The Art of Blogging Debunked

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TheArtOfBlogging Debunked
Wisdomof12'expertbloggers'combinedinoneeBook.
Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e
Introduction
Ejunkie.infoisablogaboutsmallbusiness,selfpublishingand eCommercewherewelovetofeaturecreativitycombinedwith technology.Eachdaywetrytodeliversomethingthatinspiresand helpssmallbusinessowners,particularlytheoneswhoaretryingto maketheirmarkonline. TheArtofBloggingDebunkedisaprojectinwhichmanyexperts havecontributedsomeoftheirbestarticlestobringyouthe knowledgeandskillsrequiredtobeasuccessfulblogger. BloggingisanintegralpartofeCommerce,andwestronglybelieve thateverybusinessownermustunderstandtheartofbloggingand itssoftbenefits.Notonlydoesabloghelpinconnectingwiththe customers,butalsoprovidesaplatformwhereonecanshare thoughts,ideas,futureprojectsandexperiences. Weinvitedsomeexpertandexperiencedbloggerstobeapartofthis eBookwiththehopethat'TheArtofBloggingDebunkedwillhelp aspiringbloggersgrowandflourishinthebloggingworld.Wehope andwishthattheseinsights,tips,ideasandexamplesmakeyouan expertbloggeraswell.
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TableOfContents
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.
TheCharlesDarwinGuideT o Blog g ing WhyShouldSmallBusinessOwnersBlog? 50TipsForBloggersWhoWorkFromHo m e SteakOrPeanutButterHowToLandAuthorityBlog s 5SurprisinglySimpleKeysToGeneratingUnlimitedBlogPostIdeas HowToMakeYourBlogPayTheBills WhyShouldSmallBusinessOwnersInvestInBlogging 5WaysToMakeMoneyFromYourBlog HowISoldABlogFor$20,000In8Months 4WaysToPromoteYourBlogWithTwitter
47 812 1317 1821 2225 2630 3133 3436 3750 5155
HowToGetYourBlogReadyForAneProductLaunchWithTheHelp 5660 OfAVirtualAssistant ! DoesYourBusinessBlogAvoidThese10CommonMistakes? HowToKillYourselfBlogging (AndHowNotTo...!)RealityCheck Time BloggerVs.Wordpress HowToCreateAFreeeBook? WhyGuruStrategiesForBlogGrowthDON'TWORK...AndWhat Does! HowIWentFrom0To1012BlogSubscribersin101Days IamABusinessManFirst,ABloggerSecondBut,WaitForIt... ThankYouNote 6163 6467 6874 7579 8089 9097 9899 100
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TheCharlesDarwinGuideToBlogging
Whats the connection between Charles Darwins theory of evolution and blogging? If you think about it, evolution in physical worlds and digital spaces share many common features. Whats interesting for those of us who blog to generate income, attract clients, and build our business, is to see how we can anticipate these trends and capitalize on them. Lets take a look. Evolution of Blogging: Phase 1 I started with GeoCities.com. When working on a vineyard in the 90s, I stumbled upon this thing called the internet, setup my AOL account (which was very cool in those days), and like most college grads looked for ways to make a few more bucks. GeoCities.com was where all links seems to converge, so I setup my first blog there. Remember, at this point there was no Wordpress (for publishing), no Flickr (for images), or Facebook (for connecting with others.) Email ruled in those days.
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Evolution of Blogging: Phase 2 When you dialed up in those days you even heard the server ring when dialing you entered a world very different than today. The speed was turtle slow, quality poor, and phone lines keep dropping. At that stages, blogging was characterized by:
Text only pages websites were text only as the bandwidth to support images wasnt there. In addition the tools to code pages were still in development, which meant that only techies were able to markup HTML code. Images file size limitations meant images (when bandwidth improved) were small and often low quality Clipart. It looked cool then but slightly tacky when we look back. Blogging Tools later we used HTML editors such as Microsoft FrontPage to lovingly code H2, OL and DIV tags. And, of course, we learnt JavaScript, Perl and PHP as you needed these to spruce up your webpages. Blogging Sites As tools improved (especially Blogspot), the ability to blog (i.e. without needing coding skills) arose and the floodgates for ordinary people opened. Interactivity this allowed us to, hold your breath, leave comments and connect with others. This was the first step from static webpages to dynamic sites that we know today. Community to capitalize on this we started to engage with others, respond to threaded comments, send email newsletters, use crude personalization techniques (Hi, <FirstName>), and build micro communities. Mobile high-speed bandwidth allowed more advanced interactions with video, sounds, and rich imagery becoming the norm rather than the exception. At the same time, sites like Flickr and YouTube arose which gave us more content to share. 5 www.e-junkie.info
Evolution of Blogging: Phase 3
The difference between blogging - as we understand it today - and how it will manifest in the future may express itself in a few ways, for instance:
Acceptance blogging is now respectable. Journalists from the most prestigious newspaper and magazines now have blogs and embrace the dynamic nature of micro communications, such as Twitter. Universities also offer courses in blogging, which proves that its gone mainstream. Education our 10 year old runs several blogs. Not only does he monetize his site with Google Ads but switched from Blogspot to Wordpress as it offered him a better toolset. Platforms while Blogspot, Wordpress, Typepad and other blogging platforms dominate text blogging, other sites have started to offer video blogging (Vimeo) and photo blogging (Tumblr). Infrastructure underlying all this is a faster, stronger network that gives us greater bandwidth for a better price. Evolution of Blogging: Phase 4
This brings us full circle. How will we blog in five, ten, or twenty years?
Web TV the gradual migration from broadcast media, such as TV, to dynamic streaming media will lead to the merging of TV and Internet technologies. See Apple TV as an example. Another example is the popularity of reality TV shows, which are ideally suited for the web. No scripting, few edits, and low maintenance. Real Time the shift towards real time data will allow us to share richer information, such as video as it happens. Think Twitter with video and you get the idea. This also leads to issues such as tagging and indexing information generates in such high volumes and at such high 6 www.e-junkie.info
speed. Geo location one of the limitations of the current internet is that its difficult to get specific information about a person, business, or service by location. We currently tag data and use others tools to identify locations but as we move to data transmission via satellite (rather than over land/cables), well be able to track, record and interact other others based on their exact location. Personalization the holy grail of many CRM applications, more accurate personalization technologies will arise, suggesting sites for us to read, books to buy, movies to watch with much greater accuracy than current attempts. Personalization will also allow us to exclude others from our personal internet as privacy issues become a real issue. Life Streaming this means that we'll be able to coordinate all aspects of our digital life, including video, audio, photos, text, as well as clippings, notes, tasks, and events. Trans Human in plain English, this relates to the convergence of technology and human biology. Researchers are now embedding technologies, such as cameras and sensors into test subjects (i.e. college students), to see if they can use the host (person) to transmit and receive data. Once these technologies are refined, then humans can become walking satellite masts broadcasting data throughout the day. Conclusion The final point is whether blogging will continue to evolve or die out. My take is that weve reached saturation point with personal blogs and the novelty is wearing off. Its too much effort and the rewards may be elsewhere. Instead, well move to more inclusive social networks where we can interact with our inner circle and close the door on the outside world. And it makes sense as we need to protect our privacy and also shine the light on those that deserve our real attention.
About the Author: Ivan Walsh is the editor of the Internet Business Plan. Catch up with him at http://www/ivanwalsh.com. 7 www.e-junkie.info
WhyShouldSmallBusinessOwnersBlog?
Small business owners should blog...don't you think? Do you own a blog? And if you do, why do you update it? Is it out of a sense of responsibility, in the same way as you brush your teeth religiously every day, or do the ironing? Or do you do it reluctantly, knowing that it helps to bring customers to your site? Whatever your reason, whether its for a genuine passion or simply a sense of obligation, most small business owners blog every week without fail in an effort to keep our sites current and our copy fresh. Some people take to blogging as if its second nature, and thoroughly enjoy the routine of coming up with new ideas for articles and posting them up.
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This enthusiasm comes across in each post, as the writer lovingly crafts humorous, informative and generally passionate articles that draw us in and make us want to revisit the site again and again to catch up with the latest posts. Other people however view blogging more as a form of torture designed to cripple small business owners with a sense of obligation and responsibility. The blog sits in the background of their marketing strategy, clamoring for attention and demanding to be updated like a hungry dog waiting for its daily walk. Whichever way you view your blog, sometimes it can be important to think back on why you are actually blogging and keeping it up-to-date. The good news is, blogging is rarely fruitless, so each post you publish brings you closer to your customers and makes your business more viable from a marketing perspective. If your enthusiasm is flagging right now for your attention-hungry blog, check out the reasons why its worth keeping it updated Blogging alleviates the isolation of being a home worker If youve gone from working in a busy office to working from home as the owner of your own company, one of the main issues you may encounter is a sense of isolation. Its a huge difference to step across to the office from the bedroom each morning, instead of joining a busy and vibrant office environment. Blogging acts as a kind of virtual meeting room, inviting comments and allowing you a great platform for expressing yourself. It opens up new relationship possibilities, and enables you to forge industry relationships which let you Skype, e-mail and instant message your way through the working day. Running a blog lets you stay at the forefront of your industry Few marketing platforms enable you to stay in touch with your industry as well as the humble blog. By writing about your niche market, you will open up communication channels to other experts in the 9 www.e-junkie.info
field, allowing you to engage in healthy knowledge sharing, ideas for product development and the latest news about your particular products and services. Pinging ideas off other people helps you to develop your own thinking, through the constructive input of those who share your enthusiasm for your field of interest. Its a great way of promoting your products and services When you blog about your industry, you automatically make reference to your own work, and the products which you provide to your customers. This is a natural way of showcasing your services to people, without the hard sell associated with other traditional marketing methods. The person who writes with natural passion about the industry which they are thriving in can write with an honesty, integrity and true enthusiasm which engages customers almost without realizing, persuading them to share your passion. Enthusiastic business owners can spark interest among their customers by their very enthusiasm, enabling them to sell with integrity. It helps you to cement your brand online Having a strong online presence supports small business owners in getting their business voice out there to their customers. It provides a supportive and public environment where customers can get a feel for the brand values, ethos and method of operating of the person they will be buying from. A blog enables your readers to get to know your personal voice, or the voice you choose to represent your business, in the same way as old-fashioned shopkeepers used to get to know their customers through daily visits and conversation. Once you build up a strong rapport with your readers, it will cultivate trust and mutual understanding, making you their first port of call when they are looking for products online.
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Blogging makes you confident as a business communicator Do you remember the first time you drafted a blog article and hit the publish button? You were probably worried, full of self-doubt and wondering how you would ever find the confidence to be an authoritative blogger. Over time, however, you tend to find your own unique voice and way of expressing things, and writing blog articles becomes second nature. This regular activity helps you to form a strong business and identity and sense of who you are, and writing about your chosen niche will instill you with a sense of confidence as you publish your posts. Getting positive feedback, seeing the results of your work being appreciated, and building up a great readership will all work together to make you feel confident in what you are doing. Bench-marking is suddenly easier than it has ever been before In the days before blogging, we had few ways of really measuring our marketing prowess and effectiveness, other than through the generation of profit. With a blog, suddenly everything you need to know about your potential customer base is documented, tracked and presented in easy-to-understand ways. You know how many visitors you have, you can collate lists of addresses for further marketing, and you have a visible and tangible demonstration of what people are looking for, and whether your site is providing it for them. Through analysis of your statistics and metrics, you can go on to plan further marketing tactics, knowing what works and what doesn't.
You can pre-empt your customers needs Blogging gets you in front of your customers, but it also gets them in front of you. A two-way dialogue with the people who will be buying from you will help you to understand what your customers are looking for, enabling you to solicit feedback through polls and comments. In this way, your blog will help you by acting as a sounding board for new ideas, and help you stay ahead of your competitors. So whats your view? Small business owners - should they blog? Why do you blog? Oreven more importantlywhy DONT you blog?
About the Author: Andrew Rondeau is a blogging enthusiast and helps small business owners get the most from their blogging efforts. Catch up with him at http://www.webuildyourblog.com/.
50TipsForBloggersWhoWorkFromHome
Many people could benefit from some simple tips to improve their life, but those people who blog or work from home face special challenges. From ways to succeed at work to how to relax, here are fifty tips to help turn your life around. 1. Create a healthy working environment. Long periods of typing in the wrong position can lead to repetitive strain injuries, headaches and other ongoing afflictions. A good desk and chair at the right height is essential. 2. Distractions cost you time, keep the TV off when writing. 3. Separate home and writing by not writing in a place where most of your daily activities occur. This can help you get into the right frame of mind to write. 4. Dont be afraid to have an office full of toys if you have kids at home. They will need to be happy and occupied for you to have a chance to write. 5. Some noise and distractions cant be avoided. Music or white noise can help to block them out. 6. Music affects your mood so careful choices are essential. Motivational music is helpful but soothing music may lull you to sleep or break your concentration. 13 www.e-junkie.info
7. Working from home removes one way of making contact with others. Make the needed effort to replace that by taking up a hobby. 8. Dont let your day be an endless snack break. Being home keeps you close to your pantry-temptation is close at hand. Eat only at set times. 9. Keep healthy snacks on hand for when you give in to temptation. 10. Take proper meal breaks, away from the computer rather than grazing all day. A real meal is more satisfying and less likely to encourage further snacking. 11. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, eat a healthy, hearty meal, and dont skip it. 12. Build in exercise periods to your week. Being at home may reduce your physical activity and so when combined with the risk to snack more, increases the chances of gaining weight. 13. Exercise can help you feel good by releasing endorphins and also help you concentrate. Make use of this to perk you up. 14. Learn to relax, and practice meditation if it helps. 15. Keeping work and home separate can help relaxation, as few people can relax at work. 16. Take note of when you are happy and why. These moments can be used as a focus for meditation and thoughtful relaxation, and once you know what makes you happy you can try to recreate those times more often. 17. Make a dedicated relaxation nook in your home. Soft lighting and furnishing, a few growing plants and your favorite books or music may help you unwind. 18. Dont let clutter take over-have a clear out. Clutter causes stress and more work keeping things tidy. 19. Make time to be with friends and family, and keep up with their news and good fortunes. 20. Talk about things that are bothering you, be they work or personal. Solutions may be found, but if nothing else friends support friends. 21. Avoid jealousy when things are going well for others-this negative emotion can lead to more negativity. 22. Try to see the world through the eyes of a child. Their joy and love of life is contagious. 14 www.e-junkie.info
23. Learn from the wisdom of older people-listen patiently when they recount stories of their youth, as they may have a lot they can teach you. 24. Put time aside each day for time outside. The break from routine is refreshing, as is the fresh air. Take time to appreciate nature. 25. If something causes you stress try to let it go. When stress becomes the focus of your day then it is hard to get anything else done. 26. Learn something new every day to help keep your mind sharp. 27. Being your own boss is hard work when you are used to having someone tell you what to do. Set goals and aim to meet them on time. 28. Work hard to achieve goals-not meeting them can cause further delays in other work later in the week and can make it increasingly hard to get back on top. It also makes you feel bad. 29. Make your goals small and achievable at steps along a large project-too large a goal to handle can lead to failure, especially when it is hard to estimate the needed time. Reaching these goes makes you feel good. 30. Set goals for your life achievement as well as your work. Aim to fix up your home, lose weight, or whatever else is bothering you. 31. Be realistic. Aiming to rule the world within two years is destined to failure, and more negative feelings. 32. Set new goals when previous ones have been reached. Never leave yourself without the motivation of achievable goals. 33. Thought should precede action. Ill thought out action has a greater chance of failing or going wrong. 34. If something goes wrong with either your personal or work life, try to fix it before you go to sleep. Not doing so can spoil your sleep and prolong ill feeling. 35. Dont dwell on your failures, now or in the past. Chances are you wont remember them a few years from now. 36. When the day is over reflect on your achievements that day, and try to forget the rest. 15 www.e-junkie.info
37. Follow through on things that need to be done. Dont put something aside with promises to yourself that you will do it later, because chances are you wont. If it needs doing, do it now. 38. Money isnt everything, and there are times when you have to cut back on the work that you do for your own personal good. After all what is the point in working 24/7 if you have no time to enjoy it? 39. Supporting your family involves more than just making money. Be there for their emotional needs as well, and spend time with them so that you know what is going on in their life. 40. Work isnt life. Make time for fun and things that you enjoy, even if that is just a bubble bath. 41. Make work fun! If a visit to the zoo, or a wildlife reserve can be incorporated into what you do it can ease the stress and avoid monotony. 42. Learn when to walk away and take a break. Theres plenty that needs doing in the house if you want to change task, but dont sit at the desk and idle. If your concentration is broken, learn when to walk away to refresh, so you can come back renewed. 43. Where you can, make changes to eliminate the things in your life that make you unhappy. 44. Learn to accept that there are things you cannot change and make peace with them. Dont let them be a focus of your day. 45. Being optimistic helps you see the best in people and get the best from life. On the other hand people who expect bad things to happen normally find a way to make it so. 46. Find time for laughter. Read a joke a day to keep your mood up, and smile more. 47. Believe in yourself and your own future success. 48. Dont listen to doubters if they tell you that you cannot do something-you are in control of your life. 49. Establish a good routine and keep to it so that you know when you are working and so that you dont run out of time, and when you can relax. 50. Dont stay in your pajamas all day unless you are able to work well that relaxed. Getting dressed may help you find the right mindset for working.
About the Author: Andrew Rondeau is a blogging enthusiast and helps small business owners get the most from their blogging efforts. Catch up with him at http://www.webuildyourblog.com/.
SteakorPeanutButterHowToLandAuthorityBlogs
Over the last three and a half months, Ive had guest posts accepted to 14 blogs, including Problogger, Copyblogger, The Sales Lion, and Clever Marketer. Did that bring traffic back to my site? You bet. In this post, Im going to teach you how you can do the same. It really isnt that hard, and guest posting can be a cornerstone of an effective strategy for growing a blog or website. Im going to show you how to figure out who to approach, and exactly what to say to them so that they will be happy to run your post (to-date, Ive had a grand total of 1 rejection). But first, you need to learn how to answer this question: If you want to impress someone, should you offer them steak, or peanut butter? Steak or peanut butter? Really? Yep. If you understand how to answer this question, then you will be able to get guest posts on authority blogs. I know it seems like a stretch, but bear with me. 18 www.e-junkie.info
