Blogs and Advertising... Do they mix?

Not long after I began blogging nearly two years ago, some heated discussion erupted around the marketing blogosphere about bloggers "selling out" by accepting ads and/or freebies.  Some of my fellow bloggers were adamant -- even hostile -- about taking ads and freebies. 

I had no problem with taking ads or freebies as long as those ads and freebies didn't overtly impact the blog content.  If a freebie like a book for review was offered and accepted, I wrote at the time, readers should be advised of that fact if and when the blogger posted about the book or product.

At the time, a camera company was trying to create buzz about its costly new camera by loaning the $1,000 cameras to some bloggers with the expectation they'd write about it.  Many did, in fact, post pictures they took and wrote generally positive things about the camera.  A few bloggers, including one who was quite prominent, turned their blogs into blatant commercials for the cameras, much to the dismay of many.

At the time, I said it's certainly the right of a blogger to take ads or freebies as a way of monetizing their blog.  But they do so as the risk of jeopardizing their credibility in the eyes of readers.

Long after that controversy blew over, I still think it's true.  If we are careless in mixing content and income from ads, we may turn off readers who will view our blogs as irrelevant or mere marketing shills
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Many blogs are, in fact, marketing vehicles.  Speaking personally, my blog began as a just-for-fun thing, partly to quiet my friend CK, who was bugging me mercilessly to become a blogger.  It's still a lot of fun, but I've come to see it as more than an outlet for self-expression, but as a way of marketing myself and my public relations business.  I don't promote my firm blatantly, but hopefully my insights and my writing may bring a call or an email with some work.  (It has happened a few times already.)

But marketers are recognizing the power of social media and, in particular, blogs. It would be hard for them to ignore that fact that blog readership has gone up 300 percent since 2004, according to a BuzzLogic study. The just-released Technorati "State of the Blogosphere" says 52% of blogs now carry ads, earning an average of $6,000 per year.

For some marketers, though, it's not about numbers, but about credibility of the content and the "engagement" of readers. A blogger may not be a celebrity and may not garner hundreds of thousands of page views a month, but readers of his or her blog trust the blogger and may follow his or her advice or recommendations.  That type of exposure may more likely be garnered by public relations outreach rather than by straightforward advertising.

Blogs are becoming legitimate media outlets.  It's not unusual for blogs to show up, often prominently, when a Google search is done.  A report from Forrester Research shows that a third of U.S. adults have either posted blog content or have commented on blogs.  Blogs have become an accepted part of the overall online experience. The BuzzLogic study found that 52 percent of blog readers say blog content plays a role in making a purchase decision.  Half say they trust blogs more than social networking  sites for influencing purchase decisions.

I don't venture too often beyond the marketing part of the blogosphere, but from what I read in places like MediaLife, blogs that cover entertainment, travel and fashion have become influential with readers and ads and reviews on those sites can convert to a sale online.

At the same time, more bloggers are learning how to monetize their space, hopefully without compromising the quality and credibility of their content.

I'm still being cautious about accepting ads.  I've been approached several times, but I'm not quite ready to sell my space.  That doesn't mean I'll never do it for a product or service I'm comfortable with and if I feel the ad doesn't make my blog look cluttered or junky like an online bazaar, like some I see.  And if I'm approached by a p.r. person, I may write about a product or service -- if I feel it's of legitimate interest to my readers and not because I've been given a freebie.

For me, the main concern about accepting ads or freebies will always be about maintaining credibility with my readers.  If I can do that, monetizing my site won't be a sellout.

  

Comments

[Ryan Sauers]

Nice blog post here. I am now blogging as well. It began as a way to share ideas that I wanted to express. Overall blogging has grown in popularity but many people do not do it regularly and also do not bring a lot of really good ideas to their posts. This one here was very appealing to me and I am going to use it as a trackback on my blog post tomorrow. Well done.

Ryan Sauers
President/CMO
Sauers Communications

[David Reich]

Thanks for the kind comments, Ryan. Good luck and have fun as you get into blogging.

