Make Money Blogging {Part 1 of 4}: 3 Steps to Sweet Success!

Are you ready to really start earning some money? Blogging takes a lot of time and a lot of energy, but with the right plan in action – it’s definitely worth it!

Although there is no quick fix to successfully monetizing a blog, when you follow these three steps, you’ll definitely reap sweet rewards. This mini series, ‘Make Money Blogging,’ will explore what it takes to turn your blog into a regular income source.

It’s time to start getting paid for all the hard work you do!

Let’s do this together!

And if you’re headed to BBC Charlotte this weekend – give me a shout out! I would love to connect and meet you there!

Hey Sitstah!

Step into my {ahem} cyberspace office for a minute and let’s chat!

Is your blog suffering…? I sense it may not be reaching it’s potential and is possibly showing symptoms of the dreaded #slowlysuckingthelifeoutofyousyndrome?

*GASP!*

…Now let’s be real, although your blog may not have all the symptoms of #slowlysuckingthelifeoutofyousyndrome, how many of you feel like this? {Go ahead and raise your hands – it’s ok!}

Your blog, at times, may require (or at least get) more of your attention than your family and friends do – and any hobby that requires that kind of attention, better be producing some serious results. It’s time for your blog to pay up!

Don’t despair. It’s never too late for you or your blog. It’s just time to apply the right medication and #kickthesyndromesbuttsucccess before you get completely disenchanted and throw in the towel.

So let’s ring in the sweet success of making money with your blog by focusing on these three steps:

Step 1: Your Blog as a Business====================

If you want to make money blogging, you now own a business, not tend to a hobby. Don’t let that scare you off! Owning a business only means one thing – YOU are in control. You own it. You run it. It doesn’t run you. {And at the end of the day, you get to make money on it too ;)}

You don’t have to be an MBA graduate to make this successful. In fact, you don’t even need a degree to take your blog from Hobby to HOT! You DO have to have vision, drive, dedication and the desire to own it.

{Yes, this is a shameless plug for my sweet new program – Hobby to HOT! The Ultimate Guide: Monetize your Blog by Successfully Creating & Selling Your Own Information Product. Come check it out when you get a minute – I’m running a killer promotion!}

To take your blog from Hobby to HOT! and make it a profitable experience – it’s all in your mindset!

When you see your blog as a business and not as a hobby, it opens doors. All of the sudden you can envision yourself playing at Fenway park under the lights, with a packed stadium cheering. The adrenaline rushes and the game begins – you’re the star, not the ball girl. It ain’t T-ball anymore, mama!

In part 2 of this series, I’ll capture more on this topic and dive into the 5 Foundational Principles of Business and Blogging.  So to be ready for it, here is your homework for this week!

{Feel free to ask any questions you might have in the comments below too.}

Homework for my SITStah’s:

• Make a list of all the reasons you want to turn your blog into a business
• Make a list of all the reasons you DON’T want to turn your blog into a business
• Make a list of all the things that scare you when you think about blogging as a business
• Make a list of all the things that empower you when you think about blogging as a business

Step 2: Take Control of Your Revenue Streams========

Stop waiting for your revenue streams to come to you. Decide what you want, and go for it!

Business is all about calculated risk. Life is a risk – don’t let the word scare you. Calculated risks are wise investments, that’s all.

If you want to monetize your blog and make more than a few dollars a week, then it’s critical that you are in control of your revenue streams AND that you’re using many of them. I suggest having at least three to five streams of revenue in your initial plan. {We’ll talk about specific revenue streams in part 3 of this series.}

Why do I need multiple revenue streams?

Ads are great. Sponsored posts are fantastic and affiliate programs are good – as long as you can control when they happen and how much they profit you. I highly suggest building your main blog revenue around your own information product and then adding the sponsored posts, ads etc as additional streams of income.

Monetizing your blog on the foundation of your own information product is important if you want to automate revenue, be more involved with sponsors, generate a predictable income for yourself and grow your blog from hobby to a profitable business.

Why is having your own product so important?

When you have your own product, you control the costs. You control the profit margin and you control distribution. You control the automation and investment.

When you’re in the drivers seat like that, your ability to really make money blogging increases exponentially.

I’ll get into more detail on establishing high profit, low maintenance revenue streams in part three of this series.

Homework for my SITStah’s:

• Make a list of skills, experiences and knowledge you have that could be turned into a digital information product

Step 3: Be Real & Develop Trust==========

If you want to be a voice, then you have to be real. We aren’t talking about TMI. We’re talking genuine, real and relatable. Being real naturally builds trust. Trust is the foundation of a following and once you develop a following, you can monetize just about anything – as long as you don’t lose the trust.

Being real isn’t about gushing to the blogsphere everything you do or don’t’ do everyday. It isn’t about unfiltered sharing and it isn’t about proving yourself through your accolades. It’s simply R.E.A.L.

R.E.A.L.

Relatable, Educated {not necessarily in a formal way}, Available Listener {because everyone wants someone who will listen – you can show you listen by responding to readers in your writing.}

If you want to make money blogging, there is no question that you need a decent size audience, but even more important is a responsive audience. You don’t have to put up numbers that compete with anyone if you’ve built on real principles of success.

Real is what attracts people.

• Don’t you like real, genuine people?
• Aren’t you naturally attracted to them?
• We trust them. We take their advice and want to be like them.

When you build that kind of trust, then you’ve built a real brand.

I’ll dive into more detail about the power of being real and establishing trust in part four of this series.

These three principles will take your blog from #slowlysuckingthelifeoutofyousyndrome to #kickthesyndromesbuttsucccess.

You really can make money blogging – that’s real.

You can be influential and you can generate a consistent income. It may take a little re-framing of how you approach things, but that’s what this series is for. It’s here to get you in the mindset of making the most of your skills, your blog and your ability and success connecting with other influential people and brands.

Let me know if you have questions. I’m happy to chat it up here in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter.

If you’re headed to BBC Charlotte this weekend – give me a shout out! I would love to connect and meet you there!

More on How to Make Money With Your Blog

Interested in reading more posts like this one? You will definitely want to click through the links below:

• 5 Secrets to Building a Business From the Group Up
• Make Money Online: Bloggers Share How They Do It
• Making Money Blogging: When to Say Yes & When to Say No