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Today blogging is not just a hobby for many people; it is a full-time job and a business. Building a credible and welcoming platform offers several monetization opportunities. By diversifying the sources of income, bloggers can comfortably live off it or turn it into an entrepreneurship venture. That’s why blogging is popular among all age groups, from professionals to students.
If you are interested in making money with your platform, this guide is for you. Here is how a blog can turn into a business venture.
Turning a Blog into a Business
Begin with Outstanding Content
Whether you plan from the start or think or want to increase the existing blog’s earning potential, you’ll need excellent writing skills as a basis. There is a widely-popular phrase, “content is king,” which is as relevant here as ever.
If you truly wish to make something bigger out of the platform, you need to invest your time into mastering those skills. No one wants to build a business without a strong foundation.
Writing can be challenging for many as it is not a natural gift. And if you are a student, this might be even more challenging as you have to deal with a lot of academic writing at the same time. It can be quite tough to get from polishing an essay to making an engaging post on music. You’ve just put your energy into one thing and need to start with a blank page again.
And academic writing has a completely different style, format, and requirements. It is incredibly strict and is known for causing students sleepless nights. No wonder many of them go to WritePaper.com for professional help. This is an expert academic writing platform that assists with writing, editing, and proofreading college papers. They also have an amazing blog that offers valuable advice on the matter. Collaborating with experts helps to master skills and learn from the best.
If you are not confident in your skills, do not get discouraged. You’ll just need more time and effort to master it, but with practice, it comes easy.
Before you monetize the platform, make sure that your content is:
- Targeted at a specific audience
- Unique
- Has value for readers
- Engaging
- Diverse in the mediums (has different visuals, for instance)
- Published regularly
This is how one builds a loyal audience and strong community.
Grow Your Following
Essentially, any business is built on customers. And in this case, the audience will transform into customers. Therefore, any professional blog needs to be devoted to a particular niche. Preferably, it needs to be narrow but deep, so you always have something to write about.
This ensures that the target audience finds it. However, promotion is also incredibly important. Imagine writing a perfect post just to see that three people read it.
Do not expect it to go viral out of nowhere. Work on it by:
- Paying attention to SEO and organic traffic
- Answering the search intent of the audience
- Promote it via social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
- Add social media share buttons at the end of the page
- Outreach via email to subscribers
- Collaborate with other creators
The best idea is to use all the techniques you can. The more channels you use, the higher the chances of attracting more followers.
Choose Monetization Options
There are several ways to make money from a blog. Here is what you can do:
- Display ads on the page
- Join affiliate marketing program
- Advertise online products or services of sponsors
- Make paid-for content
- Sell your own products or services
- Sell e-books or reports
- Create and sell online classes, seminars, or webinars
- Create merchandise
- Take donations from readers (on Patreon, for example)
Overall, all of them can be divided into two options – selling other people’s products or selling your own products. Surely, for it to become a business venture, you need to focus on the second one. Business exists because it offers something unique that customers buy.
However, it doesn’t mean that you cannot use other ways to earn some money. The more you diversify the sources of income, the more stable it will get. For instance, maybe you’ll need to work on your ebook longer, but during this time, you can still earn money via paid content or affiliate marketing.
Turn it Into a Brand
To turn the blog into a business venture, one needs to come up with a specific product or service they can offer to give value to the audience. This product has to do with the blog and its theme. It also needs to be original.
This doesn’t mean creating something that has never existed. But it might be a new turn on the product with a focus on something other brands missed.
It also can stand out by the positioning of the brand and its identity. It is essential to make the brand recognizable through its main goal, value, and strong position.
For instance, as a food-centered blog, you can create a book of vegan recipes on a budget. Or, as a travel writer, you can focus on single travelers or explorers of less known places. Think of what gaps in the market exist and how your business can fill them.
Another step in building your brand is its representation. It starts with the brand voice and goes up to visuals like colors, a logo, and catchphrases.
Think of the world-known companies. Their brands are so recognizable that people know where it comes from just by seeing a logo or specific font. Social media is one of the main platform where you can promote your brand. The cost of a social media manager is also affordable for a business owner to manage.
Surely, a blogger doesn’t have as many resources as a large corporation. Still, it is necessary to establish the ground rules and work from there.
In Summary
Almost any blog can turn into a business venture with the right approach. You already have a following that appreciates your content and expertise. What you need is to create a specific product or service that addresses the audience’s pain point. It needs to be authentic and go along with the blog’s identity.
Focus on making this product or service valuable and creating a distinctive brand identity.
Author Profile
- Guest Blogger & Outreach Expert - Interested in Writing Blogs, Articles in Business Niche | News Journalist By Profession in the United Kingdom