As you probably noticed, blogs are expanding rapidly on the internet.  They come in all shape and sizes and target every demographic.  There are blogs that identify the best deals, blogs giving reviews, providing opinions, allowing people to network and connect, informing on particular topics, etc.  Blogs have always been a part of the affiliate marketing channel and have now evolved into extremely valuable publisher partners for virtually every program.  The trick now is how to engage bloggers, as affiliate partners, in the most effective and profitable way.

One way to engage the blogger base for an affiliate marketing program is to provide them with free product in exchange for a review.  Most bloggers will be happy to provide a review with an affiliate links included in exchange for one of your products.  When completing this exchange ensure that you are setting the criteria for the partnership.  This criterion may state that the affiliate will need to provide an affiliate link, picture of the product and your standard customer discount in the review.  Be sure to vet your affiliate thoroughly so that you are selecting the bloggers that have adequate traffic levels and target a relevant demographic.
Another way to engage bloggers is to provide a significant customer discount for them to promote.  For this type of affiliate campaign it’s essential that the offer is much more valuable than the standard offers that you’ve been making available.  If possible, try running a lost leader program where you give away product at cost in exchange for a new customer.  If you’ve optimized your customer re targeting this type of campaign can pay large dividends down the road.
Another option is to provide affiliates with good content that they can post to their blog.  This content is generally educational in nature and would provide good value to the bloggers readers.  For example, if an affiliate blogger has a site about Eco-friendly products and you sell a bags made from recycle goods, you can write an article explaining how your bags are made and the process used to obtain the recycled material.   The key when provide bloggers content is to make it unique.  From an search engine optimization perspective, bloggers want fresh content that isn’t being pushed out to 100 other blog websites.
There are multiple options for engaging bloggers in your affiliate marketing campaign.  The right strategy and recruiting tactics will yield incredible results from these traffic sources.  Versa Marketing has extensive knowledge on how to manage these efforts and a deep network of blog partners.  Please feel free to reach out and see how we can we can grow your affiliate program through the blogging channel.
Posted By Joel Wood