Typically when we want to monetize a blog we simply add some advertising to it, correct? Maybe some adwords, or perhaps banner ads that lead to sales pages that lead to (hopefully) bucketfuls of commissions.
But as you may have discovered, the problem with advertising products this way is that prospects land on the sales page cold. They don’t know any more than what was written in that tiny banner ad, and so they aren’t even close to being warmed up enough to read or watch a sales pitch.
To improve your conversion rate for products sold from your blog, you can always create a page before the sales page. That is, your banner takes them to another page on your blog that introduces them to the product and its many benefits prior to sending them to the sales page. And while there are some “experts” who will tell you that any added step in the sales process is a no-no, the fact is this will usually (if not always) improve your sales by at least a small margin, if not more.
One step better is to forgo the banner ad and instead write a blog post about the product. Your readers are already reading your blog, and the beauty of talking about a product within a blog post is the same as referring to a product in a news story – it slides in under the prospect’s sales radar.
You can bring up a problem you’ve been having that is likely something you have in common with your readers, and then you let them know you’ve found the solution. Don’t make it read like a sales pitch – simply share the best benefits of this product and then offer the link if they want to know more or perhaps enjoy the benefits for themselves.
This can definitely bring in the sales, but there is a drawback: Your sales will increase for a day or two or possibly longer, but as your blog post drops down on your blog, the sales will taper off. And while you will continue to enjoy a sale here or there as new readers find your old post, it’s not a terrific long term strategy for making ongoing sales.
However, if the product you are promoting is your own product AND it’s a GOOD product, there is a solution that frankly kicks cyber-butt and converts like a banshee, and it’s this: Add the Facebook commenting system to your page.
This allows your product users to make comments about your product that show up on your blog. Once you’ve added Facebook commenting, email your existing customers and ask them to stop by your page and leave a testimonial.
Result? As you accumulate testimonials your prospects see this genuine social proof that your offer does what it says, causing them to get excited about your product before they even know what it is. This can mean a HUGE boost in sales for you – and not just now but well into the future as well.
And the allows you to display these comments in multiple places for maximum impact. Having the ability to display genuine feedback from your customers is perhaps the most powerful tool you can have in enticing, exciting and converting prospects into buyers.
Also, did you notice how I smoothly recommended and referred you to the Facebook commenting system in this article? Pretty cool, right?! 😉 That’s the same strategy you can use in your blog posts to recommend other products and services you recommend (and are affiliated with) in some of your future blog posts. In this way, your recommendations will be taken more seriously, and your sales will grow more consistently. Now if only I could get Facebook to pay me for my sincere recommendation.
