Internet Marketing: The New Era of Innovation in E-commerce

 

Internet marketing (IM) is also known as digital marketing, web marketing, online marketing, or emarketing. As the name states, it is the advertising of products or services over the Internet. However, it also implies marketing through the wireless media and through e-mail. Electronic customer relationship management (ECRM) systems are also categorized under Internet marketing. IM can be creative, as well as, technical through its design, development, advertising, and sales over the Internet. This paper is a secondary research regarding how E-commerce gradually forms part of our daily lives. It concerns different aspect of advertising in terms of electronic commerce.

  

 

THE FAMOUS “INTERNET”

 

 

     In the past ten years, the Internet population varied a lot ; an estimation of about 50 percent increase of the World Wide Web (WWW) per month and the numbers of websites double every 53 days . A 60 percent of large companies and 30 percent of midsize companies were estimated to make use of the Internet for marketing purposes by the year 2000 . In 2003, the first generation of internet users was fresh graduates - fast to get the concepts of online commerce and shopping. Major investments in China were also made by international E-commerce companies at that time; escrow systems were made for better trust in buyers and sellers. The hotel industry now face market challenges and business travellers demand more for the Web in terms of information and booking of hotels. The WWW is an electronic technology which is an effective means for marketing hotels and it also develops customer relationship in the long-run. The Internet allows firms to open a Web site in an electronic mall, have their products available to millions of potential customers and only in a short time period. GE, IBM, Ford, Kraft, and Proctor & Gamble were the first to register “domain names”.

 

 

USE OF INTERNET FOR MARKETING SUCCES

 

 

     Because Internet grew in only five years and there are no barriers for time or location, marketing online has become the new era in E-commerce with petty variable cost per customer . Marketers use full color advertising that appeal similar to both -young and old- to attract people all over the world. The Internet is now considered as a much greater resource than traditional means of advertising: E-mail – use to transfer text and multimedia messages, Listservs – latest information sent on specific themes to groups/managers, Newsgroup – electronic conferencing leading to the development of ideas, as well as, worldwide networking opportunities, File transfer protocol (FTP) – high speed file transfer as a virtual fax, WWW – menu-driven access to host resources [2], etc. All industries have subject matter experts (SMEs) who are responsible to unify and apply knowledge from different vendors and sources to solve industry problems. To prepare a Web site merging SME knowledge with other reference sources is one of example of Internet model, to retain and attract customers. A well designed Web site can lead to an interesting, low cost means for sales promotion to worldwide customers. Marketers should also refer to the AIDA model-Attention, Interest, Desire and Action- to successfully attract customers by introducing the right advertising on Internet .

 

ADVANTAGES OF THE INTERNET

 

 

     Most people worldwide can use the Web since it is affordable and easy to access. Internet is a fast and flexible means for marketing. Shopping on the Internet is convenient as there is no time restriction, it is comfortable since it is in a user friendly environment and there is also an instant satisfaction of ordering, paying and delivering. A one-to-one basis, as well as, a two way communication with customers through the Internet is possible. Enhancing brand image, creating awareness and providing customer service are more important than just selling the products or entertaining customers. With better technologies, companies can create a stronger brand image and thus increase sales. It is easier to get customers’ feedbacks and use them to improve. On the other side, it is easier for customers to receive a kind of acknowledgement; feeling that they did not waste their time. Nowadays, people live a busy life and shopping online is time consuming for them. The company also saves time since whenever a customer uses his/her credit card to purchase a product, through the Web Trak software from Aurum Software, the company can access customers’ details. Marketing communication includes expenditure on direct response marketing rather than the old standard mass communication; E-marketing is seen as a promotional as well as informational tool. E-communities or moderated group chat -where customers with similar interests can interact-are strategies to build relations through Internet. This new era of commerce

 

SUCCESSFUL WEBSITES

 

 

     For Web sites to be a success, it should be informative, entertaining, challenging, and unique. The homepage should be short, clear and simple to avoid wasting the customer’s time. They should be understandable and easy to search information needed. Moreover, it must continuously be up-to-date for most recent information about the company; customers like to see modification in the website. Products/services available should be represented clearly by key words or images on the Web site. Programs should be set up to find out which kind of customers are interested and what can keep customers coming back. This is the key of marketing strategy to know your customers, as well as, what they want. A company should create a Web site with unique SME knowledge and should not put Web links that are not completed. There are different marketing strategies for the Internet:

1) Targeting – This is different from the traditional segmentation because the customers come to you, they initiate contact, control information flow and control message content. Accessibility is primordial for customers. Market the Web sites through packaging or “click-through” from other companies’ Web sites. “Click-though” banner advertising is a sort of digital word-of-mouth which is becoming a stronger means of the Web.

2) Product Strategy – Brand recognition is made clear on the Internet but the number of purchase is not there yet. Sometimes the products are not available on the Web site and consumers hesitate before getting this particular product. To increase their confidentiality, recognized vendors should be mentioned on the Net. Authenticity is important for both sellers and products.

3) Pricing Strategy – In the long run, it will be good if firms can concentrate on offering products with the unique characteristics. Online shoppers will differentiate by the benefits and quality of the products/services. Otherwise, a low price strategy should rely on cost advantage and high volume to be able to compete.
4) Distribution Strategy - There is a necessity of a direct-to-customer mechanism. The industry has to be the first providing unique services to always be ahead of competitors.
5) Promotional Strategy – This depends on the marketing research and consumer preferences. A “frequently asked questions” (FAQ) section should be provided in the Web site and high-level marketing officers should also be involved for a stronger marketing message for the company’s vision.

In fact, the FAQ, through Internet, can save over one million dollars by providing what customers want. It also reduces online catalogue processing costs and cycle time. Other than that, grouping and ranking the content of the Web site is effective so as to group consumer needs and to provide a good structure for navigation of the Web site according to a consumer.

 

LINK TO REALITY

 

     Marketers should all know about information technology (IT) to be able to make better market analysis, decision making and to better control and monitor their field. Competition must now be based on speed instead of size of corporations for development because product life cycles are too short to increase fast enough. What is needed are high quality information about the product, service and corporate needs and fast and effective delivery process. Continuous information-based value to customers can lead to comparative advantage. Nowadays, traditional radio companies drive FM/AM and online listenership for a better growth by copying the best practices of new, growing internet companies. Since Internet is innovating in a really fast way, companies need to continuously change and marketers agree that by the time a new product comes into the market, it will already be obsolete. However, the Internet is not really safe since there are no modern online international payments systems resulting into frauds.

 

by Rashad Yazdanifard, Melissa Venpin, Wan Fadzilah Wan Yusoff , Mohammad Rabiul Islam

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ten barriers to innovation in digital marketing (and how to beat them)

Every business wants to be seen as innovative, as leading the market with new ideas and practices that help increase KPIs, but actually implementing a spirit of change can be a real challenge.

Last month we hosted our Future of Digital Marketing (FODM) conference in London, and had a chance to ask some of our speakers which obstacles businesses faced, and how they might overcome them.

1: Company engagement

Sarah Wood from Unruly felt that getting buy-in across the board was a big factor in driving change throughout a business.
We often talk about the importance of senior buy-in when driving change in organisations, but even a directly order from the boss won’t help if employees are opposed. If you’re implementing a new project, it’s incredibly important to confer with staff at all levels and make sure they understand and support the need for new practices.
Changes affect people, so they need to be informed, especially if they’re the ones on the ground who’s workflow will be directly influenced.

