Let’s say you’re looking to use the web to sell some stuff.
(It doesn’t matter what you’re doing specifically—whether you teach fitness, take pictures, make art, sell real-estate, give marketing advice, design websites, sell trinkets, or whatever, that’s neither here nor there).
How do you build a blog that works for—not against—you in your quest to become self-employed, build a business, or use the web to generate leads and make sales?
Some people believe, “it’s impossible. All of the good topics are taken!”
But how do you explain how every year a new blog emerges as the “go to” resource in an industry?
Some people believe, “as long as you’re doing good work, that’s what matters!”
But how many people do you know that do great work… and STILL struggle?
Some people believe, “it takes an endless supply of content, and they’ll NEVER have the time to do it.”
But how did I build Social Triggers from scratch to more than 70,000 subscribers in 21 months… with less than 3 posts per month?
More on that in a minute…
First, let me share an interesting personal story…
A story that demonstrates why building a blog is GREAT for building your business.
A story that shows you that, in addition to building your business, a blog comes with many sideline benefits you could have never imagined.
*Prepare yourself for gratuitous ego-stroking*
Okay, let’s talk about me (my favorite topic, ha)
As you know, I launched my blog, Social Triggers, officially in March 2011.
And as you also know, I started my blog in the overcrowded “I give advice about online marketing” space.
It’s so crowded, in fact, Adage reports that there are 181,000 people who call themselves social media experts, mavens, ninjas, and gurus on Twitter1.
(That doesn’t even include people who talk about copywriting, conversion rate optimization, blogging, and more).
Yet, my blog TOOK OFF… as if I had slapped a jetpack on my subscriber count.
In addition to attracting more than 70,000 subscribers, I launched a top marketing podcast on iTunes, and released a web tv show that amasses around 10,000 viewers per episode.
The revenue ramped up fast, and Social Triggers was able to evolve from a one-man show to a real company… with a virtual team… and everything.
(And I’m not talking about virtual assistants outsourced at a dollar an hour. I’ve got a real team of people—a videographer, an assistant, part-time developer, and various other professional contractors).
But what I’m most proud of is this:
Social Triggers releases some of the BEST content for people looking to use the web to build their business.
(Or in other words, I do good work).
But don’t take my word on that though. Just recently, I asked my fans on Facebook “If you stumbled on someone who doesn’t read Social Triggers, what would you tell them to persuade them to start reading it RIGHT NOW?”
Here’s what they said:
To see the full list, look at the conversation on Facebook right here.
Unfortunately, I can tell you this:
The fact that I did good work isn’t why my blog took off.
The REAL reason why my blog took off is because I was able to get my good work into the hands as many people as possible.
Because, “If you build it, people DON’T come.” Doing good work is the price of entry. Once in, you’ve got to recruit people with master-level promotion skills.
And that’s why people who do good work often struggle. They’ve paid the entry fee, but they don’t know what to do once they get into the fray.
Luckily, that can be taught, but more on that later.
Now here’s the best part:
Yes, I launched a blog in an overcrowded space.
Yes, I created good work… and promoted the heck out of it.
But I also didn’t SLAVE over my keyboard creating content day-in and day-out.
If you look at the facts, I averaged less than 3 blog posts per months over the course of 21 months to build my blog.
That means, if you’ve ever thought, “there’s no way I could write content daily,” the short answer is “you don’t have to!”
That said, there have also been many other sideline benefits of my blog as well.
#1: How Building a Popular Blog Makes Getting Book Deals A Cinch
Seven years ago, if you asked me “Would you ever write a book?” I would have probably said “I’d never be able to land a book deal.”
It turns out, after talking with some book industry insiders, they said I could land a book deal in a few weeks. (And that’s something I’ll pursue for the right offer).
#2: How Building a Popular Blog Makes It Easy-As-Heck To Land Speaking Engagements
Two years ago, to land speaking engagements, I had to HUSTLE. I had to apply to speak at industry conferences, make session pitches, and BUST MY BASS to land a speaking gig.
