A blog is a website used to present written entries in reverse chronological order. The term itself is a shortening of the original words used to describe these websites, which was "web log." Blogging has become an extremely prevalent means of expression on the Internet, and it's also become a moneymaker for entrepreneurial bloggers.
Blogs are generally presented primarily in text form, though they may also use images, video, and audio files. Generally the person who writes the entries, known as the blogger, chooses a subject of interest and writes entries surrounding that topic. Common topics among bloggers are food, politics, and news items.
Early blogs were nothing more than online diaries. The people who used them basically kept an online account of their lives. At the time, they usually called themselves diarists or journalers. The entries appeared on websites that were manually updated as new entries were created.
However, today, bloggers enjoy the use of software that has made the process much easier. Some common software programs in use are WordPress, Movable Type, and LiveJournal. Bloggers may also choose to utilize the services of web hosting services. With the advent of software and services, blogging has become accessible to even the most novice of Internet users.
Blogging has become so popular that in May 2007, the blog search engine Technorati reported the existence of more than 71 million blogs. Having started as online diaries, blogging has since evolved into not only a form of expression, but also as a way to make money on the Internet.
Some companies are now paying individuals to blog in a way that boosts the buzz about their new products and services. They may pay the blogger a set fee for the entry, a commission for any sales made as a result of the blog, or a combination of the two.
In addition to direct payment from companies, some bloggers use their sites as a place to post paid advertisements for businesses. Successful bloggers can make a significant amount of money in this manner. The key to success in this manner is to create an interesting blog that attracts many visitors each day.
Fortunately, blogging can really be an enjoyable way to make some extra cash. The first step, and probably the most important step, is to choose a topic that will appeal to a large number of people. In addition, the topic has to appeal to you. If you don't enjoy discussing the topic, you're not likely to update your blog very often and when you do, you won't have fun doing it.
When you choose a topic, think about what your passions are in life. Perhaps you have a particular hobby that lots of people are interested in. Maybe you're an avid fisherman, create fabulous scrapbooks, or possess a great deal of knowledge about a certain topic. Then, consider which of those passions will be most likely to interest other people and provide fodder for a number of entries.
Once you've gotten your blog up and running, you can participate in the affiliate programs of companies that will pay you for placing an advertisement on your blog site. Because most affiliate programs pay a fee for each time an individual clicks on their ad, it is a good idea to look for companies whose products and services are in some way related to your topic. For example, if you write a blog about dogs, you might look for companies that sell pet products.
There are a number of resources available on the Internet that can help you get started blogging and using your blog to make money. Before purchasing any products or services for learning about blogging or setting up a blog, be sure to do some research. Look for companies or individuals with a good reputation on the Internet and beware of claims promising overnight success.
A blog takes work and it will take time to attract visitors. However, there are great rewards to be had in blogging, not the least of which is sharing interesting information and networking with your peers.
Author of this article is James Angell. He would recommend "Carbon Copy Profits" as a very good resource to help anyone get started blogging to make money. I personally prefer the free ebooks offered entitled "Blog Link Generator and Blob in a Box" to become successful at this. Just click on www.easywayincome.com
Showing posts with label marketing tips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing tips. Show all posts
Friday, January 18, 2008
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Blog Marketing For Beginners
This is a great article for beginners to find out something about how to promote and monetize there blogs.
Blog Marketing- what you should know
Blog marketing is just what it says. It is a method of marketing or selling by means of blogs. Blogs are a simple and easy way to establish a presence on the Internet. They can be used to bring your business or product to the many millions of searchers on the Internet. But what exactly are blogs?
Blog is a derivative of the term Weblog. They started out as personal entries or diaries on the web, and soon were adopted and adapted by business to reach more market, hence the term blog marketing.
Blogs have an obvious advantage over traditional websites. Whereas it may take days, weeks and even months sometimes for websites to be listed on major search engines, blogs usually take hours or even less. This is because of the ever updating nature of a blog. Search engines love fresh content and blogs have established a reputation for providing fresh contents.
Before deciding to blog on any topic or niche for money, there are certain things that you must consider.
1. You must determine if there is enough traffic for your chosen niche or market
2. I your niche willing and able to pay for your services and or products, i.e how hungry is the niche?
3. How stiff is the competition?
4. How technically challenged are you?
5. How do you monetize your blog
Determine demand for your niche product or service
This is really simple and there a many free and paid service to help you do just that. My favorite free service for this is the Google Keyword Tool at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Another free tool is the Yahoo Search Marketing Keyword Tool at https://secure.overture.com/s/dtc/center/?mkt=us
Once there, type in your keyword in the keyword search box and hit enter and Google will return to you the number of searches on your keyword and related terms for the previous month. The higher the number of searches, the better. That however will depend on your competition.
