How Link Monetization Can Fuel Content Publishers' Native Advertising

There's a simple truth about blogs--readers rarely, if ever, come to one to be marketed to. Advertising runs counter to the raison d'etre of the blogosphere. Ads are an interruption, a betrayal of the natural purpose and flow individuals expect of a well-written, informative blog.

Yet blogging and revenue-generation don't have to be at cross purposes. What many bloggers, online forums, product review sites and other "independent" sources of online content haven't yet embraced, is that the very thing people come for--credibility--is a trait that has economic value.

Native monetization--the ability to create an income stream that integrates organically into the user experience--leverages that hard-won credibility without resorting to "tacked on" display advertising. Google's paid search results are similar in effect: looking and feeling like organic search results, they come across as credible, familiar and consistent. Moreover, Google relentlessly ties ad serving to ad quality, making the ads they do serve both relevant and effective.

Brands can translate their area of credibility into opportunity when they establish themselves as a go-to expert in a particular niche. Their authenticity compels readers--those who are interested in the same industry or topic--to listen. In fact, a blog that documents expert points of view, or expounds from a position of authority, is considered more trustworthy than almost any other form of web-based content.

According toVigLink estimates, content-driven e-commerce -- that is, purchases driven by content sites -- is growing more quickly than overall e-commerce. It's becoming easier than ever for those who generate content, including brands and other independents, to turn their pages into profit through native monetization.

Many brands don't know how to incorporate native monetization into their sites. Yet every time they insert a link from their content to another site -- especially a retail site -- they establish an opportunity to produce revenue organically. Like a Google paid search result, these links meet stringent quality and relevancy criteria. They can equal editorial integrity, while also feeling familiar and consistent with the site's intent.

If properly handled, content publishers can realize the benefits of native monetization without betraying reader trust. Today's web user, of course, knows what "marketing" looks like. They've been targeted by ads for years. When they encounter a site that appears to exist for the purpose of making money, they flee. This was one of the reasons Facebook was able to steal MySpace's thunder; when MySpace began to look like one giant advertising billboard due to ad clutter, Facebook benefited because its perceived intent was simply to help friends connect with one another.

When blogs are genuine about their purpose for being, and express a clear and well-reasoned point of view, visitors respond -- especially by clicking on text links. Moreover, the greater the perceived value of the content, the more likely readers are to to click through to the associated product or service.

Retailers and other e-commerce companies are recognizing the growing influence of blogs as a source of new business. "We see the potential of fashion and beauty blogs to add incremental sales to our online store," said Ellen Shing, owner of LulaLu.com, an online retailer of lingerie for petite women. "It's impossible for us to connect with every prospective customer out there through our traditional forms of web advertising. It makes sense for us to tap into these sources through inbound links."

Whenever new forms of economic value emerge, those who are inherently positioned to take advantage benefit the most. Content creators are the fortunate ones in this new era of democratic social media. By maintaining authenticity while also exploiting new technologies like automated link monetization, content publishers have the unique opportunity to turn native monetization to their long-term advantage.

This guest post was written by Oliver Deighton, Vice President of Marketing at VigLink, a technology company helping publishers earn from the content they create and the commerce they drive.