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Which One Of These 7 Monetization Strategies Is Best For Your Blog?

November 10, 2010 By 8 Comments

The world of making money online through generating content on a blog is not an easy one at times. While there are more options to bloggers than ever to generate revenue that can either be great supplemental income or the full enchilada for their family, the process of making that income a reality is a bumpy road filled with learning experiences. When you start to look objectively at your blog to dissect how it is going to generate income, it requires an outside look in completely independent of daily, weekly or monthly content generation. When I am looking to increase my blogs monetary value, there are several things I look at before I even think about implementing any new strategies and these are some basic questions.

  • Is my content attracting an audience that is ready to spend money?
    (Releated Reading: 2 Groups That Are 99% of Your Blog’s Income)
  • Am I generating content that has the possibility of making money on its own?
  • What are the problems that my readers need solved that I haven’t addressed yet?
  • What is my successful competition doing well that I am not?
  • How much traffic do I have and what is my monthly growth?

Once I have answered these questions, I can start searching for different revenue generating avenues for my blog, but if you do not even know your own audience and content, you are just going to be a hamster in a wheel…spinning really fast but going no where.

7 Basic Monetization Strategies for Bloggers

When it comes to blogging, there are 7 basic groups of monetization strategies that you can start applying today to make more money online.

  1. Selling Your Own Products – Selling either physical (soft goods, products, etc.) or digital (ebooks, recordings, reports, software, themes, plugins, etc.) is a great way to increase your bottom line and market your blog at the same time. For most bloggers, the look towards selling digital products is the first step into selling something of your own through your blog. With a low cost of entry…in most cases just your knowledge and time…you can release a digital product and enjoy very high profits which allow for high percentage affiliate programs to get it to spread like wildfire. For example, Ramped Blogging and Ramped Reviews both carry an affiliate program that pays out 65% and cost me nothing but my time and knowledge to develop.
  2. Selling Community Services – In recent years, the sale of memberships, coaching programs and premium content has gained a lot of traction in the blogging world as more affordable software for delivering these programs as become available and the “I can do that too!” idea has spread. One of the biggest advantages of these types of programs over digital products is the recursive income over the one time sale.
  3. Affiliate Marketing – When you suggest a product to your readers and get a percentage of that sale, you are participating in affiliate marketing. There is not a single market out there that does not carry at least a couple of affiliate marketing programs for retailers and other products that can have commissions ranging from 4% all the way up to 75% of the sale in some cases. This is typically the 2nd place bloggers start when they look to make more money with their blogs.
  4. Advertising – Just like with a magazine, your blog has a lot of physical real estate that can be sold. Whether it is through pay-per-click campaigns like Google Adsense or selling spots for a monthly fee, you are turning your empty white space into dollars by generating clicks or impressions. The more you have…the more you get.
  5. Professional Services – Many blogs (like this one) offer consulting or speaking services for a price. If you have built up a solid reputation in your niche to the point people really value your point of view, you can charge for that time.
  6. Selling/Flipping Blogs – There are companies and individuals out there that want a blog but need to have an audience right away or do not want to hassle with the beginning start up. On the flip side, there are bloggers that specialize in starting up blogs just to sell them off for profit. When these two needs meet, you get the art of blog flipping.
  7. Non-Measurable Benefits – For many bloggers online, they are not looking to be the next biggest thing in their niche. However, they are looking to get a new job, increase awareness of their photography or art or even just looking to make connections online. When these needs result in a positive outcome (like getting a new, higher paying job), that is an immeasurable, monetary benefit to blogging. While it may not fit next to the “how much money I made with Adsense” column of your spreadsheet, it does have a drastic influence on your life in a monetary sense.

There are always new and inventive ways to generate income online, but these 7 basic strategies are the most common and cover the complete gamut at this time.

Which One Of These 7 Monetization Strategies Is Best For My Blog?

As you look at each of these 7 strategies in pursuit of making more money online, which one is best for your blog? As much as I wish I had the easy answer for you (hoping I would say “that one!” weren’t you…), the solution to that question is not that easy on the surface. It really boils down to the answers you have from the questions at the beginning of this article.

Ideally, I like to mix as many monetization strategies that will operate successfully on my blogs. With each of my strategies taking up a smaller percentage of the big picture, I am able to handle swings in reader preferences and changes in the market much easier than blogs that rely solely on one or two methods. What happens to the blogs that rely on one affiliate program for the majority of their income when that program goes away (which I have had happen)? With Bike198:

  • I sell direct advertising space.
  • Have PPC campaigns like Adense.
  • Sell digital products (Ramped Riding).
  • Sell physical products (Bike198 kits and t-shirt line).
  • Refer products through affiliate marketing (reviews and suggestions through my active newsletter).

