Regardless of the niche your blog covers, increasing traffic to your blog is a key way to increase your profits. The more visitors you can bring to your blog, the more of your articles they may review, the more advertisements they will click, the more affiliate product offers they will see, and the more opportunity they will have to buy your products.
In addition, all of this adds value to your site and makes it more appealing to potential advertisers and sponsors.
The problem is everyone on the web wants more traffic, so everyone is competing and fighting for the attention of viewers. The Internet is filled with so many different bloggers, businesses and advertisers all trying to stand out. That can make it very difficult for you to differentiate yourself from others and to get your blog noticed.
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What dictates the winners and losers can come down to who has the best strategies.
Five of the top major sources for getting traffic to your blog are social media, search engines, Facebook ads, forums and videos.
In this series of posts, I talk about those five major sources. I will share some very effective ways to use them to increase the flow of traffic to your blog. For each traffic source, I’ll cover only the most effective and the most valuable techniques.
If you are looking to earn money with your blog, especially more of a full-time income, it helps to have a lot of different resources from which to choose to help give you a lot of options.
And as far as income, sometime we hear you can’t earn full-time income as a blogger, while at other times we hear all about the heroes slaying the dragons in the Blogger-land and you’re convinced these stories must have happened on another planet or that these heroes are just demi-gods. But I’m here to tell you it really is possible to earn lots of cool cash from your blog! Be warned though, it can take a long time to start earning cash from blogging so don’t start expecting overnight miracles. If you are in need of money quickly then you go to one of the MDP pawn shops in San Diego.
So let’s dive into some of the many options out there to help you get started!
Ad Networks
Ad networks are the link between bloggers and brands or companies seeking to advertise their products and services. They find unsold advertising space from publishers. Then, they fill that space with digital ad campaigns and sponsorships from their clients. This can be done using several different types of formats, such as text, image and/or video.
Most sponsored ads you see online, whether a sponsored post or a sidebar ad, were created by these ad networks.
Remember those beautiful moments when it seems you’ll soon be adding a new friend to your list? Yes, it could even be online, not just offline. You’re both having fun getting to know each other and then suddenly you get fired that dreaded question, “So, what do you do?” And then it suddenly feels as if time has stopped. Everything becomes awkward!
Great news, there is a way out of this tight spot. Yes, a much better way than just tossing an “Uh, I run a blog” or “I’m a freelancer.” What’s more, giving a four-word or five-word response might simply earn you puzzled stares or some half-hearted “Oh, great!” A flubbed introduction may also leave your audience less interested in whatever it is you say next.
I will also cover some of the more general things to do and not do, many of which you will probably have heard before. However, a refresher certainly won’t hurt. Remember, how you say things can be as important as what you say.
But let’s first discuss in detail some strategies you can adopt to give a long-lasting response to that dreaded question, “What do you do?” Here we go…
Value Versus Title
If I tell you I’m the Chief Design Coordinator for my company, you’re likely to wonder, what exactly does she do? But if I say something like “I’m in charge of ensuring our product designs are compatible for use with our customers, while ensuring the team works productively to meet deadlines,” you’re more likely to get interested in knowing more about what I do.
If you’re in an online business, one recurring message you must have heard is that the best way to grow your email list is by offering content upgrades to your audience. There’s no substitute for exchanging value for email addresses using content upgrades. This is more true if you’re a new kid on the block.
What is A Content Upgrade?
Simply put, a content upgrade is that packaged information people get after submitting their email before downloading. They are usually quite helpful and provide additional, or provide a shortcut or easier way of using specific material.
Why is A Content Upgrade Necessary?
A content upgrade tells your audience “I care about you. That’s why I took special care to prepare this checklist, ebook, etc. It makes it easier to refer to the information you’re looking for.” It is one email building method that works ALL the time because everyone loves free things that have value. It can also simply help make the material or the use of it much easier.
Benefits of An Email List Built Through Content Upgrades
An email list obtained through content upgrades provides essential information about your audience that helps you segment your campaigns. You can better focus on sending them more of that related content or offer related products and services by noting the information in which your audience is most interested. It puts some human touch on your automated email campaigns, while helping you avoid some people unsubscribing from the list because they keep receiving irrelevant information.
I can hear you say, “Great, so, let’s get started already!” But the next thought dampens your spirits, and that’s how do I come up with interesting content ideas regularly? There’s no denying the fact that coming up with valuable content upgrades is not an easy feat.
I’ve got great news! Here are 12 awesome ideas you can use to grow your list every day. Check them out. (And be sure to check out our four-page Content Upgrade with all kinds of resources for all 12 of these ideas!)
Trying to monetize your blog through ads, affiliate links or sponsored posts will take a long while to make serious money. Is there a faster option? This post is going to show you how to become an entrepreneur using your blog. Transitioning from a blog owner to a business owner can initially seem impossible, but I’m here to help make your transition smooth.
So let’s get started with 10 ways to help make you a business owner!
1. Consulting Packages or One-On-One Coaching For Business Owners
Offering packaged services is a surefire way to transition from blog owner to entrepreneur. If new to that idea, perhaps begin offering your skills and knowledge through packaged services before moving to scalable courses, bigger products, group coaching and ebooks. Experiencess gained from one-on-one coaching help make better products.
Narrowing the package helps achieve maximum results. Pick that special thing you’re great at and that you’d like to teach to others. Going all over the place will leave your clients frustrated. Plan your packages so your clients see measurable results gained from your package. Let there be a plan with tasks that leads to results.
Offering an “ask me anything for one hour” isn’t usually as effective as “follow this plan to move from blog to entrepreneur in one day.” The second is more impressive. It doesn’t matter if a client simply spends that one hour asking you questions because they will still leave satisfied.
Is your blog a hobby not earning its keep? Would you rather your blog make you serious money?
Recently I met someone who runs a nice blog with lots of awesome information, but she was only doing it for fun, you know, the usual blogging as a hobby. We eventually scheduled time where I showed her how to treat her blog like a business so she could make cool money from blogging.
If you’ve been thinking about this as well, and you mean serious business about blogging as a business, pay rapt attention to the following points that will enlighten you on how to treat your blog like a business. If you find yourself wanting blog and you have no idea where to start, you might want to try something like Inlinehostblogger’s guide on HostGator vs Siteground or other resources that might be helpful.
1. Make Your Blog Unique By Blogging In A Niche
That this is the first point is no coincidence! If visitors to your blog cannot easily discern your blogging focus or the particular value you intend giving them, chances are high it will be difficult selling anything to them.
If I were to ask you right now, “What are you currently working on?” you’re most likely going to start ticking off on your fingers (and maybe toes) a long list of all the projects you’re currently working on, including those you “intend” to start working on. It likely won’t be a list of how to reduce stress as an entrepreneur.
While there is no right or wrong answer to that question, you’ll notice most of us are probably focusing only on the big things and pushing the little things (which usually are what matters most) aside.
You know, those little things of “when last I spend time with family?” Or, “When did I just spend the morning lazing around on the bed and having some “me” time?”
I guess the latter questions would not be as readily answered as the first one. Why? Because everyone is busy chasing their careers and business. After all, being an entrepreneur is no child’s play. It involves lots of work!
