At the moment, there are more blogs online than the average person can count.
This is so because a lot of people believe blogging is one of the most trusted ways to have a steady income without the need to have a “9-5”.
While this might be true to an extent, making money from blogging is not exactly as easy as a lot of people assume.
The reason for this is a lot of people never really prepare for the financial aspect of blogging.
They simply restrict themselves to the creation of posts.
So, you want to make a living blogging. By now, I want to assume that you already own a blog.
Well, if the reverse is the case, you need to obtain a domain name and work with a reliable host. As soon as you get these things done, you are almost set to make a living blogging.
Well, the fact that you are on this page means you are interested in making a living from blogging whether you own a blog or not. Read on to find out how to go about this.
How to Make a Living Blogging – 3 Simple Steps
1. Don’t expect it to Happen Suddenly
In as much as it is absolutely possible for you to earn a decent living from blogging, it might take a while before you actually begin making money from your blog.
So, if you are hoping you will make a lot of money as soon as you start blogging, you might give up before you even get started. One way to make a living blogging is to assume you might not actually make a lot of money from your blog.
This way, if the money does not come in early, you will still have the drive to continue.
Sometimes as soon as you start blogging, you might begin making some money. However, more often than not, this money is usually not enough to live on.
It is just something that you will most likely reinvest into the blog to ensure its continuity. If after blogging for a while you do not make as much money as you expect to make, you really should not be worried, this is because sometimes it might take years before you make the amount of money you can live off from.
2. Choose a Niche and Stick to It
Blogging without having a niche can be likened to going on a journey without being sure of the direction you want to go. Prior to setting up a blog, it is expedient that you have a niche and stick to it.
Although having a niche is the way to go, it is not enough to just have a niche. You want to know why? Well, the reason for this is quite straight forward. Irrespective of the niche you decide to select, there will be some level of competition because you definitely will not be the only one in that niche.
So, if you must make anything out of a niche you pick, you will have to offer something special.
If you cannot stand out, you might not be able to make a lot out of blogging. The niche you decide to write about might be very broad.
Nonetheless, you have to narrow things down to the point where you are considered an expert.
If you can do this successfully, your audience will always look up to your post and you can be sure to enjoy a lot of traffic which will bring in the money.
3. Create Income Streams
You can’t make money from a blog because you put up the most interesting articles. Becoming an expert in a certain niche is one thing, making money from your blog is another.
Now, if you have been operating a blog for a fairly long while, at some point, you actually should be making some money.
So, if you do not earn from your blog after sometime, something is just not right.
In as much as there are various ways to make money from a blog, quite a number of those ways all go down to creating opportunities for your audiences.
It is important that you create channels for your audience to make purchase on your blog if you want to make money from blogging.
Some of the ways you can do these are through getting products offered through affiliate links, developing e-books, the creation of mastermind groups, etc.
Below are some techniques that can help you make money from your blog;
1. Affiliate Marketing (Promote other companies’ products):
When monetizing your blog, one good way to start is with affiliate marketing.
Basically, affiliate marketing involves endorsing the services of products of other firms and going on to get the commission for the sales that take place there after.
More often than not, the commission you get is dependent on the size of traffic that comes to your blog. So, if you have a huge audience, you can be certain that you will get substantial commissions. When making use of affiliate marketing to earn from your blog, it is important that you endorse a company that you have a level of belief in.
It is not enough to endorse a company because they pay you to do so.
One reason your audience does not stop coming to your blog is because they have a level of trust in you. You therefore have to take advantage of that trust positively by ensuring that they buy only from the right company.
There are reasons you should be part of a good affiliate programme. Good affiliate programmes come with a lot of advantages. With a good affiliate programme, you can always have something that your audience will either need or love to purchase.
The amazing thing is you do not have to be the one responsible for making the product. That is not all about affiliate marketing.
One interesting thing about affiliate marketing is the commission you get will make you know the exact products that your audience is buying.
2. Make Services Available:
One other way to make money from your blog is to locate customers that are interested in services that you provide.
This services can include but not limited to graphic design, programming, bookkeeping, etc.
In our case we provide web design services, and digital marketing
This method of making money from your blog might not fetch a lot of money in the beginning.
Nonetheless, it is a good way to set out.
As your blog grows bigger, and your brand gets known you will start making more from the services you offer.
The simple reason for this is you will be able to meet the demands of your numerous clients.
3. Market Products (Digital or Non Digital):
The sale of products is one way to make money from your blog if you have a lot of followers is to begin selling your products. You can sell virtually anything. It all depends on what you are interested in.
Some of the most popular products a lot of people sell on their blogs are music, e-books, and software. This, however, does not mean you have to limit yourself to the sale of these products.
One reason why it is amazing to sell digital products on your blog is once they are created, you can always sell them over and over again without going through the process of creating new products.
4. Sponsored Posts (Charge for post to be published on your Blog):
This is pretty straight forward. It simply involves putting up posts about a firm’s services for the purpose of promoting it. This is different from an affiliate programme because the sponsors pay you directly to make posts for their products on your blog.
If you are able to build a long term relationship with your sponsors, this can be an easy way to make money from your blog. To make money from this method, your readers should have a level of trust in you.
This is because having some level of trust in you is the only way they can believe you are putting up posts not solely for the money.
Advertising (Google adsense and Direct advertisement):
Advertising can be a way to make money from blogging. Nonetheless, it is not something you should put in a lot of energy into as a beginner. Targeting advertising as a major stream of income when setting out with a blog can leave you seeking to make an income from blogging for too long.
Until you become a big brand in the blogging world, a lot of people will not approach you for advertising. As a result of this, there is really point putting your attention into it.
However, when you become a top brand in the blogging world, more people than you can handle will want to pay you to advertise their products.
So, until you become a huge name in the blogging sector, there is no point thinking about advertising.
Conclusion
Do you already own a blog? If yes, you can go on and apply these principles to make money from your blog.
If you do not have a bog yet, you will have to setup a blog as it is the first step to make a living from blogging.