All of these methods are tested over and over again to increase results and to continue adding to my bottom line, so as you look at your blog…you need to ask more questions…

  • Do I have enough traffic to make any income through PPC?
  • What is the biggest issue I could solve with a digital product?
  • Is there another product or service that my readers would find useful that has an affiliate program?
  • Do have have the buying audience and capital to release a physical product and what do my readers want to buy?

After you answer those questions for yourself, you can start hammering away at making more money per month on your blog. Typically, bloggers look towards advertising and affiliate marketing techniques as their first jump into making money online. They are the easiest to implement and can have instant results. As you move up the effort chain to creating your own products and selling coaching programs and services, the risk and monetary benefit is higher with the added developmental time and work.

The best monetization strategy for your blog is the one that you have tested and it works. There will be bloggers that will tell you how you should do things, but at the end of the day…whatever performs the best on your blog is what you should be doing. You should then continually test and add over time to keep the snowball effect going. There are many ways bloggers can make money online, it just takes an objective look at your internet real estate and the willingness to step outside of the box and try something new. Most of your ideas will probably fail miserably, but the few that win will win big and the lessons you learn from the failures will prepare you for the next big win.

Side note…a blog without an active newsletter is a blog that is deciding to make very little money. Check out this series on why you need a newsletter on your blog to find out why…1 Thing Your Blog Can’t Live Without.

Which one of these monetization strategies have you found success with on your blog?

Filed Under: Blogging, Generating Cash Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Blogging Labs – Formulating Blogs That Make Money

November 8, 2010 By 37 Comments

As you may have already noticed, things have drastically changed around here! What used to be RobbSutton.com is now BloggingLabs.com and that comes with a new design! So let’s dive into it as I explain what we did here and why the change.

Why the domain change?

RobbSutton.com started with a single purpose, to help other bloggers make a run at making money online through blogging. After getting numerous emails from other bloggers asking how I got so much product into review on Bike198.com, I decided to start RobbSutton.com as a way to talk to those bloggers publicly and not through just email. It was the simple theory of reaching more people in a personal way which is one of the foundations of blogging.

As time progressed, the blog continued to grow and expand. Through that expansion, RobbSutton.com actually grew past what I wanted from a personal blog standpoint. When you start to move past your personal name into a site that creating its own brand identity, you really need to have a domain name that is not your own personal name. This has several key positives to it.

  • Trust is built into brand names easier than personal. How many “wannabe” probloggers are out there talking about internet marketing and making money online through their personal name all looking to be the next John Chow (who also wishes his site was not on his personal name) without any real world experience or income to back up the claims?! A lot…don’t you want to separate yourself from those other bloggers? I do…
  • Branded domains are easier to sell in the future. While I nave absolutely no intentions of ever selling this site, you have to think about how having your content cemented to your personal name can affect your business plan down the road.
  • My personal domain can now stay personal. One of the biggest driving forces behind the move was this one. I want to create a personal blog on my name in the future to keep friends and family updated on our family. My wife and I are looking to start having children and it would be cool to have all of that information in one place. Since I do not want my name to be the brand anyway, having my personal domain stay personal is the perfect avenue to accomplish that goal.

So here we are…Blogging Labs…where we formulate money making blogs through real world experience that generates real income online.

First Impressions Start With The Name: Blogging Labs

As I racked my brain to think up of a domain name for the new site, I wanted something unique that was applicable to all past content as well as where I saw the blog heading in the future. Domain names are a tough animal to tackle as you not only have to come up with something catchy and memorable, but you also have to come up with a name that is actually available!

It took me about 2 weeks to actually nail this down and Blogging Labs is where we landed. At Blogging Labs, we formulate blogs that make money through tested and proven techniques on blogs in and outside of the MMO/internet marketing niche. With solid offerings like Bike198.com to back up the claims, we are going to keep pushing forward to innovate the way content is delivered online and consistently monetize that content. That is the core to Blogging Labs.

The New Design: Pagelines Platform Pro Framework

When I went looking to hack up a new design, I wanted something that was going to offer more flexibility than I had in the past. Previously, I had been using WooThemes and while I absolutely love their design and backend management system, I needed something that was easier to integrate key elements without a lot of hand coding and hacking.

