While many people blog for the personal satisfaction of expressing themselves, still others are interested in turning their blog into a business. If you are one of the latter, there are some things you will want to understand about moving forward in turning your words into cash. While blogging is primarily about content, there are some important things to know about making the transition to blogging for profit.
Write great content consistently. The single most important part of a blog is the content. Readers return to your blog to hear what you have to say, so give them something worth reading. Sharing meaningful and insightful ideas, punching up your writing with good research, and moving alternating from easily consumed 500-word articles to meatier 1,000-word articles that cover content more in-depth are just some of the ways you can entice your readers to subscribe to your blog. Sometimes writers will stall, so be sure you have a plan for developing ideas for your blog when you hit a wall.
Promote your content. Every writer has the desire to write the next great novel, and bloggers often hit publish hoping their blog will go viral and spread like wildfire across the internet. While the internet itself has billions of users, most of us are boxed in by self-induced parameters of social media forums like our Facebook friends and Twitter followers. While you will want to share your content in multiple forums as soon as you publish them, there are other important things to remember.
If you want your content to roll over into a true business, you will need to promote it in other ways. This includes not only the use of social media, but also email marketing, SEO, and outreach. One key is to ensure your titles are searchable, so conduct proper keyword research. As for content, make your images more effective with text overlay to make it more aesthetically appealing. Perform targeted distribution. Productive and effective bloggers share their content with others who have written similar pieces and aren’t afraid to share the work of other bloggers.
Develop a list of dedicated subscribers. It is important to consider the development of an email list of dedicated subscribers. Counting on social media and internet search engines as your only form of communication with your subscribers is hardly wise. 72 percent of consumers indicate that email is their preferred method of communication with companies they conduct business with regularly, most preferring weekly email contact and as many as 28 percent preferring correspondence more frequently than that. Utilizing a tool like ConvertKit will help you build our list in no time, and you may want to consider a lead magnet that will offer a chunk of value to a prospect in exchange for their email address.
Find ways to monetize your content. Some common ways to do so is through the sale of merchandise with the blog’s brand, logo, and content, like books, hats, shirts, and mugs. You may also choose to sell other products or services directly from the blog. Some bloggers offer services such as writing masterclasses or content writing for companies. Other bloggers solicit donations from their readers or participate in affiliate programs that offer high commission pay-per-click opportunities. You may want to showcase advertisements from other companies like Azazie within the context of your blog through banner ads, display ads, or video ads. You can also utilize a subscription or paid membership model that offers premium content on your blog.
Persist. Nothing worth having comes easy, and turning a blog into a money-making proposition will require effort on your part. Becoming a blogger that can capitalize on his interest and skill involves real persistence as the major key. Keep trying new things, and then stick to those that work and change the ones that don’t. The best blogs know their audiences well and consistently provide content that meets the needs and interest of their readers, so utilizing tools like Google Analytics to help you determine the demographics of your audience.
Blogging can be a fun and exciting way to increase your income and work toward financial independence. With a great deal of remarkable content development, some self-promotion and marketing and advertising, and an incredible amount of fortitude, you can be well on your way to developing a business that will require a specialized logo on your business echecks!
What are some of your favorite blogs? What do you find interesting about the content or the blogger? What tips do you have for a beginning blogger who wants to write about weddings?
