Treat Your Blog Like A Real Business
You’ve heard me say a number of times
that if you want to make money with your blog you need to treat your
blog like a business. Let’s take a look at what that really means.
You need to set goals
Setting business goals keeps you moving in the right direction. It’s
easy to get distracted in blogging. You start focusing on bringing in
tons of traffic instead of focusing on getting targeted traffic, or you
start focusing on building up thousands of followers instead of getting
followers who are engaged with your blog. Set long-term goals and then
break them down into smaller, more manageable short-term goals – and
keep moving forward.
You need to set budgets
Yes, you really can start a blog for little or no money but
eventually you’re going to want to spend money on things like web
hosting, a professional theme and software. Since most of these
payments are online and just a few bucks a month it’s easy to lose track
of how much you’re really spending, and then when it comes time to
invest some real money in advertising, you’re in trouble. Set spending
budgets and monitor them monthly.
You need advice
If you know nothing about blogging and running a business then you’re
going to have a lot to learn. Blogging is great because you can work
at home with no boss looking over your shoulder. But you can learn
faster and build a stronger business if you get advice from experts,
like an accountant or your banker other other bloggers who’ve already
built successful blogging business. Don’t seal yourself off from the
world – get out there and network.
You need to create monthly reports
Yes, you have to do the paperwork. Tracking every result is a
necessity if you want to build a successful blogging business. Regular
monthly reports let you see where you are and if you’re moving in the
right direction.
You need to invest in your blog
Eventually you’re going to need to invest in a professional looking
theme, your own web hosting, and an email service provider. These three
elements will be a must. You may also need to invest in blogging tools
like plug-ins or apps and software.
You need to invest in training
Advice is one thing, but training is even better. Be prepared to
invest some money in some professional blogging and business training.
It may be ebooks, it may be online consultants and you may even want to
take some business courses at your local community college. But if your
plan is to make a six-figure income with your blog, and you have no
experience blogging or building a business that can produce six figures,
then you’re going to need some professional training.
You need to treat your readers like customers
Here’s the thing – a lot of bloggers think all they have to do is “make friends”
with their readers, but when you walk into your accountant’s office or
you walk into a boutique or car dealership, the people behind the
counter don’t try to become your “friend,” they treat you like a
customer. They offer their advice and assistance, they answer your
questions, and they’re constantly working to move you closer to the cash
register. You’re running a business with your blog, so you need to
treat your readers like customers.
