The coming of cyber age, and with it, the internet, opens to us the chance to express ourselves and share our ideas to many. And to the innovative and resourceful entrepreneurs, it also becomes a great tool to earn. Among the many ways entrepreneurs achieve this is by writing blogs and articles which can be accessed by almost anyone with computers (who is almost every 4th person on the planet) — a huge market indeed!
Unfortunately, many writers such as the bloggers and website owners, miss to tap this enormous earning potential because they cannot seem to make anything online. Let us analyze why this happens:
1. PERFECT ENGLISH. Maybe, you delay or abandon altogether writing because you feel you must be a perfect writer in order to qualify to do the task. You think that your grammar must be flawless and you should dot all your i‘s and cross all your T’s. Well, take heart. For a blog to be good, it is much more important that your ideas are clearly understood rather than having a flawless grammar where ideas are hazily expressed. So, go ahead—write that blog and share your ideas! Tiny slips are easily ignored.
2. A WALKING ENCYCLOPAEDIA. Maybe you believe you have to know everything about a subject, sort of a walking encyclopaedia on the topic, in order to write about it. True, you should try to be resourceful enough to try to research more about your topic but be practical and pragmatic about the whole process. When you feel you have done your best, go ahead and write about it. If you make some mistakes, apologize sincerely and try to rectify the wrong as early as possible. Nothing could be THAT serious that it could not be corrected. Do not allow the inordinate quest for perfection stop you from expressing yourself in writing. Go on with your blog! As Tim Ferris writes in his bestseller “A 4-Hour Work Weekend” to commit mistake and say sorry later.
3. PROCRASTINATION. Are you waiting for the perfect time to write! Sorry to disappoint you but it may never come at all! So many great ideas and dreams never materialize because of this waiting for this mythical “perfect time” which is always a step away to reality. Procrastination will take you nowhere, much less to your goal so take up your pen and start working on your blog NOW!
4. A LONER. “No Man is an island” and this adage applies especially if you are in the business of sharing thoughts and ideas online. You must learn how to share with others so they reciprocate and share their ideas and expertise with you. That way, you will grow and progress faster by living in a symbiotic relationship with your peers. It is a world of give-and-take in the cyber community.
5. “GRATIS ET AMORE”. “Nothing comes from nothing, nothing ever could” is the lyric of a famous song from “Sound of Music” and this describes well the online business. Do not depend on free social media like Facebook or Twitter to advertise your business because they will take you nowhere as far as earning is concerned. If you invest free air, that is what you will harvest in return—free air.
First of all, you must put up your own website. Here is how:
- Buy your domain name and subscribe to a good hosting service. This need not cost you much. Some hosting companies may only charge from as low as $10 per month with domain name thrown in for free.
- Buy a premium email list management software. A mailing list is a must to get your targeted market. This will avoid wasting time, money, and effort in sending mails blindly to every To, Dick, and Harry
- Buy other software and tools. The difference between a professional and an amateur is the knowledge of how to make use of the appropriate tool for the job.
6. GURUS?. Consulting with some experts or Guru is commendable but be very discerning. Make sure they know what they are doing and can show proofs based on the actual results of their ideas and marketing theories and strategies. As they say, “the test of a pudding is in the tasting”.
If you are not satisfied with your mentor, do not hesitate to change him. We suggest, too, that you do some research and self-study using the internet. There are many sites, like this one (www.mroutsource.com), that can help you.
7. ONLY ME FIRST. Being selfish in your dealings with others will not take you far, if you would move at all, in your business. Avoid being too self-centered in your blogs, talking only about yourself and your business. Sooner or later, your readers will tire of reading nothing from your blogs that is of benefit to them so they move to other sites. To be a successful blogger, write something that is uplifting or will help others. However, do it sincerely. Readers can easily recognize sham and dishonesty. Make helping others be the primary purpose and moving principle of your blogging and generosity will come in good measure back to you by means of increased patronage by readers, and hopefully—more business.
8. JUST ANYTHING WON’T DO. In relation to the above suggestion, you can be of help to your readers if you blog something that you yourself is passionate about and you think will benefit them. Do not blog just for the sake of blogging or just to fill up the spaces in your website. Write topics that relevant to your targeted readers (this is where your mailing list comes handy). Also, when you blog about something you yourself is interested in, you will sound more credible and enthusiastic and this enthusiasm is transmitted to our readers
9. GIVE YOUR ALL. Your dedication to your work is of vital importance. A half-hearted action result to half-hearted reaction. In order to succeed in your endeavour, learn to sacrifice some things that will hinder your work such as giving in to temptation to postpone tasks related to your work in order to watch your favourite TV program or chatting in your computer or too much socializing outside the home.
10. DRIFTING. When you go sailing, do not just drift aimlessly. Use the rudder and a compass to plot your course to take you fast to your destination. This is equally true when running a business. Come up with a clear plan and formulate strategies to achieve your goal. Do not let past mistakes or misjudgements bog you down but like a rudder of a boat, consider them as learning experiences to propel you forward to your destination.
I hope the above suggestions will help be an effective blogger NOW! Good luck and happy blogging!