(Yes, I just said BUST MY BASS. Gotta keep this G-rated so I can’t say the word ass. Whoops…).
I landed some gigs, and didn’t land others. All I knew was this: “If I have to keep this up, I’m going to smash my head into the wall.”
But then Social Triggers took off, and people began inviting me to speak through my contact form. Some of the conferences were weird—one was about server hardware, another was about sports, another was a large company that wanted me to speak to their marketing executives, and etc.
And before I knew it, even though I wanted to speak once per month, I had enough engagements to speak like once a week. The demand was so high, that now, if you want me to speak at your conference, it runs $10,000 for a 1 hour keynote.
Oh, and if you’re curious, that’s me doing my thing at Marie Forleo’s conference. There were a few hundred women in the audience.
#3: How Building a Popular Blog Empowers You To Meet Like-Minded People Whenever You Want
Last year, I had the bright idea that I wanted to meet people just like me (people who were using the web).
Previously, I would have to travel to a conference to do something like that.
Now? Send one email to my list, and I could have hundreds of people show up at a live event in NYC.
Or have people show up to a meetup anywhere for that matter (I’ve held them in Seattle, NYC, Austin, and etc).
#4: How Building a Popular Blog Makes Selling Extremely Easy
Back in 2005, I believed it was impossible to sell anything online. I was so defeated, that I stopped trying. I instead slapped a bunch of ads on my first-ever blog because it didn’t matter if the ad sold or not. I got paid either way.
Now? It’s a completely different story. When I want to sell a premium training product, a consulting contract, or anything, it’s sometimes as easy as just letting people know I have it for sale.
You might have been on one of my webinars where I give great training… and then follow it with a pitch. You might have also seen that I promote premium training products (very occasionally) from people that I respect.
Guess what? That’s how Social Triggers earns revenue. A lot of it. And yet, there are people who read my site, and ask me “Derek, do you ever sell anything?”
The answer is “Yes,” i just don’t do it often. I take the “poker playing” approach to selling online. I don’t play many hands, but when I do, I’m aggressive. And when it comes to selling, I don’t sell often, but when I do, I sell hard.
I’m still amazed…
My blog is the reason why I was able to build a highly profitable business, with an amazing virtual team, and now I can be an author, a speaker, or a highly paid consultant.
The big question is how do you build a blog that works for—not against—you in YOUR QUEST to teach fitness, make art, sell real-estate, take pictures, become self-employed, or use the web to generate leads and make sales?
That’s why I’m proud to announce a new series that I’ll be running on Social Triggers over the next couple of weeks.
(This is where you’ll get the insanely practical tips you can implement into your blog growth strategy right now).
- I’m going to take you behind the scenes of how I do what I do.
- I’m going to bust common blogging myths wide open.
- I’m going to reveal some specific strategies YOU can use to start growing YOUR blog today.
- And much more.
All-in-all, by the end of this series, I hope to empower tens of thousands of people to begin building a blog that helps them do what they want to do… no matter what it is.
So, if you’re not on the email list, make sure you HOP ON IT to ensure you don’t miss out.
And if you LOVE what this series stands for, take a second and share this with a friend. Gotta reach tens of thousands of people, and with your help, we can do it!
In the mean time, I want you to leave a comment and answer this one simple question:
Do you believe a blog can help you build your business?
- If yes, what type of business are you in? Describe it in detail, and explain how you think a blog can help you build your business.
- If no, tell me more. What type of business are you in? Why don’t you think a blog can help you build your business?
Also, know this:
I’m still putting this content together right now. So, if you’ve got any specific questions about blogging, leave a comment asking your question, and I may be able to work it into this series.
- Ochman, B.L. "There are 181,000 Social Media 'Gurus,' 'Ninjas,' 'Masters,' and 'Mavens' on Twitter." Ad Age on the web 7 Jan. 2012. 8 Jan. 2013. The link
{ 407 comments… read them below or add one }
A blog can absolutely help you build your business. That’s what inbound marketing is all about! In today’s world, you need to educate consumers about your products in services in a way that demonstrates your expertise. Simultaneously you build your mailing list, and social media profiles to engage with your target market. It’s not long before you start generating new business as a result of your “inbound efforts.”
