Advertising

Lot’s of people have blogged about ex-Wired-Editor Kevin Kelly’s “1,000 True Fans“ article. If you didn’t, I wrote about it yesterday. It seems like the central theme has been lost in some translations.

The core idea is that rather than trying and failing to gain mainstream success, if you have a smaller but more passionate following you can still make a living.

What a lot of people are overlooking is that doesn’t mean you only speak to 1,000 people. To get 1,000 “true fans” you are going to have to communicate with 10x or even 100x that number.

Think about it. What percentage of people who visit your blog actually subscribe? 5%? Fewer? So to get 1,000 subscribers, not “true fans”, just subscribers, how many people need to approach your site?

To get the pool of prospects you need to still cast your net. Experiment.

One of my current experiments is to give away a premium news theme to Twitter followers every friday. I don’t think for a minute every one of those followers will be a “true fan” or even engaged, but maybe a few will seek out more of what I do and like it. Point is you have to try these things to see what works. You can’t say “I have 1,000 followers so now I can rest”.

The idea does not at all take the pressure off promoting, just means that when you find your ideal prospect you have to absolutely delight and positively surprise them, nurture them, and make them as happy as you can.

You have to keep on doing the best you can because you don’t know where your next true fan might come from.

A professional blogger tends to use a vast amount of words. A great vocabulary can create a better experience for the reader. Therefore, increasing vocabulary is something vital to personal development as a professional blogger. You should consider putting in an effort to learning new words as well, and while it might not be to the extremes that I go to, it certainly can’t hurt. Normally someone would just go to Thesaurus.com to find related words, but I have been evaluating an application for the past month that makes the experience a whole lot more interesting.

Visual Thesaurus 3 Desktop Edition by Thinkmap, Inc. provides a new perspective of finding related words. Surprisingly, it makes this task a visually pleasing and fun experience. Type in a word and you will be treated to a graphical map of related verbs, adverbs, nouns, and adjectives. It is a powerful application, but most might under-estimate it.

How does it work? You type in a word and you are presented with related words — it can’t get much easier than that. However, if that was all this application did, it wouldn’t be much worth discussing. It is great because of the amount of customization that is available. There are also many filtering features; however, I have been very satisfied with the default settings.

The interface is really nicely done. It is a result of the application being organized in a way that makes sense. It might take a few minutes to completely understand what the word maps really represent, but once you do, you quickly realize the power this tiny application has and why it was setup that way.

You can navigate the word maps with your mouse, and you could even change it to be in a 3D environment (but most people will prefer the 2D). The interface uses lines and bubbles to signal relations and definitions of words. You can simply hover over or click on the various elements to receive information.

Now, I was trying my best to find something I didn’t like about this application, but it just works. I think the value would be better at around $25, but other than that, nothing to complain about. There are a few things I wouldn’t mind seeing added in the future: I think it would be cool if you could change the color scheme of the application itself or have additional settings for the way the maps are setup. But even then, those are just hopeful additions for the future.

It is $40 for the desktop edition of Visual Thesaurus 3, but it certainly could be worth the cost if the right person uses it. For many of you, this might seem to be a little too steep for a program that does such a specific thing, but if you are like me, you will have it open every time you are writing an article. It is a great tool to assist and enhance your writing.

Check out VisuWords for a free online alternative. My only gripe is that the online application seems to be very processor intensive.

Performancing’s very own Ryan Caldwell has been proving lately that large, well-researched and well-written “resource” articles are worth the effort and cost. Of course, how you define “resource” is up to you to determine (and prove). I’m actually using “resource” as an umbrella term instead of “linkbait”, which has so many negative connotations. But “resource”, in this case, includes articles that are either informative or entertaining, or both. (For example, Ridelust has a new Corvettes section, which includes a history of the Corvette, a list of popular forums, a rental directory, and more. I know it took the writer a whole week to put this together, but a corvette gallery with pics of every model ever produced would be nice.)

These sorts of solid resources offer great value informationally. They can also provide entertainment to the reader. Long-term, they can pull a lot of weight in terms of social and search traffic and backlinks. (Provided you do the right thing and promote them on your favorite social media sites.)

Downside to Writing Resource Articles

The problem is, the best resource articles often need to be injected with pop culture, to have wide appeal. That’s something you’ll have to learn on your own. It can’t be taught, as far as I’m concerned. (Disagree? Feel free to comment.) They also take a great deal of research and editing time, which might conflict with the mindset of daily blogging. The kind I’m currently writing each take at least one full week (on top of daily blogging).