The obvious answer is steak, right? I mean, seriously If someone is coming over for dinner and you really want to impress them, then youre not going to serve them plain old peanut butter, right? Youre going to get the best cut of filet mignon that you can find, and get it cooked just right for your guest. But wait what if the guest is vegetarian? Or five years old? Hmmm that changes things, doesnt it? Vegetarians wont appreciate even the highest quality steak, and children are likely to prefer a simple peanut butter sandwich. The lesson here, of course, is that taste varies from person to person, and in order to know what you should serve them, you first need to know what they like. Thats the big secret if you understand what people want, its easy to give it to them, and if you give them what they want, then theres no reason for them not to take it. Okay, lets talk about the nuts and bolts Who to approach? Remember that all traffic is not created equal just because an authority blog gets tons of traffic and comments doesnt mean that it will do much for your blog to post there. You want to post on blogs whose visitors will be interested in what you have to offer, and will be likely to stick around on your site after their first exposure. Heres how to find the blogs that you should target. Start by thinking about who your readers are get a clear picture of them in your mind, so that you know who youre talking to. Next, make a list of the different things that your readers are interested in not just what you do, but other things, too. For example, people who are interested in small business marketing are usually also interested in personal finance and online payment processing. Now, for each of these areas of interest, make a list of the top blogs in that space. If you need help, try Googling the search terms, or using Alltop.com. This list is the list of blogs that you should be pitching (for the technique on how to do this from the Master who taught me, check out Jon Morrow's Guestblogging course. 19 www.e-junkie.info
What to say? This is where the steak or peanut butter comes in you have to know what they want before you send them an email. Too many emails asking for a guest posting opportunity look something like this: Hi Blogger, I am Mark John from MyBlog.com. I really love your big blog since you have a big audience and it has been my dream to get featured on so many big blogs so that I can get a lot of traffic. I have attached my guest post to this email and I hope your blog sends me a lot of traffic from it. Best Regards, Mark John (This hilarious example is borrowed from How To Use Guest Blogging To Grow Your Blog on YoungPrePro.com, which you should click through and read.) Its no surprise that an email like this doesnt work, is it?! Heres the email template that I use, which works a whole lot better: SUBJECT: Guest Posting on [BLOG NAME] Hi [BLOGGER'S NAME], I only recently discovered your blog, but as you know, I really like your stuff! [ALTERNATIVELY, I'VE BEEN READING FOR A WHILE, ETC.] I've been thinking about writing a post about [SUBJECT], and it occurred to me that it would be a great fit for your audience. Here are a couple of ideas for the headline (which can be changed, of course): [HEADLINE IDEAS]
To get a sense of my writing, you can check out [MY BLOG], or [MY MOST SUCCESSFUL POST, IDEALLY A GUEST POST] it got [HOW MANY COMMENTS, SHARES, TWEETS, ETC.]. What do you think? Shall I write up a draft? [SIGNATURE INFORMATION] The key to making this work is reading through the blog, finding a subject that you know will interest the audience, and a headline that will grab their readers attention. Make sure to search their site for posts covering your subject, to make sure you arent pitching them an idea theyre already used, and check out their Popular Posts section to find the sort of headlines that have performed well for them in the past. What do you think? Its really not as hard as people think it is. As long as you offer steak to the big blogs that like steak, and peanut butter to the big blogs that like peanut butter, theyre all going to be happy to publish your content.
About the Author: Danny Iny is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of Firepole Marketing, the definitive marketing training program for small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-marketers. Catch up with him at http://www.firepolemarketing.com/.
FiveSurprisinglySimpleKeystoGeneratingUnlimitedBlog PostIdeas
Coming up with new ideas for blog posts is easy if you're just getting started, but once youve been blogging for six or more months, you start running into walls. Big, scary walls. Thats when you need to begin thinking out of the box. Its not hard. In fact, its effortless when you know what to do. I've written thousands of articles during my lifetime and during that time I've developed a simple system for generating new ideas, even on topics you think youve written to death. 1. Brain Dump When we write, we tend to censor ourselves. We want our first draft to be perfect, so we try to be both the Writer and the Editor, which doesn't work at all. 22 www.e-junkie.info
If you really want to get deep down into your soul and find the nuggets you have to offer, I recommend you do a brain dump. Open up your word editor, pick a topic you want to explore, and start free writing. Keep writing, and don't stop. If you run out of stuff to write about, just repeat the last word you wrote until something pops up. Explore the topic fully and let your mind run wild. When you're done, you should have over one thousand words of mostly rambling, but you'll discover the occasional nugget in there. 2. Read Books Reading books is one of my favorite ways of generating original ideas. And by original, I am referring to ideas that haven't been covered to death already online. There tends to be an echo chamber effect online, especially among blogs in the same niche. By reading books, you get out of that, and stand out as someone who provides a fresh perspective. You could even read fiction and get great ideas for blog posts. 3. Explore New Angles What angles havent you covered yet? There are many different styles you can use when writing a blog post. Here are a few examples: The Personal Story Frequently Asked Questions The How-To
The Newsy Post The List Post Common Mistakes The What If The Myth Buster I'm sure you could come up with many more if you tried. The point I want to get across is that there are amazing different angles you can cover, and running out of ideas is not an excuse. 4. Scan Comments
Look at articles on the topic you're going to write about and take a peek at the comments. On popular blogs, you will sometimes, see hundreds of comments from people telling the author about what wasnt covered, what could have been covered better, and other vital nuggets you can use in your blog post. It is the people telling you what they want. Incorporate the wishes and wants in those comments into your next post. It will make your article more complete, which means it will get shared and linked to more. And it certainly doesn't hurt that it gives you tons of new blog post ideas. 5. Obsessive Note-Taking Keep a small notebook with you at all times to capture inspiration and ideas. If you're high-tech, you'll use your iPhone. The smallest thing can trigger an avalanche of post ideas. You could be sitting on a bench staring at a couple walking by with their dog and suddenly your brain goes click. We all get ideas, but very few of us capture them. If you want to use your inspiration, you have to be proactive, and you have to step out of the box. 24 www.e-junkie.info
About the Author: Henri Junttila provides insight on recognizing the real you and getting paid to do what you love. Author of Passionate Living, catch up with him at http://www.wakeupcloud.com/.
HowToMakeYourBlogPayTheBills
Are you a blogger? If so, youll know that blogging can be one of the most exciting rides. Well, ok its not quite as exciting white-water rafting. Actually, I once had a scary experience on a river. I was on a rafting trip down the Karamea, a dangerous river on the wild West Coast of New Zealand. Suddenly rain started to sheet down, and, within minutes, the water in the narrow gorge rose alarmingly. The raft bucked in the roiling rapids, and plunged down 5-meter drops [yikes!]. Finally, the raft flipped over - with me trapped underwater beneath it. Yep, that was definitely exciting. As a blogger, you also have to ride the rapids. You need to be alert to new developments and continually adapt to changing circumstances in order to keep afloat. Yes, blogging is a challenge. And it can be frustrating at times.
When you first start a blog, you write and write but nobody reads your stuff. I was so frustrated after writing my blog Goodlife ZEN for three months, that I subscribed my cat Sweetie just to have a third subscriber besides my son and my best friend. Ok, so the start can be sluggish. In fact, most bloggers give up within the first six months. The Internet is littered with dead blogs. Defunct bloggers say things like, I started too late. If Id only started a few years ago, I could have been successful. Yeah, right! Actually, theres a gold rush happening in the Blogosphere. Do you want to be part of it? But before we talk about the gold and where to find the stash, you need to make sure that your blog has what it takes. Write insanely useful content Whether anyone reads your stuff or not, the key strategy that will make your blog flourish is to create insanely useful content. Every post needs to be about your readers and their needs and not about you. This simple point is where 80% of all novice bloggers go wrong. How to build a strong foundation Lets fast forward a year or so from the birth of a bloglet. If youve learned how to create a blog that looks professional, write insanely useful content, and keep on promoting your blog, youll have gathered a fair number of subscribers after a year or so. In order to accelerate the growth of your blog, you may want to consider creating a product that you can give away to your readers in return for subscribing. Yes, I suggest that you create a report, video, nifty app or other product for, well, nothing, nada, nichts.
However, the effort you put into creating a free product actually pays dividends. It enables you to build a substantial subscriber base. Ok, so now youve got a solid foundation to work from. What now? Wheres the loot?
How to make your blog pay the bills Your blog is an untapped source of revenue. Here are three ways to dig out the hidden gold. 1. Create products (that your readers actually need and want) A great way to create some income is to create digital products for your readers. But they need to be something that your readers actually need! Before you lift a finger to create a product, take some time to reflect on how your planned product can improve the lives of your readers. Does it make their life easier? Does it solve a problem? Does it teach a valuable skill? 2. Create membership programs Membership programs rock! The key drivers that make people want to join membership programs are the desire to learn new skills, and the yearning to be part of a community. A membership program can fulfill these two basic desires. If you create a program that offers ongoing training and a lively, and supportive community, youll have a winner on your hands. I first created a membership program more-or-less by accident. Together with my business partner Leo Babauta (of Zen Habits fame), I ran our first A-List Blogging Bootcamp two years ago. When we came to the end of the virtual Bootcamp, I noticed that participants didnt want to leave. They loved being part of a lively and supportive community. So I said to Leo, Hey, lets start a paid membership program! I worked day and night for a whole weekend to find out how to set the darn thing up. Then we launched with 45 members. Today, two 28 www.e-junkie.info
years later, weve got nearly 900 member in the A-list Blogger Club. Its got a great vibe. A member recently wrote: You couldnt pay me to unsubscribe! Weve taught some of our more experienced Club members to create membership programs. For example, Jules Clancy - who runs a blog, called The Stonesoup - recently created a successful membership program on the back of her virtual cookery school. 3. Create paid content There is a new development in the Blogosphere. Bloggers are talking about offering paid premium content. Here's how the conversation is unfolding: Ryan Deiss recently killed his blog and now offers a paid email subscription instead. Internet entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuck predicted The Return Of Pay in a recent video. In a follow-up of his post Is Blogging Broken?, David Risley explains how he would charge for blog posts. Ok, these are only three voices in the great wilderness of the Blogosphere, but I know that some other big bloggers are considering a paid content strategy as well. One of the ideas is that some content-rich posts will be for sale for a small fee, whereas other posts will be available to the general public. Another idea is that people pay for an ongoing subscription to a private section of a blog which offers premium content. My prediction is that a new era of pay for content will be well established within a year. Whats behind the pay for content movement? The pay for content strategy has become a realistic opportunity through the advent of the iPhone and the iPad. The reason is simple: people have got used to spending small amounts of money online for apps. Its a small step from buying an app to spending 90 cents or so for a useful blog post.
If youre interested in knowing more about this new development, here are two more links. Video expert Dave Kaminski created a podcast, called Have A Wordpress Blog? Here's How To Charge For Premium Content. Also, you can check out a new Wordpress pluging, called Cleeng, which helps to sell access to selected blog posts for micro-payments of under 1$. So, is it too late to start blogging? No, its not too late. In fact, blogging is only just coming into its own. With the slow demise of traditional print media, the door is wide open for bloggers to take advantage of a new gap in the market place. We can each become publishers in our own right, be insanely useful to others,s and make a living whilst having fun with our blogs. About the Author: Mary Jaksch is Chief Editor of Write to Done. Together with Leo Babauta, she run A-List Blogging Bootcamps, and the A-List Blogger Club. Catch up with her at http://goodlifezen.com/.
WhyShouldSmallBusinessOwnersInvestInBlogging
Whenever I work with a client, one of the things that I am an advocate for is adding a blog to their website. Despite the fact many small business owners find themselves with such little amounts of time, there are tools that they can utilize to increase the amount of business they find coming their way. And one of those tools is a blog. The blog has evolved from a personal, online diary to a fully fledged marketing tool and method to gain a tremendous amount of business. The problem is that there is so much garbage information online to teach you how to blog that so many small business owners stay away from it. Let me explain to you why you want to have a blog and then itll help narrow down what kind of help you mightor maybe might notneed.
Direct Communication With Customers Believe it or not, if you have a blog or on your website, people are going to read it. Theyll see that it says blog somewhere on your navigation and instinct tells them to read it. The reason for this is rather simple: it is direct communication with the owner. 31 www.e-junkie.info
However, on the flip side of the coin, a small business owner can use their blog as a means of communicating with their customers. Lets say you want to release a new product. You might talk about it on your blog and get feedback from the customers. Who better than the people you want to sell to providing you with insight into what they want? If they are posting comments on your blog, it means you are getting to know what their wants and needs are. The other reason is because you can respond to complaints better. Lets say you get an e-mail complaining about something. You can answer the e-mail, but you can also answer the complaint in a blog post. This shows transparency which many customers love, but it also might help a future customer before they come complaining. That saves you time in the long run.
It Brings New Customers
Its hard to get someone to pass your product page around. Its hard to get someone to say Hey, check out this business. However, if you wrote a really helpful article, customers are more likely to pass that around. It goes back to the theory that people help those who help them. So, if you have helped a customer with a problem of theirswith a great blog post or a great producttheyre more likely to mention you. But, since you dont just want customers helping you, but even non-customers, you have the blog to provide information to the non-customers who will then pass it on to other people. Those other people might turn into customers. Or, some of them might never be customers, but they, too, will send that information on to other people. Sooner or later, youll begin gaining more customers which, in my eyes, is always a great thing.
Google Loves It
I am a full time SEO as a profession. I wake up, go into Manhattan and do SEO for eight hours a day,
and then come home to my own network of websites. Because of that, I try and find the SEO value in everything that I do. And owning a blog provides a tremendous amount of SEO value. And heres why Its a constant stream of unique, new content that is being published. Since Google loves new, unique content, they almost immediately index the content. That means that more people are already coming to your site to find you because youre ranking for random keywords you didnt know about. Once they are at your blog, then its so much easier to direct them through deep links to the product pages that you want them to buy from. Therefore, you utilize the blog as a method of bringing search engine traffic in to your blog. One of the hardest types of web pages to optimize is an e-commerce site. The reason is because there are so many product pages that dont always have a ton of great, unique content on thema hint is to add a review section which Google loves. By adding your blog to it, suddenly youve got unique content to make the site look stronger.
Conclusion
There are a ton of reasons to blog as a small business owner. However, if you really had to pick the top three, Id say the communication, new customers, and that Google loves them. On my own blog, I find that stories are indexed in an hour and sometimes, even less. If that story is already bringing traffic to me, I can totally see why it helps to have it. You dont need to optimize your site like crazy or even do that much with it. But, if you use it as a tool to get your word out, youll find that your business will begin to gain a following. Visitors seem to love blogs. I think it has something to do with giving them a place to get their voice heard. And, as business owners, dont we want to know what our customers want?
About the Author: Jacob talks about a wide slew of topic pertaining to bloggers. Catch up with him at http://www.blogrevolter.com/. 33 www.e-junkie.info
5WaysToMakeMoneyFromYourBlog
There are a few ways to look at making a blog. You can think of it as just a hobby, you can write one to get in contact with other people online and make friends in the online community or you can look at it as a way of making extra money. I personally believe however that all three of these goals should be aimed for when you are building a blog. You should have fun when writing your blog but its also fair that you should get something back for all the hard work and effort you put in for your readers so here are a few ways that you can make that bit of extra cash.
Adsense Adsense for those of you who havent heard of it before is an advertising network run by Google and is probably the easiest way you are going to find to make money from your site (although not necessarily the most profitable!). The way it generates you income is you put a series of adverts from Adsense on your site and when people click on those adverts you make a few pennies or a few pounds depending on the types of adverts you are running. The adverts come in all different shapes and sizes and they are automatically matched to your sites content so once they are there you can simply set and forget.
Affiliate Sales This is the process of adding adverts for other peoples products on your site and if people click on those adverts and then go on to buy the product from that link then you make a commission on the sale. The best tactic for this is to sell products that you personally would pay money for yourself and also ones that match your blog readers' needs. The most popular places you can go to sell affiliate products are Clickbank for digital products and Amazon Affiliates for more tangible products.
Selling Private Advertising Space This monetization method is pretty much exactly what it says on the tin, you sell space on your blog to other webmasters and they get that space to advertise in for however long they buy it for. This can be done by advertising on your own blog for other web masters or you can do it through third parties like BuySellAds. The problem with this is that they will take a commission out of every sale but your advertising space will be shown to a wider audience. You can decide when to start asking for advertising but be warned that advertisers are looking for the best out of their money so they will generally only go for blogs with a high amount of traffic.
Paid Reviews Another service that you could offer on your blog is doing paid reviews for people's products. You can write the reviews for the people and they pay you or you could simply put up the article that they have written for you. Some bloggers get worried about this kind of thing because they believe that it will detract from the quality of their blog. The thing is though you get to choose what articles go up on your blog and if you dont like it or think its to spammy then you simply dont place the article on your site.
Create Your Own Products Creating your own products and then selling them through your blog is a great way to earn money because hopefully you have a loyal reader base that trusts your judgment and if they see that you have created something then they will take note. Again though this is a project for someone who already has an established blog because you need that loyal fan base who will be interested in such products. If you have that fan base however then you can advertise to them as much as you like on your blog or through your mailing list and you get to keep all of the products. About the Author: John Burnside blogs about making money online as well as blogging hits and tips. Catch up with him at http://www.moneyin15minutes.co.uk/.
HowISoldABlogFor$20,000in8months
In my first year of University I sold a blog for $20,000 USD after only eight months. It was then that I realized that making money online was something I really wanted to give a shot. Since that time I have sold several other blogs for similar price tags. In this post I am going to show you what I did in those eight months and how you can create a blog that someone might just want to pay big money for. I am going to divide this post into three sections: 1. The pre-blogging stage 2. Building a blog worth some money 3. Selling your blog Nothing in this post is particularly insightful or new, if you know where to look. What I wanted to do though was write a post that lays out the whole process so that everything is in one place and you can continue to come back and reference it as you move forward.
The pre-blogging stage

