Do you want to take your current niche blog further and develop into a business?
If your answer is yes to both those questions it is worth giving this report 10 minutes to read.
To be honest I have been floundering around with my blog for a couple of years now, I have been to all the internet marketing seminars, I’ve read all the internet marketing eBooks (oh have I read ALL the eBooks!) but I have never really believed I could take my blog to the next level. I have a tendency to always think the next shiny new product is going to be “the one” the one that makes me successful as an internet marketer. I have 80% completed every course I have bought – Mass Control, Traffic Secrets 2, Product Launch Formula, 7 figure Code, Butterfly Marketing.. The list goes on! These are some of the top products on Internet Business s creation that are available but yet still I have not created a real Internet Business that pays ALL the bills.
Why is this?
The answer is simple but I have only just come to terms with it. I have simply not taken action and put in the hard graft it takes to actually give myself a chance of success.
Just one of those courses would have been enough. If for example I had completed Traffic Secrets 2.0 and then took immediate action and put in the hard work I would probably now have a nice sizable list to have a great business relationship with.
So the message there is whatever you do, you have to TAKE ACTION. Making a living from blogging is not easy; building a list of followers, fans and clients takes time and A LOT of hard work.
What am I going to do about it then?
Well I’m starting again that’s what! Granted I have foot in the door and have been making money already on t’ internet but I think I can do better…. Much better!
What’s more I am going to log my new journey from the start on my blog… loads of fresh unique content there J
Here is a broad overview of the road ahead, I will drill each point down in later reports, posts and videos but these 13 steps are essential to our success.
Take time to decide on your blog’s target market.
There needs to be a balance here between what you are passionate about and whether or not there is a market for that niche.
Register your desired domain name and purchase some hosting.
You will need these as your blog will be self hosted. Take time with this, your domain name will need to be as close to the name of your blog as possible, carry out keyword research in your niche to help you come up with a keyword rich name. The name also needs to be easy to state verbally without being spelt out.
Install WordPress.
I love WordPress and strongly recommend it as your blogging platform. There are others out there like Joomla & Tumblr etc but WordPress and its usability are streets ahead. There is a truck load of help available for free on the internet to help you with this OR you can hire someone to install it for you. This can cost between £400 and £700 depending on the complexity and size of your project…
Install a WordPress theme.
To start with a free theme will be fine; there are literally thousands to choose from. Searching for one that you like is time consuming, I know this from experience. However a premium theme (one buys a license) is something to work towards as they are more flexible design wise and more search engine friendly.
Install essential WordPress plugins.
There are 10 essential plug ins that you need to install immediately after your blog and theme are installed. They are All in one SEO, Google analytics, Google sitemap, twitter tools, Exclude pages, my page order, sexy bookmarks, maxblogpress ping optimizer, akismet & WordPress database backup. With the latest version of WordPress these are easily found & installed from the dashboard.
Open up an account to manage your mailing list.
You need the capability to start your list immediately, one of the first things to do after installing your plugins is to create a sign up box and add it to your blog sidebar. You don’t want to miss ANY visitors. One of the mistakes I see often and use to make myself is to try and make the blog design perfect before I did anything else. Get the sign up box on there and then worry about making it look perfect.
Create some solid content, often referred to as pillar content 5 to 10 quality posts.
These will form a good solid foundation for your blog. Make sure these pillar posts are top quality. They will help form the first impressions of your early visitors. Think of them as showcasing your best work. If you are on a roll, just keep writing and posting. It is also a good idea to have 4 or 5 posts sitting in the back end of your blog as drafts ready to be used at the drop of a hat.
Create a Twitter account.
A few basic guidelines need to be remembered while setting up your Twitter account. Use your name or domain name as your Twitter “handle” or at the very least have it relate to your niche in some way. Spend some time creating your bio; you are only allowed 160 characters so use them wisely. Your bio is an important part of your profile because it gives others an idea of your personality and interests. Everyone who reviews your Twitter profile can see your bio, and they use it to determine if they want to follow you.
Create a Facebook account.
Keep in mind the guidelines we talked about with your Twitter account set up. Facebook has apps that you can set up to enhance usability. You can link Facebook with Twitter so your account is updated each time you tweet. Cool eh?
Continue knocking out good content, don’t stop writing.
There is no such thing as too much content. Create an ideas folder where you can store ideas as you come across them, you never know when the old grey matter might switch off and you find it difficult to come up with anything to write. Fresh unique content of all kinds, written, audio, video is crucial.
Start connecting using as many of the social networks as you can
As well as making the most of Twitter & Facebook there are many other social networking sites out there, the more you join and interact with the more exposure you will get. Look for the people that seem to come across as the most opinionated and sound like they know what they are talking about and start chatting with them, leave replies to their comments. Don’t be brazen and promote your stuff right off the bat, feel your way in first and then take it from there. Be congenial just as you would in real life.
Research and find relevant blog, Twitter users & Facebook users in your niche/market.
Become active in these markets by reading and leaving comments. This strategy is very effective. If find the market leaders in your niche and spark up a conversation with them via the comments box, leave your name and a link back to your site. Think about your comments; make them useful and again non promotional. Do this as much as you can, there is no limit to this. Repeat, repeat, repeat!
Ok it’s now time to really ramp up your efforts with more strategies to get you noticed out there.(told you it wasn’t going to be easy didn’t I)
- Write some guest blog posts
- Submit articles to Ezine Articles and such like
- Set up an autoresponder series to keep in touch and offer help, advice etc
- Create your own product or at least start thinking and planning one
- Write a really relevant & helpful report, convert it to a PDF for download and use it to attract new subscribers to your list
- Something that still makes my toes curl up but is essential is “personal networking” If you are a bit introverted (like me) you might find this difficult, but push the boundaries it will be well worth it.
- Continue to keep active on social media, however new evidence is suggesting not spending more than an hour a day on this. Although you can get 100’s even 1000’s of followers on twitter etc. they do not convert into sales that well
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