Blogging as a career seems like a really cool option. All you need is a laptop and an internet connection to get started. If you have your interest lying in travel, sports, baking, marketing, fashion or in any other topic under the Sun, you can be a professional blogger. Just select a niche of your interest. Blogging as a hobby can help you build a brand, or add value to your portfolio to help you get a job.
For most of the people, blogging is a personal platform, while for others, including contractors, freelancers, business-entities, it is also a revenue-generating opportunity. You can use it to showcase your personal skills and expertise in your line of work. If you choose to write a blog professionally, you can build a large network at an exponential pace, and also create opportunities for yourself. It also helps to brush up your technical, as well as, your communication skills which give you a significant edge in today’s competitive world.
Along with developing new skills and building authority in your niche, as a blogger, you also get to be your own boss. However, that comes with the responsibility of serious time, dedication and professionalism towards work.
In this article, we highlight a few steps that you can follow to create a fulfilling and rewarding career out of blogging:
1. Have a grasp of all aspects of your blog
Before you start a blog, there are a few questions that you need to seek the answer to; from internal and external sources. Some of these include:
- What is my niche/ area of expertise?
- Who are my readers?
- Who is my competition? What are they currently doing?
- How will this blog benefit me and my readers?
You need to have a sense of where you’re headed with this blog. Knowing the aforementioned aspects of your blog, among others, will provide you with a solid start. There are millions of bloggers out there and thus, you need to identify what value you will offer to your potential readers via your blog to attract their attention and time. After having a grasp of all these only, you should start with a blog.
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2. Amplify your blog’s presence
Once you start writing, you need to realize that blogging isn’t just about creating content. A large part of it also includes pushing your content on the internet to maximize readership. Despite writing excellent content, a large number of bloggers fail due to a lack of regular traffic on their blogs. That’s one of the mistakes bloggers do. You need to learn the basics of marketing your blog first.
Focus on getting your blog out there. Network with other bloggers; this will give you exposure to a large community consisting of experts in the area, as well as to a reader-base. You can also maximize the use of social media in promoting your blog. It is a great way to reach a large number of people in an effective way. Learn how to make your blog profitable along with social media collectively to create synergy and gain maximum leverage from both platforms.
3. Be Dynamic and Agile
The best bloggers across the globe do more than just weaving words. A good blog contains an excellent layout, fascinating visuals, interactive features, and much more. The goal here is to offer a holistic experience to the reader. Try to incorporate as many skills as possible, into the blog. Eg. if you are good at photography, click photos that might be relevant and include them into the blog. If you are a sports blogger, include charts showing important statistics, or videos to showcase or demonstrate skills.
At the same time, you also have to be agile. Keep up to date with the happenings of the world and make your blog relevant to the current times. This will help the readers to relate more with what you write. Keep an eye on the trends in your field and write about them. As your blog becomes increasingly popular, people start looking up to you. It then becomes your responsibility to voice your opinion about important current topics via your blog.
4. Monetise your blog
This is the result you want to achieve via your blog; to earn money. Once you have built a loyal audience and established yourself, it is now time to reap the benefits of what you have sowed. You can choose the monetization technique(s) that you wish to use, depending on your blog and readers. Some common monetization methods are as follows:
Advertisements: This is the most widely used technique across blogs. You can allow various businesses to run advertisements on your website. You can earn a periodic rent, or receive a commission based on clicks or purchases. Most bloggers prefer adsense to monetize their blogs. But, as the blogging field grows, it’s getting difficult for bloggers to get approved for adsense.
Affiliate Marketing: Here, the blogger is a promoter of a product for another business. He/She makes efforts to push the product via his/her blog. In return, the business returns the blogger for each customer or visitor brought in by them.
Charge for your services: Once you have established yourself, you can charge money for various services that you provide. These may include writing guest blogs, reviews, teaching or imparting knowledge related to your area of expertise etc.
Popular around the world, blogging is one of the most promising and successful online career options these days. Along with providing information to people, with great marketing strategies you generate a good amount of revenue through blogging. With sufficient knowledge and good writing skills, you can also start earning while you are sleeping.
Blogging is a great career option, as it is consistent and efficient for a long-term basis. Apart from the above-mentioned points in the article, with patience, dedication, good website and domain hosting you will soon be on the journey towards success for blogging.
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