This section is about all those little things you need to do before you start your $20,000 blog. If you already own and run a blog then you should still read it and just see if you think it is worthwhile continuing with your current project or perhaps starting something new. Most of the time you will be able to keep doing what you are doing by just making a few little tweaks. 37 www.e-junkie.info
1. Write a blog you believe in, or pay the price
One of the things all the pros tell you is that you need to do something you love. I know how tacky it sounds. Every time I read it I die a little bit inside. But, to be honest, it is actually a really important thing to think about both from a self fulfillment point of view and a profit point of view. Heres why. Firstly, if you spend eight months working on something you dont believe in or something that disagrees with your personal morals then you are going to end up hating yourself for wasting that precious time. Unless you really believe in the project then dont even bother doing it because you will end up with lots of regrets later on. I, for example, would never do anything in the adult industry because I dont believe it has a good impact on society. Secondly, if you dont enjoy working, writing and building the blog you will lose interest after about a month. Glen from Viper Chill talks about this a lot. The initial excitement of making a bucket load of cash wears out really fast, especially if it doesnt go as fast as you anticipated. If you dont enjoy writing those posts you will pay the price from a profit point of view.
2. Pick a niche with depth The next thing you need to do is pick a niche, but make sure it has depth. You need some room to move and grow and expand. If you pick something too narrow you will find your readership doesnt expand despite all your hard work. If you pick something too broad you will find it is far too hard to compete with the existing sites. Let me give you an example. Lets say you really want to do a blog about content or copy or sales writing. It would be very hard to compete with Brian Clark of Copyblogger.com as he is largely considered the authority blog on this niche. But if you had some experience with offline sales copy you might want to write a blog that is more focused on that sign writing, brochures, TV ads, etc. You have a niche but it is not too big or too small.
3. Dont worry about dominating the niche When I first started trying to make money from blogs I wanted to have the biggest and the best blog on that particular topic. I was frustrated if I was ranking number four or five on Google instead of number one. But after time I realized something. You dont need to dominate the niche entirely to make money. Sure, being number one is amazing but it isnt a requirement. The internet is big enough for you to still be successful without being the dominating website in your niche. Remember that.
4. Have an idea about how to monetize the blog Before you start this journey you want to have some idea about how it is going to make money. Why? Because people are only going to buy your blog if it is profitable. It doesnt matter how much traffic you get, how many great articles you have, etc. unless you make a good profit. I have seen some amazing blogs for sale that get tonnes of traffic and have some really good subscriber levels but buyers just arent interested in them unless they can see a way to turn a profit without much effort.
5. Choose a good domain name and brand the blog well In this post on choosing a domain name I talked a bit about how to choose the right domain name for your branding. This is SUPER important when trying to sell a blog as people are essentially going to be buying your brand equity your reputation. The blogs that do really well are the ones that get a lot of traffic, make money but also the ones that people know about. Make sure you differentiate yourself from the competition in both your look, feel but also the content your produce. It is something you cannot ignore.
6. Set up your blog on WordPress If you want to sell your blog for $20,000 you need to be on WordPress. Why? Because it is a bloggers dream. It lets you add hundreds of different free plugins that change the way your site works, it is perfectly optimizable for Google and allows you to post articles with ease. I really am a little bit obsessed with it. If you dont use WordPress to publish your blog then you are not giving yourself the 39 www.e-junkie.info
best advantage. I will be writing a lot more about how to use WordPress to your advantage so make sure you subscribe to the feed.
Building a blog worth some money

