I’ve mentioned previously that this blog was never intended as a tool to generate advertising, sponsorship or affiliate income. I said at the time that the only way I would have any kind of paid ads here, was if it was for a product I use, love and endorse.
On review, I have decided not to take those ads either – In fact, no paid advertising of any kind!
Why?
Advertising and sponsorships can be great business models for a blog, when done correctly; but they are inappropriate for what I am trying to achieve here. Advertisers have been attracted to me because of the tremendous level of interaction here between my readers and myself. For example, my last post currently has over 200 comments.
This shows the kind of connection between a blog and its readers that advertisers love AND it is also the EXACT reason why this blog will NEVER carry paid advertising or sponsorships!
jimsmarketingblog.com IS a commercial blog, but its commercial value to me, is that it allows me to connect with more people, through my work. It does this extremely well and I get enquiries every day from people, who want to find out more about how I can help them and their business achieve great sales results.
So, whilst I am VERY pro advertising and sponsorship – as you can see, it’s just not appropriate for what I am trying to achieve with this blog.
Thanks for taking time to read this. Please feel free to let me know what you think.
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A lot of this depends on the blog, surely? Many blogs thrive on adverts and many marketing ‘gurus’ will tell you that you need to have affiliate links and ads to make it big.
Personally, they make me cringe, but someone’s obviously making a lot of money out of them.
I admire your point of view. You’re one of the few individuals who are truly using blogs as a way to connect with clients and other talented people in cyberworld, rather than selling out. One of my mentors always said to me, “Do what you love and the money will follow.” Go Jim!
I have a little owl on mine from http://www.adfreeblog.org/ that makes me happy whenever I see it. I don’t put Ad’s on mine for the same reason, and it reminds me of that.
Another fine post. Don’t mind the advertising but sometimes it is way to much.
Hi Jim: I have a couple of affiliate products on my blog but they’re products that I use and find tremendously helpful. I had adsense for awhile but I took it down about three months ago because I just didn’t feel right about having those ads on my site. Every blog has a different purpose and it’s important to take that purpose into account when deciding if and/or how to monetize.
I admire your integrity. I agree. My affiliate ads are products I use, I’ve bought, and feel comfortable recommending. I do use ads though, but I try to keep them down to a minimum. People aren’t stupid. They know the money has to come from somewhere. Done tastefully and to the minimum, ads can work–where the setting is appropriate.