Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
As has been mentioned before on this blog, it’s important that you choose a niche for your blog. What is a niche? It’s a specialized or highly focused topic. The example from a previous blog post had to do with exotic pets…instead of a blog on exotic pets, one could have a blog on sugar gliders…that is a niche blog. There are several reasons why niche blogs are successful.
#1 Loyal Readers
If you choose a niche it will be easier for you to find loyal readers. When people do an online search, they are often searching for very specific information. If you provide that specific information you could be on the top of their list. It is highly likely that they will subscribe to your blog which gives you regular access into their homes and lives. This loyalty provides you with an abundance of opportunity to profit.
#2 More Profits
Niches are more profitable. As a blogger, it is easier in a niche for you to establish some of the key triggers that get people to buy. The most notable triggers are credibility and authority. When you blog about a specific niche, you are establishing yourself as a subject matter expert. You will earn the trust of your readers which means they will be more likely to buy from you or trust your recommendations. This results in profits.
With a niche blog, you will be able to draw very focused traffic. This means you will have a special appeal for targeted advertisers. Back to the sugar glider example…sugar glider advertisers will know that your audience is their target audience and they will pay you so they can advertise on your blog.
#3 More Traffic
It is much easier to compete in the search engines when you have a niche topic. For example entering exotic pets in Bing yields 24,400,000 results! Entering sugar glider yields one tenth of that number…a much smaller field of results! If there is a big demand for your niche topic, you will have much fewer competitors. This means that whenver someone searches for your niche topic, they are more likely to find you easier. The result is more traffic!
Choosing a niche topic also makes it much easier for you to provide value to your readers. More value means more repeat visitors. It also means more inbound links as people will want to share your blog and the information it offers with others. This in turn helps to increase traffic to your blog and raise awareness about your blog. In short, a niche blog makes it easier to market and grow your blog.
Choosing a niche topic means you’ll be able to reach your audience faster. You’ll be able to keep them coming back to your blog and will grow your subscribers more quickly. Ultimately this can lead to more profits from your blog.
Before you choose a niche, be sure there are good numbers behind it…this means be sure there is a good demand and low supply for your niche topic.
When the numbers support it, niche blogs prosper. Choose your niche today and start profiting from your blog!
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Blogging is fun and also pretty easy. It can be equally easy to make mistakes. No worries, though. Here is a list of common blogging mistakes so you can easily avoid them.
- Not being original. Many bloggers are hesitant to be themselves online. However, your personality is what will attract readers and attention. Don’t hesitate to be yourself…whether it’s funky, serious, controversial, etc.
- Not giving credit where credit is due. If you borrow ideas from another blogger, writer or anyone else, make sure you give them the credit. It will not weaken your own credibility. On the contrary…your credibility will be enhanced. If you do not give the proper credit, you can also get in trouble legally.
- Not responding to comments. If you set up your blog so your readers can leave comments, you should be social and respond to them. It helps to create a sense of community on your blog and your readers get to interact with you. Not only is it the right and friendly thing to do, it motivates more comments.
- Giving up too early. Blogs do not achieve success overnight. By blogging about a subject you are passionate about, you will stay motivated to write and post and stick with it. Blogs require a commitment if they are to be successful. With consistent care and attention to your blog, your readers will grow.
- Not posting enough. Many bloggers think you have to post daily. In the very early stages of building your blog this is a good idea. Once you have established a consistent readership, you can post less often. At least weekly, or two to three times per week, is a good idea. If you do not post for a week or two, you are very likely to lose readers.
- Not having a well defined topic. Make sure your topic is obvious. The more specific your niche, the easier it will be to attract a following. For example, instead of blogging about exotic pets, narrow it to blogging about sugar gliders.
- Not choosing a topic you can sustain. By choosing a topic you are passionate about, you can write consistently and maintain your motivation. If you choose a topic that you are not very interested in, you will be fortunate if you can come up with a post per month.
- Having too many ads. Make sure your blog is content heavy. If your blog is more focused on ads than content, you will not be able to attract a loyal following.