Now I want to go into the stage where you actually have a blog and are trying to gear it towards a sale in a few months. I want to go through all the things I did (and do) in order to give it the best possible chance of selling.
1. Produce a lot of valuable content The most important thing you need to do is produce content that is valuable. And you need a lot of it. The whole purpose of a blog is to help users in some way so unless your content is doing that you are going to fall short. So what does valuable content mean? Well that is what you have to figure out for your particular site. Sometimes valuable means having a lot of articles that touch on a lot of different keywords and as such bring in large volumes of traffic that click ads. Other blogs get better results by getting subscribers to sign up and then selling them affiliate products over time. I have had websites that work both ways it depends largely on the niche and the way you structure and run your site. Figure out what will make your content valuable and produce it accordingly. Keep tweaking it over time as you may find that it takes a while to get into the right rhythm.
2. Have a clear call to action based around that content
In marketing we have a thing called a call to action which basically means that you encourage your visitors to do something. Once you have figured out what type of valuable content you are producing you need to figure out your call to action based around that content. Let me give you an example. 40 www.e-junkie.info
Lets say you have a blog about the latest BP oil spill disaster. You might be producing content that is all about keeping people up to date with the developments of the leak essentially a news site. In that case you might find that the best call to action is one where you ask people to subscribe to get the latest news on the progress. You know people are interested in what is happening now (otherwise they wouldnt be on your site) so then it follows that they will be interested in future updates. Work with that.
3. Make it super easy to subscribe, comment and navigate your blog Your blogs content is what brings visitors to your site. The last thing you want is a crappy design sending them away. It is critically important that you have all the design elements in place so people can easily subscribe to your feeds, leave comments and navigate around all the different sections. Not doing so could cost you money. Imagine you write a three part series on how to look after your heart. Now imagine it gets Dugg and Stumbled and starts to go viral. Thousands of people get sent to a post in that three part series. But what if you failed to show people how to navigate to the other parts in that series? You would lose a lot of readers on that initial page. That is a navigation issue something that happens all the time. Your design has to work with your content to get more page views, better interaction and more subscribers. Take a look at Darren Rowses multi-million dollar digital photography school blog everything about the design makes you want to look further, explore different categories or buy a product from one of his affiliate links. None of it is an accident.
4. Interact with every single comment, email or forum thread I once sent Darren Rowse an email telling him that I was having problems leaving a comment on his site. I told him not to worry about it too much as it was obviously working fine for everyone else. He replied in about ten minutes telling me that every single one of his readers were important to him and 41 www.e-junkie.info
then tried to problem solve the issue with me. Instant fan for life. You need to make your blog more than just a soap box platform and more like a discussion over coffee with mates. Talk to your readers in the comments, answer emails and take the time to make it feel like you care and you are available. Why? Because one loyal reader that returns each time you post something new is far more valuable than 100 visitors who dont interact in any way. And you have to recognize that people become loyal to other people, not to random websites.
5. Install Google Analytics on day one One thing I will talk more about later is the fact that all potential buyers who are serious about the transaction will want to look at your statistics. If you only have a few months on record then you will almost always lose the sale. This is a mistake I have actually made more than once. I get so caught up in just pumping out content that I forget to install the statistics. Here is why that is stupid. Firstly, you need to constantly monitor your statistics to see what content, keywords and design elements are working on your website. If your bounce rate is 95% you need to start to figure out why. If 80% of your Adsense income is coming from just two successful posts dont you think it would be a good idea to know which ones they were and optimize the crap out of them? Secondly, if you cant prove all of the statistic claims you make in your sale period then you wont get a buyer. You need to have physical proof that you get a certain amount of views, rankings, clicks, etc. Syncing your blog with Adsense and Analytics is the best way to do this. Make sure you do it today if you havent already.
6. Spend 20% of your working time on other websites This is an extremely important point. Please read it carefully. If you have 10 hours a week to work on this blog you need to spend two of those hours on other websites leaving comments, writing guest posts and interacting in a meaningful way. This might seem like a lot but, in actual fact, it is free advertising that gets you more readers, better rankings on Google and a bigger profile in the industry you are in. 42 www.e-junkie.info
How to comment properly Make a folder in your bookmarks called Comment Blogs and every time you find a website in your niche bookmark it for later. Each week you should visit all those websites and leave a comment or two on their latest posts or popular posts with a related link in the URL section. Make the comment useful and helpful and always related to the content of the article. In a few weeks I will show you how to find hundreds of relevant posts to leave your helpful comments. Make sure you sign up with Gravatar with an image that will represent you for years to come. You want people to instantly recognize the logo or picture and associate it with great comments and a good knowledge base.
How to guest post properly The best guest posts are the ones you write an have to sit and think about whether you actually want to post it on your own website because it is so damn good. Find the top guys in your niche and email them casually about some unrelated topic. Perhaps chat to them on Twitter for a few weeks in a cool and friendly way so you can build a rapport. Finally, when you have an amazing post written, send them your idea and a bit of an excerpt. Nine times out of ten youll get the gig. Make sure your bio line in that guest post is very catchy and draws people over to your website. And make sure the links you include have a good anchor text with relevant SEO keywords. I have seen my rankings for particular phrases skyrocket after doing guest posts with good links on a top website. Dont muck it up.
None of this should have the feel of spam. You are a real person interacting on other real peoples websites. Make sure you are adding something nice that represents your own website in a good way.
7. Plan your articles around keywords and topics and then people You will often hear the big boys talk about writing for people, not search engines. And while that is a very good rule that you should abide by, it doesnt mean that you shouldnt spend a good deal of time making sure the topics you write about are keyword focused. You see, writing articles for Google is, in a way, writing for humans because Google build their search engine to help people find what they want. What Im trying to say is you cant do one or the other you have to make sure your articles are written for both. Heres what you need to do. Brain storm a whole bunch of topics in your niche and then get online and start researching keywords. You need to come up with a whole bunch of main keywords. You then need to come up with a dozen long tail keywords for each of your main keywords. Once you have done that, you need to turn them into interesting questions/post ideas that appeal to real readers. For example, you might run a blog about cooking. Your main keyword might be potato curry and your long tail might be recipe. You then have to create interesting articles around those two like Are Potato Curry Recipes Bad for Your Health? and How to Cook a Potato Curry Recipe in Five Minutes.
8. Develop social media accounts and leverage connections A big part of building a successful blog is building successful social media accounts. Why? Because you can then use these accounts to promote your website and drive more traffic and better interaction. It is also a big plus when it comes to sale time buyers love to see that you have Twitter and Facebook accounts with certain amounts of followers. Twitter Sign up for an account under your real name if it fits with your blogs strategy and then create a background image that sells your blog. Darren Rowse does it perfectly here. You should start by finding people in your niche and following them and some of their followers. Make sure all the people you engage are relevant to your blog. Tweet on a daily basis and reply to questions and interact with topics. Post any new article you produce on Twitter and occasionally ask for a re tweet. Again, if you provide value you will get a good response. 44 www.e-junkie.info
Make sure you install the Re Tweet plugin on your blog to make it easy for people to Tweet. Facebook Facebook is becoming bigger and bigger in the blogging world as they make changes like adding a like button instead of share this. You can also now use FBML to change the look of your Fan Page to make it more unique and branded. Create a Fan Page, not a group, and develop a high res sidebar image that takes up all of the available 180px x 540px. Make sure your sidebar text has a call to action and feel free to add a fancy splash page using the FBML extension. Dont spam Facebook. Dont use it as much as Twitter. You should think of it as more of a reminder that your website exists as opposed to a conversational tool like Twitter. Keep it simple by asking relevant questions about interesting topics. You should also be on Stumble and Digg and all the others and make sure that you use them regularly. These things dont really pay immediate benefits but, over time, they become extremely valuable for your blog and your long term success in the industry. This is especially true when you begin to connect with the big players in your niche. Such contacts often lead to valuable back links, guest posting jobs and so on.
9. Knowledge is power The blogosphere is constantly changing. New technologies, plugins and trends emerge and it is vital that you stay on top of them. Furthermore, it is important that you become good at writing blog posts or outsourcing them efficiently, whatever it is you are doing. For these reasons and more you should read and then read some more. Follow blogs like Copyblogger, Problogger, Viper Chill, Dosh Dosh and SEOmoz and everything they write. These are guys who do it extremely well and pass on a lot of good information to their readers.
Selling your blog