Naturally, when you start looking at theme frameworks, there are four sources you are going to turn to.

At the end of the day, I ended up going with Pageslines Platform Pro because it had a lot of the key elements I needed as I sketched out exactly how I wanted this site to lay out. Platform Pro is the new dog to the race in terms of frameworks and so far I am incredibly impressed with the back end management, drag and drop functionality and incredible support from the developers. The other frameworks are all great and have an incredible reputation, but at the end of the day…I made the right choice for my abilities and this site. As you take a look around, you will see the elements that make this framework unique.

The Future and Blogging Labs

As we move forward into the ever evolving future of blogging, Blogging Labs is going to continue to pump out content that is going to help you increase your bottom line through real tutorials, techniques and reviews. Since we solidly believe that mindset is also key to success, we will continue to publish hard hitting articles to get you off your ass and working. Thank you for the support over the years with RobbSutton.com and we are looking forward to the future with Blogging Labs.

Filed Under: Blogging, The Web Tagged With: , , , , ,

Three Ways You Can Build A Great Online Brand

November 2, 2010 By 3 Comments

The following article on building an online brand is a guest post by Vik Tantry from There Is Money Everywhere dot com. Online branding is essential to success in blogging as you strive to set yourself apart from the rest of the noise.

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a fellow blogger. He was frustrated because he had been blogging for more than a year and hadn’t achieved any real traction. He wanted to understand what he could be doing better. It’s never easy to build a brand, but there are definitely things you can do to help. Here are three tips to help you on your way to a stellar online brand:

Tip #1: Be Credible

Explain why people should listen to you

A good example is Jim Cramer from Mad Money. Although he is highly entertaining, he makes sure that people know about his prestigious investment background: top of his class at Harvard, investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and manager of a profitable hedge fund. I doubt he’d be as successful if he didn’t advertise these impeccable credentials

What if you aren’t a proven expert? That’s ok, but be sure to admit that you are willing to learn. Pat from Smart Passive Income does this very effectively. He is very upfront about the fact that he is learning how to make money online, and is extremely transparent with his process. This level of honesty has taken him exceptionally far and will continue to serve him well as he builds his user base.

Demonstrate value time and again

Glen Allsopp at Viperchill has some of the most detailed, thoughtful articles on web marketing. While most content on the web is only 300-500 words, Glenn typically writes long, rich posts that are anywhere from 1500-3000 words long. In just over a year, he’s built up a tremendous following and many of his posts are seen as “authoritative guides” on various topics.

Tip #2: Be Likeable

Stay positive

S^%t happens, but people will like you all the more if you can take it in stride. An exceptional example of this is Pat Flynn over at Smart Passive Income. In 2008, Pat was laid off from his job at an architecture firm. Instead of getting down on himself, he took it as an opportunity to build his own business and grow his personal brand. Around the world, thousands of readers (including yours truly) listened to his story and took inspiration from his outlook on life. Today, Pat’s blog is a major brand in the “making money online” space.

Be Responsive

There is no bigger turn-off than apathy. If you come across like you don’t care, people won’t care about you. The opposite is also true. If you go out of your way to respond to people, they are much more likely to keep your on the radar.

Be Humble

Neil Patel from QuickSprout is one of the more successful entrepreneurs at his age. He’s accomplished more at 25 than most people do in a lifetime. And yet, he never misses an opportunity to tell people that he’s not that smart and he’s actually made a lot of mistakes. He’s always willing to learn and never comes across like he’s “above” other people. This humility is par t of the reason that he has one of the most successful blogs in the world.

Tell a story about your past

Many successful “gurus” come from humble origins. Robert Kiyosaki was homeless in 1985, living out of his car. Real estate guru Dean Graziosi was raised by a single mother who made $90 a week. These “rags to riches” stories are inspiring and contribute heavily to your personal brand.

Tip #3: Be Funny

Humor sells. It also has a lot of value in drawing in people’s attention. Ramit Sethi at I Will Teach You To Be Rich does a masterful job of integrating humor within a traditionally boring topic: personal finance. His lighthearted, witty approach brought in a younger audience that was curious about personal finance but couldn’t get through the boring material.

But be careful: being funny isn’t the same as being mean. If you constantly poke fun at others, you risk coming across like a jerk. A better approach is to poke fun at yourself; things that you do wrong, mistakes you’ve made, etc. If you are going to make fun of others, try to use fake names to protect their identity.