An Approach: 11 Tips

My own work schedule for the past 1.5 years has been a mix of daily blogging and weekly resource articles, and it isn’t always easy to balance. Here are some techniques I’ve used, both online and for print magazine articles.

1. Get a headstart.
   Don’t chase your tail on this. Spend a couple of weeks in advance prepping for several resource articles. (Consider: title ideas, pop culture angle, Google search, bookmarking reference URLs, what social media sites to promote on.) This ensures you don’t feel like you’re just barely in step with your schedule. It also allows time for revisions and even inspiration. Don’t force yourself into a publishing schedule right away. It’s okay to work on several at once, then focus on completing one at a time when you have sufficient research notes.
2. Feed your mind.
   The other reason to prep several lists a few weeks in advance is that it allows your subconscious to collect information and figure out an angle. (Anyone can come up with a list. How do you make it into a linkbait, traffic bait, or evergreen resource?)
3. Track your topics.
   Depending on my topic, I often use Techmeme, Megite, Popurls, and Popurls clones that I’ve created for specific niches. There are also niche versions of Techmeme. I’ve unintentionally given up using feed readers simply because these tools work best for my research needs right now.
4. Scan and save the headlines.
   However you do it – whether with niche tracking tools or with a feed reader – scan the headlines each morning (or night) and bookmark relevant articles. I prefer using Firefox because the bookmark pane is to one side, to which I can drag and drop URLs. Alternately, you could use Del.icio.us for bookmarking – ideal if you work on more than one computer with Internet access. But this takes more time and effort.
5. Research your own articles.
   If you’re going to create a great resource article, don’t forget to deep-link to your own archived articles, if they’re relevant. Save a shortlist of your own URLs.
6. Brainstorm titles.
   If you have a bunch of article ideas but no titles, brainstorm a list of strong titles. Apply the rules of producing great headlines that Copyblogger offers.
7. Find the best work schedule.
   Despite working exclusively at home these days, I still seem to think in a weekday/ weekend mindset. I find that I’m at my most creative between Friday evening and Sunday night. So instead of fighting this, what I try to do is get all the prep work done during weekdays and write mostly on weekends.
8. Balance writing with research.
   I actually do some resource writing on weekdays, thought I don’t force it. Writing is a creative process, and sometimes we just don’t feel creative. (Unlike computer programming, which I found I could do at almost any time.) So if I feel like writing fluff, I do a bit of it. I might also use “fluff” time to scan YouTube for some future article ideas. Or I watch TV (on my computer, thanks to a TV tuner card) for my daily injection of pop culture, and simultaneously search Google for previous articles on an idea. I bookmark anything that catches my eye. Afterwards, if I’m still feeling “fluffy”, I’ll visit the bookmarks and filter out anything irrelevant. This method lets me feel relaxed but is actually productive since research takes up most of my time.
9. Plan ahead but don’t ignore inspiration.
   Planning and schedules are fine, but sometimes I’ll get an idea in the middle of a weekday. Instead of jotting it down and returning to it, my intuition tells me to run with it. I’m rarely disappointed. Had I left it for later, I very likely will have lost the flow, possibly even the concept.
10. Leverage your research.
    This is something freelance writers have been doing long before the Internet. If you research for one resource article, save the bookmarks. You might be able to come up with additional article ideas for the same topic.
11. Be flexible.
    Just because you decided to write “25 Ways to do X” doesn’t mean that you can’t do 32, if that’s what you come up with, and if it “works”. On the flipside, just because you want to do 50 or 100 items does not mean you should. (Keep in mind that coming up with additional ideas for your list doesn’t mean you should include them if you have nothing to say. Whittle your list down and get the article done.)

Getting it Done

The big danger with working simultaneously on multiple articles is that it’s very easy to end up with a huge list of unfinished articles. I do struggle with this from time to time, but forcing deadlines for each article helps me to focus and get them done. If you’re writing for a client, you probably have deadlines. If you’re writing for yourself, impose your own deadlines.

If you take the approach I’ve described above, you can probably find the time and balance to write four resource articles each month, even if you’re working a full-time job and blogging evenings and weekends.

Follow-Up to Search Engine and Social Media Shenanigans: Yahoo! Blocks Other SEs From Spidering Del.icio.us?