At the same time, I think a blog could be a business in itself or a great launching place for a consulting career. Take Amy Porterfield as an example or even Copyblogger. Both turned blogs into build businesses.
I wrote this quickly in hopes of being the first comment :p excuse the spelling errors (“products in services” should be “products and services” & “blogs into build businesses” should be “blogs into big businesses”)
Cheers,
Jordan
Rushing a comment through “with hopes of being the first comment,” is not a real reason to leave a comment
.
Most people “rush to leave the first comment” with hopes of getting as much traffic as possible back to their website…
…And quite frankly, if that’s your traffic strategy, you better read this series.
Haha Derek – That’s definitely not my traffic strategy! Read my first comment – I think you’ll agree it makes a lot of sense! Being the first comment is more a thing of pride!
Regardless – looking forward to your new series man.
Sounds good!
Wow! Serious note – my “first comment” did yield 100+ visits and 3 new subscribers…I think that says a lot more about your traffic than anything else…but it’s not insignificant
Don’t make it a habit though
Derek – I can understand if you’ve been jaded by spam or troll-like comments in the past but I’m quite sure this is my first time commenting on your site. I liked what I read and I left a very relevant comment… one would think that’s the exact habit a blogger would like to encourage…cheers man – looking forward to the new series.
Derek,
I do believe a blog can help me build my business, which is why I’m in the process of building mine now, so your article and pending series are timely.
I’m in network marketing and have watched all the “gurus” share topics I know and have learned and reap success simply because they took action. So, I’m taking action now.
My blog will give me exposure to prospects who may eventually join my business as well as position me to people who already know me but second guess my knowledge and skills to join me.
Looking forward to your content in guiding me as I roll out my blog.
Yeah, network marketing is a brutally competitive field where you can use any advantage you can get. I must admit I got a chuckle, after reading Derek’s diatribe on pumping out daily content, to see your site promising to share “my FREE daily newsletter with the skills that will pay the bills…” (nice tag line, by the way).
Ok, I must admit that I’m semi-guilty here, too. We offer weekly tips, research and tools for getting on our list, something that we succeed with on Twitter / Facebook / G+ but not really on email.
Looking forward to hearing Derek’s advice. I suspect it all hinges around this one sentence:
“Because, ‘If you build it, people DON’T come.’ Doing good work is the price of entry. Once in, you’ve got to recruit people with master-level promotion skills.”
Ironically I got quoted by Forbes recently saying almost the exact same thing. I still don’t have anywhere near Derek’s level of traffic though!
Ha ha. Derek gets crazy traffic.
Thanks for the compliment. I was wondering if it sounded cheesy. The thing is there are debates about how frequently to mail your list. One “guru” has me convinced for now that anything other than daily will cost you subscribers, especially in the network marketing niche where prospects want to see consistency. I do feel that way myself when I get an e-mail from someone whose list I’m on and they hadn’t sent a e-mail for weeks to months and have a lame excuse that they were vacationing in Maui. That’s where lots of content added to automation or delegation can play a part.
As I read your first paragraph, I looked at your page and didn’t see your e-mail opt-in then you explained it, but if your social media following is large enough or loyal enough, no major issue. Get them onto e-mail though and from your “guilt” I’m sure you know all the reasons why
You’re right… content can be great, but if you don’t know how to drive visitor traffic to it and to convert visitors into subscribers, you’re losing out big time.
Hey Derek,
I gotta say I am pretty excited to see what you have coming up. Slaving away writing content all the time is lame, and half the reason I’ve had any success is similar to the reason why you blew up so quickly…
JVs and collaborations for days!
Almost all my sales have come from working with other marketers with much larger audiences. Anyways, I enjoy what you do here and I’ve learned a ton!
Thanks a bunch!