Have you had success using these techniques? Please share in the comments.

Vik Tantry blogs about making money online to lead a better life at theresmoneyeverywhere.com.

Image by Mike Chen aka Metalman

Filed Under: Blogging, The Web, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , ,

What You Should Know About Hosting on a Managed Private Cloud

October 25, 2010 By Leave a Comment

First and foremost, let me start off with a working definition of a private cloud. A private cloud (also known as an enterprise cloud) is “a cloud computing infrastructure created by an organization for its own internal use.” Organizations may develop such a private cloud instead of using other infrastructures, this is a convenient way for an organization to store sensitive data and host internal information. You can identify a private cloud verses a public cloud mainly by their use of an independent server and network infrastructure with internal data centers that are set up within a firewall.

Within the different forms of cloud computing, there are different deployment methods whether it is public, private or a hybrid, private clouds have been able to address the disadvantages of public cloud computing. It is my goal throughout this entry to give a brief overview of the strengths and weaknesses of hosting on a managed private cloud and what you need to know.

Strengths of Hosting on a Managed Private Cloud

One great thing about hosting on a private cloud is the available control. These clouds may also be called on premises clouds being that they are hosted on site rather than by a separate vendor. Organizations using a private cloud have a large amount of control of the software used to create the cloud, implementation of its security, the network set-up and the available operating systems. Organizations therefore also have full control of their data and information. Maintaining their own data gives them complete responsibility. Using someone else’s infrastructure, or public cloud, one loses that amount of control that is available when hosting from a private cloud.

Location is another strong advantage of a private cloud verse public clouds. Having direct access to the server makes it easier to move data in or out of the cloud. Locations to the server, keeps your information tangible and close at hand and reduces the need for outsourced IT support. The internal location also increases the performance and transfer rates. As the private cloud functions within a firewall, it allows for these higher transfer rates.

A third strength of hosting on a private cloud would be security. Assuming the network is closed to outside, it is a great deal easier to secure. Going back to the control issue, you are able to control the network’s security with your own judgment.

Weaknesses of Hosting on a Managed Private Cloud

The largest weakness to hosting on an enterprise cloud is the work put into creating and maintaining the cloud. As building a cloud is an intricate process, it may be easier to use a different, pre-existing, infrastructure.

Another weakness would be the shear cost of hosting on a managed private cloud. There are hidden costs involved in complying to regulations, IT support, backing up data, recovery or restoration, and troubleshooting. With the new technology, these costs may fluctuate while the practice gets perfected.

Hopefully I have addressed your issues with a private cloud and have left you with a clearer knowledge of the topic. If you are interested in private clouds but are concerned more of its weaknesses, I encourage you to look further into hybrid clouds as they have been designed to address the weaknesses of both public and private clouds.

This article was written by Sebastian Brown, a technology veteran and hosting expert. For all your hosting needs, check out Rackspace.com. Rackspace is a company that delivers enterprise-level hosting services to businesses of all sizes. Check out Rackspace by clicking here.

Cloud image by unifiedphoto

Filed Under: Technology, The Web, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , , ,

Bringing The Community Atmosphere Back To Your Blog

October 19, 2010 By 1 Comment

One of the top reasons blogs are successful online over top news and informational sites is the growing, active community that breeds around the words that go live when you hit the publish button.

That personal connection between blogger/reader and reader/reader is what keeps your subscribers coming back for more time and time again (in addition to your kick ass content). This uniqueness of community within blogging is the driving force that continues to create traffic and profits in the blogging industry. However, while there is a ton of information out there on building community in your blogging, there are several things that you need to keep in mind when you are trying to build community in your own corner of the web.

Not All Communities Communicate In The Same Way

While the blogging niche is known of commenting on blog articles, the rest of the online world is not necessarily going to communicate in the same way. I see a lot of bloggers in sports, technology or other niches that try to force the blog commenting down the throats of their readers to find only one or two comments on an article that is getting thousands of pageviews. The reality…their readers want to communicate and form a community around a different online asset.

When you are looking to form an active community around your blog, you need to take a serious look at how members of your niche are communicating online in other areas. Here are a couple of examples to look for…

  • Online Forums and Bulletin Boards
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • MySpace
  • Special Interest Sites – Flickr.com, etc.

When you figure out how your audience wants to communicate online, you have to either bring your brand and your blog to them (Facebook Fan pages, Twitter lists, etc.), or create your own asset on your blog (example: add a forum to your site).

