Monetizing your personal blog can be a challenging, but worthwhile, endeavor.
Over 500 million sites online at this moment are considered blogs. That word means different things to different people, because blogs have undergone quite the transformation over the last several years.
After all, blogging used to be considered more of a hobby. Some people even looked at it as a type of journal or diary to share thoughts or opinions.
Blogging Nowadays
But today, the idea of what a blog is can cover a lot of ground. Some people have successful parenting blogs. Others have cooking blogs where they share recipes each day and sneak peeks into their personal lives.
If there’s a subject you’re interested in, you can likely find a blog about it. Because of this boost in popularity, many successful bloggers have found ways to monetize their sites.
Whether your blog is brand new or you’ve been at it for awhile, if you want to consider blogging your full-time career, it’s important to know how you can improve sales.
Blogging nowadays is about more than just sharing your thoughts and opinions.
You have to think about what will bring people back, and how you can get those readers to keep interacting with you and what you’re promoting.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few tips you can use to improve sales on your blog, and to cut through the white noise of the millions of blogs you might be competing against.
Understanding Your Readers
Every good marketing team understands the importance of demographics. They want to know who their target audience is, so they can develop promotions that particular audience will respond to.
When you have a blog, your mindset on marketing should be no different — you have to consider who is reading your content on a regular basis.
If you run a recipe blog, for example, it’s important to understand not only what your readers expect, but what they want to see.
Take a look at your analytics and insights. Who is checking in each day? Who is reading what? Are certain recipes more popular than others?
Many bloggers think of their readers as a type of community, but if your blog is also your business, you have to think of everyone coming to your site as a customer, too.
Providing Value and Gaining Trust
Customers don’t just want products, they want value. They want the whole experience.
So, it’s not enough to just throw a great recipe out there — they want to know the backstory behind it. They want to know how easy it is to make at home, or how delicious it will be.
Think about what you would want to see from a blog you read each day.
When you have a more customer-centric mindset behind the content you produce, you’re more likely to keep your readers engaged and create content they can connect with.
Most readers trust information they get from blogs, so bringing your readers back again and again will help to develop that trust.
As a result, they’ll tell their friends, family, social media followers, etc., all about what you have to say.
Word of mouth is huge, even online. So, understanding what your readers want and how to give that to them on a regular basis should be one of your major marketing strategies.
Content is King
If you’re a seasoned blogger who has seen a slump in sales, you might be asking yourself what’s wrong. Have you taken a look at your content, lately?
Marketing pros like to use the expression “content is king” as the basis of most things they publish online. Again, readers/customers want an experience, not a product.
So, what does the content look like on your blog? Is it long and boring? Hard to read? Is it relevant to what you’re trying to promote?
When a reader either can’t understand what you’re trying to say, or they get bored with it, they’re not going to stick around no matter how good your product is.
Keep these copywriting tips in mind for your next blog post (and beyond):
- Keep your copy interesting (especially long-form writing).
- Use attention-grabbing titles.
- Keep your content relevant to your brand/product.
- Make sure your posts are organized.
- Give your readers a takeaway or “call to action” at the end of each post.
Chances are, at least one of the reasons you started a blog was because you felt confident in your ability to write and connect with readers.
Once a blog starts seeing more success, the attention to detail in your content can start to seem less important, but it’s actually more crucial than ever.
Don’t slack on your content. If you keep creating original work that readers can get excited about, your success will reflect it.
Improving Your Visuals
There are so many reasons to include quality pictures and/or graphics in your blog. Images give your posts more structure, make them easier to read, and capture people’s attention quickly.
They are also great for introducing what the post is about and giving readers a visual to work with as they read through everything.
But, not all visuals are created equally.
Making Your Images Pop
It’s not enough to throw a picture you quickly snapped with your phone onto your blog and call it a day.
Granted, smartphones can take better pictures than ever before, but it’s still worth it to invest in a professional camera and editing equipment or software if you want to take your blog seriously.