-Gabe Johansson
P.S. “(Yes, I just said BUST MY BASS. Gotta keep this G-rated so I can’t say the word ass. Whoops…).” Just LOL
I agree. It’s nice to hear that 3 posts average a month it much more dreamy than the 3 blog posts a week formula a lot of people say you have to keep up with.
While JVs are a great way to get exposure, the big problem with it is that it’s often contingent on something. Sometimes you’ve got to pay to play, other times you’ve got to promise you’ll reciprocate. I don’t like to play those games when building my audience, simply because the audience is what comes first… not my desire to build a business
.
I only said JV’s and collabs since that’s how I found you originally. Then I couldn’t NOT find you on all the blogs and sites I read lol
For most people, they do have to pay to play or reciprocate because they offer mediocre or slightly above average content. What you were doing was insanely valuable.
Funny enough, the person I found you by charges $300 to do what you did for free on that blog
I like that. Well said
Always wondered where that conference pic was from.
I’m stoked for this series, and being a beg. blogger still have tons of questions:
How specific a niche do you need to master before you become a “go to”, because your pretty broad but still rule the school in marketing.
Do you build a product while in the early stages or focus on community first.
I’ve sent links using the Drafting Technique but all I got is a “Thanks, enjoyed it.” No link. Follow up?
I’ll stop there for now
…excited!
Joe, I am curious about the question you have too. Do you create product or build community first? We built community first and have been trying to create product alongside, but sometimes it’s hard to manage time for both. But I also find that engaging with your community provides you with so much market research that you can’t get anywhere else. I know all my audiences pains and challenges. They have tons of questions and now I know how to give them those answers in a product.
@Joe and @Jadah – No matter what product you sell you are the product before the actual product first. So without a community base for your people to know you or another way a affiliate base the product is sitting on a bench behind a nameless cause..
So to me with all my sites, build a community first even if small and then build a product.. Hard call to sell to no one.. The building of traffic is the hardest bit, quality traffic to a desired niche then sell quality products in that niche.. Build an email list of course, sell yourself first then sell the product..
Regards,
Definitely… I run a blog that requires daily content (crazy I know), but while I enjoy the site, it’s not my passion, and while I’ve had to build two distinct audiences for the blog (readers to get books and authors to submit books), all of the content was for readers.
I have all of these authors coming to me for something they want. I realized I could really expand my business, and create a whole new segment of my business, helping authors market their books.
It’s funny you mentioned the “Build it and they will come”… many self-published authors consider “just write more” to be their marketing strategy! And while it’s nice to have a larger catalog of books, by promoting a few books, they could significantly increase their sales across all of their books.
So, I am working on creating a podcast/blog that will help authors to really learn how to market their books.
Before finding your blog a few months ago, I would have probably tried to blog every 2 days and burn out. Now, I will focus on creating epic content, a few times a month.
Plus, I’ve reached out to some great self-publishing marketing minds to get them on my podcast and the response has been great so far.
I’m really excited about this project!
Love to hear this, and to hear that you’re on the right path.
That’s a great start R.J. Site design similar to Social Triggers too
There are a few podcasts in Publishing industry but not enough yet. Definitely space there to expand. Video content is even less used seemingly (altho I may be wrong).
P.S. Might be interested in advertising on your site/s so let me know if you’re interested!
That’s a really cool value proposition – I know a few people who have found success by helping others launch their books! Who knows…maybe my team and I should write a book! Sounds fun!
Launching a blog provides a platform through which ou get noticed and establish credibility. Hence, it is the modern version of an editorial in a magazine or white paper.
I’m in the management consulting business where I specially focus on:
1. Family business
2. Launching new business
3. Restructuring and accelerating growth for non performing business
My interest is how do you really get noticed and what are the tools for attracting audience. What I mean, is that before you can get them to follow you, you need to know where they are and attract them.
Yes, I think my blog can help my business. Not because I need more business, but because I get asked for advice and insight as a successful serial entrepreneur in a niche of a niche business. Advice from a Festival Professional might seem to be quite specific, but most of it translates to other businesses as well.
