For some of us blogging is not just a way to make money it becomes a way of life. I’ve been blogging for a couple of years now and my blog has primarily been about places that we’ve visited and lightly dusting on a little bit of what to do when you’re there. I get a modest 6500 visitors a week (thanks to you all).
It seems to me that there are hundreds of bloggers doing the same thing. Some make money from blogging, but for most it’s just a way to record the moment when you traveled to “that place” that you just can’t remember the name of until some ungodly 2am in the morning.
Blogging can be just like having a child. You watch it grow and develop into what you want to create. Sometimes one particular entry can grow in a direction that you never thought possible. These moments are rare and can hold a small key in what you should be writing, it may be the subjects or what you write about or it could be the style in which you present your topic that catches attention. Whatever it is it’s that “something” that you need to hone and make special in each blog entry.
Before I delve into the depths of this entry there are two distinct types of bloggers:
- Hobby Bloggers
- Business Bloggers
Here’s the difference.
Hobby Bloggers
You probably know one, they are the ones who are either happy just sharing their experiences by posting photos and a little text relating to their antics or they are new to the blogging scene and are hoping that they can make a few dollars through affiliates and social networking and taking their blog to the next level. That next level is our other group.
Business Bloggers
They are the ones who tailor their blogs by carving out a niche and will promote their site vigorously. They write “how-to blogs” and create online books and other products to support their sites.
Before building a blog that generates money you need to create a good base of followers. It’s a lot like setting up a business, you need to be able to attract customers to what you’re offering.
The “buy line” is when that “customer” chooses to constantly read or buy your product.
A few years ago in a state of madness I bought a fruit shop, to cut a long story short I lost a substantial amount of money. I learnt a lot about how not to run a business. Like that fruit shop, your blog needs to stay fresh, you can’t serve up old and tired product.
All fruit shops essentially sell the same thing. Let’s say you want an apple; every fruit shop has apples, but what makes you buy your apple and from where is partly a decision made by you. A lot of it is decided by the shopkeeper who carefully selected where to position his business, it’s the shopkeeper who chooses the type of apples to place in their store and it’s the shopkeeper who chooses which apples are fresh enough to display.
The same can be applied to building a blog that people will want to shop at again and again. You have to keep those fresh apples in stock all the time. You have to constantly check your stock (blog entries) daily and reply to your comments (customers). Yes every comment you need to monitor and respond to.
By doing this you create a personal interaction with your customers.
Wow, imagine having a personal message answered from the CEO of a large company. That’s you! You’re the CEO of your blog site, so look after your customers.
Building a solid foundation
That sounds like we’re building a house, well we are in some way. I’m no architect but I do know a little about building. Before you can put the roof on a building you need a solid foundation to get your building project started. So what are we talking about here?
A foundation is a key point in building a good blog. So what do we need you get a good foundation?
I once wanted to start my own coffee shop, I had the theme, the brand, the company name and had even discussed the organic certified blend with a coffee grower who could roast and create an exclusive branded product for me. I even bought all the chairs and tables so you’d think that I was ready to make a killing given my determination at the time.
I hunted high and low for a good location, I spent months looking for a place to make this concept work. In the end we shelved the project, why? Because we couldn’t find a place that we believed would work for us.
It’s the same building a successful Blog. You might have 100’s of blog entries but if you are writing quantity and not quality and not marketing your blog in the right places your only treading water and hoping for a life line.
The best job in the world = Do what you love, do something that you enjoy.
Do you see a familiar pattern forming? There is no point starting a blog you’re not passionate about, the same in your job or business. If you don’t love or enjoy what you do, then do yourself and your customers a favour….. Leave. No one likes going to a shop and being served by somebody who is not interested in serving you. So why would someone follow you on your blog or social media site if your entries are not written with passion, full of personal experiences and packed with information.
Passion is the key.
A helpful note, links are not your competition.
Unless you’re an inventor don’t try to be the worlds leading authority on a topic. Remember that people who have read this so far will be genuinely interested so give them leads and links to find more on the topic, you might even learn a little more yourself.
Education is powerful stuff.
Ok I haven’t told you what your niche is, no one can, only you know what’s a passion and important to you, so start you blog about that. I know nothing about porcelain dolls, but I know my mom loves them and has a room full of them, that’s her hobby and passion…….
What’s yours?
