Advertising On Celebrity Fan Sites
Did you know that 66% of Instagram users follow celebrities? With so many fans out there, it’s no wonder that celebrity representatives don't mind spending a little money on advertising.
But you don't have to be an Instagram celebrity to advertise on their fan sites, because they typically allow all comers to put up advertisements. That's what this article is about: finding out which sites are worth your time and money and which aren't worth the air you breathe.
The first thing you need to know is the difference between a fan site and an ad-supported blog, which is what most people think of when they think of celebrity fan sites.
Sites run on advertising are very different from fan sites. On a blog, you have little control over what gets displayed on your page, as opposed to a fan site, where you have total control. The main difference between the two types of sites is this: Affiliates who join ad-supported blogs typically only get paid for driving traffic to whatever site the blogger endorses, (the advertiser). But with a fan site, you're in charge. You set up your own affiliate link, landing pages and sales funnel.
If you want to bank money from your fan site, you need to design a good sales page. You'll need to show users what they're missing if they don't buy right away. Make sure the page is persuasive, too! Although it is not required to have an affiliate link on your sales page, it's highly recommended. Not only will this increase your income...
Posted by: Barbara Webb at September 26, 2010 08:39 AM
The ads are often placed in a side bar or near the bottom of the page, with more prominent ads available on that page's right-hand side. Once you navigate away from the site, they continue to play after closing the browser. It's a common misconception that pages with ads do not get ranked on search engines. In fact, they are indexed, but not visible to the page's viewers.
Facebook and Twitter can be another new way to drive traffic to your fan site. The upcoming changes to Facebook may mean more opportunity for businesses and your fans as well. For example, any posts you make on your fan page are public and all of your fans will see them no matter how many friends they have or how their privacy settings are set up! You have the ability to choose what kind of content is available in your own news stream and which of your friends' updates appear there first.
YouTube is also another great way to drive consumers to your fan page. Most people take more extreme videos and share them on Twitter, Facebook and their own profiles. By sharing these videos on your fan site, you can keep fans coming back for more. Many celebrities share their own videos and music for free on YouTube in hopes of making some money from the reach of their fan base and from the ads that play before the video starts. You don't have to host your own video or music, which would be pricey, or even use it with your free Fan Group (shown in my example above.) You simply post it as a link or embed it in an article (which I'll show you how to do later. With the combined amount of people you can reach through Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube, you've got the makings of a very large fan base.
In order to make money advertising on fan sites, you need to get your affiliate link embedded on them. To learn how to do that, read Part Two!
Posted by: Barbara Webb at September 26, 2010 03:03 PM
The short answer is “Yes” — but there's more to it than that. A simple review of these affiliate programs will show you just how much the top celebrities are earning from their sites; however few people realize that these figures reveal only one aspect of revenue generation.
You're probably wondering how these sites can make celebrities so much money. Well, not all of them are created equal. Some are worthwhile and others are just a waste of time. The secret is to find sites that have traffic and convert visitors into sales or leads.
A big problem in the industry is that many webmasters aren't following the FTC's regulations for disclosure on paid endorsements, which is why it's so important to find reputable fan sites that don't put the celebrity ahead of their fans interests.
A celebrity fan site should offer something that other, similar sites cannot. Also, the site needs to maintain a high level of quality standards, as well as a firm foothold in the minds of the visitors. Sites that are given greater priority than others will reap greater rewards.
All fan sites are not produced equally, and you have to know how to make the most of the tools available. There are methods that can help you generate more traffic to your site. It's all about knowing how new information is posted, and how often posts are made. The more frequently your site is updated, the greater amount of advertising revenue it will generate.
All celebrity fan sites depend on the fans they attract; therefore they need to stay current with the latest news and events in order to retain interest. For example, a site that provides reviews of new movies and articles on current celebrities will be much more successful than one that doesn't.
Posted by: Barbara Webb at September 26, 2010 08:38 AM
Sites run on advertising are very different from fan sites. On a blog, you have little control over what gets displayed on your page, as opposed to a fan site, where you have total control. The main difference between the two types of sites is this: Affiliates who join ad-supported blogs typically only get paid for driving traffic to whatever site the blogger endorses, (the advertiser). But with a fan site, you're in charge. You set up your own affiliate link, landing pages and sales funnel.
Conclusion
There are plenty of ways to make money by running a fan site. Unfortunately, many people start up a fan site and assume they will be making money right away. But as I stated before, it takes time to grow a fan base... Even famous artists (in this case celebrities) start off as unknowns! Research is key in finding the right way to approach your new endeavor.
If you'd like to learn more about making money with affiliate marketing through your fan site, check back on Tuesday for Part 2 and the rest of my series!
Posted by: Barbara Webb at September 26, 2010 08:51 AM
The short answer is “Yes” — but there's more to it than that.