If you love writing, expressing your creativity, and connecting with new people, blogging is an attractive hobby. But what happens when you want to turn that passion into a fully fledged business venture?
Many bloggers before you have completed the transition to build successful enterprises. There’s nothing to stop you following in their footsteps. However, blogging for business is vastly different to blogging solely for pleasure. Subsequently, it’s vital that you follow the right blueprint to maximize your hopes of success.
It can feel like a daunting task, but you’ve already done the hardest part by finding your writing voice. Incorporate the 10 simple tricks below, and you should start to see profits in no time.
1- Understand Monetization
In truth, you’ll need to master a number of other elements before the monetization factors pay off. However, generating revenue is your new main focus. Every decision subsequently made will be made with this in mind, which is why you must think about those aspects immediately.
Blogging opens up various revenue opportunities. In addition to the standard concepts of Google Ads and affiliate links, you could look at sponsored content. However, it’s equally important to think outside of those limitations. Launching a range of merchandise can be the perfect solution, but there are plenty of alternatives out there too.
You might not implement these ideas straight away. Nevertheless, planning ahead is crucial if you want to see positive outcomes. After all, failure to do this could mean that you’ll need to change other elements further down the line. For the sake of your long-term aspirations, start paying attention now.
2- Don’t Just Write
Blogging carries many advantages over traditional media. Perhaps its greatest selling point is that info and opinions can be presented using an array of different platforms. The quality of your writing may be the crucial ingredient, but it doesn’t mean you should ignore the benefits of supplementary ideas.
Video content doesn’t only add variance. It can also ensure that content is easily digested, especially for non-English speakers. This guide to mastering the procedure at Distilled.net should allow you to create stunning work. When combined with intelligent, entertaining writing, you cannot go far wrong.
Just remember that images paint a thousand words also. Quite frankly, the right photos and infographics can bring those posts to life. Ultimately, that could be the difference between capturing a reader’s imagination and not.
3- Know Your Audience
If you are going to turn your blog into a company, it needs to be treated like any other business. The readers are your customers, and putting their best interests first is essential for success.
Branding is a pivotal factor that will give your blog its identity. Not only will this separate it from the crowd, but it will go a long way to building that excitement and familiarity. If you’ve already built an audience throughout the duration of being a leisure project, ask them for their opinions. As long as they’re satisfied, you can safely assume that others will be too.
Readers need to resonate with your content and brand personality. Gain a deeper understanding of their preferences, and you will not regret it.
4- Gain A Better Presence
Building strong relationships with existing readers is vital. But you also need to think about increasing your readership numbers. After all, those visits are the key to gaining revenue, and will ultimately allow you to keep improving the quality of your output.
Digital marketing is an immensely difficult field to master. Even if you have the content needed to impress existing audiences, reaching new ones can feel impossible. Visit Posirank.com to learn more about the available support. In truth, professional help isn’t only crucial for increasing the figures. Perhaps more importantly, it will enable your business to achieve this goal in an organic manner.
If you are still operating from home, you may also wish to hire a virtual office space. In addition to providing a greater presence, it will protect your residential details. Quite frankly, that in itself is priceless.
5- Increase The Productivity
When blogging solely for leisure purposes, posting two or three times per week is fine. As soon as you want to become a serious blogging entrepreneur, though, upping the frequency is vital.
Even if you dedicate full-time hours to the cause, you’ll find that it’s too much for one pair of hands. Assembling a team of remote bloggers is the perfect way to increase the output. As the boss, you will be required to lead this team throughout the battles ahead. Nonetheless, a great team of employees will become your greatest asset. Moreover, that network could bring in new readers that then become fans of the entire project.
In many cases, students will work for free as it gives their work great exposure. Alternatively, you may give them a small level of pay or calculate payments on the number of clicks they receive. This is a tactic used by many of the biggest blogging platforms. Not only will it keep contributors motivated, but it’s cost-effective recruitment.
6- Protect Your Ideas
Now that your blog is a business platform, it’s imperative that you protect every element of the venture. If you have people working for you remotely, it’s imperative that the CMS system restricts contributors. Only you should have access to the most vital data.