My workload is uneven. I make my living in 5 months of the year, which gives me plenty of time to bring on another project. Besides, brainstorming and discussing wacky business ideas is one of my most favorite things to do, and my superpower is connecting people with ideas and people that are important to them.
I’m looking forward to the series,
Thanks,
Rhonni
I am not sure if a blog can help my business or not. I currently have a blog that teaches Law Enforcement Leadership. To date, I have 52 subscribers and I have had to scrounge for those! I hear people talking about building your list and selling to your list, but dang… how do you do that?
First things first. You’re talking about Law Enforcement leadership as your main target audience, and your first post is talking about how you spent all your time with a social media marketing / business guru. What does that have to do with law enforcement leadership?
That said , you’ve got to start writing about topics law enforcement people might be interested in knowing about. Get a hostage negotiator to interview, as an example. Get an FBI detective, and how they manager inter bureau relationships. Get a police commissioner to talk about how he motivates police during a time with falling overtime hours.
Right now, it looks like your content may be wrong for your audience. That’s just off first touch. You probably know your audience better than me, though.
You are suggesting to focus on interviews. But shouldn’t that happen at a later stage when the site is known and has attracted an acceptable audience. Who would wanna be interviewed when only 52 people are watching?
On a different note, what is the process for building the communication platform for attracting the audience? and doesn’t that require some talent (i.e. some peole have talent to tell a story while others deliver a report like message… which turn off people sometimes)
Don’t sell them on an interview based on your traffic numbers. Sell them on what you hope to build.
Now that was very well said, Derek.
In my experience a lot of people are uncomfortable with selling “them” on what they hope to build, or the exposure they hope to get. They shouldn’t be, but rather just be frank with their interview partner. In other words; state your ambition “I am hoping to ..”, but don’t promise any concrete numbers.
Thank you so much for your input!
Derek,
Well, you touched a nerve when you talked about trying to produce content every day (NOT!). Call it lack of time – or perhaps more accurately – lack of discipline. In any case, I haven’t been able to get myself to do that.
I’m looking forward to the series – I think you already covered the reasons why building a popular blog is good for business!
Take care,
Mark
I believe Derek…I do believe!
I just launched an SEO blog to help me sell a link building course that’s in the works.
I’m doing things a little differently than you laid out here because I’m putting 90% of my focus on good work and 10% on promotion.
That 10% is going to be BA…but I want content that has legs so I don’t need to do as much promo.
I’m sorry to say you’re in for a sore surprise. Good work is the price of entry. What you do with that good work… after the fact… is how you truly “Make it” in this industry.
I would love to hear more details on what you do after the work Derek. Would you say landing speaking gigs was your hot spot for marketing yourself?
Speaking wasn’t the hot spot. Speaking was what I did because I wanted to do it.
Thanks for the advice Derek. If you say promo is the “make or break” factor then that’s what I’ll set my crosshairs on.
I’m so excited about this series you are doing! I know that blogging will be the cornerstone of my business because I’ve seen it happen in so many other businesses. My business focuses on helping wedding business owners with their marketing and business development so I will actually be showing them how to blog for themselves.
Heidi,
That sounds very empowering. This will be a new profit center actually for both your clients and yourself. It is fabulous way to promote their brand and sell weddings. Obviously this is a form of self publishing which can have many benefits. I am expecting to start my blog today! I am stoked!!!!
Derek,
It’s been pretty amazing to watch you go from the celebrity gossip blogger to the Social Triggers expert you are today.
Actually it’s been pretty awesome to watch you transform.
How the F*** do you create traffic to your website ! That’s the main question I can’t figure out how to solve.
I have GREAT content, I mean like incredible great content. My readers tell me : You have great content, it’s incredible.
But my blog struggles at 100 pers. per day, with is completely ridiculous… And I can’t sell anything because I lack traffic. Can you help finding a solution to that ?
Thanks !
Zed..
I’m sure Derek will go into all this, but my experience is to get out there and help people, connect, solve problems.. let pp know who you are and what you do.
For my local sites, I naturally promote a lot locally.. hooking up in local forums and blogs, and interacting. Plus building up social media in that town.
