How to Make Big Money with Your Blog: Content Marketing

Are you a blogger who wants to make money blogging?

Then do it– make money blogging.

In the process, you will be transformed from a blogger into a content marketer.

A blogger writes blog posts.

A content marketer writes such quality blog posts, the writer is able to get something in return for the quality content.

It may be an email from a new subscriber, it may be a new customer of your product or service, or it may be both. Generally, content marketers are looking to complete this loop– first, create quality content, then, capture emails– with a third step, make money from your blog.

This post will explain how to go from a blogger to a content marketer and receive something of value in exchange for your great content.

The best part– all of these tips are easy to follow and most are free to implement.

What is Content Marketing?

Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable content. Bloggers stop there. A content marketer continues until they attract and keep a clearly defined audience – and, ultimately, to make profits.

According to the DrumUp blog, the marketing is just as important as the content.

The 4-Step Content Marketing Plan

The four steps in the content marketing plan are simple.

Step 1: Create quality content. How to Be Memorable in a Sea of Bloggers explains if you solve a problem for your readers, they will find your content valuable. According to experts Todd and Lea Rae, the more value you give, the easier it will be to monetize.

My post This Will Make You See 842 Page Views in 1 Day explains how to write a viral post that will generate mega traffic for you. Be aware that although there are certain criteria that will make a post be likely to go viral, what generates massive traffic in your niche might be different in someone else's.

Vary the format, so readers don't tire of the same format and will keep coming back for more. Entrepreneur's Eric Siu agrees with the importance of varying your format. How to Create Blog Content Your Readers Will Love– Guaranteed! offers twelve ideas for varying your blog post format.

Step 2: Promote your content. 79 of the most effective ways to get blog traffic are free. Temok.com agrees and recommends using social media to market. According to the DrumUp blog, since the world is moving toward social, your content should be on social media.

Even Julie Syl Kalungi in the ART OF PINTEREST PROFITS explains to make money online, you need traffic According to Kalungi, in addition to traditional blog promotion methods, you can attract traffic in search engines. A third option is paying for traffic.

Step 3: Once you've generated boatloads of traffic, turn your visitors into subscribers using free incentives for signing up.

Your visitors become subscribers because you garner enough trust from them they give you their email addresses. SocialHire agrees content marketing is about relationships. The blog stresses the importance of knowing your target reader in order for those bonds of trust to be formed.

NinjaOutreach.com advises taking your strategy one step further. The blog maintains it's not enough to know your target audience. You must know where they hang out online and promote there.

VictoryCoaches.com writes about the importance of the email list. People say, "The money is on the list," and it's true. Victory Coaches recommends using GetResponse to collect your emails.

According to MarketingInfo.org, building an email list can be accomplished by having a reputable blog brand.

Step 4: After your readers become subscribers, market your product or service to them.

How to Market to Your Subscribers, a Strategy:

Your traffic is a stepping-stone to sales. While people are interested in your content, give them your call to action asking them to buy your product or your service.

This is the Way to Make Big Money Blogging Now offers 21 ideas for making money from your blog. Vary your efforts until you see what works.

Telling stories works when marketing.

Psychology comes into play when discussing marketing.

That is where Maslow's Hierarchy of human needs comes in handy. Maslow wanted to understand what drives and motivates people. On discovering the answer to that question, Maslow made a table of needs. Self-actualization, esteem, social and safety are often used in marketing to motivate people to participate.

For instance, social implies a need to belong. To market a blog that has marketing tips, you could write, "The marketing world has moved to social. Don't get left behind, discover what the professionals are doing today."

Further, consistency in content across platforms is also important. People want to feel like something is being talked about on more than one platform. If you promote on many social media sites, you will get brand recognition.

The Bandwagon Effect explains people like what's popular. If you only promote one place, for example, not as many people will have heard of you.

Content Marketing Examples

Note: I do offer a headline writing clinic and a traffic-generation service if you would like more information about these strategies.

