducing them to a particular product and trusted by an affiliate marketer pulling out all the stops to appear to be an expert in their field, then they will be far more amenable to investing in the units. The old business model, where retailers simply listed products and hoped casual web browsers would shift enough of them to balance the books, is dead and buried.
Getting your message across
There are many methods bloggers can harness to capitalize on their position of strength when it comes to addressing customers with these strong, positive messages. Guest blogging is one useful tool in this sphere. A guest blogger will write about the affiliate product from an objective perspective. This person will tend to be someone with a degree of influence within their industry, so their content will carry considerable weight.
Reviews are all-important when it comes to affiliate marketing because these help form the impressions in the minds of potential customers. It would be a mistake for the affiliate marketer to publish biased reviews of the products or services they are promoting because as soon as customers get the hint they are being patronised or are facing a barrage of pushy ‘sales talk’ they’ll more than likely go cold on the product. Far better to be honest in your appraisal. One terrific tip is to go out and purchase a copy of the unit yourself, then film a review. This footage can then by uploaded to demonstrate the clear advantages of using the item (alongside an accompanying five-star award.)
Remember, blogging should never be about pushing sales or suggesting customers ‘buy now.’ It’s should be about highlighting the benefits of a product or service. This is especially effective if you can discuss your items alongside other success stories highighted in TopOffers cpa affiliate offers.
