One of my biggest dilemmas with my blog is I view it as a hobby. I don't push my blog like I push my writing business. I view this realm of my life as personal because that is how I have viewed it for YEARS. I have been writing on this blog since 2007 ... but only just recently decided to take it out of the personal sector and move it into the business sector. I decided that I want to reach people with my writings. Let people learn from my experiences. I walked into Type-A Conference with that mindset, but walked out with viewing my blog as a business ... MY business.
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| @DanRMorris & @finding_joy |
"Do not let excuses prevent you from moving forward."
I don't know how many times I have let myself get caught up in the thought process of:
- My views are too low
- My reach on Facebook is off
- No one is commenting on my blog
There were so many more that I honestly cannot remember them right now. I am REALLY good at making excuses. Just ask my family ... I am sure they won't lie. LOL! However, I was touched immediately by the comment:
"When the Facebook reach doesn't work, view it as a construction ... re-route!"For me, I had a hard time really figuring out who my niche was. I knew that I wanted my blog to be about parenting ... I knew that I wanted to talk about health & wellness ... I knew that mental health meant the world to me ... but I didn't know how to tie it all together. Even if you don't feel like you have a niche, you do. Before you classify your blog as a "lifestyle" blog and lump it in, write down what you want your readers to understand. In order to secure the readers, you have to know what you are selling. YOU are the CEO! What value do you have that you can offer to others.
I realized that I have TREMENDOUS value to offer others. For a period of 10 months, I lived without my children. They were in state care. This is a post for another day. I haven't talked about it on social media and only a few of my close friends really knew. My experience with post-partum depression, bi-polar disorder, and anxiety has completely changed who I am. I have been through things that I could have prevented ... if I knew how. Now that I know ... I have the ability to share that resource to others. I no longer classify this blog as "just another lifestyle blog," but rather one that is going to teach parents (moms specific) how to parent WITH mental illness ... how to parent teens with attitudes and muddle through the technological world ... how to make sure you still remember how to care for yourself. Now that I know where my niche is ... and what value I have to offer you the reader ... I am ready to move on with the rest of the tips on building my business.
Social Media is a great place to grab new readers ... but you want to make sure you lead them home. I have an email list ... but I have done NOTHING with it. This is not good. What happens if Facebook or Twitter shut down tomorrow. I have lost 3/4 of my readers! BOOM. I am working on a freebie that I will give you guys for signing up for my email list. This is coming ... it is not available yet, but it IS coming and it WILL be AWESOME.
Do not think that your business won't fail because it is popular now ... there are a few companies to mention that will show you even the big can fall:
- Sears
- K-Mart
- MySpace
- Circuit City
- Blockbuster
My note to other bloggers & marketers - one of the things I am working on is creating a name for my community. I look at where Kimra Luna has gone with her community that she calls Freedom Hackers. Make your readers feel like they are a member of something important and different.
Guardian Leaders
Guardian leaders are people that you turn to for honest answers. They will ONLY sell people things that benefits them ... nothing more. Part of my struggles with my direct marketing businesses is that I WANT people to buy things. Doesn't everyone? I mean, really? Right? BUT, I don't want them to feel like they have the stuff shoved down their throat ALL.THE.TIME. Like, no joke. I like to advertise and post sales, but I try to only mention certain products when a person talks about a specific problem. I want them to see that I want nothing more than to see them succeed. If you are trying to find a way to squeeze in a snack that requires very little preparation, talk to me about Shakeology. However, if you are wanting to know how to build a workout center from home, let me tell you about what I have done. I have information as well as products ... guardian leaders make sure the information is what keeps their clients coming back. Why? Because once you have someone's trust, you want to guard it with your life. Follow the rules and serve your customers how you want to be served.
Making Money
Alright ... so ... CEOs run a business ... businesses run off of money ... how do you make money? The three BIGGEST ways to make money are:
- Product Creation
- SWAG
- Sponsors
Listen to your readers. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter. Watch what they talk about. They WILL tell you what they want. Products can be eBooks ... and THESE are easy things to make WITHOUT going through Amazon to publish. Simply make a PDF and then use the PayPal button to allow them to purchase the digital file. PayPal will then direct them to your document. Everyone wins and it is super easy. You have just given your readers something they want, and they are giving you something you want!
Create your own shirts, lanyards, and other products to send out swag bags and thank yous. When you have giveaways, if you are mailing the product, send out a thank you kit for entering as well. What you put in your swag bags can also be sold! Shirts do not have to only have your business on them, look at the gear that Cassey Ho has created with her Blogilates empire!
Finally, do not EVER treat a sponsor as ONLY a sponsor. You want them to realize that you LOVE what they represent. The companies that I will be telling you about next week are companies that I adore ... not going to lie, there are some more than others. There were a few that I courted with because I knew that their product was something that *I* could use ... and if *I* could use it ... I knew that my readers could use it. I am a stickler on sticking with non-compete clauses. It is just who I am. Since starting Mary Kay, I have moved away from using ELF, Revlon, and so forth. I love Shark products ... found out they are sister companies with Ninja. Don't be expecting me to talk about Blendtec on my site. Figure out who your sponsors should be by reading the magazines that your readers read. Who takes ads out in them? Google your keywords, go to the third or fourth page. Who needs help and won't care as much about page views? Give them a SOLID partnership plan. Let them know how you plan to help them ... and what you expect from the relationship.
"Be a BIG small person" ... it IS possible!
Final note, I LOVE the live blog that Christina Gleason posted on her blog, "Well, in THIS house." If you are looking for more meat to this, I suggest checking out her post!
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