Digital Filipino Talks: Blog Marketing for SMEs

In a previous February episode of Digital Filipino Talks on Blog Marketing for SMEs, blog marketing, its forms and its current trends were the highlights of this show.


Blog Marketing for SMEs (Blogs as alternative to traditional online media ads) from Janette Toral on Vimeo.

Nuffnang Philippines country manager Carlos Palma shares his experience on this interview.

My views on this episode

Me as a contestant

Wathcing this episode of Digital Filipino Talks, I remembered my reason why I joined the Nuffnang network. It's because they have attractive contests anyone can participate in.

As a once newbie blogger, I never had the chance to earn money through paid posts. I only knew that through blog contests, with a little luck on my side, I would be able to earn a little, or gain valuable lessons and experiences if I join. Blog contests - that's all there was for me.

As I learned more on how to blog, I got the chance to read other people's blogs and gain more techniques from them. And, as determined as I am to win, I tried to emulate them, specially those who already won blog contests in the past.

Me as a blog earner

When I joined the Nuffnang network, I never had much idea that I can also earn through their ad placements. I only found out later on that I can place codes on my blog that will allow me to be paid based on the ad campaign and my site popularity.

I never considered myself as a professional blogger (although some people I know, personally or online call me a professional contestant). I say these two are totally different from one another. A contestant like me can try to join and win in other contests that are non-blogging related like photo contests, video contests, etc.

That aside, earning through Nuffnang ad banners is not that lucrative. I admit my earnings here is not something to brag about, since my blog site is not attuned to cater a vast majority of readers. Most of my posts in Journey of No FERA are contest entries I joined from different sponsors, and some interesting contests I want to blog about.

Because of my not-so-great earnings, I tend to believe that if I were after site popularity and want to earn more through ad placements or paid blogs, I should have at least started a blog that covers a wide audience to begin with like showbiz, or food, not a small niche like contests.

My take on blog contests for Blog Marketing

If there was something I would wish from Nuffnang or any other SME who want to tap blog marketing for their online campaign, I would suggest them to hold more blog contests rather than paid posts. This is because blog contests can showcase the creative talent of newbie bloggers.

If SMEs stick to paid blog posts for their campaign, they will try to contact the more popular bloggers to post their ads. This gives newbies less chances to earn through their blog posts.

But if contests are held for a marketing campaign, newbie and pro bloggers alike will be equal under the scrutiny of the judges. With enough talent and dedication, newbie bloggers can outshine the pros through their winning posts, and also gives them a chance to be more well-known in the online world.

The only downside of this is that only a few people will get to be "paid" for their hardwork (through the prizes in case the blogger wins the contest). That aside, joining blog contests can be very rewarding and character building. And, just as what Nuffnang promises, blogging through contests can likewise be fun!

This is my entry to DigitalFilipino.com's Talks Blog Contest. Be part of the conversation. Visit the contest page to join. Feel free to comment on my blog post about Blog Marketing for SMEs.