OK, Yahoo! blocks spider from other search engines. Who cares?

How-To create your own copy of your del.icio.us bookmarks

It is as simple as creating a local copy of all your bookmarks stored at del.icio.us. Basically you have two pretty easy possibilities:

1. Static del.icio.us copy via export
2. Syncing your del.icio.us feed into an RSS feed aggregator

And maybe somebody has some cool ready made del.icio.us API solutions to offer (I don’t).

Let’s elaborate about the two mentioned possibilities…

Straight forward: Static del.icio.us copy

Del.icio.us offers an export function. Play around with it and create static pages in your webspace. Having static bookmark.html pages is not a bad choice.

• Use keywords as filenames.
• Take a look at this SEO relevant article: Matt Cutts About Subdomains And Subdirectories

Tip: There used to be some Firefox Add-Ons around which could sync your del.icio.us account with the local bookmarks. The right del.icio.us add-on could help a lot.

Tip II.: Define and subscribe to some del.icio.us add-on and/or tools search feeds. The link list in the article will Desktop Research: Trends 2008 (Bonus: OPML File) help.

Advanced: RSS aggregation of your del.icio.us feed(s)

It is only very little initial work necessary but with the help of a database, an RSS aggregation software and some reblogging tool you can create a synced copy of your future del.icio.us bookmarks.

The important thing is to find solutions which will keep your del.icio.us RSS feed items. A simple subscription tool will only show the actual feed content.

My del.icio.us RSS feed aggregation software tips

My latest Bookmarks (feel free to send me a beer for the great free resource 🙂

• del.icio.us … aggregator software
• del.icio.us RSS aggregation

The recommended software which I have tested

• Gregarius – A Free, Web-based Feed Aggregator To-Do: Is republishing or reblogging possible? Is ist only a reader? … Gregarius is a web-based RSS/RDF/ATOM feed aggregator, designed to run on your web server, allowing you to access your news sources from wherever you want.
• reBlog by Eyebeam R&D – RSS aggregation and reblogging software … To install your own reBlog, you will need a server with PHP, MySQL, and Perl CGI scripts.

I am using Gregarius with a pretty straightforward standard installation. Click on the link to see my personal syncronized del.icio.us repository realized via RSS feed import.

I have once installed reBlog once but they have a crazy security concept (if I remember right). It was something about having the admin directory above the user pages without additional login security. I did not get it to work with the standard html security options.

Combination of both or using the del.icio.us API

I can’t help you too much with the combination and esp. not how to bring both solutions together but maybe there are some del.icio.us API gurus around who will write a little program???

The advertisement page on your blog should serve two purposes: it should attract any potential advertiser with relevant information like site statistics, and it should provide contact information, prices, and other related information.  For those of you with the do-it-yourself mentality, this guide will be right up your alley.

Attracting Advertisers

The first thing that you should consider doing is writing a summary of your site’s functions for the first introductory paragraph.  If your site offers additional services — more than what what would be obvious — than this is a great opportunity to inform advertisers of them.  This is also great for quickly informing advertisers that are scouring the web for opportunities and do not feel like investigating deep into your entire site.  In the end, it is a way to give your site a professional review.

While constructing your advertising page, your goal should be to highlight everything that is great about your blog.  This means using statistics to your advantage.  Impressive daily, weekly, or monthly visitor statistics are always something to highlight.  However, never mention statistics or information that would make your blog appear less worthy to an advertiser.

Depending on the size and success of your blog, there are various things to consider pointing out on your advertising page:

• Traffic statistics (e.g. daily, monthly, yearly averages)
• Number of clicks on advertisements
• Number of subscribers to content feeds
• Numbers from PageRank, Alexa, Technorati, etc.
• Number of posts on average per day, week, or month
• Contributors to your blog
• Testimonials from other renowned sites and companies
• Companies/websites that have previously advertised with your site
• Prestigious companies or sites that have recognized your site’s content
• How long your site has existed (if a significant time)
• Any awards your blog has received
• Demographics of your readers

There is much more that could be added to that list, but essentially, anything that can make your blog appear valuable is up for consideration.  You should be creative with the information that you display.  Try to think like a salesperson.  You are selling your product, so do your best to do exactly that.

Be honest with the information you are sharing.  Mentioning statistics from the past is fine, but stating that your blog is currently receiving an average of 500 daily visitors when it only receives 50 is not a wise decision — your credibility is much more valuable.

