Monetization strategies for building sustainable blog revenue

¶ … Business Proposal: Blog

The Need for Information

Blogs provide a ready source of information for individuals on the World Wide Web. From everything from food to gardening to home improvement, blogs provide an ordinary yet educated perspective of the individual upon various relevant subjects for the reader. Blogs are valuable because they are written in a clear, first-person voice of someone living in the 'real world' (versus a professional chef or carpenter) but with the knowledge of someone who has more experience and awareness than the average reader.

Impact of the Problem

For blogs to be consistently engaging and informative, however, even bloggers need capital. Part of the attraction of a blog versus a book or magazine is that the content is free. Bloggers can accept products for review but often this revenue is quite small. There is also a limit to how much a blogger can accept in terms of free offers without compromising his or her objectivity. Ad revenue is thus an essential component of blogging. Finding regular product sponsorship is a critical issue for all bloggers given the low level of revenue from Google ads.

Another way of generating content is to solicit additional blog writers to provide guest blogging. This brings in new ideas and also helps defray some of the financial and opportunity cost in blogging about specific projects. It is also an excellent way to draw in new traffic to the blog from the writers' friends and other readers.

A final issue in blogging is eye-catching web design. Refreshing the blog's look for viewers is important. A critical source of finding new readers is to have a professional look. This is also important in attracting writers, specifically other bloggers with an audience.

Proposal

Seeking relevant sponsorship from the community for products and services which can be advertised on the blog regularly and which are well-suited to the target audience of readers is essential. Building a relationship ensures regular, critical financial support for the blog without compromising its objectivity, since sponsored advertisements will be clearly labeled. However, for other aspects of the blog, written content from objective outside sources is vital to generate interest. Guest bloggers from other blogs or even freelance professional journalists would be helpful to fill the void. Also, sponsored posts on Facebook and Twitter can drive traffic to the blog.

How We Will Work Together

A blog appearance upgrade is a relatively modest endeavor and guest writers will also not be excessively expensive given that many will volunteer to write at a lower pay rate to drive traffic to their own blogs and gain experience. Social media advertising, particularly on Facebook is also low-cost. The proposed loan will cover the initial cost of the re-design and several freelance, commissioned articles.

Fee Structure

After the initial cost of the loan is paid off, if the redesign proves successful, there may also be opportunities to continue to invest in the website in exchange for a percentage of the advertising revenue derived from the site.