Profitable Mommy Blogging

Affiliate marketing is still one of the best ways to make money blogging. The problem is the market is flooded with thousands of affiliate marketers promoting the same products, the same way.  Use these ten strategies to increase your chance of searchers buying through your affiliate links.

1. Pick 3 Core Products at Multiple Price Points

Core products are ones that you will repeatedly recommend.  Think about 3 products that you use on a a regular basis e.g. email service, keyword research tool, and a membership site. Try to cover three price points to appeal to a wider audience.  Select a low priced option to increase the chance of people purchasing through you just because it’s inexpensive/low risk.  Also locate a product that offers recurring commission. This will provide you steady money to keep you going between the spikes and drops in overall affiliate earnings.  Lastly, pick a high-priced offer for your market.  Not only will it generate more cash, it also helps you identify the more serious buyers to market to .

(more…)

Do earnings of $50 qualify your blog as a business?  Well Philadelphia thinks so-to the tune of $300.

Social media sites are buzzing about an article published in the Philadelphia City Paper featuring a story of Marilyn Bess who blogs at Ms Philly Organic.  The irony of the situation is that all this press will bring plenty of traffic which could generate more revenue for the blog. Interesting predicament to be in…

On one hand, I agree with the charge.  A business is a business whether it’s online or offline.  If you expect benefits of a business, mainly being paid money, then you have to take the responsibilities of owning a business-paying taxes.  The part that’s a little touchy for me is that such small amounts($50 and even $11!) in earnings classifies you as a business.  As Andrea Mannio of the Philadelphia Department of Revenue puts it, just making the choice to possibly earn revenue from ads (aka Adsense), regardless of the amount earned, means you have identified your blog as a business.

What do you think?  Share in the comments below.

photo credit: rychlepozicky.com

This week I touched on the topic of niche blogging.  I didn’t get a chance to really dig into the subject as much as I would have liked.  So I pulled together some blog posts that I think will guide you in starting on the right foot with niche blogging, or getting back on track if you’re not getting the expected results.

Let the Market Change You – Glenn Livingston shares his personal story of how it took more than research data and SEO tactics to make an impact in his niche market-guinea pigs.

Online Marketing Starts With Results Not Reasons – Some of you developed a niche blog around a passion.  Your reasons probably fall into the areas of wanting to help people and share all you know about your niche. Cathy Goodwin breaks it down on why reasons aren’t enough.  She shows you how to turn your reasons into tangible results for your readers.

5 Habits of Unusually Lazy Web Content Writers and Marketers – To rise in the ranks of niche blogging, you’re gonna need a lot of content!  When you’re producing content day, after day, after day… it’s easy to get in a rut and not know it.  Run through this checklist for signs of lazy blogging to see if any sound familiar.

How I Gained 3,323 Subscribers in 3 Months – If you failed the lazy blogger test, this is a great post by Celestine Chua to re-energize your blogging. She provides a 6-point strategy to increase your subscription.  Once you have more subscribers, you can survey them and let them tell you what to write about.  This will take some of the pressure off from constantly trying to come up ideas.

photo credit: lisaclarke

One of my all-time favorite books, “Work the System” by Sam Carpenter,  is available as a free download for
the next 7 days. If someone were to ask me what are the top 10 books that have influenced me the most, this book would definitely be on the list.

Sam brilliantly reveals a new paradigm of managing business and every area of life- and I do mean EVERY area- by approaching them through the age-old tool of systems. I know, I know…it sounds boring, technical and you’ve heard it before.  But how many times have you also heard that the answers to moving out of our  problems are usually right in front of us…it just takes an adjustment in perspective.

You’ll discover how he went from a severely ill and depressed, nearly bankrupt, single parent of two children living in his office building to become the thriving husband, father, business owner, and author he is today-all by working the systems in his life.

(more…)

Online copywriting, whether you develop the skill or outsource it, is a must to build a blogging business.  Search around the web for copywriting training and you’ll quickly see it’s not cheap.  It’s common to find courses priced at $500 up into the thousands!  Many bloggers struggle not only with learning copywriting but with being able to pay for training.  Definitely a catch-22!  You need the training but can afford to pay for it.  If you could get more sales, which is why you need copywriting in the first place, then you could invest in training.

But guess what?  You have the opportunity to learn from the SAME experts charging those high fees for FREE!  Learn from copywriting experts like:

• Kevin Hogan on the Science of Persuasion
• Michel Fortin on Sales Letters 2.0
• Lynn Terry on Blogging
• Jeff Herring on Article Writing
• Shannon Cherry on Press Release Writing
• Brian Massey on Landing Page Creation

(more…)

We are seeking bloggers to write a simple post (150-300 words) this week recommending a simple crafting tutorial on their blog with one good keyword link pointing to the tutorial.

If you accept the opportunity you agree to keep the post and live link on your blog permanently.

We are seeking blogs that have been on the net for at least twelve months and that have been updated regularly during that time.

The pay being offered is $6 and will be made via PayPal when your post is live.

If you are interested, please leave a comment here with a link to your blog and be sure to use a good email address so that we can get in touch.

Passion doesn’t pay the bills.  Passion is not enough to sustain a business. Online you generally have two camps when it comes to niche blogging.   Those that are passionate about providing content for their niche, and those passionate about marketing the niche.