For others, guest post, guest post.. and on as big a blogs that will take your post.
d
I’d start by putting your website in the field when you post comments, to begin with. When you said you had such amazing content, I immediately went to click on your name to see it… but there wasn’t any website to go to!
Oh, about the link, yerah, I know that’s because I don’t want my competitors to find me through my backlinks…
Derek, Absolutely a blog can help your business. I actually am running a blog without a business right now and just trying to build my followers/tribe/whatever you want to call it. Then I’ll figure out my business model later. I’m looking forward to this series. I can’t wait!
Derek,
Another splendid post, as usual. I’m a freelance writer hoping that a blog will give me some clout, reputation, and headway as I continue to market myself and my writing. To be specific, I’m building a blog focusing on geek culture, because I want to become a culture, gaming, and entertainment writer and blogger.
Though there are many other blogs already out there like this, I hope to be unique in that I offer deeper perspective and thought about the whys and hows of culture, instead of just the whats. I want people to come back to my blog because I’m the only one willing to get to the root of issue, which will in turn prove to potential clients that I am dedicated and hard-working, and that I will have no problem getting their writing needs taken care of.
Thanks again for your post!
Bree
Hi Bree,
You’re welcome. As a freelance writer, you’re definitely “ahead of the pack” when it comes to building a blog. You already know how to write, and that’s always half the battle.
I am a certified fitness trainer & ESL instructor, as well as a writer & performance artist. I am currently a freelance instructor-for-hire and am in the ‘pre-launch’ phase of my blog/online business. I’m looking to position my fitness & creativity consulting services/products online for over-obliged, savvy/dynamic women.
Based on my business model’s Ideal client profile, a blog is absolutely essential to build rapport & trust & provide low-barrier ‘buy-in’/ conversions/referrals.
Derek, I’m in the process to help my business grow with blog content, but need to find a groove/rhythm and content ideas, so your upcoming series it timely!
keep up the good work!
Hey Derek — completely agree with your sentiments about not having to slave building content. One of my sites (MBA Prep School) saw an *improvement* in our Google rankings and organic traffic when we reduced the quantity of content and increased the quality. Obvious in retrospect but wasn’t at the time!
Do website & email promos for an office supply biz, just not sure what i’d blog about – in an interesting, clever way to build their biz.
Keith,
You obviously haven’t had a chance to sit in on a group of writers talking about office products
I’ve chatted with my writer friends about pen reviews (brand, style, etc), paper types, the works! You just need to find your audience—geeks like me who get upset when the manufacturer of my favorite pen goes and changes something on me (in this case the grip and the ink) and I have to go find a new favorite pen as a result.
I’d think deals on office supplies (maybe a different promotion each week or month?), product reviews, showcases of nice products (paperclips in different shapes for ex), roundups of unique uses for office supplies (binder clips to hold cords in place, for ex.), and such would make great light reading and would GREATLY help with SEO.
Just my 2 cents.
- Melissa
PS. I’m a copywriter and I’d totally blog for you if you’re interested. Just drop me a line – melissa (at) melissabreau (dot) com.
Great suggestions! Pentel vs Inkjoy, I dunno.
We do a weekly email promo featuring various products either specially priced or with coupons & such. Yea an interesting uses for typical office products, there was something like that sponsored by 3M scotchtape
I’m thinkin’ you’ve given me more than just 2 cents, thanks!
You have the opportunity to blog and use humor think the TV show “The Office”. You could spin off that idea and get creative writing short fictional funny (not boring) stories about what happens in the office while promoting your products. You can shoot funny ore thought out photos with the products in the shots. It’s all in how you deliver it just as Derek points out you can put a bunch of ads up or you can entertain your audience and earn readers and customers that way.
I was the principal blogger for a nonprofit organization I worked for until my position was unexpectedly eliminated in October. As a knowledge expert in the healthcare design field, the first thing I did was start my own blog and send the link to 93 of my industry friends, whom I still notify every time there is a new blog post. Having decided to start my consulting practice up again, I think the blog is one of the best ways to keep my face — and voice out there. Many people have told me how much they are enjoying reading the blog and I know that my business will grow because of it. I’m in the process of unifying my brand and creating a new integrated blog/website, which I hope to launch soon!