2: The acquisition of data

Data may well be the new oil, but it won't make great marketing fuel unless you have enough of it. Terrible metaphors aside, James Carson makes a great point; Every business is rolling in data, but too often we see different departments capturing different figures, meaning it’s nearly impossible to refine and apply so that it affects the customer experience.
Teams need to share data and make sure common goals are defined. Don’t silo your biggest asset!

3: Lack of imagination

This might seem like a controversial point. As marketers, we like to think that everything we do is driven by creative ideas, but as Gerd Leonhard points out, it’s all too easy to fall into regular patterns at work, meaning there’s less time for imagination and consistent improvement.
Redesigning work environments so that they are more open can help, but ultimately it’s important to allow staff the time and space to consider new practices. We’re all busy people, but if we can spend one hour thinking about an idea that may save us five hours a week, it has to be worth investing the time.

4: Clearly defining new ideas

Will Critchlow underlined our earlier points - a lack of shared data and the urge to ‘do the same thing every day’ can have serious impact on your ability to consider the big picture for the company.
It’s easy to get bogged down in the minutia of everyday tasks, but as with our analytics, it’s only when we start looking for larger patterns that we’re able to make good decisions based on the data.
Looking at granular impacts is useful, but it’s important to have senior staff dedicated to locating pressure points in existing workflows and defining the need for change clearly. Again, a lack of definition and clear purpose is often the largest barrier to buy-in.

5: Tear down the walls 

Again we come to silos. Neil Perkin explains that true innovation just isn’t possible when disparate teams work in uncoordinated patterns.
Teams all have their own agendas and targets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t collaborate. Ultimately this may reflect a need for organisational transformation, with departments taking on broader responsibilities with more room for overlap and collaboration.

6: A great idea can come from anywhere 

As Toby Barnes states, innovation shouldn’t be something we try to compartmentalise.
Every member of a company needs to have input into broader strategy, and the ability to share ideas based on their own experience and customer feedback. Even if you can’t talk directly to everybody in a company, it’s easy to add a ‘suggestion box’ to the intranet, or set up a shared doc where staff can add questions and ideas.

7: Getting stuck in a rut

Anthony Mayfield felt that defined business models, while effective, can also be limiting.
Many companies simply don’t have the room to effect large-scale change, meaning they are constantly playing catch-up in a changeable marketing landscape. Again, this can be helped shifting focus at an organisational level, but it’s also the responsibility of department heads and managers to make sure staff can communicate ideas upwards easily.

8: Don’t be afraid of failure

It’s a cliché, but as Simon Andrews mentions, failure is often as valuable as success.
While the financial returns may not be as great, having the will to try new things that don’t work means you’ll have much greater chances of success. Many businesses have begun putting money into ‘experimental’ pots, allowing them to test new ideas out without always worrying about the bottom line.
Even if you can’t go that far, it pays to make time to try out new technologies and platforms as they emerge. Try organising a monthly meeting to compare tools you’ve found or just share great campaigns you’ve seen recently (Why not start by checking out The Digitals Yearbook for a bit of inspiration? ;)

9: Practice makes perfect 

Mark Cridge felt that many struggle with innovation because it isn’t a core responsibility for them. You don’t have to be a 24-7 creative genius, but it is important to allow yourself time to step back from the daily grind on a regular basis. Again, a regular meeting to share ideas may help (as may a regular trip to the pub).

10: Keep one eye on the future 

Dr. Kate Stone highlighted a familiar problem; Even when you do have an amazing idea, it takes time to implement, and can get lost in the rush to get on with today’s pressing deadlines.
It sounds obvious but there’s great value in making a huge shared doc full of ideas. At Econsultancy we do it with possible blog headlines, which is a great way to get collaboration going.

Bonus! 11: All of the above!

Steve Callanan summed things up well. Ultimately it’s a struggle for any business to constantly innovate, and there will always be challenges involved, but by taking simple, practical steps you can build an innovative, collaborative spirit into the heart of your business.

by Matt Owen

27 Definitions for “Blog”

 

      Apart from laying down my own definition on that post, I also invited readers to elaborate and share theirs. Blogging is a social and recent phenomenon after all, meaning that my definition for it might be different from yours, and both of them be right.

      Twenty seven readers decided to took the challenge (if I missed anyone please let me know) and to define what a blog is. Below you will find a quote from their answered, with a link to their own posts (make sure to check them out, I just included part of that they had to say on the matter).

1. http://www.rarst.net/

Blog is a site you are reading today.
Knowing it was written yesterday.
Expecting it to be written tomorrow.

2. http://www.andrewflusche.com/

Blogs enable the author to write lots of short, informative articles. I can categorize the articles, and they are all easily searchable. This allows my readers and clients to later find the information they need on my blog.

3. http://nimblecare.wordpress.com/

I think it is a platform for me:
-To express myself
-To share the experience I have
-To share the knowledge I have
-To learn from other people

4. http://karensouth.blogspot.com/

My blog is a chronological log or online diary of my life. Because blogs are easy to update and a great reference of what I have accomplished I tend to keep up with it a lot more than I did my website. Since a blog often reflects the personality of the author it is also a great way to get to know people who share the same interest as I do.

5. http://ezmarketingtool.com/

Blogs are simply software that makes it easy to get content onto the web. The modern “blog” is really just an easy to use “content management system” or CMS. Some blogs are hosted on individual hosting accounts just like “regular” static websites. These types of blogs carry the “responsibilities” of domain name registration, hosting and keeping the blogging software of choice up to date.

6. http://mayuonline.com/

A blog (a contraction of the term “Web log”) is a Web site, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

7. http://loszieglerencanada.com/

Mi blog, este blog, es mi cable a tierra, mi posibilidad de expresarme, mi chance de ayudar. Es como un hijo al que tengo que ayudar a crecer todos los días. Es mi herramienta para seducir a las masas. Mi desafío constante. Mi obsesión? Puede ser…

8. http://info-architecture.blogspot.com/

Blogs are journals often authored by one individual, and sometimes teams. In the context of business communication, these are often used to talk with the marketplace and to join the conversation that existing external bloggers may be having.

9. http://infoqueenbee.blogspot.com/

Blog is a Website/Personal Online Journal, frequently/daily updated and the contents posted in Chronological order and are presented to the visitors in the reverse Chronological order. However links to the previous postings wherever necessary and relevant are given in the posts of blogging. Links to other blogs are also given wherever possible.

10. http://everydaythoughtsfromlife.blogspot.com/

Now that I have been writing for about 2 weeks I have come to find that blogging is a self-contained community that stretches around the world. Your blog is your window out to the world, so that everyone can see in to your hobbies, interests, and passions. Each blog has its own persona and mine is the nonsensical ramblings of the mind. This is one thing that interests me and now I get to share it with the world, and not only that but the world gets to comment and interact with me.

11. http://www.bloggingtune.com/

A blog is a space in the internet which an individual person/a group create to share their knowledge, offer opinions and provide service

12. http://broadcasting-brain.com/

Blogs are a combination of two well-known mainstream media outlets: the broadcasting studio and the traditional op-ed column.

13. http://spanish-podcast.com/

If I had to define what a blog is now, in 2008, I’d say that blogs are an early 21st-century version of the public town square. Humans have always had a need for social contact and for information and blogs provide a platform for both.

14. http://www.successmakingmachine.com/

It doesn’t matter. To someone who hasn’t heard of the concept it’s just a new/easy way for a person to publish content on the internet. That’s all you need to know.

