Use Live Blogging to Promote Your Online Retail Deals
Give readers a way to indulge in real-time bargain hunting and retail therapy while you collect referral revenue
E-commerce has seen serious growth in recent years, two to five times faster than pre-pandemic growth, and growth has continued despite the return to in-store shopping. Now that online shopping is ubiquitous, how can news outlets, retailers – and wider audiences – take advantage of the new shopping normal?
Most consumers, well familiar with special events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and special retail-focused, real-time events like Amazon Prime Day, are accustomed to the idea that they can access deep discounts and unheard-of bargains on much-desired items during these key shopping periods. But what about all the rest of the time? In the Covid-changed world, we live in a digital-first world in which online shopping is frequently the default behavior. Can some of these online retail events extend into the rest of the year?
Treat deals like breaking news: Real-time coverage for consumers wherever they are
Given the everyday nature of online shopping, it’s worth exploring how responsive consumers will be to flash deals and special promotions during the entire year.
While retailers may only have a certain reach, media and news outlets can extend this reach promoting these deals through regular updates of event-specific live blogs.
Consumers are always hungry for good deals. And while most buyers and browsers alike are primed for discovering the best buys during established digital retail events, the e-commerce landscape is becoming ripe for a shake-up. The easiest way comes in the form of engaging content, frequent and short updates and deals that are a good fit for what people are keen to buy.
- Media outlets can drive traffic to, and gain significant referral revenue, from live blogging deals related to Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
- Media outlets, news organizations and news sites can curate their own recommendations, whether all the time or for a specific event they or their retail partners create.
- Retailers can partner with media news sites to ensure live coverage to create buzz and a wider reach for the deals they want to promote.
Get in on the Black Friday/Cyber Monday/Prime Day action
Many media sites have already used live blogging and live blog content in this way to help their readers get in on the retail-deal magic while cashing in on referral revenue for themselves. The Verge, for example, used Live Center to live blog an Amazon Prime Day deal tracker.
If you already have an advertising partner, leveraging live blogging to drive traffic to their ads can be a powerful way to increase impressions and click-through rates.
If not, there are several affiliate networks you can join if your site generates above a certain level of traffic. These networks will allow you to start earning affiliate revenue when one of your visitors makes a purchase through your live content.
With a live blogging solution like Live Center, it’s easy to implement and use for this specific purpose.
Get started with live blogging retail deals
If you’re ready to help your readers get the best deals and make money almost passively from these recommendations, it’s time to talk to us. Let your live blog posts deliver target audiences to retailers and let your coverage make your site a great place for live feeds of great deals for the upcoming holiday shopping season.