Photos aren’t just important for your blog itself. They’re essential for social media. Instagram and Facebook are extremely visual platforms and great e-commerce resources for bloggers.
By uploading quality pictures to your accounts and linking them back to your blog, you can attract more attention than with a text-only post.
In order to improve sales on your blog, your images should be:
- Crisp and clear
- Large and easy to see
- A focal point of each post
Don’t be afraid to experiment with things like 360-degree rotating photos, videos, and more.
The more comfortable you become with editing techniques, the more you can do to capture your audience’s attention using imagery. You can do this by learning how to use popular editing tools like Photoshop or InDesign.
Taking classes online is a great way to familiarize yourself with these resources, so you can create visuals that really stand out on your blog.
Boost Blog Sales by Getting Social and Working With Sponsors
If you want to boost readership, and in turn boost sales on your blog, you have to be willing to promote it on other avenues.
If you already have a strong social media following, that’s a great place to start. Share your blog on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Ask friends, family, and current readers to share it, too! You can even offer incentives for people who share certain posts, including giveaways or other types of contests.
But, getting really social with your blog is an even better way to attract new readers. Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you connect to other avenues.
Consider New Mediums
Podcasts are extremely popular, and often work with advertisers. By sponsoring a popular podcast episode, the hosts can give your blog a shout out and encourage people to visit.
Or, if you find a podcast relevant to the type of content you post on your blog, share your information and you might be able to land a guest spot.
Additionally, you can work with other bloggers or influencers online who have a lot of followers and/or readers.
If they like what you have to say or what you’re offering on your blog, they might be willing to work with you or to promote your site and what you’re selling.
Working with other companies or individuals can help you to branch out to an entirely new audience and untapped market.
Conclusion
Even though the blogging world seems to be saturated, don’t give up. Great blogs do stand out, and they stand the test of time.
If you have something you’re passionate about, you can find ways to make it work, improve your sales, and boost your business.
It’s not impossible to have a long and successful career as a blogger, as long as you’re willing to market yourself and consistently make improvements.
Over 500 million sites online at this moment are considered blogs. That word means different things to different people, because blogs have undergone quite the transformation over the last several years. After all, blogging used to be considered more of a hobby. Some people even looked at it as a type of journal or diary to share thoughts or opinions.
The Idea of What a Blog is
But today, the idea of what a blog is can cover a lot of ground. Some people have successful parenting blogs. Others have cooking blogs where they share recipes each day and sneak peeks into their personal lives. If there’s a subject you’re interested in, you can likely find a blog about it. Because of this boost in popularity, many successful bloggers have found ways to monetize their sites.
Whether your blog is brand new or you’ve been at it for awhile, if you want to consider blogging your full-time career, it’s important to know how you can improve sales. Blogging nowadays is about more than just sharing your thoughts and opinions. You have to think about what will bring people back, and how you can get those readers to keep interacting with you and what you’re promoting.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few tips you can use to improve sales on your blog, and to cut through the white noise of the millions of blogs you might be competing against.
Understanding Your Readers
Every good marketing team understands the importance of demographics. They want to know who their target audience is, so they can develop promotions that particular audience will respond to.
When you have a blog, your mindset on marketing should be no different — you have to consider who is reading your content on a regular basis. If you run a recipe blog, for example, it’s important to understand not only what your readers expect, but what they want to see. Take a look at your analytics and insights. Who is checking in each day? Who is reading what? Are certain recipes more popular than others?
Many bloggers think of their readers as a type of community, but if your blog is also your business, you have to think of everyone coming to your site as a customer, too. Customers don’t just want products, they want value. They want the whole experience.
So, it’s not enough to just throw a great recipe out there — they want to know the backstory behind it. They want to know how easy it is to make at home, or how delicious it will be. Think about what you would want to see from a blog you read each day. When you have a more customer-centric mindset behind the content you produce, you’re more likely to keep your readers engaged and create content they can connect with.