Building Communities Takes Serious Time And Effort

To bringing the community atmosphere to your blog takes a lot of time and effort. Luckily, this investment pays off in a big way as you create dedicated and loyal readers in the process that will promote your blog and increase your bottom line. If you are serious about building up this asset in your blogging, you have to be ready for the long haul as it is not an overnight process.

Commenting On Articles – If your readers like to comment on articles, be prepared to answer as many comments as you can to foster that connection between blogger/reader. Also, tailor your content by asking questions and having a defined opinion to breed more comments on articles and between readers. If you have a handful of regular subscribers that provide feedback, reach out to them and ask for some help with getting comments started on articles. The first comment is sometimes the hardest to get…

Jump Starting Forums - Online forums are one of the hardest resources online to get started. However, they can be a HUGE resource in your blogging for repeat visits, pageviews and traffic to your blog articles. You are going to need the help of contests, active moderators to start topics and constant replying to topics within your forum to create the stickiness that successful forums require.

Creating Online Profiles and Driving Traffic To Them – If your readers prefer communicating on social media sites like Twitter for Facebook, you have to build up credible online profiles in each of these online resources. This means you have to have professional looking avatars and background, onsite promotion tools to drive traffic to the profiles and constant/consistent updates to keep fresh content following. One of the easiest ways to create community around your social profiles is to ask questions related to your niche (also great for spurring blog content ideas), but you have to put in the effort to attract followers so you actually have people that will answer!

Strong Communities = Success Online

The most successful blogs online have some version of a community asset on their blog. In most cases, successful bloggers combine multiple community assets to further increase their spread online and attract different kinds of internet users in the process.

If you are serious about making a serious run at online success, your involvement with communication and interaction is key to fostering a community atmosphere around your online real-estate.

Filed Under: Blogging, Tutorials/How To Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

What If Man Could Fly?

October 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment

No…I do not mean jump in a 747…that is a ride. What if a man could really fly?

If you asked anyone 20 years ago if a man could fly, I bet the answer you would receive would a be a definitive no. Are you crazy?! Man can’t fly! Of course, like most things in life, there are people out there that have the drive and the passion to bring what would seem to be unachievable in reality by defying odds and forever changing what we consider normal. Jeb Corliss and his wing suit prove in this video that man can fly and it looks like it has to be the coolest thing on the planet…at this point in time. What does this have to do with you and does it really relate to blogging? Well…watch the video first and then scroll below.

Defying Odds To Achieve Greatness

All of the greatest inventions of our time or companies that rise to new heights are all founded on one basic principle when it all boils down to it.

They take an idea and achieve the unimaginable.

Throughout life…we live in a set of rules. You drive on a specific side of a road, you buy your groceries in a certain way, you have to watch your favorite show on a specific channel with pre-chosen commercials and then you wake up…day in and day out…at the same time to go to the same job and repeat the same tasks. These are the rules we live in as consumers within our communities.

If we want to break into greatness…in life or with our blogs/companies…we have to step outside the barriers to progress and think outside the box. We have to break the conventional rules of thought and bring something new to the table that connects with large audiences. We have to create that wow moment that forever changes the perspective of the people we come in contact with. It is up to us…as the idea people to come up with the alternatives.

Let me ask you another question…if someone asked you 10 years ago if a single person could achieve high 6 figure salaries with nothing but a domain name and an idea…would you have said yes?

It is time for you to fly

Right now, we live in a crazy world where the Internet has opened up more opportunities for decision makers than ever before. We are on the edge of greatness and have achieved it in many ways. Bloggers are now seen as news sources that can alter how audiences consume content. No longer are we 100% dependent upon newspapers and magazines to get the latest news or digest our obsessions. Bloggers just like you are providing this content on a daily basis and making a really good living from it.

The trick…you have to fly. You have to take that leap and come up with your ideas that are going to rock your niche. You have to have the determination and guts to go after that idea and make it a reality for yourself and your readers. Do you think Jeb Corliss started flying overnight? Absolutely not. There are going to be trials…there are going to be roadblocks…there are going to be people that will tell you it can’t be done. But, with hard work, dedication and a unique idea…you can defy the odds and fly, but you have to believe in yourself, your idea and be willing to make that jump.

Are you willing to fly?

