You want to make money, right? Of course you do. Everyone wants – and
needs -to make money. So you started a blog since you’ve heard it’s an
easy way to make cash, but you’re not quite sure how to actually make
money doing it. Or maybe you already have a blog and you’re exploring
ways to monetize it.
No matter which group you’re in,
making money with a blog – whether it’s a hobby blog or a business blog
is possible. It’s not a get rich quick ordeal, but if you do it right,
you could make enough to support your family and more. Let’s dive in and
see how you can make a profit with your blog.
1. MONITIZE WITH CPC or CPM Ads
One of the most common ways bloggers make money is through placing ads on their site. There are two popular types of ads:
CPC/PPC Ads: Cost per click (also called pay per click)
ads are usually banners that you place in your content or sidebar. Each
time a reader clicks on the ad, you are paid for that click.
CPM Ads: CPM Ads, or “cost per 1,000 impressions,” are ads that pay you
a fixed amount of money based on how many people view your ad.
Perhaps the most popular network for placing these types of ads is Google AdSense.
With this program, you do not need to be in direct contact with
advertisers; you simply place the banner on your site, Google chooses
ads relevant to your content, and your viewers click on the ads. There
are countless similar programs available if you find that AdSense
doesn’t work for you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.
2. SELL PRIVATE Ads
Working with advertising networks isn’t your only option
when it comes to selling ads. If you end up with enough traffic,
advertisers may come directly to you and ask you to place their ad on
your site. You can also contact advertisers yourself. The biggest
difference from the above mentioned option is that there is no middle
man, which means you can set your own ad rates.
Selling private ads can come in the form of banners, buttons, or links.
You can even make money writing sponsored posts where you write about or
give a review of an advertiser’s product or service. Another option is
to write an underwritten post or series, which is where you can write
about any topic, but the advertiser pays for a “Brought to you by”
mention in the content.
The ways you make money with this can vary. For instance, you might
charge a one-time fee for a link within a post. If you are hosting
banner ads, you might charge your partner monthly.
Bonus tip: To maximize your income, you can also choose to sell sponsorship space in your newsletters, podcasts, and videos.
3. INCLUDE AFFILIATE LINKS IN YOUR CONTENTS
Affiliate marketing is also another great tool for monetizing your blog. Here is how affiliate marketing works:
An advertiser has a product she wants to sell. She agrees to give you a
commission from each sale if the buyer is coming from your site.
She gives you a unique link that tracks your affiliate code. That way, she knows when a buyer used your link to make a purchase.
You include your affiliate link
on your site. You can do this directly in the content or through banner
ads. If a reader clicks on your unique link and buys the product you
have recommended, you earn a percentage of what she purchased.
You can utilize affiliate marketing through ad networks like Amazon Associates, or you can create private partnerships with advertisers and businesses with an affiliate program.
4. SELL DIGITAL PRODUCTS
If you would rather not advertise other people’s products on your site,
or if you are looking for another stream of income, consider selling
digital products. This can include items like:
eBooks Online courses/workshops
Images, video, or music people can use in their own content
Apps, plugins, or themes
Just remember that if you are going to choose one of these avenues that
you make it relevant and useful to your readers. A lot of bloggers make
the mistake of assuming they are developing a product their readers
need; listen to your readers first, and then create a digital product
that will meet their needs.
5. USE IT AS A MARKETING TOOL FOR YOUR PRODUCTS
It is also possible to sell physical products on your blog and to make
money that way. Instead of thinking of it as making money from your
blog, however, think of your blog as a content marketing tool that will
drive visitors to your business website.
The possibilities are practically endless when it comes to developing a business blog. You could sell hand-made products, books, manufactured products, and so much more. Or you might already have a business and decide to start a blog to convert loyal customers.
Lets say, for example, that you refurbish and resell used smartphones
out of your home. You could use a blog to attract visitors to your
website where you list your current phones for sale. Your blog might
cover topics about DIY refurbishing. On one level, it seems
counterintuitive because you want people to buy your phones, but it also
helps you build a brand and gain recognition. Social media guru Jay Baer explains the concept on Copyblogger:
I was at a conference a few years ago, and this is where I first sort of
started thinking about this concept, and their founder, Robert Johnson,
was speaking…
He said, “Well our best customers are the people that think they can fix it themselves.”
But eventually you are going to get out of your depth either on that
project on a project down the road, at which point who are you going to
call? Are you going to call somebody randomly that you discovered on
Google or are you going to call the guys who you just watched their logo
in the corner of a 14-minute instructional video?
This concept can also be applied to services in all types of industries. For instance, if you offered electronic repair services as opposed to physical products, you could still use the same blogging concept to increase brand awareness and convert more clients.
6. SELL MEMBERSHIP
Another option to make money is to sell memberships to exclusive corners
of your website. For instance, a career blog might charge $10 per month
for users to gain access to their job board. A startup business blog
might sell memberships to their forums where people can get personalized
advice about their business.
The key here is that your exclusive membership has to be more valuable
than something your visitors can find for free somewhere else, so be
sure you are developing something of value and worth the price.
7. USE IT TO BUILD YOU CREDIBILITY
Blogging to build credibility can lead to many money-making
opportunities. For instance, let us say you start a blog in the finance
industry. People start reading your content, and your blog becomes very
popular. You are now a recognized figure in the finance industry.
Once you have that authority,
people might approach you to co-author a book on debt management, or you
could charge to speak at conferences or to run employee financial
training days.
This certainly isn’t a direct form of making money blogging, but it has
worked for many well-known bloggers, and it can work for you, too. If
you are looking for a direct revenue stream, popular blogs have sold for
4-7 figures (sometimes more) by selling their branding and content.
BONUS TIPS
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that making money blogging is not
possible by putting your site up and letting it sit there. The “if you
build it, they will come” mentality doesn’t work here, so be sure you
are willing to put in the time. Most bloggers donate see a spike of
income for several months (sometimes years) after starting their blog.
Before you dive too deep into blogging, remember these little bits of
advice:
*Create Quality Content
You are not going to make any money from your blog if people don’t read
it. After all, your readers are the ones who are going to make you
money, whether they’re clicking on your ads or buying your products. Always put your readers first.
*Don’t Spend Your Time Exclusively on Your Blog
Developing a successful blog has a lot to do with building
relationships. That can include relationships with sponsors, affiliate
partners, or simply other bloggers who will direct traffic to your blog.
Be sure some of your time is spent on forums and other blogs (or
whatever works for you) to build these relationships and your blog.
*Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Not all of these tips and avenues of income are going to work for you.
Don’t be afraid to tweak your methods to see what works best for you and
your readers.
Making money blogging can take a lot of persistence, but it can pay off
in the long-run if you’re starting out from scratch. Just remember that
you don’t have to use all of these money-making avenues at once.
Consider what other people in your industry are doing, and start from
there.
Over time, you will learn what works for you and what doesn’t. If you
are looking to make money from your blog, which option will you start
with?
.
With this program, you do not need to be in direct contact with
advertisers; you simply place the banner on your site, Google chooses
ads relevant to your content, and your viewers click on the ads. There
are countless similar programs available if you find that AdSense
doesn’t work for you, such as Chitika, Infolinks, and Media.net.