We have all heard of people who make a bit of money on the side from blogging. Most of them have full-time jobs or part-time jobs that pay the bills and the blog simply pays for the luxuries in life. For other,s it is simply somewhere for them to reach out to like-minded people who enjoy the same hobbies as them or to record what they are doing with their lives. There are very few bloggers that make a full-time income exclusively from their blog. Could you be one of them? Bloggers that make a good income from their sites bring something special and unique to the online world. Here’s how you can tell if you are one of those people.
Are you willing to accept guest and sponsored posts?
The most successful blogs publish a lot of content and the publish it regularly. If you like the idea of making money from your blog you need to have a site with a lot of articles on it. It is unlikely that you will have the time, or the ideas, to write them all. You will have some weeks when you can write a lot and others when you have no time at all. Inconsistent publishing is not good for your blog. You can get around this problem by accepting guest posts. You could put a shout out on social media groups for like-minded bloggers and offer them a guest post slot in exchange for you giving their blog a shout out. You could also accept sponsored or contributed posts where the content is written for you. This can be a source of regular income and a good supply of fresh content.
Eventually, you may become so successful that you can work with another writer or even with a team of writers who produce content for your site. It is easy to find excellent freelance writers on sites like Peopleperhour. This may take a shift in attitude towards your blog but if you are not willing to accept content written by others it will be hard to turn your blog into your main source of income.
Have you got something that you can sell?
If you don’t have something that you can sell, there is not much point in driving a lot of traffic to your blog. The most successful bloggers sell something to the people who visit their sites. This does not have to be a physical product and you do not have to hire a huge warehouse. You could sell a service to your visitors. Do you have a skill or experience in a certain sector that would be useful? Many successful bloggers are psychologists or life-coaches and have a course that they can sell to clients that will help them out with their own lives. You can sell your course as a series of webinars or as an email course that you send out each week. You only have to set this up once and you can send it out using an email manager like MailChimp. In time, you could make money without having to do anything!
If you like the idea of selling something digital, you could create a digital product that you could email to clients who have paid for it. You could test the water with a small guide or checklist and then develop an ebook once you become more successful.
Physical products are another option but it is best to keep them simple and cheap to post, to begin with. You can set up your own store as part of your blog or you can link to an external store such as Etsy. When you are starting out, it is best to use a site like Etsy and then establish their own store once it becomes successful. This does not cost you any money. If you don’t sell anything through your blog, you are missing out on a major income stream. You do not need any capital outlay and someone else deals with the sales technology for you.
Treat your blog like a business
If you insist on treating your blog like a nice hobby you will never make any money out of it. You must change your mindset and treat it like a business. This means making some investment in the kit that you need for blogging.
Obviously, you need the best IT equipment that you can afford. Don’t try running a successful blog from your tablet or smartphone. You can get the best equipment at dell tft monitors where you can find some brilliant deals and top advice. This will allow you to invest in your blog without breaking the bank.
You need somewhere suitable to keep your monitor and PC that is separate from the rest of your house. Try to convert a spare room into a study so that you feel that you are going to work when you sit down at the desk. This, combined with the high-quality IT equipment will make you feel more professional and change your attitude towards your blog.
Your new professional attitude needs to be reflected in the way that you interact with people. Of course, you can continue to be friendly but you need to have a professional business-like tone to your emails. Have a signature at the end of them with links to your blog and to your social media accounts.
Answer emails quickly and politely. It is not rude to ask about money! You are a business after all. Be clear about what your charges are and stick to them.
You bring something unique to the blogging world because there is no-one out there quite like you. If you combine your unique qualities with a willingness to work with others, some great IT equipment and a professional attitude, there is no reason why your blog could not be the next big money spinner!
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