Most readers trust information they get from blogs, so bringing your readers back again and again will help to develop that trust. As a result, they’ll tell their friends, family, social media followers, etc., all about what you have to say. Word of mouth is huge, even online. So, understanding what your readers want and how to give that to them on a regular basis should be one of your major marketing strategies.
Content is King
If you’re a seasoned blogger who has seen a slump in sales, you might be asking yourself what’s wrong. Have you taken a look at your content, lately? Marketing pros like to use the expression “content is king” as the basis of most things they publish online. Again, readers/customers want an experience, not a product.
So, what does the content look like on your blog? Is it long and boring? Hard to read? Is it relevant to what you’re trying to promote?
When a reader either can’t understand what you’re trying to say, or they get bored with it, they’re not going to stick around no matter how good your product is. Keep these copywriting tips in mind for your next blog post (and beyond):
- Keep your copy interesting (especially long-form writing).
- Use attention-grabbing titles.
- Keep your content relevant to your brand/product.
- Make sure your posts are organized.
- Give your readers a takeaway or “call to action” at the end of each post.
Chances are, at least one of the reasons you started a blog was because you felt confident in your ability to write and connect with readers. Once a blog starts seeing more success, the attention to detail in your content can start to seem less important, but it’s actually more crucial than ever. Don’t slack on your content. If you keep creating original work that readers can get excited about, your success will reflect it.
Improving Your Visuals
There are so many reasons to include quality pictures and/or graphics in your blog. Images give your posts more structure, make them easier to read, and capture people’s attention quickly. They are also great for introducing what the post is about and giving readers a visual to work with as they read through everything.
But, not all visuals are created equally.
It’s not enough to throw a picture you quickly snapped with your phone onto your blog and call it a day. Granted, smartphones can take better pictures than ever before, but it’s still worth it to invest in a professional camera and editing equipment or software if you want to take your blog seriously.
Photos aren’t just important for your blog itself. They’re essential for social media. Instagram and Facebook are extremely visual platforms and great e-commerce resources for bloggers. By uploading quality pictures to your accounts and linking them back to your blog, you can attract more attention than with a text-only post.
In order to improve sales on your blog, your images should be:
- Crisp and clear
- Large and easy to see
- A focal point of each post
Don’t be afraid to experiment with things like 360-degree rotating photos, videos, and more. The more comfortable you become with editing techniques, the more you can do to capture your audience’s attention using imagery. You can do this by learning how to use popular editing tools like Photoshop or InDesign. Taking classes online is a great way to familiarize yourself with these resources, so you can create visuals that really stand out on your blog.
Getting Social and Working With Sponsors
If you want to boost readership, and in turn boost sales on your blog, you have to be willing to promote it on other avenues. If you already have a strong social media following, that’s a great place to start. Share your blog on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Ask friends, family, and current readers to share it, too! You can even offer incentives for people who share certain posts, including giveaways or other types of contests.
But, getting really social with your blog is an even better way to attract new readers. Don’t be afraid to get creative with how you connect to other avenues. For example, podcasts are extremely popular, and often work with advertisers. By sponsoring a popular podcast episode, the hosts can give your blog a shout out and encourage people to visit. Or, if you find a podcast relevant to the type of content you post on your blog, share your information and you might be able to land a guest spot.
Additionally, you can work with other bloggers or influencers online who have a lot of followers and/or readers. If they like what you have to say or what you’re offering on your blog, they might be willing to work with you or to promote your site and what you’re selling. Working with other companies or individuals can help you to branch out to an entirely new audience and untapped market.
Improving Blog Sales: Conclusion
Even though the blogging world seems to be saturated, don’t give up. Great blogs do stand out, and they stand the test of time. If you have something you’re passionate about, you can find ways to make it work, improve your blog sales, and boost your business. It’s not impossible to have a long and successful career as a blogger, as long as you’re willing to market yourself and consistently make improvements.