15. http://www.janetbarclay.com

It pretty well goes without saying that a blog is a website, but the factors that make a blog different than other websites are as follows:
1. A blog is updated on a regular basis, with new content being added to previous content, rather than replacing it.
2. Even professional blogs have a personal side to them, often reflecting the individual(s) behind the business.
3. A blog allows for communication between the author and his or her readers, rather than just providing information.
4. Even business blogs aren’t 100% about promoting the company’s products and/or services.

16. http://knittsings.com/

For me the answer is straight forward. A blog allows me to share photos and information with anyone, anywhere, at anytime. This is especially important for those of us addicted to knitting machines yet isolated from others who share our passion.

17. http://fwdsend.typepad.com/

A blog is just another way of being heard (check out the cartoon here also).

18. http://blaiq.typepad.com/

Any sufficiently advanced blog will be indistinguishable from its blogger.

19. http://www.back-links.org/

A simplistic, evolutionary website which allows users to effortlessly express them selves, share their knowledge and advice throughout the internet, they adapt and evolve to meet the needs of the present.

20. http://pink-ink-pink.blogspot.com/

1. Instant readership and feedback. When I write freelance magazine articles, I finally see the fruits of my labor MONTHS later. In contrast, I can blog about something timely and see it online seconds later!
2. An online community. I have made many friends through blogging. I cannot believe how many writers I have “met” this way, and I’ve learned so much.
3. A fun creative outlet. I love experimenting and personalizing my blog and saying, “Here I am!” to the world.

21. http://gman-blog.blogspot.com/

Blog đơn giản là 1 dạng website, giống như diễn đàn hay trang mạng xã hội. Nó chỉ phân biệt với các loại website khác dựa trên khía cạnh kỹ thuật và các chức năng riêng chứ hoàn toàn không dựa trên nội dung trên đó.

22. http://www.se7enize.com/

Blog is
- not required to put personal aspect into it.
So that’s why there’re corporate/organization blogs
- not required to open to comment
So that’s why I still call kottke, daringfireball and many tumblelogs, a blog.
- not required to have other features such as ping/trackback, feed, etc.
- not required to be built with dynamic script (CMS)
I still call it a blog if it’s just .txt file published on internet, as long as it is updated the content in chronological order.
- not required to be updated regulary.
I still call it a blog, a dead blog though.

23. http://gotellnews.com/

A blog is a window for the reader to take a peek into the blogger’s life. Blogs can be informative, lively, and entertaining, business or personal.

24. http://techtites.com/

When it first began, a weblog or blog was a simple online diary, where the blog author would pen down his or her thoughts. It served as a means to let readers know primarily family and friends about the happenings in his / her life.
Over the years, blogs have evolved to much much more than that. While personal blogs are still far and wide across the blogosphere, you will find a lot of non-personal blogs as well.
Today, a blog is a platform for news, tutorials, travel tails, articles, video, photos and more. Blogs have several categories similar to what websites had several years ago. You have technology blogs, travelouges, personal blogs, news blogs, videologs, photoblogs etc.

25. http://stetoscope-blog.com/

As to me, a blog is an Exhibition-stand.
An exhibition-stand, is an open place designed to communicate messages and tht offers the option to have a one-t-one discussion with someone that represents the owner of the stand. You could notice that stands are sometimes very well-designed and sometimes quite cheap : just as blogs.

26. http://itlife.escrito.info/

Having been blogging for quite some time, I have come to identify that blogging is an obsession. A blog is a site where ideas and opinions are meshed together.

27. http://www.seanpaune.com/

I would say at this point that any site that conveys information in a chronological style format pretty much qualifies as a blog. Daniel stated things like comments and RSS feed would fall in his definition, but I have seen to many sites that meet the criteria of informational and chronological, and then miss one of the other two, that I’m not going to be quite as strict.

By Daniel Scocco

7 sätt att tjäna pengar på din blogg

 

Många drömmer om att tjäna pengar på sin blogg. Och visst går det. Idag finns en rad alternativ för den som vill göra sig en hacka på nätet. Vilket passar dig?

1. Bloggportaler som betalar

En del bloggportaler har inbyggda system för att användarna ska tjäna pengar på att blogga hos dem. Hos vissa får du betalt när någon klickar på de annonser som bloggportalen automatiskt lägger in på din blogg. Hos andra kan du få betalt för varje sidvisning. Det handlar dock om väldigt lite pengar så länge som du inte driver en väldigt stor blogg. Och då har du ju andra sätt att tjäna pengar på som förmodligen ger dig större intäkter.

Fördelar
+ Enkelt sätt att börja tjäna pengar

Nackdelar
- Du får bara en liten del av kakan

Länkar
Myshowroom
Nattstad

2. Annonsnätverk

Annonsnätverk är en typ av helautomatisk tjänst som blivit väldigt populär både bland små och stora bloggare. Googles tjänst AdSense är absolut bäst och är också den som de allra flesta väljer att använda sig av.
Ett annonsnätverk fungerar på så sätt att du väljer en annonsstorlek och om det ska vara text- eller bannerannons. Du får då en kod som du lägger in på din webbplats där du vill att annonsen ska visas.
Google läser sedan av din sida för att förstå vad den handlar om och fyller sedan annonsutrymmet med relevanta annonser. Skriver du exempelvis om litteratur så kommer med största sannolikhet annonser för böcker snart att dyka upp på din blogg.
När du väl lagt in koden sköter sig allt av sig självt och du har alltid aktuella och relevanta annonser på din webbplats.
Hur mycket du tjänar beror på vilken typ av webbplats du har, hur väl annonserna integreras med innehållet och hur intressanta annonserna blir för dina besökare. Ett riktmärke kan vara ett par hundralappar per 10 000 annonsvisningar.

Fördelar
+ Ganska låga krav på din webbplats
+ Enkelt och smidigt
+ Betalt per klick

Nackdelar
- Ibland fula bannerannonser
- Ej betalt för annonsvisningen
- Du kan inte själv välja annonsörer
- Svårt tjäna mycket pengar

Länkar
Google AdSense
Tradedoublers funktion AdMatch

3. Affiliatenätverk

Affiliatenätverk är en typ av halvautomatisk annonstjänst som är väldigt populära, främst på lite mindre eller väldigt nischade bloggar och webbplatser.
I ett affiliatenätverk väljer du själv vilka annonser som ska visas på din sida. Du klistrar sedan in en kodsnutt på din webbplats där den aktuella annonsen ska visas. Har du en blogg om resor kan du till exempel lägga in reklam från researrangörer. Du får då betalt om någon av dina läsare klickar på bannern och sedan beställer en resa.
Upplägget är enkelt men har du en allmänt hållen blogg kan det vara svårt att tjäna pengar på affiliatenätverken. Du kan ju ha hundratals läsare som ser bannern, några enstaka personer som klickar på den men ingen som faktiskt beställer en resa. Då har du gett resebolaget massor av reklam utan att tjäna ett öre själv.
De som verkligen tjänar pengar på affiliatenätverken låter ofta sitt innehåll smälta samman med reklamlänkarna för att få besökarna att klicka på dem i så stor utsträckning som möjligt.
I många fall överdriver affiliatenätverken dina möjligheter att tjäna pengar och många upplever att de lägger ned mycket jobb utan att tjäna mer än några korvören.
Det finns ett stort antal affiliatenätverk som erbjuder olika annonsörer och funktioner. Se rutan på sidan intill.