[Alan Hirsch]

David, you should accept ads. Ff the Wall Street Journal and the mighty New York Times can, why not you?

I trust you more than the WSJ or the NYT for sure, so why not accept ads if you have a chance to do that. If I see an ad on your blog I won't think any less of you, however I would think more of you if the ad were legit. Just keep the "enhance your love life" and the "5 ways to beat the IRS" ads out.

You shouldn't be ashamed of creating income for yourself. As far as I know, only Ford and GM are ashamed of producing income, so they are happy paying their workers 4x more than what is paid to workers at Honda and Toyota. Ford and GM even pay their workers who don't work, because the union got the companies to give in to their requests. Why should you deprive yourself of generating income just because Ford and GM show losses every year.

If one of your readers thinks you can be bought for a $100 ad, then you don't need that reader.

[Cam Beck]

David - I like your perspective. Part of building credibility is adding value to others. If selling ad space can be done in a way that accomplishes that, I will consider it, too.

I must keep in mind, though, my own thoughts on online advertising, that in order for it to be effective, it must be personal, expected, and relevant.

The closest I've been able to come is the search utility I use, Lijit, but I don't collect a dime for it... just the right to use the utility (which is a useful boon to me and my readers, IMO).

[David Reich]

Interesting, Cam. I've been meaning to check out Lijit, but just haven't gotten around to it.

[CK]

There are different ways to monetize blogs. I've never had a problem with bloggers monetizing their blogs (even said it here in a comment last year). It's the MIXING of promotional and content that gets funny. You know this, you're in PR. If we mixed editorial with ads then editorial would no longer be credible... which hurts the industry. That’s why papers have clearly stated “advertorial” sections. Some of that content works, much of it readers ignore.

But bloggers are not journalists. They are opinionistas (or passionistas). They do, however, build trust with their audience (that's the credibility deal). When they're transparent about reviewing a product = cool. When they feature ads apart from content = cool. And when they mix free stuff in a non-transparent way OR start talking products that they would never talk otherwise = not cool.

The camera deal of '07 was odd since, all of a sudden, marketing folks--who were not shutterbugs--started talking cameras. It was blatant product pimping, and odd. And it was the first program of its kind in the marketing community so it was precedent-setting, hence all the convos on it. As I’ve said a zillion times (really, a zillion! ;-), blogger-outreach programs like what the SciFi Channel did where they actually targeted engaged bloggers (or like CNN did with engaging consumers in their political debates) were great examples of adding value to the blogger as well as readers/viewers.

Now, as for ads on our blogs, it's a personal choice. David, you and me have consulting practices so in getting more exposure through our blogs is a way we monetize our blogs. But, for me, and I say this A LOT at my blog and over at Twitter, the way that I monetize social media is through all the smarts that people so graciously share with me. I use that knowledge to improve my work--and I hope they do the same with the smarts I share with them. Does that equate to dollars? Yup. It keeps me relevant and top of my profession…which means clients want to work with me. Same for you, you’re darn good at what you do and you also well understand the technologies available to them in this oh-so-2.0 world, and how they can best wield them to meet their objectives. (So maybe my bugging you to blog was actually a good thing.)

That said, other bloggers rely solely on ads for revenue from their blogs and don’t have their own businesses (like a lot of mommy bloggers or celebrity news blogs, for instance). I’m seeing many blogs with tastefully done ads. And I’m seeing many that have so many ads flashing that it degrades the experience. So it’s case specific.

Blog on,
- CK

[dm]

Am i dreaming? A place for me to rant and rave. And the only info. I have to divulge.Is my e-mail. Heck sign me up!

[Lewis Green]

David,

I fall into CK's camp believing there is no problem with advertising on blogs but to date I haven't chosen to run any, execpt in the usual ways we all do, including CK. If you visit my blog, I have an ad for my most recent book, and I sometimes write about client successes, and the About Me is about me and my business. So while I haven't to date accepted paid advertising, I would consider it if it was complementary and a good fit.