Blogging can be the cheapest and one of the most effective ways to profit from the Internet. Here’s how…
What the blog…?
Web Logs – or ‘Blogs’ for short – started as a simple means for providing an online journal or diary, where an individual lets the world know how they think and feel about certain things. If you are a member of facebook.com, myspace.com, or any other social networking site, there’s a good chance you have been writing in a blog – and maybe didn’t even know it!
Blog marketing?
Blog marketing is the use of a blog or blogs to produce traffic for the purpose of monetizing that traffic. Using a blog to market a product or merely as a means of producing online income is much cheaper than using a website. This is because a number of free blog services are available that almost as good as having your own website that costs you plenty!
Because blog marketing has few barriers to entry, it is an excellent way for a beginner to get into the Internet Marketing business.
Due to both the human and Search Engine demand for quality content, it’s very possible to make serious money from creating, promoting, and maintaining blogs.
Turning a blog into a cash machine is relatively inexpensive and can be done by anyone who understands the basics of marketing and the Internet.
Monetise!
So how should you monetize your blog??
Well, that rather depends on what your objectives are and how you’re going to use your blog. The simplest system is to write blog articles that include an affiliate link for them to buy a range of other people’s products.
Or, if you’re looking to build a list of prospects, you can include a ‘name squeeze’ box, where you offer something of value (a free ebook report, software, etc) in return for the visitor’s contact details (name, email address, etc). You can then follow up with an offer that monetizes the list – or you can sell your list to appropriate traders (maintenance, double glazing, office equipment, holidays, property, etc), who pay you for each name supplied.
Topical Passion
Many marketers suggest starting a website on a topic that you are passionate about. But think about it… If you want to make a lot of money on-line you need to blog about profitable topics, ie those with a lot of potential traffic.
This means you need to do 4 things:
1. Identify topics or niches with a lot of traffic potential
2. Constantly add fresh quality content to your blog
3. Get lots of free traffic to your blog
4. Monetize that traffic
So what topics should you pick that will generate a lot of traffic??
There’s no point in starting a blog unless it is geared towards an in-demand, profitable topic. And remember that it’s fairly common for blogs to outrank other websites competing for the same keywords because your blog regularly delivers fresh, quality content.
Also, just because a topic has a lot of competition doesn’t necessarily mean it is not worth starting a blog about – you actually want to work in a busy topic area! See ‘Find Your Niche!’ and other articles in this issue of Web Biz Insider on how to do this.
Once you’ve determined your niche, you’ll need to derive some Keywords that people will search on to reach your blogsite – again see other articles in this issue for some ideas! Then you need to set up your blogsite!
Free Blogsite!
There are many free blog services available but the free Blogger service provided by Google (http://www.blogger.com) is perhaps the best for starters, for ease and simplicity, to create a content-rich blog. The other services available mostly either don’t allow affiliate links display adverts on your blog/website. Blogger allows you to advertise affiliate programs or whatever you want on your blog and places no ads of it’s own on there.
To create your blog, you’ll need a Google account – if you don’t have one go to: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount, then go to Blogger and follow the instructions to create your blog.
Hot Tip: When you’re setting up your blog, make sure you use your Target Keywords within your URL of your niche blog and in the Title and Description. VERY Important!)
Join Up!
To be really successful at blogging, you’ll need help and support from a community of like-minded people, regardless of what specific Internet business model you decide to operate. So, sign up to one of the many online business forums to support your success. Some you might consider include:
www.bloggerforum.com – Free
www.warriorforum.com/forum – Free
http://forums.digitalpoint.com – Free
www.forumknowhow.com – $ monthly
If you choose a topic with good traffic and spend some time learning about your chosen topic, promoting your blog and adding great content, you should have no problems getting traffic to your blogsite. Then it’s up to you how you monetize your visitors.
John Thornely
© John Thornely www.johnthornely.com 2008
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