- Forgetting value. Make sure your posts offer something of value to your readers. Readers are looking to be entertained, gain information or be educated. Your posts should accomplish that. If they do, you will attract readers.
- Not promoting your blog. You must promote your blog! How else are readers going to find you? Comment on other blogs and leave the url to your blog when you do. Participate in social networking. Become a guest blogger. When you write as a guest blogger, be sure to include your bio along with links to your blog, facebook page and twitter.
Blogging is fun, a great way to connect with people online, a great way to grow a business and even a way to earn money. Avoid these ten common blogging mistakes and you can achieve blogging success quicker and easier!
To your success!
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Moms are busy and by necessity you have to wear many hats. People tell you to focus in order to succeed in business, but how can you focus and stay motivated when so many things demand your attention? Here are some tips for busy moms who need to keep their focus and motivation.
Choose the Right Job.
If you are just trying to bring home some money and are willing to take on jobs you dislike, you will burn out before long. This is not to say that you can just do what you want and earn money at it, but it does mean that finding the right work at home job is important to your motivation. Choose topics that you care about, and use skills you enjoy using. Just because you are good at something doesn’t mean you want to do it all day.
Establish a Routine.
New and intersting things are fun and exciting, but routine helps keep you grounded. It’s a good idea to set your alarm for the same time each weekday morning and to head to the home office/computer at approximately the same time each day. Trying to scramble and figure out your work hours each day only wastes time and energy, and hampers your productivity.
Stay on Task.
It’s amazing what you can do if you buckle down and shut out distractions. It’s easy to think you spent two hours writing and article, but if you cut out the trips to the refrigerator and the bathroom, the email reads and replies, and the few minutes here and there you spent on social networking sites, you probably spent less than one hour actually typing. Taking breaks is fine – in fact, it’s necessary to avoid burn out – but schedule your breaks into your day rather than taking them at a whim.
Delegation is Fine.
Presumably, your family is going to benefit from the extra income you plan to generate with your home business. It would behoove everyone to support your efforts. Delegate some of the household chores and errands to the kids and husband (or whomever is in your family).
Ask others to help.
You might consider getting a friend to act as a motivational partner who can hold you accountable if you haven’t accomplished your business goals. He or she can check in on you at regular intervals to see how you’re doing and to encourage you if needed. Tell this person what your goals and intentions are so that he or she can check your progress. For some people, it really helps to know someone is ‘looking over their shoulder.’
Be a Nice Boss.
Just because you are your own boss doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be a nice one. Give yourself time off and frequent breaks, but also crack down when things aren’t getting done.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
Julianne Wish
There are a lot of interesting business ideas out there for work at home moms (WAHMs). As more and more employers look for ways to cut costs, hiring people to work remotely is getting more common. Also, some WAHMs run their own business and have people working for them. Here are some business ideas and strategies for a home based business for moms.
Telecommute
There are multiple resources on the web where you can browse for telecommuting jobs. You can also check with local employers who may appreciate your skills. Your current employer or employers from your past are often sources of telecommuting jobs.
Telecommuting jobs are varied, but writing, typing and secretarial duties are probably the most common. Some people work for travel agencies or do other phone work from their homes. Tap into something you already know how to do and offer your services to employers who need you.
Freelance Work
Another business idea is to do freelance work for clients. You could offer marketing advice, design websites, write articles, edit e-books and a host of other things. Working freelance means you have multiple clients rather than an employer and you will need to market your business and skills in order to find clients.
Start Your Own Business
If you don’t want to work for others (or if you want to do both), you can start your own home based business. Like freelancing, you are responsible for finding clients and promoting your business. Consulting, providing information, coaching, and building a membership website are just some of the ideas for a home based business. Some moms have had success providing information to others who want to build their businesses from home.
Marketing
Choosing the right marketing strategy (or strategies) is important. Look into social networking like Facebook and Twitter, and use their advertising platforms to get your name out. However, it pays to take it slow. No one wants to be ‘spammed’ all the time about your business. Build relationships in your demographic – join groups, make friends, join discussions, etc. – and then see where you can advertise to your potential customers.
