An online presence is important these days for whatever enterprise you engage in. A blog is a perfect way to connect with and establish your expertise with a wide varietyof people. And yes, it is possible to make money with a blog.

With a blog you can upload daily posts (articles, videos, audios, tips, ideas, etc) about any subject you have an interest in that a segment of the population als has an interest in. You can create a personal blog as a way to keep in touch with family members. Pictures, videos and other information are uploaded so your loved ones can stay current with what is going on with you. Better than a social network, because you have control over the content and don’t have to abide by the rules of those networks. You can sell things, you can promote other people’s stuff and you can target your audience organically. As for social media, any time the “powers that be” want to, they can change the rules, close their doors and then you are stuck with whatever  the outcome of their actions.

In this article, however, I will focus on business blogs. This is a blog that you begin to attract traffic in order to sell products or services. To be interesting to others, your blog will need to:

• Have regular, frequent updated content for visitors
• Be marketed to draw traffic
• Register with search engines so it can be found in the rankings

How to Start

If you are new to blogging, you can start with a free blogging platform to get a feel for blogging and determine if you want to continue. Before I started RedheadMarketingInc.com I had a blog on the free version of wordpress – it was called redheadmarketingblog.com – after more than 100 posts I moved my blog to the self-hosted version of wordpress (meaning I had to find a company to host my blog and pay them a monthly fee, but I also got to use my own domain name and the SEO traffic I get is credited to my blog and not to wordpress. The two main platforms for free blogs are Blogger.com and WordPress.com. Depending on the site you choose, the themes and plug-ins (added features) will vary. Most will walk you through the process step-by-step so that you can be up and running in no time.

Before you start posting, decide what you wish to focus on, what niche your blog will serve. A jack-of-all-trades (general knowledge, multiple topic) type of blog doesn’t do as well as one that is geared towards a certain niche. If you like crafts, that can be your niche. Create posts that talk about how to craft, what to craft, how to make crafting profitable and so on. Once you have decided on a path, it is time to create that great content.

20 Ways to Make Money With Your blog

In order to make money with your blog, you need to have visitors – people that have an interest in and need or desire for your topic. That is where marketing comes in. To draw traffic you have to get the word out about your blog. You can start with your current customers, family and friends. You can augment the promotion with social media by telling every fan, friend, follower and connection about it. You can create email marketing campaigns that drive traffic to your blog. The point is, before you can begin to make money with your blog, you need to have traffic visiting that blog.

Any money-making venture will take place once you have built your readership with interesting posts. Some ways to monetize a blog include:

1. Pay-Per-Click advertising such as Google AdSense
2. Selling Advertising
3. Affiliate Marketing
4. EBook Marketing
5. Text Link Ads
6. Banner Ads and widgets
7. Popup advertising
8. Product Reviews
9. Product sales
10. Digital downloads such as Tutorials, guides, toolkits, special reports
11. Teaching via webinars, telesminars, podcasts, etc.
12. Consulting
13. Memberships
14. Selling Services
15. Sponsors
16. Directory Listings
17. Job Boards
18. Donations
19. Cross-promote with other bloggers
20. Audio Advertising

The simplest one to pursue is Google AdSense. You are using targeted advertisements to create revenue for your blog. You are paid per clicks on the ads you show that others visit when they come from your blog.

There are other options where you can get paid when someone makes a sale on that website. That is more likely to happen when you join an affiliate program or cross promote with other bloggers. Join affiliate programs and partner with other bloggers that complement your website niche.

You can create your own digital downloadable products or promote other peoples products to sell on your website. They can be on a variety of subjects but in order for them to sell,you must be able to offer new information to your customers.

Blogs can be used to build revenue. Start with your chosen niche and market your blog to find the traffic you need. Then, utilize these ideas to turn a profit.

Need help with your blog? Need a new design, content, marketing, blog training?  RedheadMarketing, Inc does all that and more! Email us at heidi (at) redheadmarketinginc(dot)com or call us at 954.625.6606 to see how we can provide simple, results-driving blogging marketing, training and/or consulting to fit your needs.