BLOG LESSONS FOR A LUDDITE – NO 2
This was a conversation my husband, the Luddite, and I were to return to many times during the first 3 months. The first conversation, “What is a blog and why would I want to do it anyway?” happened on our way home from a camping holiday last New Year.
You know what it is like when you’re returning home after a relaxing holiday – anything seems possible and the plans flow freely as the scenery passes by.
Now, I was in an awkward position here, as my endeavors at internet business marketing at that point could not have been said to have made money. However, part of this lesson is about understanding both what is achievable online and what it must mean to you, before you employ time for no outcome.
If money, or increasing your business success, is your driver, then they are both eminently achievable.
No panacea though, no overnight success or get rich quick systems – sorry! For some in the early years – yes, it was a case of massive success, literally overnight. And they have been trading on it ever since and moving closer to fraud, as the years pass by.
There are entrepreneurs on the internet today. They would make money with their hands tied behind their backs, in the dark, on or offline. In fact, the good guys among them, work hard at helping the rest of us, whose talents might not be so robust in the money making department. That’s my job, to introduce you to them.
If money is why you want to blog, then don’t chose, as I did, to create an online charity. That said, how does one measure success? If from a start up idea, we have created an international organization that has positively effected thousands of orphaned children and thousands more knitters from 35 countries around the world, would you say that was successful? The fact that we are now a registered charity in two countries and in a position to seek funding offline is as a direct result of our success online.
See what I mean? It’s not black and white. You have to know what your drivers are before you start a blog, or spend money and time on SEO (search engine optimization) trying to make an existing site more successful.
Questions: What do you want your site to achieve? Who do you want to talk to? Why? What do you have to offer them? Do you have a specific niche, an angle, something unique to tell them? Can you differentiate your product or service?
I would be lying if I said that I asked my husband these questions right up. We hadn’t got near agreement that he would even think about doing a blog at this point. But they were questions we parried between us over the months as we got nearer to the notion that a blog would not only be a good idea, but an excellent one.
Will it make money? Well yes. Most likely in his case and in the first instance, through the credibility a blog will give him in his endeavors to increase freelance editing and copywriting work. But in time as he develops an authority blog, the opportunities to make money are endless. Becoming an expert can lead to many possibilities: speaking engagements, running on and offline seminars, publishing an e-book, producing a series of e-classes and affiliate marketing, (selling selected products online for a commission).
These are the obvious methods, but as you will soon discover there are literally thousands of online money-making schemes. Many of them are scams, some rely on pyramid selling, most of them are seductive and way-lay you easily with their medusa like song – they, and only they, know how to make easy money online.
In our online journey so far, we have been caught a few times. But mostly, we have met very talented people, who enjoy what they do and want to see those they meet succeed.
Coming next: Blog lessons for a Luddite 3 – “I’ve been getting these emails for years and never bought a thing!”