Fördelar
+ Godkänner de flesta webbplatser
+ Snygga annonser
+ Många företag att välja bland
+ Med ”rätt” upplägg går det att tjäna
mycket pengar

Nackdelar
- Passar inte alla
- Mycket arbete
- Ej betalt för annonsvisningen
- Krävs mycket arbete för att hålla annonserna uppdaterade och aktuella

Länkar
Adtraction
Affelix
Affiliator
Adrecord
Double.net
Frossle.com
Tradedoubler

Se upp för de oseriösa tipsen som inte funkar
Det finns otaliga sidor på nätet som handlar om hur man tjänar pengar på sin blogg. Se upp! De som berättar hur du ska tjäna pengar är ofta samma personer som försöker tjäna pengar på dig. Det innebär att de ibland överdriver dina chanser att tjäna pengar, kommer med dåliga råd och uppmanar dig att bli medlem hos vissa affiliatenätverk – inte för att dessa affiliatenätverk är bäst utan för att de betalar mest för varje ny medlem som någon fixar åt dem.

4. Såld annonsplats

Det finns en anledning till att stora sajter inte förlitar sig på annons- och affiliatenätverk utan istället har egna annonssäljare: man får hela intäkten och man får betalt för hela det värde man ger annonsörerna.
I både annons- och affiliatenätverk är det ofta mellanhanden som tjänar de stora pengarna medan man själv endast får betalt när någon klickar på annonserna och/eller köper något – inte för själva annonsvisningen, som ju har ett stort värde i sig.
Att sälja annonser kan verka svårt och tidsödande men i själva verket behöver det inte ta mer tid än att arbeta aktivt med ett affiliatenätverk.
Men om du inte kan eller vill sälja annonser själv så finns det aktörer som i viss utsträckning kan fylla din sida med betalda annonser. Detta kräver dock att du har en blogg med många besökare och attraktivt innehåll.
Hur mycket du tjänar på att sälja annonser själv beror på vad det är för typ av webbplats du har och vilka annonsplaceringar du erbjuder. Något slags riktmärke kan vara 500 kronor per 10 000 annonsvisningar.
Fördelar
+ Du får betalt för hela värdet
+ Du väljer själv annonsörer
+ Du får en större del av kakan
Nackdelar
- Kräver många besökare
- Kräver mycket arbete
Länkar
Tailsweep
Bloggpartner

5. Bli ”köpt”

Lyckas du skapa en väldigt stor och välbesökt blogg kan du få erbjudanden om att börja blogga för olika tidningar och bloggportaler mot betalning. Dit är det dock mycket arbete.

6. Sponsrade inlägg

Sponsrade inlägg är ett kontroversiellt sätt att tjäna pengar på sin blogg. Det innebär att ett företag betalar dig för att skriva ett inlägg om deras produkter eller tjänster.
Detta kan verka lockande men man bör noga tänka igenom konsekvenserna av det. Att skriva sponsrade inlägg hotar inte bara din trovärdighet – det kan vara direkt oetiskt. Väljer du att skriva sponsrade inlägg bör du vara tydlig med detta inför dina läsare och markera vilka inlägg som är sponsrade och vilka som inte är det.
En mildare variant är att du låter företag sponsra tävlingar på din blogg.
Länkar
Blogvertiser

7. Öppna en egen webbshop

Har du en nischad blogg med många besökare kan du överväga att starta en egen webbshop och sälja prylar som du tror kan intressera dina läsare.  Skriver du om mode kan du sälja kläder, skriver du om inredning kan du sälja snygga prylar.
Det finns ett stort utbud av kompletta shoplösningar man kan använda sig av och de finns både i gratis- och betalvarianter. Att starta en webbshop kräver dock mycket arbete både i form av tid och pengar. Det krävs också att du har ett registrerat företag.
En enklare variant är att marknadsföra sina försäljningar på exempelvis Blocket och Tradera genom sin blogg. Håll dock koll på skattereglerna och när din försäljning börjar tangera näringsverksamhet där det krävs att du startar företag.
Ett annat alternativ är att koppla ihop sin blogg med en existerande webbshop. Det innebär att din blogg blir ett skyltfönster och att du får provision på de kunder som leds in genom din webbplats. Du slipper all administration men tjänar inte lika mycket som om du hade drivit webbshopen själv. Upplägget påminner ganska mycket om ett affiliatenätverk men du binder dig hårdare till en enskild aktör.
Detta är en företeelse som förmodligen kommer att växa sig större i framtiden. Det finns idag endast ett fåtal e-handelsföretag som erbjuder bloggare möjlighet att integrera sina webbplatser med deras webbshopar.
Fördelar
- En egen webshop kan ge en god intäkt
- Enkelt för dina besökare att ge dig en intäkt
Nackdelar
- Kan verka oseriöst om det görs på fel sätt
- Fortfarande ganska nytt
- Egen webshop kräver mycket jobb
Länkar
Amazon
Pocketdirekt

Ordlista

CPC (Cost per click) Hur mycket du får betalt varje gång en besökare klickar på en annons.
CPA (Cost per action) Hur mycket du får betalt om någon klickar på en annons och genomför ett köp.
CTR (Click through rate) Visar hur effektiv en annons är. Fås fram genom att dividera antalet klick med annonsvisningar.
CPM/CPT (Cost per thousand) Hur mycket betalt du får per 1 000 annonsvisningar.
Lead Innebär att din besökare klickar på en annons och sedan genomför en handling. Till exempel tecknar prenumeration på nyhetsbrev, fyller i ett formulär eller blir medlem.

By Annons

Geld verdienen mit Bloggen? Wie Christine N. ihr Klopapier bezahlt.

„heeey ich weiß wir kennen uns ja gar nicht aber ich möchte auch wie du überall auf die welt reisen. kannst du mir verraten wie du das machst? Kann man Geld verdienen mit Bloggen?
LG youssi“



