Most new bloggers struggle with the same thing: getting their blog to make money. If you made it through your first year of blogging, you have probably learned a lot of valuable lessons.
Figuring out blogging platforms, plug-ins, email lists, social media management, and guest posting are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to everything you learn to juggle. If you are struggling to go from “blog” to “business” then here are a few tips to get you started!
Focus on Your Niche
There are so many blogs trying to gain attention, and it can seem like you are just getting lost in the noise. The good news is that not everyone is interested in the same thing. Your blog can offer something unique to the world. The niche you focus on, your personal brand and tone of voice, and the products and services you offer are going to be different than other blogs.
It can become easy to get caught up in the idea that you should work to appeal to everyone, but this is not a route you should go down. It is better to gain a smaller number of loyal followers than attract lots of people who just visit your site once and never come back. Your audience should learn to trust you in your area of influence and that is where you should put your focus.
Make Time
Turning a blog into a business doesn’t happen on its own. You are already juggling so many things in your life, but if you are going to get serious about making money from your blog, you are going to have to put in serious time. You will have to make sacrifices of time and sleep in order to edit posts, manage social media, and redesign products and services.
You can make the most of the time you have by scheduling your social media ahead of time, hiring extra help, batching your work into groups, creating a work schedule, and automating as much as you can from places like https://www.templafy.com/document-automation-software/. The smarter you use your time, the more it will seem like you have to focus on other areas.
Email Lists
Email lists are an essential part of an online business. People who sign up for your email list are going to be the people most likely to buy from you. They liked your blog so much and are interested in your topics enough to invite you to send them regular emails. This is not a small deal! Start early gathering emails for your list because the earlier you start, the bigger your list will be. Even if you are not planning on sending out emails right now, collect them anyway! There is no way to go back in time and find all the people who may have been interested given the chance. When you do decide to start sending emails, you will already have a base from which to work. Your emails should be meaningful so people open them up and should direct traffic to your site.