Filed Under: Blogging, Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Underground Blogging Secrets: Extracting Money From Your Blog

October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

With the ultimate goal of pulling monetary value out of your content, you have to figure out how to extract dollars out of words. While we drive traffic to our blogs to get more eyes on our content, if you really want to make it online full-time, you have to build up a digital empire by applying underground blogging secrets that extract money out of your content.

We watch bloggers everyday do it wrong. They post up content, promote it on Twitter and Facebook, sit back and wait for a social media traffic spike and then rinse and repeat. Meanwhile, they keep checking their stats and wondering…”why am I not making any money?”

You are not making any money because content publishing on its own is not a monetization effort. Have you ever looked at a blog and wondered, “how the hell does this site make so much money?!” It is because 90% of all of the income made online (unless you have as much traffic as Perez Hilton and…if you are reading this post…you aren’t) is actually made off-site. If you are really planning on making money in your blogging, you have to realize that your blog content is the means of attracting more readers and your off-site marketing and promotion is your means of monetizing those readers.

So what can you include in your digital empire to actually generate income? While there are dozens of ways to generate revenue…here are the big three.

  1. It’s All In The List – The word email list makes most people flinch up and run for the hills. However, it is still the #1 resource online for generating income. Before you start thinking you have to be an email spammer to make money, that is actually the complete opposite from the truth. Your email list is your means to build up trust and respect with your readers…not spam the crap out of them. Your email list is a collection of your loyal minions that help you grow your business past the couple bucks a day stage. With that respect…comes responsibility to continue delivering the goods (both free and paid).
  2. Your Own Products – When you sell a product (eBooks, tangible goods, services), you income is generated outside of your normal blog content. By providing valuable resources and goods, you further solidify your reputation online and…through that…you create repeat business. The big question you have to ask yourself is…”what do my readers want to spend their money on in my niche?” Once you find the answer to that question, it is up to you to provide the solution.
  3. Exposure – The online world is growing rapidly. With major print productions looking to online resources as a way to evolve and grow, more readers are looking to digital resources over typical print. This opens a huge door for entrepreneurs looking to make it big as you no longer have to compete with the high, up-front capital investment required for print. With enough traffic (and email newsletter subscribers), you are able to provide exposure for companies in your niche for advertising. However, this requires you to step outside of the online world and go after the advertising dollars. If you are planning on putting up an “advertise with us” and sit back and wait for the offers…you are going to be consistently waiting. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, step outside the box and cold contact potential advertisers.

The key to success online is through diversification. If you can take one thing from vastly successful corporations, it is that diversification is the one thing that keeps a profit driven company consistent over the longhaul. By constantly evolving and adding in different methods of income generation, you are able to weather storms with ease.

What would happen if your primary income stream went away tomorrow?

The scary question that most bloggers never ask themselves. With as many viable income streams as you can manage coming into your digital empire, you are able to consistently grow and not worry about disastrous situations. You just keep rolling on…expanding and growing while others falter.

Filed Under: Blogging, Generating Cash Tagged With: , , , , ,

"Content Is King" Are you really buying that load of shit?!

September 30, 2010 By 2 Comments

If you are constantly buying into the concept of “content is king” that gets pushed on bloggers around the world, you are buying a used car with sand dust in the gas tank. This same tired out line has been played out beyond belief in the blogging world.

Content is not king…content is the product.

When you are looking to create your successful blog online, consistent and quality content is the given product that is required in blogging, but…just like with every industry…there is a massive amount of sub-par crap that can greatly outperform your “pilar articles” and “high quality list posts” because the bloggers behind that content have already realized the huge secret to successful blogging that really isn’t a secret.

Successful promotion is king…content comes in a far off second.

It’s true…go ahead and marinate on that one for a bit. Have you ever read a highly successful website and thought there is a lot better content out there? Better yet…have you seen sub-par, worthless products get huge launches and massive sales? You even see it in the retail world! The #1 main reason a blog, company or product makes it in the marketplace is because of calculated and successful promotion…not because it is providing over the top quality.

So Why Promotion Over Quality?

Now…there are cases where enormous quality creates enough press to warrant high dollars and fame, but those cases are extremely rare. The high quality cases for blogs and products that you have seen or read are actually the by-product of having the double whammy…quality content and successful promotion.

Quality “content is king” content is absolutely nothing without new eyes digesting it and then spreading it out to others. Without this promotion, your articles and products do not get past the development stage. They are just words on a page or items on a shelf that no one knows about…or even cares to.

