BEING THE HOST

Hosting a giveaway is a ton of work, especially when I have to deal with companies who don’t fulfill their obligations at all or in a timely manner.  Or when I have the winners emailing me withing 3 days asking when they’ll receive their prize.  It’s time that I have to take out of my life to reply to those winners or to pinpoint the reasoning a winner hasn’t received their prize.  It’s extremely frustrating to say the least.  Even when a giveaway goes smoothly, I still have to create it, manage entries, pick a winner, email the winner & wait for them to claim, then email the company with the info…if all goes well, they get their prize quickly.

CCC or Custom Creative Campaigns
I recommend custom creative campaigns.  It’s when a company seeks you out to promote their brand/product but tailors the program around you, usually choosing 5 or less bloggers of quality & relevance.  A few PR companies do this very well like Edelman, Malone Advertising, and Weber-Shandwick.  The goal is to find bloggers with a loyal readership, who love that brand/product, and can authentically dedicate their time online and offline for them, all with compensation.  All the companies I mentioned are great at this. They take the time to get to know the bloggers so when a “gig” comes up, they know exactly who to approach.  It’s so nice to see companies like these realizing that we are worth being compensated for out time & efforts because many of us do work very very hard.

Just an example of how they might do it—So if you’re looking for 2 bloggers to promote your very expensive DSLR camera, then you want to find 2 socially active, quality bloggers in different niches.  Perhaps a food blogger who can use that camera for food photography and the other a travel blogger who can snap photos of places they visit or a mom blogger who can capture the sweet moments of her family.  You take those two bloggers and give them a CCC consisting of 2 posts and/or videos a month for 3 months for $xxxx.xx, the click thru & purchase rate will almost always be higher than a giveaway.  Yes, I’ve tested it.  I use affiliate links in any post promoting a product and have measured (which is in my disclosure). Only one time has a giveaway done better and that’s because it was coupled with a MEGA discount.

Why does it work?  Because those bloggers have readers that trust them.  Relationships that have been built over time that it almost feels like family.  Those readers can tell through the blogger’s writing style that the blogger truly likes it.  Those are the ones that will know and will click thru to learn more about the product and possibly even buy.

SPOKESBLOGGER

Much like the CCC’s but you are hiring one blogger to represent your brand/company.  This is usually longer term and it’s with a blogger who genuinely loves the product and who has a very loyal following.

LAST THOUGHTS

Of course with both the Spokesblogger and CCC positions, the PR firm handling must do the job right by picking relevant bloggers and the bloggers need to think through whether they want to represent that brand/company.   I feel like PR should thoroughly investigate the bloggers before approaching so that they know beforehand if that blogger cares a flying flick about that brand.  This helps keep the blogger authentic as well.  By approaching someone who already has a love for the product, their readers will not even notice because it’s something they already talk about anyways on their blog, which keeps the situation real even with money being exchanged.

I’m not saying don’t ever offer giveaways, I like to host a few every so often, especially if they are of significant value or something that we love love love, but if you are really wanting to get the word out about a product, then I recommend one of the alternatives above.  I’m sure there will be a difference of opinion on this post and look forward to hearing what you think, both from a blogger’s perspective and a pr’s as well.

What are some possible offline marketing strategies that you can use in affiliate marketing? The following are just a few of the cost-effective solutions that offer tremendous potential to drive new customers to your website. Consider how you can utilize these techniques to give your sales a boost.

Word Of Mouth Offline Marketing

Word of mouth can be a powerful marketing tool on the web, but it can be just as effective in the offline world as well. Since word of mouth is completely free, this can be one of the best tools for small businesses. Every person who hears about your website represents a potential customer, but the key is to get people talking about what you have to offer.

Start with your existing networks, then begin branching out. Join your local Chamber of Commerce, volunteer to speak and industry events and always be prepared to discuss your affiliate marketing business whenever possible.

Start A Mailing List Or Newsletter

In addition to your online mailing list, it is also a great idea to branch out into offline mail marketing as well. Compile your own contact list, then begin creating newsletters, sales flyers or postcards to distribute to potential customers offline. Another great idea is to post information on public bulletin boards in your community. For example, if your affiliate marketing business sells children’s toys or clothing, it would be a good idea to post a sales letter at local daycares, libraries,  or community recreation centers.

Advertise In Your Local Newspaper Classifieds and Trade Publications

Another affordable way to take advantage of offline marketing strategies for affiliate marketing is to advertise in the classifieds section of your local newspaper. Most newspapers and trade publications have a special section devoted to home-based businesses, which is a great place to highlight your website and let readers know about what you have to offer.

While many people overlook this simple offline marketing tool, these publications generally garner the attention of thousands of interested readers. Write a clean, concise and appealing ad that showcases your business and includes a prominent link to your website.

Become A Guest Speaker For A Radio Or Television Station

Radio and television stations are always on the lookout for articulate experts who can offer valuable information to listeners and viewers. Take advantage of this by contacting area broadcasters to offer your services as a free guest speaker. During your segment, highlight your affiliate marketing business and what you have to offer. These broadcasts have the potential to reach out to a broad audience, which can dramatically increase offline brand awareness and direct more traffic to your website.

While online promotional techniques are still important, never overlook the potential of offline marketing strategies for affiliate marketing. These techniques are often very affordable or even completely free. However, it does require some effort and creativity on your part to discover the best and most effective offline marketing tactics. Start looking for offline marketing opportunities today to start driving more customers to your site and begin increasing your affiliate sales.

Using custom promotional items with your logo can be a great offline marketing tactic and also increase brand awareness.  Do you have any tips to share about how to market yourself or your business offline?

I’ll be on the affiliate marketing panel along with Tara and Christine, two women that I adore and can’t wait to meet.  The topics here will include  SEO, other ways of making money with your blog, and so much more.   What?  You didn’t know I knew this stuff?  I don’t really but I pretend I do;)  After all, I did have a blog that was, at one time, on the Top Money Making Blogs list at 45n5.com.

Why you should attend!

If you are wanting to be at one of the hottest conferences of the year, this is the one folks.  You’ll learn everything from blogging basics, social media, marketing–to photography!  And you’ll want to go because you’ll get to meet me of course.  This will be a much more personable experience than that other conference and I encourage you to attend if it’s at all possible!

You have until Dec. 31st to register for ONLY $100 bucks. That’s a HUGE discount people and you’d be crazy not to do it.  You can register after that but the price goes up.

Not only will this be a great learning experience, it will be a bonding experience between women-moms-bloggers and I look forward to getting my bliss on with all of them!

With so many people looking for a way to start a business or be a entrepreneur they even offer this option.  Maybe you have a Green Irene come to your house and love it so much you want to become a Green Irene too!  Why not?  Reading it over, there’s a lot of benefits to being a Green Irene!  It could be a great addition to an existing business or just the kick in the pants you need to start your own green business, help others and help the environment.  No franchise fee, the marketing is done, the support is there and training.

Do you have a Green Irene in your area?  If you did, what would you need their help with?