How Stiff is your competition?
To find out, take the same keyword and open up a Google search window. Type in the keyword/phrase in quotes and hit enter. Google will return the number of competing pages or sites on the net for your keyword phrase. The lower the better.
How do you know that people are willing to pay for your product/service
You can find out by visiting forums that are related to your niche and looking at the questions people are asking. You can register at the same forums and ask questions to determine if people are willing and able to pay for your product.
How do you monetize your blog
There are several ways to do this. One is through Google Adsense which you can sign up for at http://www.google.com/adsense. It is easier to get approved if you have a blog or website up and running before applying for adsense account.
The other method is through affiliate marketing. As an affiliate marketer, you do not own your own product but you are selling or promoting somebody else's product in exchange for a cut in the profit. Some places to sign up for affiliate products are at Commission Junction at www.cj.com or Linkshare at www.linkshare.com
Which blog platform to use for publishing your blog.
There are two different blog platforms out there- Self-Hosted and Hosted by the blog service. Hosted by the blog service is where you simply visit the blog service, sign up for an account and begin to create your blog. This usually is the best option for beginners and those who are technically challenged. A good place to start is at www.Blogger.com.
Now that you have your blog up and running, what is next?
Promote your blog. Share your blog url with friends and family, update your content regularly and be sure to ping or notify the blog directories when you make a post. This brings the search engine robot to your blog and increases your chance of ranking high on the engines. Make meaningful posts at forums and other blogs and leave your blog url in your comment box to generate backlinks for your blog.
This is a time consuming exercise, the good news though is that there are special operations software that make this a breeze. For further information on that, see the resource box.
Austin Akalanze is a seasoned Internet Marketer and a prolific writer. His articles have been published in several directories all across the net. He is webmaster at Akanett Web Publishing
Blog Marketing- what you should know
Blog marketing is just what it says. It is a method of marketing or selling by means of blogs. Blogs are a simple and easy way to establish a presence on the Internet. They can be used to bring your business or product to the many millions of searchers on the Internet. But what exactly are blogs?
Blog is a derivative of the term Weblog. They started out as personal entries or diaries on the web, and soon were adopted and adapted by business to reach more market, hence the term blog marketing.
Blogs have an obvious advantage over traditional websites. Whereas it may take days, weeks and even months sometimes for websites to be listed on major search engines, blogs usually take hours or even less. This is because of the ever updating nature of a blog. Search engines love fresh content and blogs have established a reputation for providing fresh contents.
Before deciding to blog on any topic or niche for money, there are certain things that you must consider.
1. You must determine if there is enough traffic for your chosen niche or market
2. I your niche willing and able to pay for your services and or products, i.e how hungry is the niche?
3. How stiff is the competition?
4. How technically challenged are you?
5. How do you monetize your blog
Determine demand for your niche product or service
This is really simple and there a many free and paid service to help you do just that. My favorite free service for this is the Google Keyword Tool at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Another free tool is the Yahoo Search Marketing Keyword Tool at https://secure.overture.com/s/dtc/center/?mkt=us
Once there, type in your keyword in the keyword search box and hit enter and Google will return to you the number of searches on your keyword and related terms for the previous month. The higher the number of searches, the better. That however will depend on your competition.
How Stiff is your competition?
To find out, take the same keyword and open up a Google search window. Type in the keyword/phrase in quotes and hit enter. Google will return the number of competing pages or sites on the net for your keyword phrase. The lower the better.
How do you know that people are willing to pay for your product/service
You can find out by visiting forums that are related to your niche and looking at the questions people are asking. You can register at the same forums and ask questions to determine if people are willing and able to pay for your product.
How do you monetize your blog
There are several ways to do this. One is through Google Adsense which you can sign up for at http://www.google.com/adsense. It is easier to get approved if you have a blog or website up and running before applying for adsense account.
The other method is through affiliate marketing. As an affiliate marketer, you do not own your own product but you are selling or promoting somebody else's product in exchange for a cut in the profit. Some places to sign up for affiliate products are at Commission Junction at www.cj.com or Linkshare at www.linkshare.com
Which blog platform to use for publishing your blog.
There are two different blog platforms out there- Self-Hosted and Hosted by the blog service. Hosted by the blog service is where you simply visit the blog service, sign up for an account and begin to create your blog. This usually is the best option for beginners and those who are technically challenged. A good place to start is at www.Blogger.com.
