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5 Steps To Make Your Blog Go From Hobby To Business

December 19, 2014 by Marc Guberti 4 Comments

5 Steps To Make Your Blog Go From Hobby To Business

Some blogs on the web are money making machines that allow bloggers to bring in six figure incomes. Before getting to this stage, many bloggers initially take it as a hobby. I considered blogging as a hobby for a very long time. Just to be exact, it took me about a year to go from hobby to business, and I wasn’t making much money when I started (that’s true about any blogger).

You may be on the fence right now still taking blogging as a hobby. It is great to start off treating it as a hobby because you need to enjoy blogging in order to be successful. There are tips to get more traffic and make money online, but if you don’t enjoy writing content, it is not going to work out. After you can consider blogging as a hobby, and you are eager to make the transition from hobby to business (that you still enjoy), here are the five steps you need to take.

 

Step #1: Write a bunch of blogs until you find your niche

When you first start out as a blogger, it is important to avoid settling with one blog right away. Although there are some people who know what they want to write blog posts about since day one, there are other people who make big changes. I wrote blogs and blog posts about the Red Sox, Yugioh Cards, and Legos before I started this one.

If I settled with the Red Sox blog, you would not be reading this blog post right now. I refused to settle with one idea until I created this blog. It is okay to have dozens of blogs before finding the best niche for you. When you identify your main blog, you have the option of using your other blogs to test out particular plugins, themes, or code before applying them to your main blog.

 

Step #2: Focus on the main blog

Once you identify your main blog, you need to solely focus your time on that individual blog. When I first started this blog, I was still updating my Yugioh Philosophy Blog because I had no idea how far this one would go. As a result, I was writing one blog post every day for the Yugioh Philosophy Blog and one blog post every day for this one. It was only when this blog started to get more traffic than the Yugioh Philosophy Blog that I paid my undivided attention to it. As a result, I did not write another blog post on the Yugioh Philosophy Blog, and I was able to write two blog posts every day for this one (I have stopped since then because when I say two blog posts per day, I am referring to 250-500 word blog posts).

The strategies I use to promote this blog change, but the blog I promote is always the same. Don’t try to juggle responsibilities for multiple blogs because you put all of that time into one blog, and provide more value to your readers. If you insist on having multiple blogs, my recommendation is to still focus on one of them until it brings a full-time revenue. Then, create another blog and have contributors for it. Neil Patel does this very well with his Quick Sprout, KISSMetrics, and Crazy Egg blogs.

 

Step #3: Look at the leaders of your niche

The reference to Neil Patel earlier is the proper segway for looking at the leaders of your niche. I examined the leaders of my niche so I could learn new information, what works, and what does not work. Neil Patel has multiple blogs that get over 100,000 visitors every month, and I read through many of the Quick Sprout blog posts.

In addition to Neil Patel, I also read what Jeff Bullas, Kim Garst, and others put on their blogs. Seeing how the leaders of your niche are writing blog posts will give you ideas for your own content. The best way we learn is by example, and by looking at enough successful bloggers in your niche, you will be able to learn from the best examples available.

 

Step #4: Write high value content often

One of the main reasons why most people get stuck at the hobby stage is because they are not writing valuable content often. Some bloggers write inconsistently. On one month, these bloggers are able to write 10 blog posts, but the next month, these bloggers only write two blog posts. This inconsistency indicates that blogging is still a hobby.

In addition, the content you post needs to be valuable. I could have ended this blog post a long time ago if I chose, but then it wouldn’t be as valuable. I could have simply mentioned the first three steps and then scheduled the blog post. However, extending the blog post to include other steps and examples increases its value.

Instead of writing a blog post just to say that you wrote one, write a blog post that you know your targeted readers will enjoy.

 

Step #5: Create products that match your niche

Most of the blogs that are bringing in the six figure incomes are doing so with products. There is the rare exception in which ads are bringing in a bulk of the revenue, but ads are the exception, not the rule. Most people cannot make a full-time income with advertisements just because a blog would need to be getting over 100,000 visitors every month to have a good shot at it.

Instead of relying on advertisements, you need to create your own products. The web has made it incredibly easy for us to write books, launch training courses, and create membership sites. All three of these products have the power to bring in six-figure incomes. Some of the people have used these products to make millions of dollars, and that is not an exaggeration.

Creating your own blog is a great way to get more traffic and spread awareness for the products that will bring in the revenue.

 

In Conclusion

Blogging is a fun experience that can also turn in big profits. Some people make six figure incomes just from their blogs, and in order for you to start making revenue with your blog, you need to go from hobby to business. You can still enjoy writing blog posts when you make this transition, and this love for blogging is critical towards your success in the area.

Blogging success is never an overnight success. For most bloggers, it takes several years before they get the type of traffic associated with a full-time income. However, blogging success is possible, and it has transformed some people’s lives.