Ich bekomme wöchentlich so oder so ähnlich eine Mail, die in mein Postfach flattert. Ich weiß gar nicht, welche Frage ich schwieriger finde. „Was machst du beruflich?“ oder „Wie bezahlst du deine Miete?“ Es macht wohl den Anschein, als würde ich 90% meiner Zeit in Infinitypools planschen oder mit Cocktails in der Hand am Strand rumliegen. Ich glaube es wird heute Zeit das Geheimnis um das Mysterium zu lüften, wie Christine N. Klopapier und Miete bezahlt.
Das Jahr fing richtig scheiße an. Der Vorschuss für mein Buch war aufgebraucht, mein Erspartes durch die 3000 Euro Rechnung von Hertz weg (wer sich für den schlimmsten Urlaub meines Lebens interessiert, kann das HIER detailliert nachlesen) und ich ziemlich orientierungslos und kurz davor mich auf einen normalen 9 to 5 Job zu bewerben, um ein sicheres Einkommen zu haben. Das wäre aber genauso qualvoll für mich, wie einen Wellensittich in den Schuhkarton zu stecken. Ich bin ein absoluter Sicherheitsfanatiker, was das Finanzielle angeht, deswegen fällt mir manchmal die Selbstständigkeit gar nicht so einfach, weil ich nie weiß, wie der Monat läuft und es auch die Monate und Wochen gibt, wo Ebbe angesagt ist. Deswegen habe ich mir einen Masterplan mit drei Schienen zurecht gelegt, um immer irgendeine zu haben, die nicht mit einem brennenden Auto blockiert ist oder die Oberleitung nicht funktioniert. Ich habe einen drei Schienen – „Wie ich Geld verdiene“-Plan für mich entwickelt, mit dem ich mir ab und zu auch das dreilagige Klopapier leisten kann.
1. Blutige Finger
Schreiben! Schreiben, schreiben, schreiben, schreiben. Ich liebe es. Ich habe zwei Bücher geschrieben: „90 Nächte, 90 Betten“ und „40 Festivals in 40 Wochen“. Außerdem arbeite ich querbeet als freie Journalistin für die unterschiedlichsten Auftraggeber. Letzten Monat war mein erster Artikel in der COSMOPOLITAN, ich berichte über all meine Reisen für MYENTDECKER, verarbeite das ein oder andere Festival bei bild.de und bin seit meiner Kolumne zum 90 Nächte, 90 Betten-Projekt auch noch bei Spiegel Online aktiv. Das ist meine Leidenschaft. Dafür brenne ich, doch habe ich gemerkt, dass man auch einfach mal eine Pause braucht und anderen Input, um gut zu bleiben. Außerdem ist das Schreiben mehr Spaß, als wirklich lukrativ. Aber ich vergöttere es einfach und ich kann mir nichts geileres vorstellen, als seine Worte auf Papier gedruckt in der Hand zu halten. Doch wie gesagt, man braucht auch anderen Input, deswegen zu meiner zweiten Schiene.
2. Quasselstrippe
Nein, ich verkaufe keine Zeitungs-Abos und mache auch keine Radio-Umfrage. Ich erzähle Unternehmen, wie Blogger und Social Media funktionieren. Ich kann mich ja schon bald als Oma unter den Bloggern bezeichnen und habe schon etliche Jahre auf dem Buckel. Es gibt immer mehr Unternehmen, die gerne mit Bloggern zusammenarbeiten möchten. Das finde ich gut, denn was ist besser als mit seiner Leidenschaft auch den Lebensunterhalt zu verdienen. Doch es ist ein schwieriges Thema, denn es steht immer noch als erster Punkt auf der Prioritätenliste den Lesern interessanten Inhalt zu bieten. Ich versuche mein Bestes zu geben, um Firmen die Anliegen von Bloggern zu vermitteln und Ideen zu entwickeln, wie man zusammen arbeiten kann. Dabei spielt natürlich Facebook, Twitter und das ganze Social Media-Gedöns eine große Rolle.
3. Und ACTION!
Ich wurde immer mal wieder angesprochen, ob ich nicht Lust hätte neben „was mit Medien“ auch „was mit TV“ zu machen. Bis jetzt hat sich das nur auf meine Videos auf Youtube beschränkt (ich würde mich sehr, sehr freuen wenn ihr Abonnent werdet) und ein paar Promosachen für mein Buch. Ich muss ja zugeben, das hat mir immer echt mega Spaß gemacht. Reden, erleben, nette und viele Menschen um mich herum. Aus einer Idee heraus eine Geschichte entwickeln. Ich habe mit meinem Kameramann Tobi die Produktionsfirma rec button tv /media gegründet und wir drehen kleine Beiträge. Sozusagen mein Blog als TV-Format, so wie wir es gut finden und mit Themen, die mich interessieren – das ist und bleibt der Mensch. Den Post zu unserem ersten Beitrag könnt ihr hier unter „Lilies Diary goes TV“ nachlesen. Ich recherchiere und plane, gehe mit Tobi los und drehe, bin auch danach beim Schneiden dabei und von A wie Abfalltüte bis Z wie Zugtickets für alles da. Das tolle an dieser Arbeit ist, die tausend Bilder, die man im Kopf hat in den Kasten bringen.
Jetzt fragt ihr euch, wie ich neben diesem ganzen Zeug noch schaffe zu verreisen? Sehr gute, investigative Frage. Das ist vielleicht ein bisschen der Nachteil, an meinem Geschäftsmodell. Ich arbeite drei Wochen lang am Stück, um jeden Monat eine Woche wegfahren zu können. In diesen drei Wochen gibt es keinen Samstag oder Sonntag. Es sind alles gefühlte Montage. Aber Montage mit Spaß. Ich setze mich auch nach den 10 Stunden normaler Arbeit noch ran, um meine Blogpost zu schreiben. Mein Blog ist mir nämlich heilig, mein Baby, denn ohne den, wäre das alles nicht möglich. Geld verdienen mit Bloggen und davon leben kann ich nicht und zu 80% sind die drei Stunden, die ich noch jeden Tag mit bloggen und Social Media verbringe meine Freizeit, aber auch mein Kapital, denn ich habe alle, wirklich alle meine drei Jobs meinem Blog zu verdanken. Er ist meine virtuelle Visitenkarte. Ich mache darauf, wozu ich gerade Lust habe und andere sehen, ob ihnen das gefällt. Magazine sehen auf Lilies Diary, wie ich schreibe, was ich mache und meine Social Media Aktivität, auf Youtube zeige ich meine Image-Filme und mich vor der Kamera. Indirekt verdiene ich Geld mit dem Blog.
Ich werde nie reich werden, da müsst ihr nicht neidisch sein. Aber ich habe etwas anderes, was unbezahlbar ist. Ich stehe jeden Tag auf und habe richtig Bock. Bock zu arbeiten und etwas zu erschaffen, sei es ein Text oder ein Video. Wenn ich zurückblicke und daran denke, wie ich vor vier Jahren noch Modedesign studiert und Perücken aus Wolle gestrickt habe, ist es wirklich verrückt, wie sich das alles so ergeben hat. Ich glaube ich bin das beste Beispiel für die Generation: „Was studiert und nie was damit gemacht.“ Aber das war alles genau richtig so. Manchmal weiß man eben nicht, wo es lang geht. Wie abgegriffen und blöd sich das jetzt anhört, aber ab und zu, da muss man einfach auf das Herz hören und das leitet einen.
Wenn man etwas will und eine Leidenschaft hat und immer in Bewegung bleibt, kann man sich auch Träume erfüllen und wenn alles gut läuft, sein Klopapier damit bezahlen ;)

By Ähnliche Artikel

ビジネスを始める前に知っておきたい8つのアドバイス

 

新しい季節のスタート、そろそろ独立して新規ビジネスを立ち上げてみようかと考えている人も多いかもしれません。そんなあなたにシリアルアントレプレナーの筆者が贈るアドバイスを。 — SEO Japan

私はわずかながらいくつかの会社を始めてきたが、毎回新しいものを始める度にいつも新しいことを学んでいる。もしあなたが起業家として始めたばかりなら、これからたくさんの間違いをすることになるが、私がしたような大きな過ちは犯さないことを願っている。

1. 愚かな会社名を選択しない

私の最初の2つの会社は、アドバイス・モンキー（Advice Monkey）とアドバンテージ・コンサルティング・サービス（Advantage Consulting Service）という名前だった。1つ目の会社はジョブボードだったのだが、名前にある“アドバイス”のせいで、みんなそれをジョブボードではなくキャリアアドバイスだと思っていた。さらに、2つ目の会社名は長すぎたために、人々は覚えることができなかった。
これら2つの名前を選んだ理由は、“A”から始まる名前だったからだ。そうすれば、誰かが私の会社を他の競合相手と共に一覧表示した時に、大抵は私がそのリストのトップに来る。リストのトップに載るという考え方は良いが、それが会社名を選択する主たる理由になるべきではない。
あなたが何をするにしても、自分の会社名を選択する時にはじっくりと考えることだ。そしてもし何らかの理由で愚かな社名を選ぶことになったとしたら、それにこだわり続け、後で変更するようなことはしないことだ。もし社名を変えるようなことがあれば、あなたが何年もかけて築き上げてきたブランドバリューを失うことになるだろう。