Depending on your budget, you might consider hiring someone else to do your marketing – in fact, it could be a nice give and take if you hire another WAHM to market your business for you. Maybe she, in turn, can use your help.
Have a Plan
You need to know what you’re doing and have a handle on the tasks that need to be done. As a mom, you will have unexpected interruptions and unexpected moments when you can snatch a few mintues to work. If you have a grasp on the day’s tasks, you can slip in and out of work mode and always know what needs to be accomplished. If you have a spare ten minutes you weren’t expecting, and you have to spend that ten minutes organizing and figuring out what needs to be done, you’ve lost productivity.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
![Ideas for a Dwindling Budget]()
Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
With the current state of the economy and many people getting laid off from their job or getting hours cut, budgets for many are getting tighter and tighter. Even if the current economic crisis hasn’t much affected you personally, you may still be taking proactive measures to be more frugal. You may be wondering how you can start saving some money in various ways that will allow you to free up some space in your budget. Believe it or not there are a variety of do it yourself ideas that you can easily incorporate into your life that don’t cost much at all. Here are some great ideas to try out that will help your budget and free up some money for you.
Learn to Sew your Own Clothes
One excellent do-it-yourself idea that can be a huge help if you have a tight budget is learning to sew your own clothes. Purchasing new clothes is not cheap these days. This is especially true if you have children, who need new wardrobes nearly every year. However, if you learn to sew, you can make clothing yourself and save big time. Even if you have to take a sewing class, it will be well worth it if you are able to sew your own clothes and some clothes for your family. If fabric costs are a concern you can always design new clothes using thrift store finds. For example, you can buy a couple cheap tank tops at a thrift store and sew a twirly fabric skirt onto them, creating low cost sun dresses. If you need new clothes and you don’t know how to fit it in your budget, consider sewing and you may be able to save some money.
Grow Some of Your Own Food
Groceries are getting more and more expensive as well. It’s so difficult when you go to the store and you find that simple food items have doubled in price. Shopping for groceries really costs quite a bit of money, but there is something that you can do to save. Growing your own food can help you to save on your grocery bill. Planting some food in a garden or in a container garden is not expensive at all. You can easily purchase seeds or even plants that have already been started. Start growing them and you’ll soon have some produce of your own. Lettuce, tomatoes, and strawberries are all easy crops to start with. This can provide some nice savings on your weekly shopping bill.
Do More Cooking Yourself
Another simple thing that you can do yourself that will make some room in your budget is to do more of the cooking yourself. If you aren’t a great cook, you can learn. You can read articles and easily get recipes online. Ask friends to share their favorite, simple to make, meal recipes. Instead of spending so much money eating out or spending a lot on pre-made foods at the grocery store, you’ll find that it is a whole lot cheaper for you to buy raw ingredients and make the meals yourself. Not only will it save you quite a bit of money, but you’ll be eating healthier meals as well.
Make Use of Used Objects
Making use of used objects in your home can be helpful. Get creative with making things yourself. Do you have an old pair of jeans lying around your home? If so, use your sewing skills to cut them off and make shorts. Do you need a new handbag? Simply cutting the legs off a pair of old jeans and using the top of the jeans can be used to make a cool handbag that looks like a designer bag. A tin can will look good as a pencil holder or planter. A glass pop bottle can be a flower vase. Look around your home and find things you don’t use. Figure out how you can use them for another use to save some money.
Julianne Alvarez-Wish is a military wife, mother, business owner, professional writer, blogger and legislative advocate. She is the Director of Communications for Our Milk Money, the Colorado State Leader for the National Association for Moms in Business and the owner of Buy By Mom and Buy By Mom Blog. She is the Colorado Springs Stay-at-Home Mom Examiner for Examiner.com. She also blogs at A Wishful Thought. Her passion, purpose and goal is to help parents work from home so they can be home with their children.
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