Why Blogging Is the Doorway to Internet Riches
Blogging has expanded into one of the most profitable business models of the modern internet age.
There are several people who have launched whole careers as professional bloggers and turn over in their business is in the 6 figure range.
However most of us remember when Blogging was the flavour of the obscure and disaffected teenager or small time minority groups.
Today it's a money machine and frankly the first port of call for anyone who wants to start making money on the internet.
You only have to take a look at any decent company out there and you will find the CEO has a blog, why, because it's great as a promotion tool, search engines also love blogs for their fresh content and from a business perspective it's very effective in creating and maintaining brand awareness.
So the first questions you have to ask yourself before you start your blog empire is; what makes blogging so successful and more importantly for you is, can you achieve the same level of success, and at what cost.
Blogging is a great way to gain a following and if you are just starting out in this business you have to generate your e-mail list because that will form the backbone of your sales volume.
If you don't have a list you don't get sales and your business is basically dead.
In order to wake people up to your message you have to create a "presence" online.
Being out in the open and discussing your favourite rock band is one thing but gaining a status as an Expert in your field takes a little more work and a lot more effort.
What makes a successful blog depends upon how you personally measure success.
Generally speaking success is measured in terms of a profit or a loss.
However success can be measured in other ways that have an equal impact on your business, and that's new people who sign up to your email list.
Gaining people to your sign up page and converting them to being on your mailing list is a definite success no matter how many people you have on your list, you can always use more.
Today's marketing is about style, content and building relationships with others by being a real person.
Couple that with some great software or e-books, courses and the like and you have a winning combination that should drive your business to ever expanding success.
Getting started in Marketing has never been more lucrative or more difficult.
Times are hard with the economy in such a state, but surprisingly there are studies that show there will be many more Millionaires after this current recession is over than there were when it started.
So are you going to be one of those new millionaires.
With that said let's discuss what makes a great (successful) blog.
The first key to the success of a blog site is the content you produce and the depth of your target market.
Remember this is business and so you have to be narrow and very selective in the areas that you target to make your fortune.
So research your niche and ensure that there is sufficient growth potential within that market to accommodate you amongst the many others who already make a living in that niche.
Despite words to the contrary, competition is good for your business.
Competition is a strong indicator that the niche is a profitable one and the stronger that competition is the more profit there obviously is in the niche.
However, in a perfect scenario what you actually want is a little competition, but competition that you can outclass by the power of your marketing skills and by making a better site, providing better content and in a more appealing way.
Don't be afraid to have a go at a tight market, it may take longer to crack but the best marketers are in this for the long haul and it takes time to build a voice that others are willing to listen too, so take your time and consider quality over quantity.
Now it's said that everyone's life has a story to tell and that each story could fill a good sized paperback book.
So your blog has to be written like a good story is written.
People like to read a good story so tell a tale, be informative (on topic) and educate without lecturing.
Most importantly don't attempt to sell a product directly, hint at this carefully within the blog post but don't scream at your readers to buy your widget or whatever.
Always remember especially right when you start out, that you are trying to tell a story in order to gain trust and be accepted by the reader as a person with knowledge, so don't come across as a snake oil salesman.
I personally find the most natural style is to be relaxed in telling the tale, yet subliminally firm in making sure that the message of my post or page is being received by the reader.
After all I want them to feel comfortable with the message and not overcome by the desire to cause me physical harm, and ultimately I want them to buy my product because it fits their definition of a solution to whatever ails them at that point in their lives.
I also want that person to come back and to tell friends and others of this great new resource they have found for information on..
...
whatever.
Now your chosen market must have certain characteristics in order to be considered ripe for plunder.
There has to be a market for the product or products you are selling in that niche.
So your customers must have a quantifiable need for a solution to a problem.
There also needs enough searches done on that niche in order for you to determine there is room for you to make some money.
Research your market and maintain the discipline to keep research as the core of your business.
Failure here is the biggest threat to your business and your most important consideration.
So having identified your market you now need to concentrate on delivering the solution to your clients.
These are hopefully a group of people in serious pain, not physical necessarily but emotional, or psychological.