Finally, do not go overboard.  You need to display relevant information about your site, but do not make it a difficult task to read through your advertising page.  Display the most prominent statistics and information about your site, and be done with it.

Pricing Your Inventory

There are several ways to actually set up how you are going to price your inventory.  One way to approach this would be to publicly list your prices for each advertising spot (just as Performancing does).  Alternatively, you could negotiate with each advertiser privately, and this could improve the chances of making a deal.  Yet another way would be to design or employ a system that handles everything for you.

If your blog is relatively new and has few or no advertisers, you should make it your goal to sell most, if not all, of your inventory at any price.  Why?  Well, doing this will make your site appear more valuable and likely entice new advertisers.  Many might be hesitant to advertise with a site that currently has little to no inventory sold; there would obviously be a reason for this.

The correct pricing of your inventory is also crucial.  Overcharge, and you risk having advertisers pass without much, if any, consideration.  Undercharge, and you risk not being able to pay the bills.  Until you are consistently making money and having advertisers flocking to work with you, it is generally a better idea to charge less.

Finally, be sure to clearly display the terms of any deal on your advertising page.  You do not want to leave the terms of the deal up for interpretation by a court of law, right?  If you are negotiating a deal privately, be sure to make the details clear and keep any discussions about them.  It is better to be safe than sorry.

Additional Tips For Sealing The Deal

Consider this a bonus section — I will be covering all of these and more with details in a later article, but for now, here are a few creative ideas for convincing advertisers that it will be money well spent:

• Offer a special deal with the stipulation that if the company/website sticks with you for a certain number of months, a free month of advertising will be given. (useful for securing long-term deals)
• Take a percentage off for early adopters, and maintain it throughout the advertising period (e.g. 10% off as long as the partnership continues)
• Offer to write a certain number of posts about the site or company advertising on your blog
• Offer the opportunity to have an advertiser post on your blog
• Offer the opportunity for an advertiser to sponsor a contest or giveaway

I must remind everyone to disclose the proper information if you are being compensated for writing about a company or its products.  Again, your reputation and credibility are much more valuable than a few bucks.

If you have any additional tips or resources for setting up and maintaining your own personal advertising program on a blog, let everyone know about them below.

Now that you know how to monitor a single blogging niche with a personal dashboard, and how to use Yahoo Pipes to get the latest post from each of a list of blog feeds (that is, monitor the feeds of a set of blogs), you can now combine the two efforts to monitor multiple niches in a single dashboard. (Before proceeding, please read the two posts linked to above, else this post may not make sense.)

The process is simple. Do the following for each niche you want to monitor:

1. Create a CSV format list of blog feeds for a niche you want to monitor. The feeds you chose will be from the top blogs in the niche.
2. Save the list into a new .csv file.
3. Upload the CSV file to your webserver and keep track of the URL.
4. For a given niche, run Pipe 2b Ver 4, listed in the comments of the advanced feed mashup post. Use the URL from step 3. The result is a list of headlines, one per feed, with each headline linking to the source URL.
5. Look for the “More options” link on the Pipe page, above the results list and at far right. When you click on it, you’ll see that the first option is “Get as RSS”. Right click that option and save the link location. Save this URL somewhere. (Let’s call it the “mashed niche feed”, for easy reference.)

We’re using the same Pipe for each niche. (Just remember to change the feed list URL before running the Pipe each time.) However, when the parameter values change, the dynamic URL for the mashed niche feed changes too.

Once you’ve run this Pipe for each niche that you’re monitoring, you basically have X new feeds – where X is the number of niches being monitored. Now, you can build a personal dashboard using Netvibes, Sprout Builder or a Popurls clone, as described in the personal dashboard post.

Voila. You have an easy way to monitor the freshest post from each of the top blogs (as defined by you) in multiple niches. Which makes it easier for you to blog multiple niches.

This process can also be used to produce HTML badges for blog networks. If you have a network with several blogs in several channels, you can produce one “feed tile” per channel. You would run the Pipe for a list of blog feeds for a given channel, then use the resulting dynamic RSS feed in the dashboard to produce the feed tile.

As usual, if you have any questions about the techniques or tools used in this post, please ask. I apologize that I don’t yet have a sample multi-niche dashboard as this is something I’m still working on. (That is, deciding which niches I’d like to monitor.)