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.
Monetize 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.
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.
Include Affiliate Links in
Your Content
Affiliate marketing is also another great
tool for monetizing your blog. Here is
how affiliate marketing works :
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
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.
Use it as a Content
Marketing Tool for Your
Business
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.
Sell Memberships
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’re
developing something of value and worth
the price.
Use it to Build Your
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’re
looking for a direct revenue stream,
popular blogs have sold for 4-7 figures
(sometimes more ) by selling their
branding and content.
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’re willing to put in the time.
Most bloggers don’t 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’re
looking to make money from your blog,
which option will you start with?
Let me know in the comment section :).
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