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Enamel Topaz and Black Pet Paw Heart Necklace by The Magic Zoo |
Cynthia: The Magic Zoo
Marcy (interrupting): Hey! What’s with all the Amazon links? And an Amazon store on our header bar? So you’re money grubbing now?
Cynthia: What? No!!
Marcy: Looks like you’ve hopped on the gravy train.
Cynthia: Marcy! Stop it. That’s not what this is about. Blogging isn’t entirely free and if I can cover those costs as well as raise money for animal rescue through the occasional affiliate link and a permanent Amazon store, then isn’t that just wonderful?
Marcy: How much have you made so far?
Cynthia (proudly): $30.85
Marcy (snickering): Okay, Daddy Warbucks, at that rate you’ll change the world.
Cynthia: In animal rescue, every dollar matters. Seriously. You can buy pet food, contribute towards a vet bill, pay for gas for transportation, and much more. So even our little $30.85 is extremely valuable. Plus, for the Amazon store, I am only showcasing adorable cat things that are Made In The USA.
Marcy: Will we have heavy handed sales tactics? Infomercials? Blinking ads that yell?
Cynthia: No. Of course not. We’ll continue to do what we are doing now. If we think our readers might like something, we’ll let them know. We won’t promote anything we wouldn’t want ourselves. And we’ll do it sporadically. It will still be the same blog. So what do you say?
Marcy: Hmmm… How many cans of Friskies will $30.85 buy?
Cynthia: Seventy-seven.
Marcy: Gasp!
Marcy is speechless and wide-eyed.
Cynthia: Ah ha. So now you think this is a great idea.
Marcy: Gasp! We’re rich!
Cynthia: Seventy-seven cans of Friskies will feed a feral cat colony of four for almost three weeks. A TNR’d (spayed/neutered) cat colony, of course!
*Please note: This post contains an affiliate link and I will make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
**A percentage of any money I make from Marcy Very Much will go to 501c3 cat rescue groups such as The Kris Kelly Foundation and Stray Cat Alliance. I will be transparent about this as it develops.
17 Comments
The guinea pig earrings are so cute. What a wonderful cause to be supporting.
Thank you, Liana! Those guinea pig earrings make me smile!
xo,cynthia
You had me at manatee! Those guinea pig earrings are adorable!
Awwww… gotta love the manatee's! You must be from Florida! 😉
xo,cynthia
Awwww…what a lovely way to talk about your new advertising campaign…it's very thoughtful :). I'm logging in from my phone, so I can't see the Amazon shop, but I'll check it out later. Good earnings for you too… I've made about $30 too but I set mine up last year…maybe I need to think about a title bar ad. I luv the picture of the kitty over dosing on friskies… It's super cute 🙂 also, I love how knowledgeable Marcy is about advertising techniques… It must b something she picked up in Paris 🙂
LOL – Marcy's other pet parent is a marketing professor so she has picked up a little.
You might want to consider the Amazon shop, Merrie! There is a lot you can do with it to make it your own. It's like you are a shop owner and are curating your own collection. Oh boy – hope I used the phrase – curating- correctly. 🙂
xo,cynthia
Thanks…I'll look into it…I'd never heard/ seen it until you did it 🙂 BTW…I'd love to see what "heavy handed kitty product sales tactics look like"…I assume it involves Marcy twisting someone's arm behind their back until they buy a cat ring…lol.
It's too scary to even think about! A cat bite would definitely be involved. Possibly a hairball too (shudders).
Aw, the hamster necklace and the yorkie earrings – too sweet! And for a good cause!
Yeah – I do love businesses like The Magic Zoo! Isn't the hamster just too cute?!!
xo,cynthia
I really like how you used this "conversation" with Marcy to share your choice to start monetizing your blog. It kept it light and fun but still showed where you're coming from. It was a decision I struggled with a lot but decided to go for it because if what I was doing anyways, for free, might generate some income, why not? Especially if the content stays the same. I've gotten to learn about some really cool companies and designers through opening up my blog to collaborations.
I love that you're contributing to animal rescue and promoting USA-made products, too. Truly awesome. 🙂
<3 Liz
http://www.withwonderandwhimsy.com
Oh,Liz! It means so much for me to hear this from you! Thank you!
Isn't it such an interesting decision to make? And it is a struggle! We want to not offend our readers but at the same time it is silly not to at least recoup costs. And let's face it – there are bloggers that make a living off of their blogs and who wouldn't want to aspire to that! For me -and for other bloggers who have about the same readership as me who have struggled with this decision- is that we don't want to make money off of our blogger friends – but we do want to grow as bloggers. Anyway, I really appreciate your feedback! Thank you!!
xo,cynthia
Congrats on the money you have made. This weekend I want to look into affiliate links myself and as Marcy calls it, "jump on the gravy train." I have been giving free advertising to stores for almost a year. I don't mind working for free, but it would be nice to be thrown a bone every now and then.
Tell Marcy there is nothing wrong with making money. It pays for her Friskies and toys and kitty litter and a roof over her head, etc, etc.
Have a great night,
Stacey
Oh good! I am so glad to see that I am not turning off my readers! Which affiliates were you looking into? I've just done Amazon and Modcloth but I don't think I do enough fashion for the Modcloth one to work. Maybe once I have expanded?
xo,cynthia
I hope you and Marcy get a ton of Friskies! ; ). Is it weird that I have always thought Friskies smells good? I struggled with monetizing my blog as well. I still sometimes feel guilty about it. But it costs a lot of money to blog. To back up posts is $5 a month. To pay for spam filters is $5 more. Than the domain and the monthly service.. I am happy to have the help. I am sure everybody understands your decision! Rock on girl! You are awesome.
Jenni
Thank you, Jenni! I know you have been dealing with the same issue!
xo,cynthia
you are a girl after my own heart. i would like to invite you for dinner at my place. we can have ocean whitefish and a glass of pinot grigio.
meow,marcy
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