What to do if your readers are cheap/broke
This is a big problem.
I’m not going to deny it. If you’re writing about entrepreneurship, marketing, or investing, it’s easier to make money from your blog. No question.
But what if you’re writing to broke college kids? Or struggling parents? Or people suffering from depression?
Does that mean you’re doomed to making peanuts from your blog? Or nothing at all?
The answer: *drumroll please*
In fact, I can prove it to you in just four words:
Homeless people have iPhones.
They can’t (or won’t) pay for a place to sleep at night, but they carry around a $600 phone they probably bought at the Apple Store.
Granted, I’m generalizing, but think about it…
How many broke people do you know who have huge TVs? Or a killer stereo in their cheap ass car?
Here’s why:
If people REALLY want something, they will find a way to buy it. End of story. No exceptions.
And here’s what that means for you… (brace yourself)
If you’re struggling to monetize your blog, it’s NOT because your readers are broke. Ever.
It’s because you’re NOT offering them stuff they want to buy.
“But ...” you say. “I’m offering them things they really need! They just don’t know it!”
*sigh*
You see, THAT’S the problem. Right there.
It's called: “pizza versus vegetables.”
Trying to sell people what they need is like a parent trying to force-feed their kid vegetables. Pure misery.
But give them what they WANT (a.k.a. the pizza)?
Boom, “selling” is easy.
I have this discussion with consulting clients all the time. They pay me like $10,000 to figure out why their product isn’t selling.
The answer is almost always the same:
Nobody wants it.
And sadly, it doesn’t matter how good your marketing is, you can’t sell people stuff they don’t want.
Fortunately, the solution is equally simple:
SELL PEOPLE STUFF THEY WANT.
And the easiest place to start is stuff they are already spending money on.
Think about your audience for a few moments. Chances are, you can think of a few products a lot of them already buy.
Make a list.
Make a list.
Next, go see if those products have affiliate programs. Surprise, surprise, at least some of them will.
So, that’s where you should start. You can expand your list as time goes on.
Behind the scenes, we’re actually working on a resource right now where we are compiling the best affiliate programs in every niche. The ones bloggers are already promoting and making money on.
In other words, we are doing the research FOR you. It’s going to be awesome. In the meantime though, you should totally start with the products you already know.
Granted, there are still a lot of questions.
Like… once you find a good product to promote, how exactly do you promote it on your blog? Do you put it in a post? An email? Both?
Tomorrow, I’ll talk about exactly that. Stay tuned. :-)