Now that you have your blog up and running, what is next?
Promote your blog. Share your blog url with friends and family, update your content regularly and be sure to ping or notify the blog directories when you make a post. This brings the search engine robot to your blog and increases your chance of ranking high on the engines. Make meaningful posts at forums and other blogs and leave your blog url in your comment box to generate backlinks for your blog.
This is a time consuming exercise, the good news though is that there are special operations software that make this a breeze. For further information on that, see the resource box.
Austin Akalanze is a seasoned Internet Marketer and a prolific writer. His articles have been published in several directories all across the net. He is webmaster at Akanett Web Publishing
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
4 Marketing Tips for Resourceful Webmasters!
Here comes yet another informative and interesting article that I have to share with webmasters visiting this site. Although all tips are basic and essential it happens every now and then that they get forgotten.It is a really good reminder.
The internet is a sea of knowledge. Getting your information to 'float' by the right audience can be like finding that one special grain of sand on the seashore. Paying big bucks for marketing can strain your already limited budget. What is a webmaster to do? Let's discuss four valuable and proven ways to market your site without breaking the bank.
1. Join forums. Yes, even if running a forum is something you already do, join forums similar to what you have and become a moderator. No, I do not mean for you to siphon traffic from that site to your site. Rather, show yourself useful to that community and you will naturally draw people to your site. Bonus: Very helpful if you can offer a link to your site in your signature too!
2. Business cards. A good idea and not that pricey. Search the internet and you can design your own cards right online. I'm not talking about cheap cards, but professionally done cards. Check out how many cards you can get for less than $100! Give them away like crazy and watch your traffic soar.
3. Create content. There are some decent sites online where you can get other people's content and put it on your site. It can be especially helpful when you don't have the time or knowledge to get the job done. However, you will have to link back to their site and you may lose traffic. Why not consider writing an article yourself? You may not be the best writer but your ideas may be valuable. You'll value the link back to your site!
4. Business associations. Whatever field that you are in, join that field's association. Do not rely strictly on internet contacts, you need to push away from the keyboard, get in your car and go out and meet people. Attend special meetings and conferences...sell yourself in person instead of online. People still like to meet people in person; you will benefit tremendously by the face to face contact.
You are continuously marketing yourself whether you utilize paid schemes or one of the points mentioned above. Never rest on your laurels and take nothing for granted. Life is not constant while change is. Learn what works for you and build a proven marketing strategy. Who knows, but once you have reached the pinnacle of success you just may be able to afford much more comprehensive - and expensive - marketing strategies.
Author of this article is Matt Keegan. He is the webmaster for The Aviation Employment Board and the Corporate Flight Attendant Community. Both sites are top performers in their respective categories.
The internet is a sea of knowledge. Getting your information to 'float' by the right audience can be like finding that one special grain of sand on the seashore. Paying big bucks for marketing can strain your already limited budget. What is a webmaster to do? Let's discuss four valuable and proven ways to market your site without breaking the bank.
1. Join forums. Yes, even if running a forum is something you already do, join forums similar to what you have and become a moderator. No, I do not mean for you to siphon traffic from that site to your site. Rather, show yourself useful to that community and you will naturally draw people to your site. Bonus: Very helpful if you can offer a link to your site in your signature too!
2. Business cards. A good idea and not that pricey. Search the internet and you can design your own cards right online. I'm not talking about cheap cards, but professionally done cards. Check out how many cards you can get for less than $100! Give them away like crazy and watch your traffic soar.
3. Create content. There are some decent sites online where you can get other people's content and put it on your site. It can be especially helpful when you don't have the time or knowledge to get the job done. However, you will have to link back to their site and you may lose traffic. Why not consider writing an article yourself? You may not be the best writer but your ideas may be valuable. You'll value the link back to your site!
4. Business associations. Whatever field that you are in, join that field's association. Do not rely strictly on internet contacts, you need to push away from the keyboard, get in your car and go out and meet people. Attend special meetings and conferences...sell yourself in person instead of online. People still like to meet people in person; you will benefit tremendously by the face to face contact.
You are continuously marketing yourself whether you utilize paid schemes or one of the points mentioned above. Never rest on your laurels and take nothing for granted. Life is not constant while change is. Learn what works for you and build a proven marketing strategy. Who knows, but once you have reached the pinnacle of success you just may be able to afford much more comprehensive - and expensive - marketing strategies.
Author of this article is Matt Keegan. He is the webmaster for The Aviation Employment Board and the Corporate Flight Attendant Community. Both sites are top performers in their respective categories.
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