Internal issues aren’t the only problem worth considering. Choosing the right web host is imperative if you want to avoid regular downtime. Meanwhile, you must ensure that customer data is kept private and protected at all time. Getting your digital security measure is place should be a priority.
CCTV and physical security can aid your cause too. Finally, you must not forget to consider the importance of intellectual property. Copyrights and legal precautions could save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
7- Get Organized
Prevention is the best form of protection, and those sentiments extend beyond the realm of security. Sustained success is an ongoing task. Employing great organizational skills is the only way that you’ll maintain control.
First and foremost, you need to keep a tight grip over the financial aspects. These accounting Apps can provide the tools needed to manage your finances with far greater ease. Not only will this help you keep the business moving forward. More importantly, it will allow you to make calculated decisions for future growth.
Scheduling is another vital aspect. There’s no point in having a stream of regular content only to be hit with a two-week absence due to vacations. Whether it’s setting a better rota or scheduling posts in advance doesn’t matter. The key is to ensure content is regular for 365 days of the year.
8- Ensure The Website Works
Your website is the entire business product. Therefore, if it’s suffering damage, the entire venture will suffer the inevitable consequences.
This is another reason why you need the right web hosting package. Furthermore, you need to ensure that readers can navigate through the pages with ease. Professional WordPress themes at Elegantthemes.com are the perfect solution. Not only do they look great, but they are easy to maintain from the backend.
Ultimately, the quality of your content will provide the key to retaining long-term readers. Nonetheless, first impressions count for everything when trying to win new readers. If those design aspects are perfected, you’ll have a huge advantage over your competitors.
9- Expand The Venture
Turning your passion for blogging into a business idea requires a lot of transformation. Understandably, audiences will now expect a more professional product. Therefore, the manner of presentation is a crucial aspect that cannot be overlooked for a second.
Online activities have evolved. Nowadays, consumers are more likely to access their favorite sites via their smartphones and tablets. Therefore, ensuring that your site is fully optimized for the mobile audience is imperative. Meanwhile, you may find that launching a simple App can have a telling impact on your repeat readership numbers.
As your venture grows, it’s imperative that it evolves to embrace new technology too. As a professional blogger, taking an interest in the latest developments is essential. Aside from the research, try networking with others. You’ll be amazed at the opportunities that surface.
10- Enjoy It!
When turning your blog into a business, it’s imperative that you learn to take things seriously. Those financial needs mean that you haven’t got time to waste, and must start making progress immediately. Nonetheless, you got into blogging for the fun of it. Do not lose sight of that enjoyment.
Let’s face it; your passion for the craft is one of the chief reasons your current readers love the platform. Readers can tell if your heart is in it or not. As soon as you lose that love of blogging, the quality of your content will fall.
Even if the business aspects are in perfect shape, there’s no way to recover poor content. It’s a simplistic view but if you love your posts, the readers will too.
Hi Sylviane,
Thanks for sharing some ideas in your post for us. I liked the one Posirank as I’ve become more SEO aware once again. I just invested in the Yoast Premium plugin. It is so important today to be found online. I think having the passion for it is key – without it you won’t last in this space. I’ve seen so many bloggers come and go over the past 6 years.
Hi Lisa,
Wow, nice to see you here. Indeed, bloggers come and go, but those who are motivated because they have a vision are the ones who stay. To tell you the truth, I don’t rely on my blog for my high-ticket clients, but my blog pays for itself now several times over each year since people are seeking me to pay me to post on my own blog, so that baby is here to stay.
Thanks for dropping by and hope you’re doing well.
Sylviane
Great posting. It will helps us a lot to improve business, surely i will follow all the steps that you have mentioned here. Thanks for sharing such an informative blog with us. Keep posting.
Thanks !!!!!
Sylviane, this was fantastic. So many snippets of gold in here to ensuring that your blog becomes a business. “planning ahead is crucial if you want to see positive outcomes” was a standout comment for me. I think this is critical to avoid getting ‘stuck’ and to ensure you continue working once the novelty has warn off.