I think creating a blog should be a part of a marketing plan if you intend to sell online as long as you have the stuff to back it up. Small businesses run by 1 or 2 people may or may not be able to back it up with quality content especially if they make what they sell by hand. Too often I see my micro business friends get overwhelmed with the burden of writing content to the point of failure. I think overall it’s important to find which tactics work best for you regardless of what others tell you need to do. For example, if you don’t like to write you probably shouldn’t start a blog!
For myself, I will be starting a blog soon as I’m embarking in a journey to teach other less tech savvy individuals how to sell on some of the larger online selling platforms. What better way to reach my target than a blog and email list?
By building out my blog I can share my advice, build my email list and my reputation, reach my target demographic and of course generate sales of my eBooks and in-person training sessions. Of course a little affiliate income would be nice too but I haven’t decided whether to go that route or not.
Derek, do you think having a lot of advertising on a “professional” blog dilutes the message and my ability to stand out as a professional in my field?
Anyway, I can’t wait to see what you’re packing, D!
-S
I do believe that my blog can build my business as it is inviting others into my life to share in my adventures and successes. I am an artist, actress and filmmaker and I do have many adventures.
SocialTriggers always delivers – it’s the one email I consistently click on in my Inbox and then follow to read or watch. Thanks for another great post.
#3 really resonates with me. I’m a single parent, and a 30yo combat veteran. So my time for meeting new people is at an unfortunate minimum, and I’m a bit of an insomniac… Anyway, because of all these reasons and a few more, my interest in connecting with people – especially at weird hours like 4am PST – led me to create my own spot on the net at NE1UP.com.
I started out blogging lightly a couple years ago and really found it necessary for everything I do. I love commenting, I love sharing, I love interacting, so the ‘do good’ and ‘help others’ part of blogging has always been easy for me and reading what you wrote, thinking more about it, I see that’s because not only was I building it and hoping they would come, I was getting out there and interacting with the community.
Anyway – loved the article, it’s bookmarked and I’ll probably be on the site another few hours now when I should be working, but hey.
All the best,
Thomas
Just a quick tip – I went to your site to see what you’re doing. I was trying to read the text in the slider at the top, but I only ever got about 1/3 of the way through before it changed. I’m a pretty quick reader.
You might want to think about slowing it down, or making the text shorter.
Derek,
Excellent points! What would you say was the most effective step in reaching your tipping point with the blog?
Derek I can’t wait to dive in and take action with this series!
Here is my info
I do believe a blog can help my business. I want to become a business consultant that specializes in helping small businesses develop there marketing online and offline. I want to use the blog as a launchpad for this business. Starting this year I have recorded 1 workshop and consulting with 2 businesses.So I am finally taking action .
How do you separate the busy work from the work that produces results?
Similar question :How do you break up monthly task?
Hi Derek,
awesome timing! Just started a blog/website and have question about it related to this series. I’m in book cover design niche (not super competitive but plenty of freelancers in that can undercut on price, Fiverr or DIY authors etc). Selling price is pretty average, most competition is freelancers, some with blogs, but not all of them:
I know blog is good for teaching and helping authors on the topic of book cover design, how to choose the designer, how to know a good cover from bad one etc. But should landing page be your blog or a homepage with links to other pages like portfolio, pricing, etc?
Have you seen any testing done on this one? Maybe you will share some examples in the series, that would be awesome.
Looking forward to learning new stuff!
Adrijus G.
You could do testing – theme A served to one visitor, theme B served to the next, relatively easily. I’ve done that at my own site, NE1UP, and it is a great way overall to judge what is working or isn’t.
I’m not sure if promotion or getting your name/work out there is an issue, but have you ever thought of doing review copies and then a ‘services for sale’ thread on large forums? I see a lot of that sort’ve thing going on at places for web