2. 弁護士を雇わずに、法律事務所を雇う

優秀な弁護士を雇うことは重要だが、優秀な法律事務所も雇いたい。弁護士は、それぞれ会社、税金、訴訟など異なるタイプの法律を専門とする。私が最初の弁護士を雇った時には、私が必要としていた全てのことを彼は全て自分だけでやろうとした。彼はそれなりの仕事をしたが、私が求めていた全てのことに専門だったわけではないので、優秀とまではいかなかった。
その弁護士があまり良くなかったと気が付いた後は、大きな法律事務所なら私の問題を全て解決出来ると考え、そのうちの1つにコンタクトを取ることにした。しかし、私はクライアントとしては小さすぎたために私の仕事は優先されず、彼らは小さなことまで全てに支払いを請求したが、その仕事のクオリティは最悪だった。
しばらくして私は、FenwickからBill Bromfieldという完璧な弁護士を見つけた。彼は常に私が保護されていることを確かめることに力を尽くし、小さなことまで全てに細かく請求することはなく、もし彼が私の必要とすることを出来なければ、それを出来る人を紹介してくれるのだ。
弁護士を探す時には、大きな法律事務所を探すだけでなく、あなたを大事にしてくれる弁護士を探すのだ。そこそこの規模の法律事務所で働いている弁護士なら、そこにはあなたの問題を解決できる人がいるため、理想的だ。

3. 雇用が全ての問題を解決するわけではない

私が人材雇用をした時に犯した大きな過ちは4つある：

1. 前職でとても良くやっていたからといって、あなたの会社でも同じように良くやってくれるということにはならない。例えば、あなたの競合相手の会社で働いていた時はスター営業部員だったとしても、あなたの会社でスター営業部員になれるということにはならないのだ。
2. より多くの従業員を雇用することは、不精な人間の問題解決の方法である。もしあなたが売上げを上げたいのであれば、誰かを雇用する前にそれを自分でやってみることだ。もちろん長い目で見て、ビジネスを成長させたいのであれば従業員を雇うべきだが、もしあなたがそれらの従業員がぶち当たる問題が何であるかを分かっていなければ、あなたは彼らを管理するのが困難になるだろう。
3. 従業員には給料の他にも多くのコストがかかる。オフィススペース、保険、コンピューター、など他にも費用はかさむ。これらの費用の一番大きい部分は、従業員を管理するためのマネージメント費用かもしれない。
4. バーチャル従業員を持つことは最初は良く聞こえるが、バーチャルの時には能率的ではなくなる人もいる。もしあなたがバーチャル従業員を持っているのであれば、従業員の時間の使い方を見るためにRescue Timeのような効果的なトラッキングソリューションを使うことを検討しよう。

4. ゆっくりしっかりでは競争に勝てない

自分の最初の会社は自分の子どものように愛することだろう。あなたは全てのことを完璧にしたいし、おそらくあなたは物事を考えすぎるだろう。心配しなくても、これは初めての起業家が共通して感じることであり、私もアドバイス・モンキーの時にこう感じていたものだ。しかし、自分の最初の会社を自分の子どもとして見ると、論理的ではなく感情的に考え始めるため、物事がかなりゆっくり進むという結果を引き起こす。
完璧なものなどないのだ！あなたが今持っているものが何にしても、時間をかけて良くなっていくのだから、まずはそこから飛び出してお金になることを何でもやるのだ。そうしなければ、他の誰かがそれをするだろう。

5. ネットワーキングが成功のカギ

私は自分の最初のいくつかの会社で何をしているのか分からなかった。アドバイスをもらえる人もそんなに多くいなかったため、私は結局多くのことを手放すことになってしまった。ビジネスを初めて数年が経つといくつかのことを学ぶが、過ちを犯すことは決して止められない。あなたはまた新しい間違いをすることになるのだ。
もしあなたが成功したいのなら、ネットワークを持つべきである。カンファレンスやローカルビジネスのネットワーキングイベントに行くことによって、あなたは他の人からたくさんのことを学ぶだろう。さらに、もしあなたが特定のことについて分からないことがあれば、いつでも他の人にアドバイスを求めることもできるのだ。
逆にもしあなたが業界のネットワーキングイベントに行かなければ、あなたは誰からアドバイスを求めるのだろうか？アドバイスを求めるのに一番適している人物は、自分の業界にいる人もしくは競合相手なのだ。私を信用して欲しい、競合相手がいかに友好的であるかや、彼らが共有してくれようとすることにあなたは驚くことになるだろう。

6. 誰も神ではない

私が最初のビジネスを始めた時、それが私にとって初めての経験だったため、多くの人が私にアドバイスをくれた。誰かがアドバイスをくれる度に私はそれに従った。なぜなら彼らの方が私よりも成功していたからだ。しかし、これは私を助ける代わりに、空周りをしてもっと多くの間違いを引き起こすことになったのだ。
私は、人の話を聞くべきではないと言っているのではない。全てのことに対して人の言葉を鵜呑みにするなということだ。自分自身で入念な下調べをし、人々があなたにしているアドバイスが自分のビジネスに適切であることを確認するのだ。
誰も神ではないということを覚えておくことだ。もし彼らが10億ドルで会社を売ろうとも関係ない。おそらく彼らはあなたと同じ位にあなたのビジネスについて知っているわけではないのだから。

7. ビジネスパートナーを持つ

自分の会社における全ての決定を自分でしなければならない時には、間違いを犯す可能性が高くなる。私は最初のビジネスでビジネスパートナーがいたが、彼は活動的ではなかったため、私が全ての決定をしなければならなかった。
姉の手伝いもあって、私は運よく今のビジネスパートナーを見つけ、6年以上も一緒に働いている。優れたビジネスパートナーを持つことの良い部分は、彼らがあなたの持っていない何かを持っていることだ。
例えば、私のビジネスパートナーは、従業員を管理したり、企業戦略を思いついたり、投資家に話をしたりすることが得意だ。その一方、私は販売とマーケティングが得意だ。
優秀なビジネスパートナーを見つけることは決して簡単なことではないため、急がないこと。ビジネスに入る前に必ずその人物のことをよく知るようにすること。また、あなたは言い争いをしたり熱い議論をするつもりがなければならない。だから、その人物を相手にする準備を整えておいた方がよい。

8. 知らないことを恐れるな

アドバイス･モンキーはオンラインでの支払いを受け付けていなかった。なぜなら私はそのやり方が分からなかったし、それによって引き起こされる全ての問題を恐れていたからだ。それがあほらしく聞こえることは承知だが、私はその時16歳でよく分かっていなかったのだ。
オンラインでの支払いを受け入れることへの恐れは、私のビジネスが失敗した最大の理由の1つだ。それを恐れるのではなく、クレジットカードによる支払いの受け入れと不渡り手形の影響について調査をすべきだったのだ。
もしあなたが自分があまり詳しくないことに対して恐れているのなら、ごちゃごちゃ言わず認めるのだ。起こり得る最悪のことは、あなたが途中でくじけることである。

最後に

私が始めた頃に戻るには遅すぎるが、あなたにとってはまだ遅くない。あなたが私の犯した全ての大きな過ちを犯さないことを願っている。

この記事は、Quick Sproutに掲載された「8 Things I Wish I Knew When Starting My First Business」を翻訳した内容です。

全てが揃っていなければ起業できないとは私の実体験からも思いませんが（この記事も「人の言葉を鵜呑みにするな」といっていますし）、アドバイスとしてはどれも貴重だと思います。弁護士の件はアメリカらしさが出ていますけど。企業の成長過程で事業自体は別として一番悩むのは雇用の問題と思いますが（私だけならスミマセン）、私も比較的、少数精鋭主義ではありますが「より多くの従業員を雇用することは、不精な人間の問題解決の方法である」とまで言い切られるとドキッとしますね。ここに書いてあるアドバイスがこれから起業したい方にとって何か気付きがあることを願います！ — SEO Japan

 

 

Бесплатное продвижение сайта… почему бы и нет?