Next time you hear someone say “content is king”, you need to think of it as a used car salesman selling you a big steaming load of crap. Content is not king…the promotion of that content is far superior if you are looking to create a successful blog.

How Do I Get My Content In Front Of A Massive Amount Of Eyes?

Now…there are also bloggers out there that are going to tell you the “top 5 ways to get more traffic” or how you need to find traffic on your blog. First, anyone that tells me there is only 1 (or 5 ways to do things) are typically people that I discount their opinion greatly. One of the things that you need to realize in blogging is that all niches are different. There is never one top way of doing things as your readers are going to interact and spread content online differently dependent upon subject matter so taking advice like that can be dangerous and detrimental to your growth.

Proper testing of different promotion methods are the only way to find out what works in your niche.

That said…there is one theory that will greatly reduce your learning curve when looking for promotion techniques that will work well for your blog. It is one simple task that every blogger should be doing…

Find your target audience (and be specific) and then research how that specific target audience communicates and spreads content online.

Not every niche is going to know what RSS is…or use Stumbleupon…or even know how to use Twitter. It is up to you to find out how they communicate and how they like to digest content and then provide those methods. On top of that…you need to find methods that force call to actions (newsletter sign-ups, content spreading, etc.) like contests, giveaways and other viral content monsters.

There is no “one size fits all solution” for all bloggers and “content is not king”. It is up to you…as the blogger…to promote your products and content in a method that your audience will absorb to truly be successful. Hey…no one who was ever successful online used a cookie cutter tagline. They worked hard for it. That means you have to as well. Ramp it up!

Filed Under: Blogging, Generating Cash, Social Media Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Extending Beyond Your Blog: Stop The Fear Of The Real World

September 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

In the blogging world, there is a ton of focus on social media, content and online promotion techniques. While all of this is fantastic information that can grow your blog and income over time…at some point, you are going to want to extend your blogging that you are running as a business into an area that many bloggers are scared to death of…the outside world.

Yes…creating your own digital products and promoting others is great and highly lucrative as a blogger…watching the cash roll in off of direct advertising and PPC campaigns can create great recursive income…but what happens when you want to step beyond that? What do you do when you want to expand your business into the lives of your readers? When you do want to stop being just a “blog” and start being serious competition for brick and mortar companies and publishing firms? You are sitting on one of the biggest launching platforms on the market…so it is time to take advantage.

Stop The Fear Of The Real World Products

The first thing you have to do as a blogger is get rid of the fear of the “real world”. Yes, creating products outside of digital goods takes a lot of time, research and effort, but the feedback and results can extend past your wildest dreams. The trick…find something that you can tackle and work with easily without taking on too steep of an upfront cost.

The nice thing about digital goods is the only cost of entry is basically your time. While you can get expensive with designers, coders and ghost writers, most successful digital products are made in the home office of the blogger. With real world products, you have to rely on manufacturers or other companies to work with you to make the dream happen. For this to ramp up…you need some cash to get the ball rolling before you can make your first dollar. This…on its own…scares away most bloggers from even trying.

The #1 thing you need to realize about stepping into real world product lines…you can raise the money upfront to get rid of the capital generating fear.

By having pre-sale deals (offering a discount for getting in on the first order), you can raise the money necessary to create your first order for just about any product you want to sell. Not only are you giving your readers a great price (that you still make a percentage profit on) but you do not have to step into your earnings to put in the cash for the first order. By removing this fear of money loss, you can make your first step into real world product markets.

How To Enter The Real World Product Market

When you are looking to expand your corner of the web into the daily lives of individuals in your niche, you need to start looking at what they are buying that you can provide outside of the digital world. In the beginning, you are going to want to locate markets with lower cost of entry points to get your feet wet. As with all things on RobbSutton.com, I find that the best way to show is through my own personal experience, so let’s take a look at what I am doing with Bike198.com to give you an idea on where to start looking.

In the biking community, I started looking for avenues in which I could not only promote my brand, but do so while also creating and fostering community. The natural progression given these parameters was to step into soft goods. Now…soft goods (t-shirts, etc.) is one of the #1 ways bloggers start the transition into real world market places because of the low cost of entry and the ability to promote your brand at the same time.

My first step into soft goods happened at the beginning of the month with the release of the Bike198 cycling jersey’s and shorts. To create buzz and a willingness to participate on the behalf of my readers, I also worked with the Livestrong Foundation and half of the profits of the kit sales are going to get donated for cancer research. I didn’t want it to be just another “website kit” so by incorporating the Livestrong Foundation, we are able to make it something bigger.