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: blog, blogging, blogging tips

5 Ways To Optimize Your Blog For Social Sharing

December 10, 2014 by Marc Guberti 4 Comments

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One of the two key components to a blog’s success is how many people get to see your content, and if you get numerous people to share your blog posts, more people will see your content. Social sharing is massively important because billions of people are on social media. In addition, whether the people who share your blog post have 100 followers or thousands of followers, they all have audiences.

Since all of these people have audiences, more people will be exposed to your content. Then, with more people seeing your content, it is possible for even more people to share your blog posts on their social networks. As a result, the cycle continues, and numerous people are sharing your blog posts.

In order to get there, you need the traffic, but you also need to prepare your blog for success. Implementing these five methods will make it easier for people to share your content so it reaches more people.

 

#1: Include social media icons at the bottom of your blog posts

There are millions of blogs with social sharing buttons at the bottom of every blog post. One of the reasons why these social sharing buttons are at the bottom of every blog post is because it gives the reader enough time to read through the entire blog post. If the reader enjoys reading your blog post and is then presented with the ability to share your content, that reader will be more likely to do so.

There are some bloggers who place their social sharing buttons at the top of every blog post instead of at the bottom. This is a strategy that will make readers remember that they can share your article at any point. However, some people may forget by the time they read the entire blog post, and then no social sharing buttons will be available.

My recommendation is to place the social media icons at the bottom of your blog posts, but putting them on the top or bottom both have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

 

#2: Use Click To Tweet in your blog posts

I experimented with one of my blog posts by making all of the tips 140 characters or less which made each tip short enough to be tweeted. Ever since I published that blog post, numerous people have been tweeting that particular blog post using the custom tweets that I create with Click To Tweet.

The advantage of Click To Tweet is that you get to create a custom tweet with the proper heading and URL. That means your readers do not have to go through the trouble of thinking what to say when they promote your content.

Just to give you an idea, here is an example of Click To Tweet in action for this article. The tweet is prewritten, and you can include a shortened URL in the tweet as well. There are more people who use Bitly and other link shortening service to reduce the amount of characters in a tweet to get more characters. Some people do not like tweeting the long links of other people’s articles, but by using Click To Tweet and already having the shortened URL in the tweet, more people will send it out.

 

#3: Make sure people can pin your images just by clicking on them

Pinterest is a big player on social media, and in order to spread on Pinterest, you must have pictures in all of your blog posts. Having pictures is not optional for spreading on Pinterest because every Pinterest pin requires a picture. The importance of Pinterest is one of the reasons why I spend more time nowadays creating my own pictures.

One great method to get more people to share your pictures, and therefore your blog, on Pinterest is by allowing people to pin a picture just by clicking on it. There are millions of websites that now make it possible to pin an article just by clicking on the picture. If you go back to the picture in this blog post, you will notice a “Pin It” button that appears faintly enough to be seen but not be too distracting.

You may be wondering whether Pinterest is really worth it, especially if you do not have a large audience on Pinterest yet. Including this feature gives other people the ability to share your content to their audiences on Pinterest. That means you may only have 100 followers, but one of the people who pins your blog post may have 10,000 followers. That is a lot of extra exposure just for adding a “Pin It” button on all of your pictures.

I use the Pin It Button For Images WordPress plugin to get the “Pin It” button to appear. Pinterest is gradually making it easier for anyone to pin something just by clicking on the picture, but this is a powerful feature that you want to make sure you have on your blog now.

 

#4: Share your blog posts on your own social networks

The main benefit seen with sharing your blog posts on your social networks is that you will get more traffic. Whether that means 1 new visitor, 10 new visitors, or something higher, sharing your blog posts on your own social networks results in more traffic.

Sharing your blog posts on social media is also a great way to spread on the social networks you share them on. If someone retweets your blog post, more people are seeing it. Some of the people who retweet your tweets may have over 10,000 followers. That is extra exposure that may result in more retweets and visitors as well.

It is great to get other people to promote your content on social media, but you also want to build a big presence for yourself on social media. Building a bigger presence for yourself on social media will allow you to boost your credibility, build strong connections, and achieve the main goal referenced in this blog post: get more people to share your content on social media.

 

#5: Decrease your blog’s bounce rate so people stick around

Just because you get a lot of people to view your blog posts does not guarantee that people share them. In order to boost the chances of someone sharing one of your blog posts, you need these people to stay on your blog for a long period of time. Someone staying on your blog for a long period of time indicates that the person enjoys reading through your content. The people who enjoy your content are the ones who will become returning visitors and let their followers know about your content dozens of times.

I have been thanking people again and again for sharing for sharing my blog posts. Some of the people who share my blog posts are new people that I interacted with for the first time while other people have been sharing my blog posts for several months. The reason someone would continue sharing blog posts from the same blog is because they find that blog interesting. Reducing your blog’s bounce rate will make people stay on your blog for a longer period of time, which may lead to more social shares in the long-term.

 

In Conclusion

The more your content spreads, the more people will be able to see it. As more people see your content, more of them will share it. Spreading on social media works like a chain reaction. If enough people are sharing your content, more people will see and share it.