These problems could be in areas such as personal Finances, physical appearance, or emotional instability but essentially any sort of discomfort for the simple reason that people who are in pain or are acutely embarrassed by a situation or predicament are the people who will have the greatest need for a solution.
Now that is exactly where your blog comes to the rescue.
You provide a firm well delivered post on the one overriding solution to that problem, at a cost.
O.
K focus, this is business and you are in the business of selling.
People's problems are your lifeline to a better life than you have right now so get over that hurdle real early.
It's no surprise that the world's largest companies are Pharmaceuticals, who deal in products that relieve all manner of human suffering, because let's face it suffering sells probably better than sex does because sex is based on desire which is a powerful motivator in itself but is far surpassed by the NEED of those who suffer physical or physiological pain.
Now the last and perhaps key piece of the puzzle for you is to identify and promote a suitable product to your chosen market.
The product ideally is unknown or not widely know about within the niche and that way sales will be small but have room to grow.
It's better to get into a market on the rise than to get in at the peak.
The product has to provide a solution not the illusion of one.
Remember the snake oil salesman, none have survived and neither will you if the product is a dud.
So make the product you offer a high quality item with great marketing material and that pays a decent commission to you so you turn a profit in a relatively short period.
There are a few places to find high quality these products that have been vetted by these companies whose reputations ride on them.
Plus the routine to sign up as an affiliate is simple too.
So check out Commission Junction, Amazon.
com, and paydotcom.
com and click bank to find a product that offers a solution that you can target inside the niche you have chosen to go after.
So if you can combine all of the above factors when selecting your niche, you'll be giving yourself and your new blog the best possible chance of success.
Once your niche is selected, you obviously need to create a website to capitalize on it.
Or better still if you buy a Private Label rights eBook or software product then these usually come with a readymade one page sales letter and a thank you page that you can simply edit with your details and payment processor and upload to your site.
Once the site is uploaded you can then write a page on your blog to promote the site with a link to the sales page or even make the page on your blog the sales page itself.
The choice is entirely up to you.
The last phase is to promote your blog via RSS and blogging directories like technorati and the social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace etc.
Remember to focus on the long term picture and build a voice over time.
It's not a race in which you want to be the hare, take your time and do it right to maximise the long term growth of your business.
There are several people who have launched whole careers as professional bloggers and turn over in their business is in the 6 figure range.
However most of us remember when Blogging was the flavour of the obscure and disaffected teenager or small time minority groups.
Today it's a money machine and frankly the first port of call for anyone who wants to start making money on the internet.
You only have to take a look at any decent company out there and you will find the CEO has a blog, why, because it's great as a promotion tool, search engines also love blogs for their fresh content and from a business perspective it's very effective in creating and maintaining brand awareness.
So the first questions you have to ask yourself before you start your blog empire is; what makes blogging so successful and more importantly for you is, can you achieve the same level of success, and at what cost.
Blogging is a great way to gain a following and if you are just starting out in this business you have to generate your e-mail list because that will form the backbone of your sales volume.
If you don't have a list you don't get sales and your business is basically dead.
In order to wake people up to your message you have to create a "presence" online.
Being out in the open and discussing your favourite rock band is one thing but gaining a status as an Expert in your field takes a little more work and a lot more effort.
What makes a successful blog depends upon how you personally measure success.
Generally speaking success is measured in terms of a profit or a loss.
However success can be measured in other ways that have an equal impact on your business, and that's new people who sign up to your email list.
Gaining people to your sign up page and converting them to being on your mailing list is a definite success no matter how many people you have on your list, you can always use more.
Today's marketing is about style, content and building relationships with others by being a real person.
Couple that with some great software or e-books, courses and the like and you have a winning combination that should drive your business to ever expanding success.
Getting started in Marketing has never been more lucrative or more difficult.
Times are hard with the economy in such a state, but surprisingly there are studies that show there will be many more Millionaires after this current recession is over than there were when it started.
So are you going to be one of those new millionaires.
With that said let's discuss what makes a great (successful) blog.
The first key to the success of a blog site is the content you produce and the depth of your target market.
Remember this is business and so you have to be narrow and very selective in the areas that you target to make your fortune.
So research your niche and ensure that there is sufficient growth potential within that market to accommodate you amongst the many others who already make a living in that niche.