Возможно ли воспользоваться бесплатным продвижением сайта?
Конечно, да! На сегодняшний день Ваш недавно созданный сайт может получить огромную посещаемость в кратчайшие сроки благодаря бесплатной раскрутке.
Как же работает это бесплатное продвижение? Что для этого нужно сделать?

1. Зарегистрируйте сайт в каталогах.
Найдите самые популярные интернет-каталоги и представьте в них свой сайт. Это самая простая и эффективная тактика бесплатного продвижения сайта. Начните с этого шага, а дальше начнется все самое интересное.
Только не забудьте должным образом подготовить и привести в порядок свой сайт, чтобы дать ему больше шансов быть принятым в выбранный Вами каталог.

2. Участвуйте в форумах.
Одно из предназначений форумов – возможность бесплатной раскрутки сайтов для всех. Регистрируйтесь, активно общайтесь, пусть каждое сообщение напоминает о Вашем сайте, и Вы мгновенно обретете свою аудиторию.

3. Напишите пресс-релиз.
Проявите свое писательское мастерство и напишите пресс-релиз, рекламирующий Ваш сайт. Эта бесплатная тактика продвижения сайта также доступна для Вас в любое время. Напишите один-два небольших абзаца и отправьте текст своим друзьям, знакомым, коллегам, а также в электронные журналы, газеты и другие информационные ресурсы, и огромный объем трафика незамедлительно обрушится на Ваш сайт.

4. Будьте дружелюбны в Сети.
Бесплатное продвижение сайта подразумевает лояльность к другим веб-мастерам. Зачем, спросите Вы? Чтобы они с радостью разместили у себя ссылку на Ваш сайт. Налаживайте контакты, и поток желающих обменяться ссылками никогда не иссякнет.

5. Напишите статью.
Предположим, что Ваш сайт представляет Ваше туристическое агентство. Напишите статью о приятных моментах путешествий или самых популярных туристических местах планеты. В заключительном абзаце мимоходом упомяните свой сайт. Эта статья послужит Вам и рекламой и средством продвижения сайта.

6. Просто расскажите всему миру о своем сайте.
Что такое бесплатная раскрутка сайта с помощью «сарафанного радио»? Упоминайте свой сайт, его адрес и функции в повседневном общении, и пусть хорошие новости передаются из уст в уста!

7. Сделайте рекламный баннер.
Сделайте рекламный баннер для своего сайта и предложите другому веб-мастеру сделать то же самое, а затем обменяйтесь баннерами.

8. Пройдите бесплатный онлайн-курс по продвижению сайтов.
Да, есть бесплатные руководства по раскрутке сайтов. Разве Вы не знаете, что можете пройти бесплатное обучение, которое поможет Вам в дальнейшем? Часть этой бесплатной программы заключается в подписке на новостные рассылки.
Когда Вы создаете сайт, Вам не нужно ничего платить за его продвижение. Вы только что прочитали об этом – бесплатная раскрутка сайтов существует!

By Михаил Титов

A Reality Check about Blogging for Money

Last week’s article in the Wall Street Journal revealed that my blog earnings are in excess of $250,000 per year (a very ballpark figure).

The problem with these type of articles is that they report in a few words just one element of a story – in this case my earnings.

While it’s true that I have built my blogging to a point where I’m able to earn good money blogging there are many things that an article like the one in the WSJ didn’t (and couldn’t) mention about how I was able to build my blogging up to this point.

The impact of this missing ‘back story’ is that much of the reality of blogging for money goes unseen by those looking at blogging as a potential income stream – leading some to naively enter into blogging with false expectations.

Of course when these expectations are not met things can get ugly with disappointment and anger being a common reaction. What disappoints me as a blogger writing on this topic is that I regularly see other bloggers feeding their readers with hype and false hopes about how easy it is to make big money from blogging. This only adds to the distance between their reader’s expectations and the reality of blogging for money.

The Reality of Blogging for Money

So what is the reality of building up one’s blogging to a point where they can make a full time living blogging?
Here are five facts that I’d like to share about my own story to give a more realistic picture to those considering getting into blogging as a way to make a living.

1. It takes a concerted long term effort

I have been blogging for five years. The first year was not for money in any way (although I learned a lot about blogging in that year) and the next two I worked 2-3 jobs at a time (and was studying part time) while I built my blogging up from a hobby, to part time job to a full time venture (more on my story here).
I’m often asked things like – ‘I need to make $xxxx in the next few months – how would you do it with a new blog?’
The average age of blogs in the Technorati Top 100 was over 3 years when I last surveyed it – while the occasional blogger has a fast rise to frame they are the exception. Building a successful blog takes a long time (it takes time to build readership, to work out how to monetize it etc) so take a long term approach and pace yourself.

2. It takes luck

I won’t speak for other bloggers but in my case I was very fortunate on many fronts. I started blogging at a good time (it was a lot less crowded and competitive back then).

• I stumbled on making money from blogs quite accidentally
• I started my first money making blog on the spur of the moment and picked a topic (digital
• photography) without knowing what I was doing – but for the time it was right)
• I met the right people at the right time
• Bigger bloggers discovered me at opportune times

The lucky list could go on – but I was very lucky. Of course some people ‘make their own luck’ and to some extent I agree with this – there are ways to increase your chances of being lucky – but some of it is outside your hands. Sometimes the luck comes and sometimes it doesn’t.

3. It takes a lot of work

There’s been a lot of talk lately about how blogging less can mean more from your blog (example 1 and example 2). While I agree with this – that doesn’t mean you can just come up with a few posts on a whim every few days and expect the traffic (and money) to come rolling in. Over the last 3 years I’ve consistently worked 40-60+ hour weeks on my blogging. At one point I was posting 20-30 posts per day (mainly news related posts back then). Most bloggers that make a full time living from blogging work corresponding hours on it.

4. Many don’t make much money blogging

I’ve often used the analogy of Professional sports people to highlight that in any ‘game’ there are many who play it – less who make a little money from the game, even less who are able to earn a living from it (just) and just a small group who make big money from it. The same is true for bloggers. I’ve run many polls here at ProBlogger on how much people are earning from the medium (eg) and on every single occasion they reveal that the vast majority of bloggers are making very little per month. While it is possible to make amazing money from blogging the sad reality is that most don’t make more than pocket money. Even some blogs who ‘deserve’ to make money blogging don’t.

