Blog Splutter

Did you know that some bloggers online don’t actually write their own blogs?  Not all of them of course, but some certainly farm out their writing requirements to expert writers on their particular topic.

And that presents a great opportunity for you as a writer if you want to increase the amount of work you do.  There are plenty of websites which provide leads for bloggers and blogging jobs, so you won’t find it hard to get started in this particular line of writing work.

Blogging jobs tend to be advaantageous too because they are more often than not regular.  You might be asked to provide two, five, ten or more blog posts a week.  Each one will bring in a set fee, so you can look forward to a weekly or monthly pay day that is pretty steady alongside your other writing work.  

Some people focus only on these particular jobs, and don’t write articles for anyone else at all.  If this idea appeals to you it is good to be able to show your own blogging skills to potential clients.  Make sure you create a blog for yourself if you haven’t already done so, in order to demonstrate that you are capable of writing regularly, on topic and on time.

Different blogging jobs will have different ways of working as well.  You might have to submit a single post to the client each day (or whenever it is required).  Alternatively some prefer receiving a batch in advance every week or two.  This is better for you because you can fit them in whenever it suits you.

You might also find they give you access to the blog itself.  You can then post directly whenever necessary, and they will simply check to see that it has been done.

So you see, blogging for other people is an excellent way of earning a steady living as a writer.  Work at building up your client base and very soon you will have a nice income you can rely on while you build up your other online writing jobs.

Blogging as a phenomenon grew from the connectivity of the internet, and with internet access almost as common in homes and businesses as the phone, people are finding that it is a very beneficial tool. In fact, the internet is having the same type of impact on people’s lives as the introduction of the telephone once did, broadening connections around the globe, allowing them to keep in touch, do business, and store data. And creating a blog sets up one of the most useful of the new internet tools.

Blog entries are more like a personal journal than anything else, even when used for business purposes. The word “blog” is a shortened form of “weblog,” which is itself a combination of “web” and “log.” So the blog is like a log of someone’s thoughts on particular topics. The writer posts a blog entry, perhaps once a day, discussing everything from what the cat did that morning, to book reviews, to business information.

Blogging came from dissatisfaction with how the first internet websites worked. Initially, individuals and businesses created sites that were more like encyclopedia or dictionary pages than anything else. All the pages did was to provide information that viewers were to sit and absorb. Eventually, however, designers and viewers recognized that this did nothing to build relationships or to convey that the website owner cared what they thought. Something more personal and even interactive was needed. So the blog phenomenon began as an electronic diary, where people recorded their daily thoughts. Each blog post included a spot for readers to add comments, and eventually communities formed, comprised of people interested in the topics discussed in the blog.

Companies started to make blogs the place where customers would read the latest business news. Blogging presented the information in a much more conversational way, making the presentation more like a chat than a lecture with facts and figures. Those are still on websites, and if someone is interested, he or she can find them as needed. But business is no longer the authority on high, telling customers what is good for them.

Businesses also soon discovered that the other benefit of blogs was the Comments section, where customers could finally give concrete feedback. Through the response to bloggers, companies began learning what their customers actually wanted from them, possibly for the first time. They could eliminate or modify products, improve service, and add services that were in high demand. Customers, in turn, were impressed that they could influence the direction the company took.

Now most companies have recognized how useful and important blogging is to their public relations and prosperity. Whether it’s a small business or a larger firm, learning from and responding to customers’ comments on the company blog helps build loyalty and improve services. Individuals are also relating in new ways, sharing interests with people halfway around the world. If people really want to have an impact on the internet, then this is one of the most effective ways to accomplish that end.

After analyzing plenty of market research information you’ve finally determined the right niche for your home business blog. You’ve chosen your hosting company and selected a domain name. You’ve even written several blog entries in advance so that you have plenty of fresh content to post. Your intent is to blog to make money and you’ve just posted your first of many blog entries so your site is now ‘live’ on the internet. Where do you go from here?

The early phases of your blog development are critical in determining how quickly you will be able build a list of subscribers and make money.

Now that your blog is live here are 5 things you’ll need to do to accelerate the growth of your business to earn an income.

Schedule Your Work

You will need to determine the tasks that will have to be completed on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. This schedule will be your ‘action plan’ and should involve those activities necessary for the growth of your blog.

Your initial focus will be on marketing your site and insuring that it is being presented to your readers in professional manner. Early duties should include traffic generation, content creation, and networking out within the blogging community of your particular niche.

Content Creation

This phase of your blogging efforts will always be important but never more so than the infancy stages of your blog. This is the time for you to make your first impression and begin attracting your reader base. Your content should be useful and relevant to both the blog reader and the blog theme.

Post frequently in the early stages but as you see your subscriber base grow you will want to spend time both listening and responding to their comments. Encourage their interaction by asking them questions or for their comments on your posts or site design.

Hold Off on Your Marketing

In the beginning your sole focus will be satisfying the blog reader who visits your site. By attempting to sell anything too early will only drive your readers away. Build up their allegiance first by supplying great content for them to read.

Link Development

This will be significant part of your marketing strategy. By building links with other blogs and sites that have higher rankings you will boost your blog higher in search results. Reciprocal links from other sites will also create a flow of traffic to your blog. This can be achieved by leaving insightful and useful comments on other blog sites. Submitting articles is another way to develop links with higher ranking article submission sites that will link back to your blog after your article is published.

Rinse and Repeat

By focusing only on generating traffic and creating relevant quality content in the early stages of your blog you will be able to establish a solid reader base.

Although these actions may seem slow to yield the results you want the longer you stick with it the faster your blog will grow.

A home business blog can earn you a comfortable living provided you’ve first based it upon accurate market research information. Once your site has been launched you are now in the blog development stages of your site. During this time it is imperative you continue to post fresh blog entries with relevant and useful information to attract readers to your site. If you blog to make money it’s important to first build a subscriber base before attempting to market anything to your readers. The 5 steps we reviewed above will provide you direction during the early stages of your site. Your intentions will be to build a healthy reader base. With a little patience and resolve there is no reason you can’t successfully grow your site into a blog that will earn you a significant income.