Some of the people who read and share your blog posts may not be introduced to your blog by one of your social media posts. Instead, someone else who promotes your blog can introduce it to the people in their audience. The more people you get to promote your content, the greater of an impact this strategy has to attracting more audiences to your blog.

Then, with all of the traffic coming in, your blog’s success then comes down to what people do when they visit your blog. Are they subscribing, buying products, and promoting your blog to more people? If your visitors are performing those actions, then you are going to have a very good blogging career.

Do you have a 6th tip for optimizing a blog for optimized sharing?

Filed Under: Blogging Tagged With: blog, blogging

The 3 Things Your Contest Must Do

October 2, 2013 by Marc Guberti 3 Comments

More people are hosting their own contests. More people are talking about creative ways to host contests and how to host them on various social networks. However, no matter which social network you use, your contest should be able to benefit you in some way. If you’re giving something away, you should get something in return.

These are the 3 things you need to focus on when it comes to hosting your own contest:

  1. Get more shares on the social network. This can mean more likes, repins, retweets, revines (depending on the social network you are using), and so on. If people share your contest on their social networks, friends and followers will learn about your contest. More people share your message, and more people enter for a chance to win.
  2. Get more followers that stick around. It’s unquestionable that hosting your own contest will get you more followers on your social networks. However, are these followers going to stick around once your competition ends? In order to get followers that stick around, make sure you frequently post updates similar to the prize you’re giving away. If you’re giving away an iPad, talking about technology would help you get followers that stick. If you review books, giving away a book will allow you to get followers that will stick around. Then, you can be sure your followers won’t just bounce back and forth to this contest and that contest.
  3. Get more subscribers for your blog. Did you check your email today? You probably did. A majority of people do the same thing. Some people check their inboxes right when they see the red circle indicating they got a new message. What if some of those messages were emails about your latest blog posts. Social networks are giant places, and it’s easy for people to get lost on them. One profile looks good today, but another profile will look even better tomorrow. At the end of your contest, you can say something like, “Subscribe to my blog for more updates about future contests and free resources as well.” This allows you to create a list, and as the contest progresses, that list gets bigger.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blog, blog tips, business, business tip, social media

Some Of My Social Media Videos

September 26, 2013 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

I did a lot of videos over the summer, and my goal is to come out with one video every week about social media, blogging, and business. Right now, there are only videos about social media and blogging, but I can guarantee you that videos about business will show up as well. If you want to learn a lot about social media and blogging, these five YouTube videos will help out a lot.

In addition to those five videos, you can subscribe to my blog where I will give you free access to the Mastering Pinterest Video Tutorial where I share my knowledge about Pinterest and becoming a power user.

You can see all of the videos here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blog, blogging, blogging tips, business, business tip, pinterest, social media, social media advice, twitter, youtube

Numbers Are Overrated

September 22, 2013 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Someone has 100,000 followers. Are they real, fake, or inactive? How likely are they to even buy one of your products or at least retweet something you tweeted?

Someone’s YouTube video has 1,000,000 views. What did you get out of those views and exposure, and were those views paid for?

Someone’s Facebook post got 50,000 likes. Are those people just liking a lot of posts, were those likes paid for, and did getting all of those likes and exposure benefit your business (more sales, more followers, etc)?

Someone’s blog post got shared 5,000 times. Who shared the blog post? Someone with 10,000 followers or 10 followers?

Someone got 10,000 visitors on their blog today. Did the traffic come from a third party site?

Someone has 5,000 blog posts. Were they all actually good or were there some one-liners that didn’t make any sense? Were there any long blog posts that didn’t make any sense?

The numbers are overrated, but many people don’t see it that way. These people are focusing on spending their money and resources on temporary solutions to simply boost numbers. These people don’t spend their money and resources on things that can actually benefit their businesses. Are you spending your money and resources on your business the right way?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blog, blogging tips, business, business tip, Facebook, twitter

Blogging Gets Better With Age And Experience

September 16, 2013 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

A lot of bloggers stop blogging 2-3 months after they start, and I know the probable reason that most bloggers quit. You’ve seen Seth Godin, Jeff Bullas, Social Media Examiner, and others. You’ve seen them boost their 200,000+ subscribers, bestselling products, and more. You see them getting millions of views every month, and it just seems so easy.

A blog does not get all of those subscribers in a week, month, or in some cases, years. It takes a long time for blogs to actually rake up and keep traffic.

If you are a blogger, I encourage you to continue. If you don’t have a blog yet, I encourage you to create an account on WordPress. You won’t be the next famous blogger until years of consistently sending out blog posts.

After you send out all of those blog posts, and you start to get a lot of traffic, you will start to see the difference. Blogging isn’t a sprint. Blogging is like running two marathons.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blog, blogging, blogging tips, business, business tip

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I am a business freelance writer who writes for individuals, small businesses, and corporations. My content will help drive engagement and sales to your business. I have produced content for several companies, including…

  • Upwork
  • MoneyLion
  • Freight Waves
  • Westchester Business Journal
  • Property Onion

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