Welcome to your first lesson on 30 Days To Your Profitable Blog challenge. Let’s start off with some myth busting on blogging!
The Biggest Lie (Myth Busted!)
I still keep hearing the terrible advice that you should not start to monetize your blog right away. Some so-called blogging experts think they will scare away readers by trying to make money right away. Even WORSE advice is telling you to grow an audience before trying to sell anything. Absolutely false!
You never know when your audience is going to see the content you put out. They could see it organically from a google search or they could find you through your social channels. Regardless, your goal is to help them and provide them with great resources that they need. But know you will have to stand out in the sea of noise. Throughout this challenge you be be learning new and creative ways to do just that with just your blog.
So, while the concerns of not wanting to oversell to your subscribers are understandable, you are still trying to earn a living and can do so authentically by providing great content. I personally feel it’s never too early to start monetizing your blog. Keep reading, and I’ll share with you some of the reasons why you may want to start with a monetization mindset as early as possible when it comes to your blog.
Why Monetize Early
One of the reasons it can benefit you to monetize your blog early is that doing so sets you up as a business owner. Other types of businesses begin trying to make money or sell products immediately upon opening their doors, so why shouldn’t bloggers? If your goal is to earn an income from your blog, it simply makes sense to approach it as such from the get-go. Don’t worry if you’ve been blogging for a bit and haven’t introduced monetization into your platform. It’s not too late. However, your audience may be more open to receiving acts of monetization if they are exposed to them early on. Waiting too long can cause some followers to question your motives or feel deceived. It’s also good to get started early so that you begin to learn what works and what doesn’t work for your blog and its following. Successful monetization often requires trial and error.
What Not to Do (Hard Truths)
There are definitely some things you should avoid when trying to make money with your blog. One big mistake people make is to focus only on numbers, forgetting about the importance of engagement. You can check out my free ebook 10 Ways to Drive Traffic To Your Website that gives you seval ideas on how to engage with your audience and gain more followers.
You can still earn money even if your following is small. What matters most is that they trust you and keep coming back. Relationships matter in the business of blogging. It’s also important that you get to know your audience, no matter its size. This comes from active engagement. When you learn about your following’s demographics, interests, and concerns, you’re more prepared to offer them what they need. This leads to successful monetization, rather than blindly hoping for the best.
Remember what is true for all business is that most of your income will be earned from repeat customers. I want you to go forward with a new mindset that the most important customers are the ones you already have. Check out my Subscriber Re-engagement workbook where I go exactly though this and help you build upon what you already have.
Finally, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to quit before you even get started. Monetization is often a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to gain momentum.
Simple Ways to Monetize
How you should monetize depends on your ultimate goal. It’s best to be strategic in relation to that goal and your particular circumstances. However, there are some simple monetization techniques that can meet several objectives and are applicable to the needs of most early attempts at earning blog income.
Two Most Common Ways To Monetize
1. Ads
You can join advertising networks such as Google AdSense in order to earn small commissions while you work to build a bigger following that could attract direct ad sales in the future.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is another way to earn cash. This involves promoting products you love. Amazon’s affiliate program is popular with bloggers, and there are affiliate networks that partner with a wide range of companies to offer monetization options to online publishers. Promoting the products or course of someone you admire is also a good idea while you work to develop your own digital offerings.
Your homework is to get started on at least one of these two methods. Yes, homework, you need to start taking these actionable steps to start making money on your blog. (Pro Tip: If you choose to start with affiliate marketing create a master list of all the products and offers you wish to promote)
Monetizing your blog doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t have to be an established blogger to get started. It does take research, strategy, and time to become successful. So, why not get started right now in order to make the most of your efforts?
What’s holding you back in making the profits you dream of? For me it was money and it I almost stopped my self from starting my online business because of it. I hope that with this challenge you can get in the correct mindset as an online entrepreneur and finally start taking action on what you need to be doing to earn the income you deserve. Comment below what challenges you are facing with your blog right now.
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