Now we can get into the final curtain call, the time when you decide to sell your blog. In this section I am going to go through all the main things that you need to know in order to maximize your sale price, stay safe during the sale and finish it off quickly and without stress. Of course, if I miss anything please leave a comment and let me know.
1. Gather data and discover your sites value The first thing you need to do is figure out how much you are willing to sell your blog for. This is called valuation and is an area that is extremely controversial amongst web marketers. There are three questions that need to be asked and answered here:
How much does it make? How much does your site make per month, on average? Is that a consistent level or are you having spikes. Is that income stream at all inefficient and as such could be improved before or after the sale. Figure out exactly how much it makes before we move on. How much are you willing to let it go for? Your blog might only make a few hundred a month but you might perceive it to be worth a whole lot more. This can be an issue at sale time as your potential buyers wont have the same emotional attachment that you do. You also need to know this in case you want to reject the bids you get in order to develop it further. How much is someone willing to pay? This is the ultimate answer and, realistically, the only relevant question. I have heard Yaro say it and I heard my dad say it to me when I was in high school. The only true valuation is what someone is willing to pay. The other methods are just speculative. 46 www.e-junkie.info
The general equation that people go by when it comes to website valuation is 12 x monthly revenue. So if your site makes $500 a month it is worth around $6000. That being said, I have seen blogs sold for closer to 24 x monthly revenue on a lot of occasions.
2. List your blog on Flippa.com and point other listings to that sale The best place to sell your blog is, without a doubt, Flippa.com. This website is solely designed for selling websites and as such it has a lot of serious buyers with real money to spend on quality websites. There are other places to sell your blog but most of them dont have the same protection and reputation that Flippa has so what I do is just use them to direct traffic to my Flippa listing. For example, you might want to create a thread on Digital Point Forums about selling your blog but then say that the purchase can only be made over at Flippa.
3. Create a truthful and enticing listing with all the necessities Your listing must be enticing but it must also be truthful. If you lie on any of your statistics or earnings you will get found out. The guys spending $5k plus on websites know what a cheat looks like and the will, most of the time, take legal action if you mislead them. Make sure you sell your website as much as possible but dont manipulate any of the facts. Your listing should: Have a catchy title The title is what draws attention to the sale. Make sure it is catchy and sells the benefits of your website. Include things like a high Page Rank, monthly income, large traffic numbers, etc. if they are what is working in your advantage. For example, if you have a lot of RSS subscribers but not much income your title could be something like: Cooking Blog with 5000+ Subscribers, Top Google Rankings, Massive Opportunity. Always take the option to list your sale on the front page of Flippa. It is expensive but worth it.
Include screen shots of your data You need to include screen shots of your important data items like traffic proof, income proof and so on. You can also go one step further and take screen shots of popular articles and Google rankings. This is not required but it really gets people interested. To take a screen shot on a Mac just do Command-Shift-4 and on a PC just press Print Screen and then Paste it into a blank Paint Canvas. Windows 7 users (well done!) you can just use the Snipping Tool. Make sure you blur out any sensitive information like account numbers and number of click in Adsense. Use dot points to show benefits
A website listing is just like a blog post people only skim read. Use dot points and headers to divide your listing in to areas of traffic, revenue, subscribers, etc. You should also make a summary dot point list at the top of the sale showing all the advantages and benefits that the buyer will get when purchasing your site. Focus on benefits, not just features. If you have a number one Google ranking tell them why that is going to benefit their business. Dont be stingy on the amount of time you spend writing this listing. All your hard work can be undone by laziness at this stage. Spend some time looking at the other listings that have lots of bids and see what they did with their advert. Make sure you really have a tight, easy to read and enticing listing before you put it up.
4. Price it properly When I list a price for my website I always put it at slightly higher than what it is worth using the 12 x monthly revenue model. This has the effect of leading your buyers to believe that it is a quality site and getting them to delve deeper to see why it is priced so. I then set the reserve price at the level I am ready to let it go for. What often happens is you get into negotiations with a potential buyer over email and work out a price that suits both parties. If you set your initial price too low than you cant bargain up, only down. Keep this in mind.
5. Make sure your site is clean and working Something that a lot of newbie sellers do is forget to tidy up their website before the sale. I even remember visiting one listing and noticing that the site had just been hacked. A very unfortunate bit of timing but you have to make sure it doesnt happen when you are trying to make a good impression. Before you post the listing up make sure your links all work, your site is cleanly coded and there are no cross browser design flaws. For example, sometimes peoples sidebars go a little out of shape in IE or Safari. Make sure all of these issues are sorted out before you sell.
6. Accept payment only through Escrow.com for above $5,000 sales Escrow.com is a website that makes your sale very safe. Why? Because they only release the domain name to the buyer once you have received the money. Heres how Escrow works. You open an account and then create a transaction between you and the buyer. You both agree to terms and then the buyer send their money to Escrows third party website. You then send the files to the buyer and once they have approved them in the Escrow website they send you the money they have been holding. The idea is that you dont send them the domain name until you are certain they are going to pay. Escrow makes sure of that. Paypal is a wonderful service but I have heard so many horror stories about people who have transferred their domain and then had the buyer charge back the money. They lost out big time. Quite often you can get your domain back but it is massive hassle I would try to avoid.
7. Check your local tax laws Before you make that sale ring your accountant and check your local tax laws. In Australia, for example, if you sell an asset after owning it for less than a year you get an rather big tax penalty. Selling a blog after eight months might, in that case, be a bad idea. Make sure you know how much tax you are roughly going to be charged and what category the sale falls under. For example, is it part of your income or is it a capital gain? 49 www.e-junkie.info
Conclusion
If you follow these steps you will, hopefully, have a nice smooth sale of a very valuable website. Once you have done it once the task is then, as I am doing, to build tens or hundreds of them at once. Now that is a nice income! If you ever have any questions about your blog sale or development just drop a comment and I will try to help you out. About the Author: The Author owns several businesses online and own a network of blogs and websites that make money with Adsense, affiliates and advertising. Catch up with him at http://www.blogtyrant.com/.
4WaysToPromoteYourBlogWithTwitter
Last month, I wrote a post How To Keep Selling When The Internet Is Off. I asked, What if there was no Twitter? What if nobody could read your blog? If SEO wasnt on the table, how would you reach a new audience? Fortunately though, we do have Internet access. And Twitter happens to be a very real and very powerful marketing tool. But even while leveraging all the power of the Internet, you must remember even online, the most successful relationships, the highest-margin transactions, and the fastest-growing blogs rely on the most basic human principles. Twitter marketing tactics Ive written a blog for the last four years or so. And for around three of those years, Ive used Twitter. Probably now more actively and strategically than I did when I first started.
But one thing is certain Twitter has directly contributed to higher blog traffic, sale conversions, and reader engagement. So what Twitter marketing strategies do I use to promote my blog? 1. New post announcements I publish new blog posts twice weekly once on Monday and once on Thursday. The reason being existing traffic patterns. And the same traffic pattern evaluation should be used when you promote your blog with Twitter. Shortly after publishing my latest blog post, Ill announce it to my followers, give them the title of the post, a short summary (if space allows), and a direct link. But Im also sensitive to knowing that all of my collective followers didnt read that update. Frankly, depending on how many users one person is following, it could be pretty difficult to keep-up with everybodys tweets. So I pursue Twitter the same way I do media buys. Theres a reason TV commercials are cheap at 2:00 a.m. the viewing audience is significantly lower than it is at 2:00 p.m. Very plainly, at 2:00 a.m., theres isnt much of an attentive market. And for the most part, the same can be said for Twitter. You may have published a post at 2:00 a.m., but you may see value in waiting to announce it until most of your followers are awake and functioning. Because the last thing you want is a Twitter stream full of repeating, self-promoting updates. Instead, find a time and day that works best for your traffic and stick to it. Dont spam your followers with a reminder every hour, but keep your content updates fresh for those new eyes. Personally, I promote a new blog post shortly after it publishes, again later that night (a good 10-12 hours later), and then once more the next day.
2. Monitor whats being said Youre lucky if a reader at your blog 1) decides to read what you have to say, 2) then decides its worthy to post on Twitter for their followers, and 3) actually use your Twitter user name in their tweetback. But what if they dont mention you, how do you know whats being said about your blog posts? Theres a few different ways. Leading browsers have plug-ins that enable you to see how many tweets refer back to a specific URL, much the same way Twitters tweet button does. Youll also find similar results taking your blog post URL and inserting into search.twitter.com. Here, youll see all the tweets that point to your blog post regardless what URL shortener they end up using. So what do you do when you find that somebodys tweeted your post? Be human and thank them for linking to you, ask them what they though, establish a relationship, grow your network, and consider retweeting their complimenting tweet to reinforce your authority on the topic.
3. Calm down and embrace the synergy Like you, Ive been faced with reading a blog post thats on a topic I covered months ago. Oftentimes, a big blogger will decide to approach the topic, blog on it, and then result in hundreds of affirming comments from readers thanking the blogger for his thoughts (on a topic I already covered). But what does that gain? Instead of getting upset because another blogger covered the same topic, embrace the synergy, laugh it off, and use it as confirmation that youre on to something. 53 www.e-junkie.info
Whats more, jump in the conversation, leave a comment, indicate that you had some similar thoughts (if they were actually similar) and invite the blogger to read your post to get their feedback. Youll likely find the blogger is more likely to engage you if you treat the situation calmly, with a professional attitude that seeks to give his/her readers more quality content not with the intention to divert the attention to you. Add to conversations with your archive. Its not worth it to get upset for somebody covering the same topic you did. Embrace the synergy, and ask for their thoughts.
4. Recap whats popular Remember that blog post you wrote a few weeks back, the one that had a lot of great comments? Well the guy who just started following you yesterday probably hasnt read that post. Yet anyway. At the end of every month, I like to give my followers a short 5-post recap of whats been popular the last 30-days. So I start at #5 and work my way up to the #1 most popular post for that given month. And in doing so, it not only drives great referring traffic back to my individual posts, but it helps catch new followers up on what Ive been doing lately. The same approach can be used to talk about your all-time most popular posts, one particular post thats been receiving an unusual number of hits lately, or a funny, cant-be-explained search phrase that led a visitor to your blog in the first place. If you find it curious, your followers might too. By no means are these four action items an exhaustive Twitter marketing list for your blog. But its a start, and frankly, each item is something you can start implementing today.
About the Author: Ryan Barton provides insight on marketing for small business owners. Catch up with him at http://www.thesmartmarketingblog.com/.
HowtoGetYourBlogReadyforaneProductLaunchwith theHelpofaVirtualAssistant!
For the blogger that wants to start taking their blogging a little bit more seriously, and perhaps even turn it into a full-time business opportunity for themselves, you have to look at the ins and outs of blogging and the requirements on your time as a would-be entrepreneur. As you all no doubt understand from working through all the great posts on the multitude of fantastic sites already out there, there is more to blogging in a professional way than just writing good content although that is up there with the best of them! Im going to leave it to the experts to give you the ins and outs of professional blogging because I am personally not even a professional blogger myself. However, what I do know is outsourcing and working with virtual assistants. And as someone who has been involved in the outsourcing business for 10 years, and has trained literally thousands of outsourced and virtual staff members within that period of time, I have come to know their strengths and weaknesses better than anybody else that I know of. So my intention with this post is to break down the individual components of being a professional blogger in relation to working with a virtual assistant or a team of virtual staff. The five main areas are researching, writing, posting, managing and then marketing. Well break these down one by one and I 56 www.e-junkie.info
will show you exactly how you can utilize working with virtual staff in relation to each of these tasks to be able to produce a more professional and admired blog, and one that gets moving, fast! Niche and Contact Research When you sit down to think about writing your next blog post, a lot of things go through your head. Have I written about this before? Has someone else written about this before? What angle should I take? Do I know enough about the topic that Im writing on? The fact of the matter is that you will have to research every blog post you write in some way, shape or form. You can work with a virtual assistant to produce online research for you on a number of different topics. In fact, Ive worked with VAs to research everything from individuals to businesses, to processes, systems, suppliersthe list is endless. Whilst using a VA for research, you should put together a very clear task understanding as to what you require from them. Make everything as concise and as clear as possible. For example, if youre researching the history of donuts, you dont necessarily need to know every single flavored donut thats ever been created, but you need to know exactly the origin of donuts, who is responsible for the first ever donut made, and then perhaps some of the major players in the market place now in regards to manufacturing and distributing donuts around the world. So try to be as concise as possible, but dont clip your VAs wings too much when it comes to the research side of things because this creates the bulk of the article itself. Finding Things to Write About A lot has been written online in regards to outsourcing blog writing. As a blogger myself I find it almost impossible to imagine the idea of somebody else writing my posts for me. However, through working with my assistant, having her research several blog posts that Ive written before in the past (just as with the donut example above) a lot of what is researched and presented to you, can actually be used in some way in the actual post itself. So although the idea of outsourcing the writing of your blog post is a fantastic one, I dont think its one that you should think about across the board.
If you intend to do a lot of article marketing and blogging on sites that arent particularly affiliated with you, or have your name on them, then yes, by all means this is where a good quality copywriter virtual staff member can definitely help you out.
Keeping your Blog Updated Regularly I use WordPress as my blogging platform as do many, many other bloggers out there. When it comes to actually posting your blog post, theres more to it than just copying and pasting some text from your word processor software. You have to create hyperlinks, theres a certain amount of design that comes into it in terms of using subtitles and placing images in the right area, using correct captions and so on. It will usually take me around 30-45 minutes to get a post ready to be published in WordPress if I do the work myself. Now, 45 minutes is a big chunk of my day, time which could be spent doing something more profitable for me as an entrepreneur. So I absolutely believe that you can use a virtual staff member to post the content for your blog instead of having to do it yourself. I would suggest however, that you dont just let them immediately start publishing articles on your most important blog, but instead maybe let them try playing around with ideas and concepts of their own (by having them create their own blog -Ive done this and works GREAT!) and then guide them on the way you like things done, before going live on your own blog.
Looking After your Blog Properly Managing your blog is another very time consuming task. And this includes everything that Ive mentioned already and more! One of the most time consuming parts of the management period of most professional bloggers is moderating the comments and pingbacks created by their readers and followers. For example, your virtual assistant can filter out all spam that arrives as your blog becomes more and more popular. And this one task alone will free up a lot more time for you to spend replying to the more legitimate and engaging comments that youll receive.
Give very clear instructions to your virtual assistant managing the comments and pingbacks side of your blog as to what goes through and what doesnt go through. And then simply put one hour a day if thats whats required, sometimes it might even be lessto be able to quietly reply and comment to your comments directly, when the time is right for you.
Marketing and Promotion of Your Blog Marketing your blog is right up there Along with Promoting it. Its probably the second most important part of working on a blog, in terms of being a professional blogger, than anything else. And there are many ways to be able to utilize a virtual assistant to help you perform the tasks, some of which are incredibly time consuming. Well break it down and just look at a few. Firstly, social networking and bookmarking. Going to sites such as Digg, Stumbleupon, Buzz etc, etc. this is extremely time consuming. Tweeting out your latest links on Twitter, sharing your links on Facebook and other link-sharing and networking websites are also extremely tiresome. Your virtual staff can do all this stuff for you. You can also use the exact same assistants to go through your entire back catalog of blog posts and start linking them internally from one post to another. You can get them to start putting together ideas for newslettersthis is a great way to be able to promote your blog and build your blogging subscriber numbers. These are all things that a VA can do for you online without any voice required in any way. If youre uncomfortable with them writing and liaising with other bloggers directly, for example, then simply write some template emails for them to be able to send on your behalf and then they can let you know once people start getting back to them. And as we know, SEO is not only about the way that the site is optimized itself on-site as well as offsite, but it also includes everything from pay per click management to article submissions to link building, and so on particularly if you are already monetizing your blog with your own products, for example. All of these tasks are extremely mundane; all of these tasks are, for the more creative person, extremely boring. And they can easily be outsourced to a virtual assistant who has absolutely no 59 www.e-junkie.info