Bike198 Kits

Luckily, I have a friend of mine that is a kick ass designer that offered to help with the project (regularjoe), so the end result is incredible. The pre-sale process went great and we were able to meet the minimum order requirements easily to get the process started and get some kits in to take pictures for promotional materials.

The next step, start up the t-shirt line that I have had in my head for a long time.

Fringe Benefits Of Real World Product Sales For The Blogger

Now…the monetary side of releasing your own products is an easy concept to get your head around. You sell the product, pay your costs and keep the profit. But…the real benefit to releasing physical products into the marketplace is much harder to measure.

  • What do you think happens when riders wear a Bike198 jersey or t-shirt and hit the trail? They spread the Bike198 brand to new riders and potential readers.
  • What happens when their picture is taken and posted on a forum? Same result on a bigger scale…
  • What happens when cycle sells more t-shirts and jersey’s? The results multiply like crazy…

By creating products that your readers want to buy, you are strengthening your brand into something much bigger than just a blog. You are also strengthening the overall trust in your brand to deliver the goods because you are now perceived as more than just a blogger releasing your ideas. You are now a trusted source that has grown into a profitable product company. Through this…you get to watch your corner of the web grow exponentially over time at a much faster rate.

Yes…the income generation of the physical product is important and measurable, but the most important aspect of releasing physical products as a blogger is what they do to strengthen your brand presence outside of just your words.

How can you expand past your blog? What are your readers willing to spend their money on outside of your digital products? What do you need to do to make that dream a reality? These are the questions you need to ask yourself as you move forward in your blogging.

Image by Reinante El Pintor de Fuego

Filed Under: Blogging, Generating Cash, Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

If You Can Achieve Something Without Struggle…

September 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As you probably know already, I am obsessed with all things cycling (that’s why I started Bike198.com). Cyclists…specifically pro road bikers…are known for overcoming struggles to achieve goals. With the epic stories of Lance Armstrong to come back victories of Greg LeMond and others, we can draw inspiration and motivation in our own lives from watching athletes perform above expectations in races and events like the Tour de France.

The following quote from Greg LeMond summarizes a very key point in my life that I felt warranted further explanation.

I have always struggled to achieve excellence. One thing that cycling has taught me is that if you can achieve something without a struggle it’s not going to be satisfying.

-Greg LeMond-

What a killer quote. If you sit back and think about it for a second, it really starts to sink in and make sense. The story of the “free lunch gone bad” is one that goes down in history over and over again. Why do you think most lottery winners are worse off 5 years down the road than before they received their pile of cash?! When you are given something without the blood, sweat and tears that goes into the acquisition…you do hold hold the same perceived value with the feeling of accomplishment that goes with that achievement. Therefore…the easy come, easy go mentality sets in and you tend to not protect your asset as much as if you had worked your ass off for it.

Blogging And The Ultimate Grind

Truly successful blogs and businesses are not overnight successes. Yes…we hear the results of successful businesses online, but we very rarely hear the massive effort put forth on the back end and during the beginning stages to get there.

Whenever someone starts up a new blog and asks how to make it big…they look at the success of others and attempt to replicate it. However, 99% of those beginning bloggers are not willing to put in the effort when no one is reading. They are not willing to put in the late nights, the practice and patience of learning the craft or the dedication to treating this medium as a business. Instead…they want to see their little corner of the web explode income without putting in the work because the Internet…as a whole…is still perceived to be an “easy money” outlet when that could not be farther from the truth.

Blogging is not the easiest way to make money online.

Blogging is a grind. Day in and day out writing, promotion and innovation bring success over time. The reason you see such solid businesses built up around the online medium of blogs is because that asset is protected strongly by its creator due to the amount of effort it took to gain success. Do you think bloggers would protect their online real-estate as closely if it was just handed to them? Probably not.

The struggle in blogging is the reason for the payoff at the end of the rainbow. It is the reason we grind away at creating and promoting content. It feeds the love of connecting with other people around the world that share the same passion as you do. It is the story behind the success that in turn breeds more success.

If you are expecting to achieve your dreams through blogging without the grind and struggle…you are wasting your time. If you are ready to grow past your expectations and wildest dreams through hard work and improvement by learning through failures…you are at the right place.

It is a long road, but the journey defines the commitment and success over time.

Image by tricky

Filed Under: Blogging, Lifestyle Design Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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