What Is Your Blogging Business Model?
This video is in reply to Sean’s reply (”A Debate?!? This Is All Kinds of Fun“) to MY video from last week that was titled, “Are You Wasting Your Time Blogging?“
Eric
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I like a good dialogue and you KNOW I want you and Sean to earn your living doing what you love and what you’re brilliant at.
But here’s the thing: you’re lucky, Eric. In a blogosphere where technology is king and high traffic is dependent on multi-media savvy, you have technical skills and can sell them. But it’s not just your features as a computing expert that are easier for you to monetise; when experienced bloggers sell their hard earned expertise, like you on Frugal Site Design and Sean at Ghost Writer Dad, it also allows them to sell benefits like TIME, ENERGY and QUALITY – the time someone saves by paying you, the energy saved and the higher quality of the end result.
Anyone else who wants to monetise, has, at some point, to get the technical stuff working smoothly or it doesn’t matter HOW good their product, sevice or marketing strategy is. They’ll always have to turn to a technically skilled person if they don’t want to spend hours trawling forums to learn. It’s no coincidence that Yaro Starak has recently upped his business by collaborating with a video making expert AND by putting out yet another big, fat, free ebook to give folk a taste of what’s in their course.
I know it’s outdated, but I still like product funnel marketing where customers can sample a range of freebies at the wide end, then move on to cheaper products, then more expensive products right on down to the pointy narrow end of the funnel where you can charge a fortune for consulting and long term courses. In the current economic climate, I’d be as happy with a hundred happy customers buying $10 products as one guy expecting blood along with his $1,000 consult. That’s why I like Frugal Site Design, and the way it itemises small services that can build up into the full package, along with with Sean’s copywriting services. Someday, I wish you could offer Skype’s pay per minute service for quick help, or pay per view video tutorials.
The good thing about blogging is that it allows you to build trust and turn loyal supporters into happy customers without them feeling you’ve suddenly started to see them as fresh flesh at a vampire fest. I learned from Naomi over at IttyBiz that the trick is to make it clear, right from the start, that the site is monetised. Then you don’t get readers thinking you’ve sold out or are trying to exploit them. That’s why we all respect you and Sean; you’ve always been open with us about your family situations and dreams and been clear about how you hope to make money.
Your months of commenting on other people’s blogs and your free blogging at Motivate Thyself and Sean’s at Writer Dad ARE the wide end of the funnel. That’s where we’ve all been able to sample, for free, your personalities, your integrity, your kindness and trustworthiness. But new bloggers can’t go straight to monetisation without building up the trust, the readership, the support and the kudos gained from being affiliated to others.
That’s why I love the Sean/Eric combo and the community spirit at Blogopolis Blueprint and you guys’ other blogs. You can’t put a price on it. It sends the message that we don’t have to do this alone, even though we are responsible, at the end of the day, for feeding our families.
We want you guys to show us, by example, how to make money from blogging and stay sweet!
Great video Eric. It’s good to know that you’ve found a model that is working for you.
I’d be interested in learning more such as where do you find most of your work coming from. Are you actively going out to find the work or is it coming through traffic from the Blueprint and Motivate Thyself?
Marc’s last blog post..Ghostwriting: 6 Ways to Provide The Best Product Possible
I think there’s little question that selling a product or service on your blog is the best way to go. Affiliates can work well too.
Copyblogger doesn’t even sell advertisements anymore. If you look at DoshDosh, with his 20,000+ subscribers, he has no one to advertise on his site at the moment (though I don’t know how much he charges for them).
Advertising at best is only one stream of income for your blog and almost never the bread winner.
My blog definitely has a business plan but it won’t be implemented until it reaches a certain number of subscribers.
Bamboo Forest – PunIntended’s last blog post..Clowns are Downright Creepy
Mine is to gain and maintain a community – social networking mostly. It’s not so much my business as it is my advertising. Word of mouth is worth quite a bit.
Matthew Dryden’s last blog post..Don’t Call Me a Blogger
By the way… why is commentluv always showing a very old post everywhere I go? The same one too.
Silly commentluv. What love have you shown me?
Bamboo Forest – PunIntended’s last blog post..Clowns are Downright Creepy
@Janice Marc Bamboo Forrest Matthew Dryden
Click to play this video.
Interesting discussion, I think one aspect too is that it may be harder right now because we are in a recession (higher unemployment and under employment). I’ve noticed many people starting websites because it’s a useful skill to have even if the site doesn’t make money. This can crowd a space that otherwise would not be crowded.
I’m just enjoying getting my thoughts out there and building a community – if it gets to the next level, I can address everything else then. I’m a big believer in Leo Babauta’s advice though, of just continually putting out the best I have.
Sid Savara’s last blog post..Personal Development Roadblocks – “The Situation”