problems at all working on these 8-9 hours a day, from the comfort of their home to be able to market your blog and get your name and your message out there to the masses.
The Harsh Bottom Line! Bottom line, writing great content is the bulk of what you should be working on personally yourself in relation to your blog. So, if youre thinking about becoming a professional blogger in whatever industry or niche that youve picked, seriously consider working with virtual staff to be able to grow your blog as well as focus on the message of the blog itself. Theres nothing worse than clicking and landing on a new blog for the first time and seeing a mixed message. Having good quality support around you will enable you to focus on what you really wanted your blog to be from day one. Plus, as things evolve youll be able to retain that focus to be able to make sure that the blog itself becomes its own entity and drives its own readershipmeaning that you can continue to focus on writing great content, producing fantastic podcasts and shooting awesome videos for your audience. About the Author: Chris C Ducker is CEO of a 200+ employee Outsourcing Company based in the Philippines and an entrepreneur at heart. Catch up with him at http://www.virtualbusinesslifestyle.com/.
DoesYourBusinessBlogAvoidThese10CommonMistakes?
Many businesses start blogs hoping to drive traffic to their websites. A few months later, one of two things has usually happened: The blog is dead. No one has posted in weeks. Someone at the company is posting like crazy, but nothing's happening -- the blog doesn't get any comments or subscribers. Blogs take a decent amount of work. If you're going to start one for your business, you want it to get a result, like any other marketing tool.
Why do many business blogs flounder? Here is my list of the 10 most common mistakes business bloggers make:
1. It's no one's responsibility. Putting up a blog and hoping team members will contribute isn't going to work. Someone needs to officially be the company blogger. If they want to solicit other 61 www.e-junkie.info
employees' contributions, they can, but it needs to be on somebody's plate. 2. No one is promoting the blog. When you create a blog post, you've created a marketing tool. Think of it like a hammer. You wouldn't expect that hammer to get up and start hammering nails by itself, would you? It's the same with blogs -- once you start posting, someone will need to promote the posts. Whether it's on Twitter or in your company newsletter, take action to let people know you've got a new post up. 3. You don't write strong headlines. I recently reviewed more than 100 start-up blogs, and I can tell you poorly written headlines are an epidemic -- so if you can get the hang of how to write great ones, you will give your blog a big advantage. Remember that on a search engine, your blog headline stands alone, so it needs to tell readers exactly who the post is for, and what topic will be covered. Try adding a little intrigue with a question, like I'm doing in the headline for this post. 4. You don't add images to your posts. You may wish your amazing, highly useful post would draw readers all on its own merits, but study after study shows readers are attracted to articles with images. Add a video, and they'll stay even longer. 5. There is no easy way to subscribe by email. Everybody loves that cute orange RSS button, but you really want email subscribers more. When people subscribe on RSS, you don't capture their email -- and that means you can't sell to them. You don't know who they are. Solution? Make a large, prominent subscription box and put it at the top of your blog, where readers can't miss it. 6. Your blog isn't easily shareable. Make it easy for readers to spread the word about your post by adding Facebook, Twitter, and other social-media buttons for the sites that are popular with your target audience. 7. Your website design is too cluttered. It's easy to load up your blog page with a ton of widgets, flashing ads, bright colors, and moving graphics. But know that too much stuff boggles readers 62 www.e-junkie.info
and drives them away. Offer your readers too many choices, and they will often leave and take no action. Use Google In-Page Analytics or another analysis tool to find out exactly what readers click on -- then, get rid of everything else. 8. Your design is illegible. Know that black or dark backgrounds with teeny white letters will drive readers away -- your blog is just too hard to read. 9. You don't post consistently. Once you start blogging, you need to set a schedule. Ideally, post on the same day(s) of the week and even the same time of day. People are creatures of habit, and want to be able to rely on seeing posts from you on a regular basis. 10. You don't engage readers. A blog post isn't a statement, it's the start of a conversation. Ask readers a question, take a poll, or hold a contest to get readers involved. Respond to comments, too -- it makes readers feel welcome.
Do you have a rocking business blog?Leave us a URL and tell us about how you make your blog successful. About the Author: Carol Tice blogs for Entrepreneur magazine, and at her own award-winning blog, Make a Living Writing. Catch up with her at http://www.caroltice.com/.
HowToKillYourselfBlogging(AndHowNotTo..!)Reality CheckTime
Its time for a reality check. When I relaunched the VBL Blog on January 5th I mentioned that I would be attempting to post daily, Monday Friday, and after just 12 days, I quit! Ive always said that Im a Businessman First, a Blogger Second. This is a statement I still feel very attached, too, even as a Virtual CEO. Although I love blogging, and will sincerely continue to focus on creating an awesome blog in Virtual Business Lifestyle, a resource, so to speak for all buddy entrepreneurs, digital nomads and location independent professionals I have to be realistic and sensible about things. Last week I posted five times (including one guest post). Couple that together with working on client proposals, teleconferences, additional online projects, two different websites my company is launching, management meetings, being a Dad, being a Husband an out of town guest and a few other things by Saturday I was BEAT! Being Consumed Is Not Productive! Even my wife mentioned that I had been a little consumed by the blog this past couple of weeks. That statement alone got me to sit down and really LOOK at what I had been doing since the beginning of the year. She was right. 64 www.e-junkie.info
Its not that I hadnt been taking care of my other, regular (business), responsibilities. I had. It was simply that I had spent way too much time on the blog, planning for the blog, scheduling for the blog, etc. Time that I could have been spending on other, more productive things, such as working on other projects that would either make me more money now, or in the future. And so I smacked myself round the head and reshuffled things a little. It was simple, if I wanted to do everything I had on my to do list this year (its a pretty big list!), I was going to have to throw the whole blog daily idea out the window. At least for the time being, anyway. Why KILL Myself?
If you think about it logically, if I felt this way, and ignored it, continuing to knock out five posts a week, a couple of things would happen here on the blog and probably pretty quickly.
The content would start to get sucky, to say the least. Which just wouldnt be cool. I would begin to look at the VBL Blog, and blogging in general, as more like work, than the fun that it is right now for me.
Blogging for me is a way to be able to express myself and help people along the way. I know that I have a lot of experience in business, and have been called a thought leader on a few occasions especially in the outsourcing (10 years into this market sector now!), branding and marketing industries. I enjoy being able to impart some of that knowledge onto people, so they can take it and use it to their benefit. This, along with the fact that I have some pretty ambitious growth strategies in place for the Live2Sell Group, my virtual assistant match-making business, Virtual Staff Finder and a few other related projects this year, I sat down and refocused a little. And I am super glad that it happened so early on in January not just the year!
My New Blogging Schedule
So, the decision to cut back to my usual three posts a week has been made, and actually with a few changes to the line-up, too. Youll see here a finalized schedule that I put in place on one of my little whiteboards in my home office. I have a couple of these up on the walls to help me maintain focus whilst working and for general brainstorming, etc. Dont get me wrong, I am VERY techie nowadays with ideas, and schedules, etc., but every now and then a good old fashioned PEN just works better! Allow me to explain it in a little more detail:
Monday Major Post.
This is my more in-depth post each week. I always try and pick a really interesting topic that I know will grab peoples interest and then look at ways where I can help people, or suggest ways to be able to make changes at how they are doing things, etc. This is usually a written post.
Wednesday Ask Chris / Podcast.
Quite simple really I started the Ask Chris series last week, intending for it to be weekly, but will now be doing it bi-weekly (although Edition #002 will go live this Wednesday), along with the VBL Podcast in the same way. So, two Ask Chris editions and two Podcast episodes every month, from now on. Friday VBL Discussion / Guest Post. I absolutely LOVE doing the discussion posts here on the blog. Not only are they always lots of fun, but its the feedback and, er, discussions that ensue (usually!) with them that I enjoy the most! So, they are staying. I also enjoy having some of the VBL Followers contribute to the blog, too. So, a bit like Wednesdays I will be switching between the two to bring you guys a little of everything. On the off chance that there is no guest post, I will simply post another high quality written post, or an additional video post. 66 www.e-junkie.info
Sometimes You Have to Re-Shuffle Just by spending some time, and re-organizing my blogging schedule the way I have, I already feel immensely empowered. Its amazing how getting things straight can make someone feel especially a busy, passionate and ambitious entrepreneur!
About the Author: Chris C Ducker is CEO of a 200+ employee Outsourcing Company based in the Philippines and an entrepreneur at heart. Catch up with him at http://www.virtualbusinesslifestyle.com/.
BloggervsWordpress
Everyone wanting to create a blog is faced with the difficult decision of choosing a blogging platform. "Which blogging platform is best?" is a common question asked in blogging forums, and it usually leads to an endless debate among members, leaving the questioner unsure about what to do. Deciding on the right platform and sticking to it is important because you're probably not going to want to go to the trouble of moving your blog to a different platform if you change your mind. Is one platform better than another? Despite what you may hear from other bloggers, and despite popular belief, Wordpress isn't better than Blogger and Blogger isn't better than Wordpress. When you ask the question, "which blogging platform is best?", all the answers you get are biased and useless. What somebody else says shouldn't effect your final decision, because people can only give their opinions. Each blogging platform has different features, and what a blogger needs in a platform varies. The question you should be asking yourself is, "which platform is best for me?"
Instead of taking a side in this article, I'm going to compare the features of Blogger and Wordpress to give you an idea of what each platform provides, and hopefully, help you to make your decision and be happy with it. Blogger Blogger is a free Google service, and so, as you would expect, it attracts people who don't want to spend money on a blog. It's intended to be easy for beginners, while not being too limiting for advanced bloggers. Pros No fees whatsoever. Use the Template Designer to edit the layout, fonts, and colors of your blog without knowing any HTML or CSS. Use the HTML editor for advanced customization. Add a variety of gadgets and arrange them in a drag-and-drop interface. Blogger will never display ads on your blog. You can monetize your blog. Integrates well with other Google services, such as Friend Connect and Feedburner. Cons Not very many templates to choose from. Lousy commenting system (although that can be fixed by switching to Intense Debate or Disqus ). You can create a maximum of only 10 static pages.
Wordpress The thing to keep in mind when considering Wordpress is that there are actually two versions: Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org. They are very different from each other, and from Blogger too, and so I'm going to give you a brief overview of each to discuss the differences. 69 www.e-junkie.info
Wordpress.com
Wordpress.com is designed for people who want to create a blog quickly and easily, without having to worry about the hassle of hosting and customization.
Pros Easier to use than Wordpress.org, especially for the beginning blogger. Free web hosting. Choose from over 100 themes. More control over blog authors' capabilities than Blogger. Choose from a variety of widgets to add to your blog. The Wordpress software is automatically updated when a new version is released.
Cons
To use a custom domain name, you'll need to pay yearly for an upgrade, in addition to the cost of the domain name. It's against the terms of service to monetize your blog (though it's allowed in some casesread more here). No JavaScript allowed.
Wordpress.org
Wordpress.org is best for tech-savvy people, who want complete control over their blog, and who are willing to pay for web hosting. It attracts a lot of people who want to create a website or blog for their business, but it also works great for hobbyists.
Pros It's free, open-source software. You can choose from a wide variety of themes, or upload your own. You have full control over the look of your blog. Wordpress.org will never display ads on your blog. You can monetize your blog. Choose from a variety of widgets to add to your blog. More control over blog authors' capabilities than Blogger. You can install plugins for extra features. You can't just create blogs, but websites too.
Cons You have to pay monthly for a web host. You have to upgrade your software manually when a new version is released. You'll need to keep your own backups.
My Advice
By determining which features in a blogging platform are most important to you, you can choose the platform that's best for you. For example, if you're looking to spend little to no money on a blog, you should definitely go with Blogger or Wordpress.com. If you want advanced customization features without paying for an upgrade, that isBlogger and Wordpress.org are your best bet. But, if you want to design your blog without touching any code, Blogger is your only choice. If you're trying to decide between Blogger and Wordpress.com, I suggest you go with Blogger, because although Wordpress.com has a larger variety of themes, you're limited to those themes. With Blogger, there are hundreds of third-party templates you can download and upload to your blog for free. Or you can customize a default one with the Template Designer. Just compare the two platformsyour blog's 71 www.e-junkie.info
template is only one of the things that Blogger gives you more freedom to customize.
Conclusion
Hopefully you can now see the main differences between Blogger and Wordpress, and you can choose your platform and start blogging. Blogging can be an enjoyable experience, but it will only be a pain if you choose the wrong platform. So, save yourself the trouble and choose the right one for you!You can't upload your own theme. You can't customize your blog's PHP source code, but you can purchase an upgrade that enables CSS editing. You can't install plugins. Google text ads may occasionally be displayed on your blog. It's against the terms of service to monetize your blog (though it's allowed in some casesread more here). No JavaScript allowed.
Wordpress.org Wordpress.org is best for tech-savvy people, who want complete control over their blog, and who are willing to pay for web hosting. It attracts a lot of people who want to create a website or blog for their business, but it also works great for hobbyists.
Pros It's free, open-source software. You can choose from a wide variety of themes, or upload your own. You have full control over the look of your blog. Wordpress.org will never display ads on your blog. You can monetize your blog. Choose from a variety of widgets to add to your blog. 72 www.e-junkie.info
More control over blog authors' capabilities than Blogger. You can install plugins for extra features. You can't just create blogs, but websites too.
Cons You have to pay monthly for a web host. You have to upgrade your software manually when a new version is released. You'll need to keep your own backups.
My Advice By determining which features in a blogging platform are most important to you, you can choose the platform that's best for you. For example, if you're looking to spend little to no money on a blog, you should definitely go with Blogger or Wordpress.com. If you want advanced customization features without paying for an upgrade, that isBlogger and Wordpress.org are your best bet. But, if you want to design your blog without touching any code, Blogger is your only choice. If you're trying to decide between Blogger and Wordpress.com, I suggest you go with Blogger, because although Wordpress.com has a larger variety of themes, you're limited to those themes. With Blogger, there are hundreds of third-party templates you can download and upload to your blog for free. Or you can customize a default one with the Template Designer. Just compare the two platformsyour blog's template is only one of the things that Blogger gives you more freedom to customize.
Conclusion Hopefully you can now see the main differences between Blogger and Wordpress, and you can choose your platform and start blogging. Blogging can be an enjoyable experience, but it will only be a pain if you choose the wrong platform. So, save yourself the trouble and choose the right one for you!
About the Author: Sarah Payne is the author of Template Faerie, a blog that aims to create beautiful blogs for you by providing high quality templates. She writes about blogging tips, blog promotion, blogging platforms and designs. Catch up with her at http://templatefaerie.blogspot.com/.
HowToCreateAFreeEbook?
By creating an E-book, you can use to help build your brand, as well as help promote and market your blog, product, service, with taking a look at Creating the Concept of your eBook, the time-honored question of Quality, or Quantity and how important the Design and Layout of your eBook is. Initial Housekeeping Notes Although I have tried to make this series of posts as informative and as easy-to-follow as possible, you might still see the odd crack in the process being presented here. This is because, quite frankly, I wanted this to be a simple to follow series, with practical advice and tips, and not go into too much detail on any one subject matter saying that, there is still plenty of meat on the bones, and if you have any particular questions, feel free to let me know. Kindly note, this series is about creating a FREE eBook. One that you will give away for absolutely no profit. If you want a more in-depth guide to creating an eBook that you can sell, I strongly suggest you check out Pat Flynns eBookstheSmartWay.com (free), and Dave and Naomis HowtoSellYoureBook.com (paid) Ive read and used BOTH in my eBook marketing, and theyre great. Most Importantly: Create something that you feel is good enough to sell, but then give it away for 75 www.e-junkie.info