Every time I have a technology post, I offer my free downloadable PDF of blogging tools in exchange for an email. Look–

Would you like more free blogging tools?

Click here to get your own downloadable PDF of my free blogging tools list.

Since I've authored a blogging tips ebook, when I write about blogging or social media tips, I can plug my book.

Others Agree

According to Sherman Smith, if you want to make money blogging, your blog is a stepping stone toward that goal. According to Smith, you don't make money blogging. You use your blog to make money blogging. You do that by content marketing.

Note the interaction I had with Kimsea Sok of the Blog Marketing Sea:

Hey, Janice!

 Think about this: What if a reader subscribes to your mailing list. What will you do, and what is your process?

Look at Kimsea's point: After the reader joins your subscriber list, you are not done. The final step is to market to them.

Everybody is Monetizing!

If you are using social media and not following your posts up with an attempt to sell your product or service, you are leaving money on the table. You are leaving money behind you.

Facebook is so concerned about trying to sell products or services, many Facebook groups forbid making offers to group members. That's how common a practice this is.

Other Facebook groups have threads specifically for offers knowing it's often taboo in other groups.

Many bloggers-turned-content-marketers use Twitter to make offers. According to Twitter experts Todd and Leah Rae, 20% of your tweets should be to make offers to your Twitter users.

People use Pinterest as well. People have boards with their offers and businesses have accelerated their efforts to sell on Pinterest in recent years.

Does it work? Yes!

As early as 2013, Social Media Today had 67%  of Twitter users saying they bought from brands they follow. A Content Marketing Tip

This is why bloggers who are marketers should promote at Kingged:

I can't take credit for this tip.

Consider these comments from Paul, a Kingged.com user:

Promoting at kingged.com should a must for newbies. There are lots of opportunities to share and engage with others. The networking and rewarding potential of this website are remarkable.

Sarah John made this comment:

Every marketer should be using this platform [Kingged].

I have just joined this website a few months now but I am already building healthy online relationships for business gains.

Concerns

You don't have a product to market. The time is always right to start thinking about a product you might want to create and market. Think along the lines of your interests and passions. According to blogger Ruth Soukup, it is never too early to think about creating a product.

You have a small audience of readers. According to Soukup, marketing to a smaller audience is easier, not harder, than marketing to a larger audience. She explains affiliate marketing, which involves visitors clicking on ads, requires a large readership. Content marketing doesn't.

Use Google Forms, Survey Monkey, or Twitter polls, all free tools, to ask your readers what product they need. I used Survey Monkey last year.

My readers spoke! They indicated they wanted a social media ebook. My book, AN INSIDER'S GUIDE TO BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL BLOG, contains both blogging tips and social media tips.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this post explained how to transition from blogging to content marketing.

Consider these comments from Melinda Mitchell "Stop blogging, and start being a content marketer?? Wow, that will be a huge shift in thinking!!"

Not at all! The steps in the content marketing sales funnel are simple:

Create killer content.

Convert visitors who come to read the content with an incentive to join your Email list.

Create something they want and sell it to them.

Content marketing may involve some trial and error. Find out what works and concentrate your efforts going forward in that direction.

The best part– these methods are free. Twitter is free to use. Paying for Facebook ads is not needed. You can tweet your products and offers on Twitter and pay zero. Having an "Offers" board on Pinterest is free as well.

 According to BlogAdvoWire.com, it is not only lucrative that bloggers become content marketers, it is actually a 2016 trend.

Please share this post, so bloggers who want to make money blogging know what the process entails and how easy it is.

Do you make money blogging? What ideas can you recommend? If not, do you think you might try content marketing? I look forward to your views in the comments section.

Related Posts:

5 Things You Need to Know to Make a Successful Ebook

How to Make Money in 2016 and Beyond as a Beginner

Thinking of Opening an Online Store? Read This First

Sources:

Getting Started with Content Marketing

BlogMarketing Sea

DrumUp 

Never miss a post

to skyrocket your blog traffic

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Source: How to Make Big Money with Your Blog: Content Marketing