Turning Your Blog Into a Niche Business
Many people blog for pleasure, finding that it increases and improves their connection with others. When you blog, you build a community of readers who will engage with you and share your interest or passion. Blogging has also shown to lead to physical and emotional healing. By committing your words to paper and engaging with people who can empathize, you can release your feelings, make sense of trauma in your life, and increase your rate of healing as you share it with others.
Some people, while enjoying the personal satisfaction that comes from blogging, want to turn that blog into a business. If this is you, there are some things you should know and consider as you move forward.
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Blogging businesses can be lucrative.
It is possible to make money with your words. Not only can you monetize your blog brand through the sale of merchandise with your blog name or logo, but you can also use a paid membership model to offer premium content for members who pay to read. Subscriptions and affiliate programs are also money-makers, where you can cash in on high commission pay-per-click opportunities. If these don’t appeal to you, maybe you will want to sell digital products like master writing classes or use the most versatile video editing software to develop how-to videos or demonstrations for your blog.
Blogging as a business will require some promotion.
Getting followers on Instagram and other social media platforms may be as simple as choosing and using effective hashtags for social media sites where you intend to share your blog. Depending on your niche and your target demographic, it may be wiser to do some outreach or invest in SEO strategies. One major key to self- promotion is ensuring your titles are intuitive and searchable. Conduct proper keyword research and even promote your blog brand by developing an email list of subscribers. Perform targeted distribution by sharing your content with authors who write similar pieces, and don’t forget to share the writing of other bloggers to extend your influence and tap into a market. Invite guest bloggers to your page and look for opportunities to be a guest writer on another blogger’s page.
Content first marketing strategies are made for blogging businesses.
A content-first strategy is important for niche businesses. By providing interesting, relevant, and aesthetically pleasing content on their websites, businesses introduce their customers to the brand before attempting to sell them the product or service. Engaging with consumers and encouraging them to buy into your brand means you don’t have to be overly self-promotional or pushy. Give them a reason to engage with you and convert them over time into a long-term, loyal consumer. Your story and your integrity as a trustworthy business owner are among your company’s most important business assets, so capitalize on both by sharing meaningful stories.
As a blog business, the most important product you deliver is your written content, making a content-first strategy built in. Be sure to cover your writing with research that goes above and beyond what others in your niche might produce. Vary your writing to include shorter, dramatic pieces of 350-500 words peppered with deeper, longer pieces of 750-1000 words. In some areas, you can cover content superficially, and others that engage your readers can be followed up with in-depth and meaty explorations of concepts or ideas. Don’t forget the many ways you can use the visual aspects of Instagram to do some excellent graphic storytelling as well.
Remember that your focus is on promoting the niche your blog explores.
Turning your blog into a money-making scenario will require effort on your part. You may find your readers are a useful resource when you get stuck, so be sure to reach out to learn about their interests and ideas when it comes to developing your blogging business. Get out of the house and experience things that will add to your repertoire of things to write about.
As most niche business owners know, having a unique idea (or product or service) doesn’t mean instant success or even that what you offer is completely different. Differentiating yourself from others in your niche who are offering blogs in the same area as you will be an integral part of your marketing campaign, but may actually mean making small but important changes to your content topics, delivery method, or writing tone. Determining whether to use single topic or multi-topic blogging methods may be a critical decision when it comes to surviving in a market full of other niche blogging businesses. Your goal should be to establish a content product and a brand that people know and trust. This makes it possible for you to both distinguish your product from what is currently marketed and capitalize on well-known and time-tested strategies for the audience you are targeting and growing.
Do you have a favorite blog you read regularly? What tips would you share with a beginning blogger? Feel free to comment below.
Author: Zanial Mian
