Blogging is perhaps the most common first step that all successful entrepreneurs learn to master. Regardless of where your future plans in online marketing lie, most websites that rake in real revenues will always have a well-maintained blog. This is a great way to keep in touch with your customer base, solicit feedback on your products and services through the comments sections, and develop your brand name recognition, both with the online community and with the search engines themselves.
There are some important first steps that need careful attention in the very beginning if you want to earn money from your very first blog. All too often, many people strike out on their own without a concrete plan of action, only to become quickly frustrated. This is why the success rate of online businesses is so low. For starters, the most successful bloggers choose topics that they are passionate about.
1. Choose the right niche
Yes, you can do the marketing research and find some obscure hot topic that is under-viewed on the Internet, dive in, create a blog, and see some quick success. But if you really want to earn money through blogging long term, the topics that you choose, or niches, must be something that make you want to jump out of bed in the morning and head to the computer.
You are going to be writing thousands of articles, posts and responses to comments on this topic, day in and day out, for years to come. If you are not passionate about your niche, then your writing is going to eventually reflect this lack of interest. Your traffic will begin to decline, and your efforts will have been wasted. In most cases, the topic should be in an area in which you are already highly experienced and have a great deal of knowledge and insight to offer to your readers.
2. Choose the best platform
There are a great many “free” blogging platforms online today, sites that provide help in building and designing the look of the webpages, the layout, and the operational features that will help you to earn money. Of all the options available, WordPress gets the highest marks. This is a good place to begin because Google has a strong preference for WordPress, and you are more likely to get noticed in the search results of potential viewers.
WordPress is also very blogger-friendly, with thousands of “plug-ins” and “widgets” that can make the learning process much more fun. There are hundreds of forums online as well, offering free advice, should you get into trouble or have a question.
Now, when you’re just starting out with WordPress, there are a couple different paths to travel down. As WordPress describes it:
There are two ways that you can get started with WordPress. You can host a WordPress installation on your own server, or you can host your site here at WordPress.com and let us handle the technical bits.
If you’re just starting out and you’re not ready to take on the technical challenges of hosting your own WordPress installation, then WordPress.com is the easier option. However, for more complete control of your site, it is totally worth it to get up to speed on hosting your own site. You’ll have much more control over every aspect of your project. And believe me when I tell you, WordPress isn’t as challenging to learn as you may think.
3. Diversify your income streams
In order to earn money through Blogging, there are two common methods. You can choose one, or combine them both. The first is through offering your own products and services to sell. This might fall into the category of digital eBooks or instruction videos. Most financially successful blogs offer products that can be easily sent to the customer via email or instant download. When you get into the mail-order delivery system, this results in lots of other issues, such as shipping fees, scheduling, and follow-up confirmations. Ugh!
The second method is by becoming involved with affiliate programs. You can get paid for every lead that you send to the host company or you can earn money for every product that is sold on their website … or both! Amazon is an example of an affiliate sponsor who takes care of all of the shipping and delivery issues for you. You just worry about the marketing of the products through your creative blogging.
4. Promote your blog like crazy
Once your blog is up and running, your day-to-day activities will be spent in the promotion of your blog through various forms of social media, blogging networks, and online marketing forums. Driving traffic to your online property is going to be your primary concern. With more visitors comes more revenues. After your site begins to gain a significant amount of readers, you may want to consider the inclusion of a Google AdSense code into your blog in order to make some money through advertising.
But marketing through Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and several other forms of social media is usually a good place to begin. Take your time, have fun, and nurture friendships and professional relationships along the way. Oh, and be warned; once you begin to earn money through blogging, it can easily become very addictive.
What do you think?
Where are you on your journey to profitability through blogging? Share your progress in the comments section below or on Twitter and let’s get blogging!