Despite words to the contrary, competition is good for your business.
Competition is a strong indicator that the niche is a profitable one and the stronger that competition is the more profit there obviously is in the niche.
However, in a perfect scenario what you actually want is a little competition, but competition that you can outclass by the power of your marketing skills and by making a better site, providing better content and in a more appealing way.
Don't be afraid to have a go at a tight market, it may take longer to crack but the best marketers are in this for the long haul and it takes time to build a voice that others are willing to listen too, so take your time and consider quality over quantity.
Now it's said that everyone's life has a story to tell and that each story could fill a good sized paperback book.
So your blog has to be written like a good story is written.
People like to read a good story so tell a tale, be informative (on topic) and educate without lecturing.
Most importantly don't attempt to sell a product directly, hint at this carefully within the blog post but don't scream at your readers to buy your widget or whatever.
Always remember especially right when you start out, that you are trying to tell a story in order to gain trust and be accepted by the reader as a person with knowledge, so don't come across as a snake oil salesman.
I personally find the most natural style is to be relaxed in telling the tale, yet subliminally firm in making sure that the message of my post or page is being received by the reader.
After all I want them to feel comfortable with the message and not overcome by the desire to cause me physical harm, and ultimately I want them to buy my product because it fits their definition of a solution to whatever ails them at that point in their lives.
I also want that person to come back and to tell friends and others of this great new resource they have found for information on..
...
whatever.
Now your chosen market must have certain characteristics in order to be considered ripe for plunder.
There has to be a market for the product or products you are selling in that niche.
So your customers must have a quantifiable need for a solution to a problem.
There also needs enough searches done on that niche in order for you to determine there is room for you to make some money.
Research your market and maintain the discipline to keep research as the core of your business.
Failure here is the biggest threat to your business and your most important consideration.
So having identified your market you now need to concentrate on delivering the solution to your clients.
These are hopefully a group of people in serious pain, not physical necessarily but emotional, or psychological.
These problems could be in areas such as personal Finances, physical appearance, or emotional instability but essentially any sort of discomfort for the simple reason that people who are in pain or are acutely embarrassed by a situation or predicament are the people who will have the greatest need for a solution.
Now that is exactly where your blog comes to the rescue.
You provide a firm well delivered post on the one overriding solution to that problem, at a cost.
O.
K focus, this is business and you are in the business of selling.
People's problems are your lifeline to a better life than you have right now so get over that hurdle real early.
It's no surprise that the world's largest companies are Pharmaceuticals, who deal in products that relieve all manner of human suffering, because let's face it suffering sells probably better than sex does because sex is based on desire which is a powerful motivator in itself but is far surpassed by the NEED of those who suffer physical or physiological pain.
Now the last and perhaps key piece of the puzzle for you is to identify and promote a suitable product to your chosen market.
The product ideally is unknown or not widely know about within the niche and that way sales will be small but have room to grow.
It's better to get into a market on the rise than to get in at the peak.
The product has to provide a solution not the illusion of one.
Remember the snake oil salesman, none have survived and neither will you if the product is a dud.
So make the product you offer a high quality item with great marketing material and that pays a decent commission to you so you turn a profit in a relatively short period.
There are a few places to find high quality these products that have been vetted by these companies whose reputations ride on them.
Plus the routine to sign up as an affiliate is simple too.
So check out Commission Junction, Amazon.
com, and paydotcom.
com and click bank to find a product that offers a solution that you can target inside the niche you have chosen to go after.
So if you can combine all of the above factors when selecting your niche, you'll be giving yourself and your new blog the best possible chance of success.
Once your niche is selected, you obviously need to create a website to capitalize on it.
Or better still if you buy a Private Label rights eBook or software product then these usually come with a readymade one page sales letter and a thank you page that you can simply edit with your details and payment processor and upload to your site.
Once the site is uploaded you can then write a page on your blog to promote the site with a link to the sales page or even make the page on your blog the sales page itself.
The choice is entirely up to you.
The last phase is to promote your blog via RSS and blogging directories like technorati and the social media sites such as Facebook, MySpace etc.
Remember to focus on the long term picture and build a voice over time.
It's not a race in which you want to be the hare, take your time and do it right to maximise the long term growth of your business.