5. It’s hard

One thing that I’ve found to be common with when I had small/new blogs and now having blogs that are doing reasonably well is that in both instances it can be really hard to keep them going. The pressure to keep coming up with fresh ideas, to respond to critique of others, to deal with jealousy when others do well and more can be difficult to deal with. On some levels it gets easier to deal with as your blog grows – but on other levels the demands that you face from a larger readership can at times be overwhelming. Most bloggers that I know (big and small) have at one point or another been close to giving up – I know I have.

Feeling Depressed?

I don’t want to put a downer on those of you wanting to take your blogs to a level where you could make good money from blogging – the fact is that it is possible and and increasing number of people are making a part time or full time living from the medium – but I do think it’s important to have a realistic picture before getting into blogging for money.
While some bloggers do talk about blogging as a way to make quick money I’ve not had that experience myself. Perhaps others do get rich quick from blogging – but I’ve not met any successful bloggers who’ve told me that yet.

By Darren Rowse

Principles of Choosing a Profitable Blog Topic

‘- Pick a very narrow topic. Nowadays even a blog specifically about Google is too broad. There is a blog about Google AdSense – now that’s nice and narrow, he says. “You are more likely to be seen as an expert in a narrow topic area.”
- Make sure you have enough content to be able to keep the blog going.’

Stephan’s approach is very similar to my own.
I was chatting on the phone to a reader wanting to start her first blog today. As we talked I realized that in choosing the right topic for a new commercial blog there are many factors that you want to weigh up and attempt to find some balance in. Some of these factors include:

Topic Popularity – One important factor in the success of any commercial blog is that it will need to find readers. I could probably build a blog that would dominate the niche for ‘green striped paper bags’ and get 100% of those searching for the term on Google (there is no competition) however the fact of the matter is that I’d probably be my only reader. It’s important to choose a topic that meets a demand for information. It need not be on a topic that absolutely everyone is searching for information on – but the popularity of the topic is obviously one factor that could increase the chances of success.

As a practical example of this – when I started a blog six months back on the Pope I knew that there was likely to be a good demand for information on the topic. It was not my only motivation for the blog – but it did influence my decision to start it. Now that we have a new Pope and that the news surrounding him has settled the demand for information has decreased significantly and the blog’s profitability has of course decreased also.

Topic Competition and Narrow Niches – Another way of increasing the chances of profit is to choose a topic which currently has few quality sources of information already existing online. You may think that no such topic exists – but you’d be wrong. Whilst the web is a crowded place there are many topics where there is little competition and as a result you have the ability to be one of the biggest fish in that small pond. Sometimes you have to narrow your topic to find such niches, other times you have to be ‘the first’ as a new topic emerges and other times there might be existing sites on the topic – but they are of a low enough standard that you can compete easily by producing something better or more useful.

My narrowest niche blog is one that I run on UAV’s or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Now it’s not my most profitable blog by far – and there are not many people searching on the topic but I know I get a fairly large % of those searching for my keywords because I rank so highly on Google for them (example). Once again it’s not the most profitable blog I run but it’s an example of what you can do over time if you’re willing to carve out a niche for yourself.

Availability of Revenue Streams – Ok so you’ve found a topic people search for and you don’t have much competition – but you’ll never turn a profit on it if you don’t find an income stream for it. Anyone who has played with contextual advertising programs like Adsense know that some topics pay higher amounts for a click on an advertisement than others. As a result two blogs with the same levels of traffic with the same rate of clicking through (CTR) on ads can pay significantly different amounts of money.

If you are going to use Adsense you ideally want a high paying topic. Unfortunately whilst you might identify one you may just find that your competition is incredibly high. Sometimes it is worth picking a topic that is in the medium level of click values and has less competition.

Adsense is not the only revenue stream available to bloggers and in considering how you’ll generate income it’s also worth considering what affiliate program are available for your topic and what opportunities there might be for sponsorship from private advertising sources. If you type ‘your topic affiliate programs’ into Google you should be able to find any that exist reasonably quickly.

Also check out Amazon’s affiliate program as they have a very wide range of products that you can earn a small commission off (nb: Amazon doesn’t pay huge commissions but it’s a good starting point if you’re new to affiliate programs).

Availability of Content – Like Stephan says – you’ll want to do a little research on your topic before starting a blog to see if you’ll be able to sustain it in adding fresh content over a long period. The thing that kills many commercial blogs very quickly is that the author simply runs out of things to write. I’ve started numerous blogs over the past couple of years that I quickly found I had nothing much to say about.

If you’re wanting to test the availability of content you might like to check how many articles Google News has indexed on it in the past few days (Topix and Yahoo! News also have similar services). Another wise move would be to do a keyword search on a tool like Bloglines, Technorati of Blog Pulse to see what is being indexed there.

Measure your Energy, Passion and Interest – Lastly (and very importantly) it’s worth trying to objectively measure your own passion, interest or energy level for the blog.

Whilst there might be plenty of news going around on the topic will you still be energized by posting on the topic in 6 months time (without the motivation of money – because it might take take a year or two to establish yourself in a niche). If you don’t have something motivating you to post on a topic it can become very difficult to keep doing so – unless you have a very dedicated personality type.

Put it all together – The fact is that you’ll rarely find a topic that all these factors come together on unless you’re either very lucky or the first in a popular new niche that you just happen to have a passion for. Most blogs fall down in one (or more) of these areas. This does not mean it can’t be a viable and profitable blog, but it’s good to be aware of the weaknesses as you venture out. The beauty of blogging is that there are no rules – and some of my most successful experiments have flown in the face of most of the above principles.

For example (just to disprove myself and give a little hope to you rebellious types) – arguably the most successful blog I’ve ever been involved with (over a short period of time) was the Athens Olympics Blog that I ran with a mate which generated 2 million visitors in a few weeks and made us a tidy sum of money.

This blog succeeded despite having massive competition (from every major news website going around) and despite having very low click value on Adsense and few lucrative affiliate programs. The sheer weight of people searching for information over a short period of time was the main ingredient to our success. This was coupled with us working incredibly long hours (around the clock for two weeks and for months before) providing a blog that was actually quite useful. We actually became known as a site that updated statistics and information faster than most of the ‘professional’ sites covering the event.

Despite being dormant (and falling into disrepair lately) it still even gets reasonable visitor levels to this day.

So take these principles as friendly advice – not rules. In many ways they are ‘ideals’ which you will almost certainly have to compromise some of at some point but which can help you choose a topic that has a greater chance of success.

Add your own suggestions and experiences in choosing a blog’s topic below in topics.

by Darren Rowse

What Mistakes Did You Make When You Started Blogging? What Would You Do Differently?

 

 

  

    This morning, a new blogger asked me to name 3 mistakes I made when I started blogging so he could avoid the same pitfalls.
    I thought this might make a good discussion starter and something that might help new bloggers. So… take a few moments to answer these two questions.

1. What are the mistakes you made when you started blogging?
2. What would you have do differently?

Here are my 3 mistakes and what I would do differently:

• Not getting my own domain - I should have bitten the bullet and secured a domain for my first blog the day I started.
• Choosing profitable topics rather than topics I was interested in – at one point I had 30 blogs, most of which I thought would be profitable. I couldn’t sustain them. I should have stuck to blogging about things I was interested in and passionate about.
• Expecting that good original content was enough to attract readers – I should have spent more time OFF my blog, interacting with people where they gathered, rather than having a ‘build it and they will come’ mentality.

    So now it’s over to you. If you started your blog today, what would you do differently?
I’m looking forward to hearing your responses!

by Darren Rowse