Older than Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube, blogging is the grand daddy of social media marketing.
Focused primarily on writing long-form articles, maintaining a blogs isn’t as sexy as shooting video-based “snaps”, live streaming, or posting Instagram photos.
While blogs may no longer be the marketing flavour of the moment, they are essential to your goal of making money online.
I should know. I now make a five figure sum every month through a mixture of consulting, training, agency services and other work. And it all started through blogging.
Before you can start to make a decent income from blogging, you need to understand why blogs rock big time.
Nothing beats an well-written blog post to build your personal brand. Sharing your ideas and insights on a blog allows you to establish thought leadership, increase trust, and boost your personal reputation.
Having a personal website or a blog also helps you to differentiate yourself from others. Nobody can resist checking out your website or your blog if you include it prominently in your emails, name cards, Whatsapp messages, or other personal communication channels.
I started blogging way back in October 2005 on a free Blogger account. I only migrated to my current WordPress website in August 2015.
Over the decade or so, however, I built a social network of over 13,500 friends, fans, followers, and readers across multiple social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. While this is certainly modest compared to top influencers, I always tell my associates that it isn’t just quantity but quality which counts.
The discipline of regular blogging compels you to write regularly. At one stage of my life, I even wrote and published a blog post every single day.
While I now publish a lot less frequently (mostly because client work consumes a large part of my time), I make it a habit to write at least one long blog post per week. By doing so, I am constantly sharpening my writing skills while forcing myself translate my thoughts into a compellingly written prose.
Starting a writing regime can be tough. At least from the onset.
However, once you start finding your element (hat tip to Ken Robinson) and achieve “flow” in your writing, you’ll find it as enjoyable as any other hobby which you choose to adopt. Over time, you’ll realise that the act of blogging is intrinsically rewarding in and of itself.
Now that I’ve shared the benefits of blogging, let us look at how you can turn your blogging habit into a money making venture.
Yes, I know that this sounds too obvious to be true but the thing is this:
“Blogging is a Marathon, not a Sprint. Its a life-long marriage – not a one-night stand.” – Walter Lim
To sustain your interest over the long haul, you’ll need to choose a topic that you are genuinely passionate about. It can be anything you wish to focus on – food, fashion, flamenco dancing, finance, or fishing.
You should also find an area that you are fairly proficient in. Now, this doesn’t mean that you have to be a concert pianist before starting a blog on classical music. However, it does make sense for you to blog about an area that you have sufficient knowledge about.
Blogging about your rare collection of exotic Samurai swords may bring you lots of joy. However, can you turn it into a livelihood?
Now I’m not saying that you should only choose a niche which can make you millions. Doing so without a real interest in the topic will surely be the death knell of your blogging journey.
Instead, here’s what you could do:
The key thing here is to provide value to your readers – what Jay Baer would call Youtility. Provide useful tips, tricks, and tactics which they can immediately use.
To make money from your blog, you need to be consistent in writing and producing content. The most prolific bloggers in the world – like uber marketing guru Seth Godin – churn out a blog post every single day.
Now you don’t have to be a daily blogger. I know that’s tough given your current work hours. What’s more important is to establish a consistent and reliable schedule.
For me, I usually block out two mornings a week (normally Saturday and Sunday) to do my blogging. Depending on my energy and creativity levels, I take about 2 to 3 hours to complete a blog post of about 1,000 to 1,500 words.
To learn more about spacing out your content activities, read my guide on establishing a social media content schedule.
The old saying “garbage in garbage out” holds true in the digital age. With a daily tsunami of content hitting your screens, it is easy to drift from viral video after viral video, or to whittle your day away in mindless consumption.
As a blogger, you need to change your habits. Be an active consumer of quality content. Read books that are related to your field, listen to podcasts by influencers in your space, and read thought provoking blogs.
Social media isn’t social if you live on a digital island. Maximise the benefits of your blog by growing your community of readers.
Here are some ways to do so:
To succeed as a blogger, you need to market your content. Now I don’t mean that you should take up a full page newspaper ad or to broadcast your blog URL on radio.
Instead, consider doing the following:
Finally, and most importantly, you need to monetize your blog.
There are many ways to do so. If your traffic is healthy enough, you can consider placing ads on your blog or do affiliate marketing partnerships to generate revenue. However, this is probably going to be formidable for most of you.
For me, my income streams come from several sources:
All of these areas are directly or indirectly related to what I blog about. Through the process of inbound marketing, my blog helps me to attract potential clients and generate leads on a regular basis.
Now that you’ve read all about the benefits of blogging – and how I’ve done it – the ball is in your court. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Learn more about the art and science of social media marketing by signing up for my course. Learn a 6-step process for social media marketing campaigns in a rigorous two-day training course and bring your social media campaigns to life.
Tags: blogging, Content Marketing, digital marketing, editorial, SEO, social media, social media marketing, writing
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Informative post, I am looking for guest post site where i can post blogs and articles.