free! This will ensure that the quality of your eBook is high, that its incredibly informative and will genuinely make a difference to the reader once they have finished reading it. I did this with Saving the Day, the Virtual Way, and have had so many awesome emails from people, that it was certainly worth all the effort. Creating the Concept First and foremost, dont write about anything that you know nothing about. Itll be so obvious that youre bluffing and simply not worth your time! Secondly, heres probably the biggest, most important tip you will get from this entire series write your eBook for your audience, not for yourself. Look into solving problems for other people. If this comes about by taking care of a problem YOU have to start off with, that's fine. Solving problems for people is the oldest and most powerful sales strategy out there. You might have a very clear picture of what you want to write about. If so, and you know itll benefit your audience, then go for it! One thing that you should also consider is doing a survey with your current readership first. I did this a while ago when we re-designed the VBL Blog, and I can tell you, the feedback I got was priceless worth more than any amount of sales, as it allowed me to tweak the design of the site to help people navigate it properly and enjoy their experience on the blog more. I also did something similar when trying to find my core readership, and when when asking for feedback on an upcoming product Im putting together. Among the most successful digital products out there, almost all of them are How To types of products. Your giveaway eBook should be no different. Not only are How To guides really simple to put together, but they are easy to read and generally get downloaded more than the other types of freebie eBooks out there. Every good story has a beginning, middle and an end. Your eBook should be no different. So, break your contents down into three main sections. Its a good idea to sit down and plan this part of your eBook out very clearly. Im a big fan of mindmaps. I use them, literally, every day. Now I use my iPad to do most of them, but, back in the beginning of 2010 when I produced Saving the Day, I mapped things out on a small whiteboard I have in my home office. Heres a quick snapshot of the original mindmap Youll see I already intended to add additional content to it, and make an audio version, even back in those earlier days. Although I did it nearer 3000 76 www.e-junkie.info
downloads, not the 1000 noted here!
Firstly, I presented the problem. I talked about how busy entrepreneurs are, and that if only they had solid, dependable help they could get so much more done on a daily basis. Then, I went into the solution side of things. Again, by way of example, in my free eBook I talk about virtual assistants, what they do, how they do it, etc. Then finally, I wrapped everything up with the ending what the solution can mean to the person reading. In my case the solution is finding, hiring and working with a VA to enable the busy business owner to gain more time in his/her day-to-day life, create more business ideas, strategize for growth, spend more time with family and ultimately become more successful, all by utilizing a VA. Quality, or Quantity? This is a highly debated topic when it comes to giving away a freebie eBook. Fact is, if the eBook has lots of pages, then it looks as if people are getting a lot more for their download buck. However, what if all the content on those pages is a load of old rubbish..!?!! A while ago, when I was discussing how often I was going to be updating this blog, and the struggles I was having in keeping up with the schedule I had put in place, the most commented-on topic was over the fact that quality matters more than anything else. Visitors were very clear that they would rather come to the blog twice a week, or three times a week for QUALITY posts, than five times a week, for soft or weak quality posts. So, bottom line here quality every time. The fact is that Ive downloaded some eBooks that are just a handful of pages long (personally, I wouldnt call these eBooks, but rather Special Reports, or something similar), and they have been 77 www.e-junkie.info
great. However, Ive downloaded 100+ page eBooks for free and theyve been mediocre at the best of times. There are a few exceptions to this rule. Namely, Jonathan Mead and Colin Wright their free eBooks are nothing short of spectacular, and both great in length and content. Im sure there are more, but these gentlemen really stand out for me, personally. Note: Youll see interviews with both these guys on the VBL Podcast soon. They are in being edited, as we speak! Things Not to Forget Theres a few things that you certainly do not want to forget to include in your eBook. Firstly, make sure you have some kind of disclaimer / copyright page set-up. In my eBooks I dont go too heavy on this, but I do make sure to tell everyone that they should feel free to distribute the eBook further afield, however, not to remove or edit anything in anyway, shape or form that just aint cool, baby! You should also be sure to include some links to other valuable sources, either on your own blog, and other peoples, too. You can also link to relevant products and services that might help people further, too (well go into this a little more on Wednesday) just be sure not to link-stuff, too much! And lastly, be sure to hype yourself a little, at least. A simply About the Author page is certainly needed, with a nice image. Design & Layout Most people I have spoken to on this subject believe that you can have the most amazing design in the world, but if the content is crappy then you wont get very far, in the overall scope of things. I agree. However, the importance of standing out, and making sure that the design of your eBook is nice, clean, professional and helps to build your brand is, as far as Im concerned, just as important as the content. Although I have a flare for creativeness (my father was an architect, my mother an interior designer), I do not know how to use Photoshop, and quite frankly, when I have such phenomenal support around me, there is no real reason for me to learn how to, either. I come up with the concept, sit with my designer and then he will put it all together. Well work as a team, finalize the layout template and then hell simply dump the rest of the content into the approved layout. Viola! Your eBook will be finished in no time. Firstly, having a rockin cover will certainly help gain attention. Be sure to spend time on the title. Be 78 www.e-junkie.info
original here, guys! Innovative, dont follow And the internal pages should be on a white background and a dark covered text, just in case the person that downloads your labor of love wants to print it out. I like to keep images to a minimum in my eBooks, this gets the reader to focus on my content, rather than pretty pictures and colors. See some examples from Saving the Day, below:
Front Cover, Internal Content Page and the 'About the Author' Page in "Saving the Day!"
Youll see with this eBook, I came up with a superhero theme. Hence the title and the colors, and front cover Superman-style logo. I loved this when my designer finished it up but, I will say, the concept was ALL ME!!! Youll also see that we continued to brand the eBook with the logo internally, too (my designers idea, not mine!) and it worked out great! I highly recommend going with a landscape style layout, as its easier to read on a computer screen the way eBooks should be read on a monitor. When youre done with the layout and the design aspects of the eBook get to focusing on the editing of your content.
Go back through what youve written. Focus on just the MEAT of the content itself. Any prettying of sentences, etc., lose them. As I always say, sometimes less is more. Remember that. This will enable you to create content that is easy to read, keeps people turning (or clicking) the page and ultimately means that the reader experience is top quality all the way to the end of the eBook.
WhyGuruStrategiesforBlogGrowthDONTWORKand WhatDoes!
Editors Note: There is a free PDF worksheet that accompanies this post. To get it, please visit the original post, at http://bit.ly/GrowBigSteps. Blogging is where its at, right? Whether youre a professional blogger, or your blog is there to promote your regular business, you know that at the end of the day, your blog has one major purpose: To engage a GINORMOUS audience. Thats right. Not just big, but ginormous an audience so large that you are guaranteed more customers than you know what to do with. And yet, most blogs trudge along with an Alexa ranking north of a million, and you hear crickets more than you hear the pings of incoming traffic. Whats going on? 80 www.e-junkie.info
You eventually reach the conclusion that you must be missing something. You go looking for help, and youre bombarded with course offers and bombastic claims: Make $500 in one hour with our no-fail system! Beat any competitor to Googles first page in less than a week! How I make $4,729.19 every week in my pyjamas! Sure, these claims raise an eyebrow, and at least a few questions. If its so easy to make $500 in an hour, then why are they selling it for $27, instead of just hiring people to do the work and make them the money? What if your competitor buys that same course how fast will she knock you off of that top spot? And why do they always tell you the amount down to the last penny? ;) But as skeptical as you might be, youre also hopeful. It seems like everyone but you is out there growing a giant site in no time. Whats their secret? You shell out the cost of the programs, carefully ignoring the results not typical disclaimers. You sift through the nonsense, and find some good advice, which you diligently put to work. And then More crickets. What the hell?!
To Everything There Is a Season: Skyhooks and Cranes Remember the phrase that goes to everything there is a season? The one that the Byrds copied from the book of Ecclesiastes?
Well, the same applies to growing a blog (or anything, for that matter). You have to start at the beginning, and work your way up, one step at a time. Knockout strategies can work, but they require a foundation that a blog with minimal traffic just doesnt have. When you try to skip steps, you fall down, and make no progress. 81 www.e-junkie.info
One of the best explanations for this phenomenon comes from Dan Dennett he introduced the concept of skyhooks and cranes in his book Darwins Dangerous Idea (he uses it to explain evolution by natural selection, but it applies very well here, too). Heres how it works:
Lets say that you want to build a building. In a perfect, imaginary world, youd use a skyhook a big hook in the sky to which you can attach a pulley system, to pull things off the ground. The only problem is that skyhooks dont exist theres no way of making a hook just float in the air. From Wikipedia: the term "skyhook" describe[s] a source of design complexity that does not build on lower, simpler layersin simple terms, a miracle.
Thats exactly what bombastic internet marketing products are offering to create massive growth that does not build on solid foundations. In simple terms, a miracle.
So skyhooks are out does that mean we cant build anything?
Obviously, the answer is no. To build our wondrous concrete jungles, we use cranes.
Cranes do exactly the same thing as skyhooks, only we build them from the ground up. Heres the really interesting part: the way to build a giant crane that gives you lots of leverage is with smaller cranes!
So if you want to build something huge, you need to start with something small that you can use to get there. The Tortoise and the Hare? Really?! No, this isnt a post about how you should be patient and take things slow and steady, because eventually youll win the race. (As Sonia Simone said in a recent radio interview, slow but steady works, but weve all had the 82 www.e-junkie.info
experience of being beaten to the finish line by a jack rabbit with ADD!) The point of this post is that the fastest way to grow is by using the strategy that fits with your current stage of growth. The more appropriate your strategy is to your stage of growth, the faster youll outgrow it, and be ready for the next one! Now, as regulars here at Firepole Marketing know, were all about action. Thats why weve mapped out all six stages of growing your blog, so that you can figure out where you are, and what you need to do next. Here are the six steps: 1. Step 1 Start with Great Content 2. Step 2 Tell Everyone you Know 3. Step 3 Start Building a Community 4. Step 4 Promote Your Blog 5. Step 5 Get Viral 6. Step 6 Monetize!
Okay, lets go one by one, and learn exactly what each step looks like, and what you need to do to graduate to the next one (oh, and if you want a free PDF cheat sheet to all of these steps, make sure to read through to the end of the post!):
Crane Number One All About Content Youve just finished building your blog your theme is designed, widgets are installed, and a welcome to my new blog post graces the homepage. Its normal for you to be super-excited, and want to be out there, spreading the word. Resist that urge! Before telling anyone about your blog, youve got to make sure that theres good content for them to read when they get there. Thats why your #1 priority with a new blog is to write some really great posts. This is easier said than done not only do you need to think of good stuff to write, but youve also got to stay motivated, even when your analytics are flat and you know that nobody is reading it. Its hard, but its really worth it. 83 www.e-junkie.info
Crane Number Two Telling Everyone Once youve created great anchor content that will impress people who arrive at your blog, its time to spread the word this starts with your nearest and dearest. Reach out to everyone you know via email, Facebook, Twitter, the good old fashioned telephone, and any other way that you can think of. Tell them how excited you are about the new blog, and what your goals are for it. Ask them for feedback, and tell them how much it would mean to you if they subscribed, and would leave a comment on posts to let you know what they think. You can even ask them to help you spread the word, but dont expect miracles. This wont give you tons of traffic, but its a start. Expect to get to about 10-20 unique visitors per day once youre past the initial spike of people who come to look but dont stay.
Crane Number Three Community Once youve got that baseline of traffic, and your nearest and dearest (particularly those in your blogs target market) have given you some feedback, its time to broaden your circle. Reach out to other bloggers in your community but not the big ones, who have no reason to listen to you. Im talking about the little ones other blogs that are fairly new, and are getting less than 10-15 comments on their posts.
Find the good ones (its important that they actually be good), leave comments on their posts, and engage with them. Invite them to write a guest post on your blog in most cases, theyll be flattered, provide you with a great post, and tell all of their followers to go read it.
Of course, you should do the same for them. Share their good work with your network the bloggers will thank you for the exposure, and your network will thank you for the good but obscure content that youre sending their way. You should also write guest posts for them, and respond to all of the comments that you get. Doing all 84 www.e-junkie.info
of this will bring you up to the range of 50-100 unique visitors per day. Oh, and pay careful attention to what resonates, because youll need it for the next step in the process.
Crane Number Four Borrow Some Authority Okay, lets look at where we are; youve got great content on your site that your friends and family likes, and that has gotten good traffic and reviews from other members of your blogging community. Its time to take off the training wheels.
Im talking about guest posting on the bigger blogs in your space. This is where you start tapping into bigger traffic numbers.
Heres the short version of how to do it (if you want the long version, go get it from Jon Morrow ): First, find the blogs that you want to guest post on. They have to be blogs whose audience would like your stuff, too. They should also be big enough to get you good traction; as a rule of thumb, say, an Alexa ranking of 100,000 or lower.
Second, read the blog, and figure out what you could write about that they will like, and to which they will respond well (respond well means that youll get lots of comments, tweets, and Facebook shares). Third, if you havent already been active on the blog, read through it, and leave good comments on at least 2-3 posts. This is important you have to get to know the style of the blog and blogger, and show them that you care.
Fourth, send the blogger an email. Keep it short and sweet, something like this: Im new on your blog, and I really like your stuff. [MAKE SURE YOU MEAN IT!] Ive been thinking about writing a post about [SUBJECT], and it occurred to me that it could be a great fit for your audience. What do you think of me writing it as a guest post? A headline for this post might be [HEADLINE IDEA] (of course, thats just a suggestion). If you want to see samples of my writing, you can check out [YOUR WEBSITE], or look at my 85 www.e-junkie.info
last guest post on [SITE YOU GUEST POSTED ON] it got [SOME MEASURE OF TRACTION]. What do you think? Shall I write up a draft? If you do your homework and only pitch ideas that fit well with the blog, then most people will be happy to receive a draft. Once they say yes, send them the draft within a few days, and when it runs on the blog, be active and gracious in the comments. Do this for a handful of blogs until you get up to about 200-400 unique visitors per day. In parallel with doing this, use your growing traffic numbers to optimize conversions get your site to the point that your opt-in rates are good, and if youve got something to sell, people are buying with some regularity. Make sure everything is optimized before progressing to the next step in the process. Crane Number Five Lets Get Viral Once youve got over 200 unique visitors per day, you can kick it up a notch its time for your traffic to get viral. In other words, you need to find ways of multiplying that traffic. There are lots of ways to do this, and Ill share two but first, a warning. If your blog doesnt have a good amount of traffic, and the process isnt optimized, dont skip ahead to this step! This is important, because virality requires a critical mass. If you create an awesome piece of viral content and release it to your audience of seven readers, then sure, you might get lucky and someone might share it with someone who eventually shares it a lot but that probably wont happen. You have to make sure your content is getting enough exposure that when you produce something worthy of getting past the tipping point, it will be able to tip! Okay, so lets get practical here are two ways that you can get viral: Idea #1: Viral Content Contest Run a series of posts about your subject, and make sure these posts are all share-worthy (read: really good). Then, add an incentive for sharing run a contest, and enter 86 www.e-junkie.info
people into a draw if they share. Does this sound familiar? It should, because this is exactly what we did with our FIRE-PROOF Selling series. Our blog was pretty new, and our hottest post before the series was getting less than 10 comments. The hottest post in the series got 35. Nuff said.
Idea #2: Bonus for Sharing Create an awesome piece of content, and give it away for free in exchange for sharing on Twitter or Facebook (you can do this with a free service like Cloud:flood or Pay With A Tweet ). Innovative Thunder did this to launch their book called Oh My God What Happened And What Should I Do? , and got over 150,000 people to tweet about their book. Want to see how this works up close and personal? Weve created a PDF cheat sheet for the exact strategy that Im telling you about, and you can get it for free by tweeting about it. Scroll down for the details! ;)