So which camp do you fall in? Are you a content purist who focuses solely on providing the best information with the idea the money will come as a result?  Or do you focus more on a marketing approach, in particular search marketing? For you it’s about mastering SEO and then filling in good enough content as good measure.

Both methods have their advantages.  But what do you need to do to make them both work seamlessly for your niche blog?  To find out, read this excellent article by Dee Barizio at Search Engine Journal .

He’s written his article from the standpoint of what a search marketer lacks in niche blogging.  As a blogger, just flip the script to gain perspective on what you need to improve to profit from your niche blog.

Here’s a list of blogging jobs available for you to check out this week. While these have been researched and seemed to be legitimate work at home jobs you still need to be careful and watch out for scams! Just remember that you should NEVER have to pay someone to work for them! If someone asks for money that’s a red flag!

1. Versatile Blogger
2. Experienced Blogger for Mobile Oriented Blog
3. Bloggers Looking to Monetize
4. Blogger Writer for DIY Invitations & Specialty Papers
5. Experienced Tech Writer/Editor Needed
6. Fashion Writers Wanted
7. Bloggers for Headwear Company
8. Blog Seeks Writer

Hoping that you find the perfect blogging job for you.

In my post One Reason Why You’re Blog’s Not Making Money, I talked about connecting the subject of your blog with an evergreen niche.  Expanding more on this angle, I want to introduce niche blogging which falls into the category of niche marketing.

What is Niche Marketing aka Niche Blogging?

A distinct group of people who share a common something (problem, like, activity) is a basic definition of a niche.  Marketing to this specific group is known as niche marketing.  Add to that using a blog to reach them,  and you have niche blogging.  From a business perspective, a niche is  a category of consumers to zone in on since they’re more likely to buy your products and services.  Note: A demographic by itself is not a niche.

Why Niche Marketing?

Are you a mom blogger who thinks that other moms are your target market?  By making this generalization, you fail to reach the moms who really want your services.  Keep in mind that not everyone needs everything at one time. This fact of life makes niche marketing effective. The stages of motherhood in itself can lead to narrowing down a market in hundreds of ways.  The more you can speak specifically to a market’s situation, the greater the return for your advertising. If you’re in a noisy crowd would you respond better to your name being called or a call for “moms” in general?

When you can call a customer by name, their unique need, you’ll command their attention every time.

Both offline and online, but especially online since you don’t have a storefront for people to notice in passing, niche marketing is a solid business strategy.  Whether you’re looking to test a market or to minimize marketing expenses, niche marketing is a simple way for you to make a mark without spreading yourself too thin.

photo credit: EvelynGiggles

Do you really blog for your readers or for the craft?   Over the weekend, stew on these posts to see what’s really cooking behind your blog.  They’re real eye openers and may call you out.  What will win-community or craft? Either way there’s no right or wrong answers.  Some of the greatest artistic contributions to society were created by people who were better off left alone.

Why I Leave Comments Open

Are You Making It Hard for People to Comment?

What a Timeshare Presentation and Blogging Have in Common

photo credit: derekGavey

Facebook Places has officially launched. Following in the steps of services like Foursquare and Gowalla, Places is Facebook’s venture into the geolocation space.  Basically, it’s a check-in tool where users can notify their online friends of their whereabouts offline. One distinct feature of Places is the ability to tag friends who are in the same location. Mashable has created A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places to get you going. It shares important tweaks for the service if privacy is an issue for you. I could see this being fun for Tweetups and conferences.  What do you think?

photo credit: dnfisher

Blogging jobs for this week:

1. Editors, Writers and Trendsetters
2. Writers for New Detroit Deals Website
3. Writer/Web Research for Blogging Tips
4. Blogging for MamasHealth.com
5. Hiring Writers to write for a Cause
6. Looking for Bloggers and Writers at Outdora
7. Marketing Reporter Needed

All profitable businesses need tools and resources to perform their best.  As a mom blogger who owns a blogging business- yes that’s you- you’re no exception.  One way to acquire what you need for your blog is through gifts. Have you ever thought about it that way?  Instead of another blouse you’re not going to wear, why not ask for items that will improve your blog?  According to me, here is a gift list to have ready whenever someone asks.  Even better, they’re service providers who specifically cater to the mom blogger/internet marketer market.

(more…)

Video blogging is a simple way to make your blog more engaging.  But what happens when you want some of those videos to be exclusive?  Like only for paid subscribers of your membership site.  In this situation, hosting your own videos may be the best route.  Lynnette Chandler of Tech Based Marketing shows you step-by-step how to do so in these videos.

How to Host Your Own Video Files Pt. 1

(more…)

Next week  school starts for our children.  Normally, this time of year is marked by me mad dashing from store to store, mega stocking all the discount school supplies.  This year not so much.  Don’t get me wrong, I will take advantage of all the sales.  It makes sense money wise. Actually, I can be a savvy shoppingnista when I want to be.  I just didn’t feel like bothering with the crowds.  I plan to take some time during the slow times at stores this week to see what I can find.  I probably won’t get the spoils of the .01 deals.  But you never know!

For some reason these posts put me in a new school year kind of mood-first days, structure and a commitment to learning.  I’m sure they will make for some good weekend reading too!

You’ll Never Get Everything Done, and That’s Ok

The Best Bloggers are Learners

5 Things to Remember While Writing Guest Post

If Your Blog Writing Stinks

Tips for Staying Disciplined and Organized When Working from Home

photo credit: stevendepolo