According to a Business Insider article, the first ever web page went live on August 6, 1991. It contained information about how to create web pages. It was hosted by CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
Why is Blogging so Popular?
Since that time, blogging has grown. Blogging is simply the act of updating web pages with new entries on a regular basis. Even though most are abandoned soon after creation, over 152 million blogs existed in 2011, and this number grows each year.
One reason that blogging has grown is that it’s an easy format to share information and ideas. Businesses use blogs to build support for their products and brands.
How to Monetize Your Blog to Create Sustainable Growth and Income
With so many blogs in existence, it’s difficult to stand out from the millions of other blogs.The following are a few tips to help you monetize your blog so that it stands out, draws traffic, and raises awareness about your business:
Create Content that Matters and Resonates with Your Target Audience
To build your following you must give readers content that matters to them. Ideally, content should either inform or entertain. Sometimes, you can accomplish both with the same piece of content.
Creating a blog post, or video, that answers a question that is frequently asked by your customers is recommended by social media marketing strategists like Social Vantage, because it establishes authority in a niche, while providing helpful information. By solving a problem for your customers, you generate trust and goodwill and increase the chances that they will recommend you to their circle of contacts.
Why You Want Your Content to Go Viral
When this happens, your post is said to have gone “viral,” because it rapidly spreads as it is shared and re-shared on social media. Your customer has essentially taken over the task of marketing your business for you.
This form of word-of-mouth advertising is an effective, low-cost way to raise awareness and convince others to trust you. This is one of the main reasons why small businesses really need blogs; as it builds their brand on a cost effective basis so they can compete with larger, well-known companies.
Additional Ideas for Creating Compelling Content and Engaging Your Audience
Other popular ideas for posts include sharing interesting news about what’s happening in your industry. You should also post information about your latest sales, specials and new product releases.
Whenever you create a post, ask your customers for feedback. Promptly respond to any comments they leave. Ask your followers to share your content on their social media accounts, and to like and follow you on social media to keep them updated and engaged with your brand.
Guest Posts and Discussion Boards
You can also “borrow” someone else’s popularity to increase traffic. Guest posting allows you to post useful content on someone else’s site with the hopes that you will attract their following to your blog.
This strategy really works best when you post on sites that have a similar target audience as your own. Posting on unrelated sites is often a waste of time. It increases the number of visitors of your site, but, it’s traffic that’s unlikely to convert to sales.
Draw more visitors to your site by posting thoughtful, helpful answers on public discussion boards. Once again, stick to boards that have some connection to your existing business and industry to increase conversion.
Generating Passive Income with Your Blog – Can You Really Make Money as an Affiliate?
You can also generate additional income with your blog by affiliating with an existing company. Many companies pay bloggers for endorsing their products, posting links to their products in posts, or including their banner ads on their site.
Payment is based on how many visitors click on each link or ad. Extra money is paid when visitors purchase. Blogs with large followings can earn a substantial income through affiliate advertising.
Affiliate marketing isn’t just for generating secondary income. There’s nothing to stop you from creating your own affiliate marketing program. Bring in more traffic and sales by offering your existing customers perks and rewards when they recommend you and their family and friends purchase from you!