In the increasingly crowded world of online media, most bloggers cannot survive on ad revenue alone and must create new strategies to attract readers and develop additional ways to bolster earnings, says global provider of market research tools, Cint.
As social media platforms continue to gain users, more companies are shifting their attention from using blogs as advertising platforms to the more agile and streamlined tools offered by sites like Facebook and Twitter. Furthermore, at the end of 2010, the Pew Research Center charted the listlessness in the blogosphere by noting that blogging had fallen in popularity amongst its key demographic, adults aged 18 to 33. Successful blogs, like one run by the dating site OkCupid, which was ranked in last year’s top 25 list by Time magazine, have stopped or slowed down their activities. This decline reflects the waning interest in blogging among all consumers.
Therefore, bloggers may be faced with a drop in demand for hosting advertisements or a diminishing number in revenue generated by click-throughs from their site. In response to these trends, online self-publishers are impelled to work harder than ever before to maintain legitimacy, profitability, and remain viable within a continuously developing medium. This requires going beyond merely serving high quality content and demands innovative responses.
Utilizing online market research tools can be a valuable option, providing both a supplemental revenue stream and deeper knowledge of audience perceptions. Do-it-yourself (DIY) solutions give bloggers greater control over their income and reach. Products such as Cint Engage, which allow users to create and maintain their own research panels, can deliver opinions from their audience quickly while the research panel owner earns fees each time a member participates in another user’s survey.
CEO of Cint, Bo Mattsson, explains: “Each time a person who has registered for a blog’s research panel takes part in online surveys for others, a fee is generated for both the blog owner and the individual. Further to this revenue stream, the blogger then has vital access to the opinions of their readers, which is crucial in determining what content best engages the audience and ultimately making the platform successful. Increased unique visitors can be instrumental in attracting other methods in which to further monetize the blog.”
“Owning a research panel can therefore generate regular income for a blogger, which can in turn be used to offset the cost of undertaking further research.”
For more information on Cint Engage and market research panel management as well as Cint’s other market research tools, please visit www.cint.com.
Resource – http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-04-19/corporate-blogging/54419982/1