Julianne Wish, Member Contributions
Have you ever wondered how other bloggers are making so much money? What is their secret? How can you make money with your blog?
Here are three ways you can make money with your blog.
- Affiliate commissions. Many bloggers use their blogs to promote the products and services of others. They are affiliate marketers. You can create quite a successful business by choosing a blog topic that interests you. The more specific the topic, the better. For example, if you love reading mystery novels, you can create a blog that reveiws mystery novels. Each review could include an affiliate link so your readers can buy the book. You might also include ads in your sidebar that advertise ‘how to write mystery novels’, and writing programs. The foundation of a successful affiliate business is content and there is not better content tool than a blog.
- Advertising Revenue. Many profitable blogs earn all of their income from advertising revenue. There are two ways you can earn money from advertising. You can participate in programs like Google’s AdSense. You simply sign up and paste the code on your blog. Google inserts the ads. You can choose the ad category so they match your visitor’s interests. Each time someone clicks on an ad, you earn money. You can also sell space on your blog. The more readers and subscribers you have, the more you can charge for ad space on your site. In the meantime, consider placing affiliate banner ads in the sidebar. This will get your readers accustomed to ads on your blog. It might earn you some additional income in the meantime. It may also help your readers visualize their ads on your site. You should also place an ‘advertise with us’ or ‘your ad here’ link somewhere on your blog so anyone who wants to advertise on your blog can contact you easily.
- Your own products or services. You can use your blog to sell your own products or services. If we continue with the mystery novel example, you might decide to write a ‘how to write a mystery novel’ downloadable course. You can use your blog to promote your product and earn a nice profit. You could also offer manuscript critique services. You could help aspiring mystery writers get published while earning an income. Again, you can use your blog to promote your services.
There are a number of ways to use your blog to profit. Decide which monetization model best fits your needs and profit goals. Create a plan to make it happen. Always remember that the secret behind any profitable blog is the content. Always focus on creating the best content possible!
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
Once you have established your blog and you are meeting your initial goals, it’s time to look toward the future. How do you want to grow your blog? What are the possibilities for doing so? You can add monetization methods. You can offer more value. Of course, you can also grow your subscriber base.
Here are five tips and strategies to help you grow your blog.
- Get involved. Hopefully, in addition to posting on your own blog, you have been participating on other blogs in an effort to promote your own blog. If you haven’t, then you should definitely integrate this tactic into your blog marketing strategy. If you are already commenting on other blogs relevant to your industry then look for ways to become even more active. You can become a guest blogger. You could be adding a few more relevant comments to other blogs each day. By getting involved in your own community, you are more likely increase the traffic to your own blog.
- Offer new value. Is there a way you can add more value to your blog – over and above what you already offer? For example, you might consider offering a free report, ebook or online course. You might find a few guest bloggers to help you round out the content on your blog and help provide more information for your readers. You can also mix it up and offer different types of posts like videos, downloadable checklists and worksheets.
- Hold a contest. Contests are a great way to help drive traffic to your blog. Make sure, though, that the giveaway you offer is related to the topic of your blog. For example, if you blog about sugar gliders, give away a gift certificate to a pet supply store. When holding a contest be sure to spread the word. Tweet about it. Post it on Facebook. Ask others to help spread the word too. You might offer them extra entries for every person they refer that enters the contest. You’ll recieve more traffic because a lot of people will want to enter your contest. You’ll also gain new subscribers.
- Network. The right connections can help change the success of your blog rapidly. Can you imagine if a prominent person mentioned your blog on their blog or show? For example, imagine what would happen if you have a blog about crafting and Martha Stewart mentioned it on her show. Networking can make a huge difference for your blog so get out there and meet people. Offer value and connect.
- Add a method to monetize your blog. If you have already done so, super! What else can you do to make money on your blog? You can place a few affiliate ads in the sidebar or footer. You could join Google’s AdSense program. A little extra income can make a big difference.
There are a number of ways you can grow your blog. Before you implement any tactic, make sure you evaluate it. Make sure it supports your blog and enhances the experience for your visitors. Make sure it supports the goals and vision for your blog. Create goals for your new tactic! What do you want to accomplish?
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.
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