This is where your traffic grows a lot just a couple of these campaigns, properly executed, should bring you up to 500-1,000+ unique daily visitors thats as much as 30,000 a month now were talking! Crane Number Six Cha-ching! Most blogs falter because theyre busy trying to sell something when they should still be building an audience. Once youve got an audience that loves your stuff, selling is easy. This is the part where you can parlay your audience into big sales numbers. Im not going to go into all of the different ways that you can make money with a blog (selling a product, selling a service, selling advertising, affiliate products, speaking fees, etc.) thats beyond the scope of this post. What I do want to stress, though, is that you should focus on building the audience first, and selling second. Too often, when people ask why their site isnt making money, the answer is because nobody is visiting it. Growing your audience first, and selling after that, is how you solve that problem. Going Off-Road? Take a Map! Having shared these stages with you, am I saying that this is the one and only way to grow a blog, period? No, not really Theres lots that I havent covered, and there are many paths up the proverbial mountain. This isnt the 87 www.e-junkie.info
only path, or even the only good path. It is, however, a good path, aCrane Number Six Cha-ching! Most blogs falter because theyre busy trying to sell something when they should still be building an audience. Once youve got an audience that loves your stuff, selling is easy. This is the part where you can parlay your audience into big sales numbers. Im not going to go into all of the different ways that you can make money with a blog (selling a product, selling a service, selling advertising, affiliate products, speaking fees, etc.) thats beyond the scope of this post. What I do want to stress, though, is that you should focus on building the audience first, and selling second. Too often, when people ask why their site isnt making money, the answer is because nobody is visiting it. Growing your audience first, and selling after that, is how you solve that problem. Going Off-Road? Take a Map! Having shared these stages with you, am I saying that this is the one and only way to grow a blog, period? No, not really Theres lots that I havent covered, and there are many paths up the proverbial mountain. This isnt the only path, or even the only good path. It is, however, a good path, aCrane Number Six Cha-ching! safe path, and a path that will get you there quicker than most of the others that Ive seen especially the ones that p safe path, and a path that will get you there quicker than most of the others that Ive seen especially the ones that promise to teleport you to the top, but really just lead you off a cliff.
Heres the beauty of this path it works even if you veer off of it from time to time. And you will veer off from time to time; youll have ideas that youll want to try, or opportunities will present themselves that you wont want to lose while waiting for the next step in the process.
No problem veer off path, do what youve got to do, and if it works, so much the better. But when youre done exploring, work your way back to the path and pick up where you left off. To help you remember how it all works, you can get our one-page PDF cheat sheet for free just visit http://bit.ly/GrowBigSteps , and you can get it there.
While youre at it, subscribe to get our blog RSS updates or by email (its at the top of the sidebar to the right) we promise to keep great content coming your way.
Oh, one more thing please visit the original post and leave a comment! What do you think of this model? Do you see yourself on it? What stage are you at? What are you doing to get to the next one?
About the Author: Danny Iny is an author, strategist, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of Firepole Marketing, the definitive marketing training program for small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-marketers. Catch up with him at http://www.firepolemarketing.com/.
HowIWentFrom0to1,012BlogSubscribersin101Days
It took me 101 days to hit 1,012 subscribers. The rate at which my blog grew has surprised me and I am grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey. I intend to keep on writing and producing more valuable content for a very long time. Im following my passion. Im connecting with new people and in general having a lot of fun. These 101 days were a lot of hard work. A lot of bloggers come into this game thinking itll be a breeze. To tell you the truth, if youre not ready to work hard, youre probably not going to make it. This is why its so important that you find something youre passionate about. We all have something like this inside of us. If you can find a topic you could die for, youre on the right track. What if someone had a gun to your head and you had to choose one topic to write about for the next few years? What would you choose? 90 www.e-junkie.info
1. Finding My Passion In November 2009 I had been contemplating starting what would become Wake Up Cloud, my blog, and following my true passion, which was and is writing about financial freedom and self improvement. I felt an inner urge to reach out and help people. I wasnt always clear about my passion. Earlier in 2009 I had thought about the idea of starting a blog about health, self-improvement and money. I jotted down some thoughts and notes, but it never felt right, so I never took action. I went back to building websites that would help me make money and transition into making a living online. You see, in the beginning of 2009 I was still playing poker, but I wasnt enjoying it. Sure, the money was good, but theres more to life than money. I wanted to do something else. Around March-April of 2009 I stopped cold-turkey and havent played a hand of poker since. I forced myself to work on my website at the time and make it work. While I wasnt following my true passion, I was writing about topics I was pretty interested in. It was a step in the right direction. During the months leading up to November 2009, I was constantly thinking about what I would want to write about. What did I do all day when I wasnt working on my websites? It was a slow process. The answer I kept getting was financial freedom and self improvement. When the end of 2009 came, I had already built up a nice income stream that could keep me alive while I was learning how to blog. I realized that building any kind of income would take a long time. I was okay with that, because I was going to write on a topic I was passionate about. I was also very interested in natural health, but I knew I had to pick one main topic to be successful. I could always build a blog around natural health later on. I hesitated for a while, until one morning I had a dream that basically sent me the message dont wait, start NOW! 91 www.e-junkie.info
I woke up confused. It was one of those dreams you just cant seem to shake off. It was vivid in my mind and I took it as a kick in my ass to get started, so I did . . . 2. Modeling I credit my poker success to all the coaches Ive had during the years. When I hired my first poker coach in early 2005, I instantly knew it was the right thing to do. While it wasnt cheap, it helped me improve my game tremendously. I wanted to use the same strategy in blogging. I went out and found someone who was already doing what I wanted to do and I joined their training program. I have never thought twice about finding a mentor and paying them for helping me. It helps me avoid common mistakes and most important of all, it helps me reach my goals at a much more rapid pace. Would I have been able to reach 1,012 blog subscribers in 101 days without joining a course? I highly doubt it. If youre just starting out and have the money to spend, there are many blogging courses and coaches out there. 3. Planning My Attack Before I even started my blog, I thought about things like: What did I want to achieve? How did I want to achieve it? Who was my target audience? How often did I want to post? How was I going to get traffic? How was I going to keep readers interested? Did I want to make money with my blog? 92 www.e-junkie.info
How was I going to produce a profit?
There are many more questions you should think about when youre starting your blog. Naturally, all of these questions can be overwhelming to think about, which is why its good to have someone nearby who can help clear up confusion.
I already knew my passion, but I had a lot of work ahead of me to write out what I really wanted to achieve. Its easy to ignore the planning process and jump right in, but going through and writing down your goals can bring a lot of clarity to your writing.
I thought about who my ideal reader was. It was someone Id like to hang out with in real life, which meant they would be interested in weird stuff, they would be cool and happy.
I finally came up with the idea that I wanted to focus my blog on a demographic, instead of only focusing on a niche.
After all this it was time to write down my strategy. How was I going to get traffic?
My plan was to write 5 posts for my blog and then kick things off by being an active commenter on blogs that I enjoyed reading and later on guest post more. At that time, I didnt know when I was going to write my first guest post. I just knew I wanted to do it.
Its all well and good to get traffic, but how was I going to turn them into subscribers? The best option was to use a sign-up incentive, which is basically a bribe you give people for signing up. This would help me get people on my e-mail list, which would help me engage the people that were serious about improving their lives.
There are a lot of e-mail list services out there. I personally have used Aweber for several years and havent had problems with them. I recommend you do some comparisons do find a service that 93 www.e-junkie.info
resonates with you, but make sure you build a list as soon as possible.
At this point I didnt really know how I was going to help people by creating products and services. What I did know was that there were a lot of people out there struggling with making a living online and following their passion. I was making it happen, and I had already helped a few people make some money online, so I was confident I could lend a helping hand.
4. Executing My Strategy
Writing and planning is cool, but nothing really happens if you dont take action. I knew what I wanted with my blog and I knew how I was going to achieve it. I have always hated planning, so I try to skip it every chance I get, but in this instance I really discovered how much clarity it can bring to whatever I am doing.
Just knowing what I was going to do and how I was going to do it gave me certainty and confidence to take massive action. I basically had everything written down, so I knew the steps I needed to take to make this happen.
I was scared all the time in the beginning. I was scared before I started my blog. I was scared when I put my first blog post up. I was scared when I wrote my first comment and I was scared when I did my first WordPress update.
The way I got over my fears was to have a purpose that was more important. I wanted to help others achieve a life they actually liked. Most people are still trapped in the 9-to-5. They are afraid to take the first step because of the uncertainty. The internet is a scary place. There are an overwhelming amount of opportunities you could choose from. This is one of the reasons I like to find a mentor, coach or just a training course. Its much easier for me to stay focused if I know what Im doing has a high probability of success.
When I worried about what people would think of me, I kept my goal in mind and it helped me move forward. Thinking about helping others made my fears insignificant. The times where thinking about this didnt work, I thought about me on my deathbed.
Did I really want to look back and regret not doing this? Did I want to be a coward for the rest of my life? Thinking like that got me back to reality and motivated me to take action. Hey, it may be a somewhat negative way of motivation yourself, but whatever works is good enough for me. I can always change it later on.
Building a successful blog is a lot of hard work. I knew that coming in and I was prepared to do whatever it takes to make this happen. I wanted to make living my passion a reality. This is exactly why I recommend you find your passion before you start anything.
The more passionate you are about a subject, the harder youll work and the higher chances are that you will succeed. If youre just starting a blog to make money, chances are you will fail.
5. Guest Posting
After I got my first guest post published and saw the traffic it brought to my website, I was hooked. I recognized the power of guest blogging and I made guest posting my main strategy for getting traffic, links and subscribers to my blog.
It is one of the reasons why I have grown so fast. I havent kept track of all my guest posts, but during these 101 days, I wrote close to 50 guest posts on various blogs. Some brought me ten visitors while others brought me one thousand.
I started by guest posting on the smaller blogs, because I was a bit intimidated of having my writing on the bigger ones. Once I got comfortable writing more and more, I started approaching bigger blogs. 95 www.e-junkie.info
After a while I realized that my fears were unfounded. All the blog owners Ive been in touch with have been incredibly friendly.
Even when my guest posts were rejected they delivered the news with a smile on their face. If youre afraid of guest posting, know that it is the best strategy for getting traffic to your blog or website. If youre sitting there wondering why you arent getting traffic to your blog, its most likely because you arent putting in the work. I made my fears insignificant by having an important purpose and following my passion. You can do the same.
6. Adapting to Circumstances
As with anything, your plan wont be flawless. You will have to adapt your approach over and over again. When I had written for a few months, I realized that something was wrong. I felt bad writing and I got writers block.
I do not consider writers block to always be a bad thing. It often helps me realize that I should be writing about another topic. Getting stuck is easy when you let your mind go on auto-pilot. When this happens I go back to the drawing board and think about what I am really interested in. I also asked my readers for help. From doing that, I got feedback that I should be writing more on the financial freedom aspect of my blog, which I had unknowingly neglected because writing about self improvement was so much easier.
I started sharing my experiences with making a living online, how I did it and what mistakes I made along my journey. This increased the growth of my blog. I was giving my readers what they wanted. I still had to be careful not to fall into the trap of listening to the vocal minority, which basically refers to the fact that most of your readers will never comment on your posts or e-mail you their thoughts. Its a hard line to balance. My approach has always been to experiment. As long as my blog keeps growing, I know Im doing something right.
7. Staying Focused
One of the most obvious traits of successful blogs is their consistency. It takes a long time to build a blog readership, which means you have to be in it for the long haul. I know Im probably not going to make close to a living for at least a few years from this blog, which is fine by me, because I really like what Im doing, whether I get paid or not.
Getting to 1,000 subscribers feels good, but its not the end goal. It just confirms that I am heading in the right direction. Its important for me to keep reminding myself of what my goals are. Im here to help and connect with the right people.
Its incredibly easy for me to read about a new course, see the promise of how much money I could make and want to buy the course. This happens to everyone. Its something Ive learned to be okay with. Your mind will always want things, so remember to focus on your goal and keeping moving forward.
If your strategy isnt working right now, get someone to give you some feedback and adjust your strategy. There really is no reason why you should go through two years of frustration like I did with my first website. There are so many great resources out there you can take advantage of.
What are you waiting for? The stars will never align. The time will never be right. Act now.
About the Author: Henri Junttila provides insight on recognizing the real you and getting paid to do what you love. Author of Passionate Living, catch up with him at http://www.wakeupcloud.com/.
IamABusinessManFirst,ABloggerSecondBut,WaitFor It...
Its Sunday evening, my youngest is quietly in bed already, Im done with dinner and my wife is watching TV. As I normally do on a Sunday evening, I turned on my computer to catch up on reading the handful of blogs that I subscribe to (there are not that many I read religiously, but the ones I do, I really do!). And one thing hit me The quality of content is getting better and better. Last week, I sat down and put together FIVE posts, for this blog, and planned around 10 guest posts which will all be out and about in the next few weeks. And from working on these posts, I realized something I am getting more and more turned-on to blogging. So much so, that I even enrolled myself to Leo and Marys A-List Blogging Bootcamps Club to learn more. Cool, community of people, actually!
Now, I class my self as a businessman and entrepreneur first, before anything else. However, as this blog has started to become more popular, and more people have subscribed to the blog, I have been fortunate to meet some great people. I have also been offered many Joint Ventures. Ive declined almost all of them. Although in regards to two particular bloggers who I subscribe too, and thoroughly enjoy their work, I have decided to work with on two completely separate projects. Although I am not 98 www.e-junkie.info
going to completely reveal who they are and what exactly well be doing (although their have been hints in past posts, a little!), I can say that one of the projects will be gauged towards Outsourcing and the other towards becoming an Entrepreneur and setting up businesses both off and online. Another thing I have decided to do is take my personal blog offline, and concentrate on the VBL blog, and these other projects to make sure that the content produced (which will include written, audio and video posts) is top quality and really, really useful. So, whats next then, Chris..!? So, as a businessman, I continue to run my business, grow it, expand it and (as most of you will know by now), look to take myself out of the day-to-day operations of it, by becoming a Full-Time Virtual CEO by the end of this year. However, as a blogger Im going to be doing more a lot more to be able to help, inspire, motivate and kick the right people up the ass along that ultimate road of becoming an entrepreneur and creating a lifestyle that youll love to live.
ThankYouNote
We are thankful to all these phenomenal bloggers for making this project possible. Kudos to all of them for contributing such insightful and practical articles. If you too wish to be called an 'expert' blogger someday and experience that elated feeling of inspiring someone else, then visit these blogs and we assure you that you will not be disappointed. Ivan Walsh: http://www.ivanwalsh.com/ Andrew Rondeau: http://www.webuildyourblog.com/ Danny Iny: http://www.firepolemarketing.com/ Henri Junttila: http://www.wakeupcloud.com/ Mary Jaksch: http://goodlifezen.com/ Jacob: http://www.blogrevolter.com/ John Burnside: http://www.moneyin15minutes.co.uk/ Blog Tyrant: http://www.blogtyrant.com/ Ryan Barton: http://www.thesmartmarketingblog.com/ Chris C. Ducker: http://www.virtualbusinesslifestyle.com/ Carol Tice: http://makealivingwriting.com/ Sarah Payne: http://templatefaerie.blogspot.com/ ShareOn:
Our special thanks to Stock.xchng for being an excellent image resource for this eBook. Thank You for downloading this E-book. 100 www.e-junkie.info

The Art of Blogging Debunked

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com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

47 812 1317 1821 2225 2630 3133 3436 3750 5155

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Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Evolution of Blogging: Phase 3

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Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

It Brings New Customers

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Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

The pre-blogging stage

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1. Write a blog you believe in, or pay the price

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Building a blog worth some money

2. Have a clear call to action based around that content

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Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Selling your blog

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e

Buyer: Julio Oz (jmesias@gmail.com) Transaction ID: jg-mf0oaqeef34072e