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Ever since the term “Online” became known to us we have witnessed unstoppable & unimaginable growth. Crazy as it may sound, most of us are still unaware of the life-changing possibilities it brings.
Consider this scenario:
You have a job that works you from 9 to 5 and you earn a steady figure of $40k to $45k per annum. You have dependents, a grand house, cars and a ton of bills to pay. As expected, your expenses outweigh your earnings. So what can you do to earn a second paycheck? Do you have extra time to take on a second job just to make ends meet, even if it means sacrificing the precious time you would instead spend with your wife and kids?
I realize that the answers to these questions are complex and depressing. Perhaps it is best to ignore them until a miracle occurs in your life. Right?
Wrong!
“The first step to solving a problem is accepting there is one!”
If you don’t accept that there is a problem, you will be living in denial, which will not do you any good. Not today, not tomorrow, NEVER! So you must first learn to accept.
Next, you need to address the situation you are in. ONLY then you will set in motion a brilliant series of thoughts that will bring you out of this turmoil. And THAT is the key to doing great things.
According to WordPress.com, in October 2006, nearly 25.5 Million blog pages were read. By May 2016, more than 22.30 billion blog pages were read by over 409 Million people! Whoa! That’s a drastic increase in blog readership in just 10 years! Makes you wonder why you are not a part of this revolution, doesn’t it?
Congratulations, you have already taken the first step towards success by searching for “3 steps to online success.”
Now, you must be wondering how long it takes to make a 4, 5 or even a 6 figure salary from an online business, eh? Well, it depends on you.
If you’re ready to devote your entire time learning all about online success then I’m confident you’ll be ahead of your peers who couldn’t devote as much time.
The reason why so many people are successful today is due to the fact that they organize their time pretty well towards learning and implementing their strategy that helps promote their content. If you’re spending your time purposefully, by interacting with others from the same niche, participating in forums, chats, reading articles, sharing them on social media, making contacts with the right personnel, there is no way you don’t achieve success in this line of work.
All you need is persistence and dedication to spend 4, 6, 8 or even 10 hours a day doing all this, maybe 5 to 6 days a week!
In the end, your success story is shaped solely by you.
The 3 Steps to Online Success:
Let me remind you something important in life “there is no easy way to success“. Making money online can be as hard as making money in the real world. But if done right, you could be sitting on a pile of cash in a fraction of the time. That part is not false. Many bloggers have proved it time and time again and most of them started out not too long ago.
So, what do you need to succeed in the blogging world?
- Pick a topic of expertise
- Implement right strategy
- Building readership
- Picking a topic of your expertise or best known as a niche is extremely important to figure before you start blogging. A niche can be a topic that you’re very knowledgeable about, a subject that you know at the back of your hand. It helps if you know something unique that others don’t. You’re flexible choose a subject that is broad and generic, or you can get specific. There is no right or wrong niche, which is a big relief! Phew! A niche is all about You, the writer. Its relates to your personality, your mindset, your ideas and your strategy.
- Implementing the right strategy plays a pivotal role in monetization aspects. Since you are building a business online, just like a business in the real world you need a strategy. This is something that needs to be unique. It must not be copied or stolen. Your content is unique and so must your strategy.
- Building your readership is perhaps the most important part of your business. Every strategy implemented must help you to build readership. You must invoke a strategy that turns viewers –> readers –> subscribers –> customers
This is how you build a list. This is where your email subscribers come from. These subscribers are most possibly sharing your content on social media. Thereby, increasing your readership. All that begins with your strategic effort to build a list.
Having the right mindset:
Having the right mindset helps in a decision-making process. There comes a time in life when we need to make a commitment. Whether you are enrolling in a University or starting a business, you are making a commitment. Such a commitment involves literally spending time, money, blood, sweat & tears.
Much like any business, an online business also requires an investment. But you do get to pick the right time to do that.
Enhancing Your Content:
Enhancing your content is the most critical part of blogging. A good content is circulated by some but a great, catchy content is shared by many!
However, catchy content may not always be free. If you wish to get a professional look and design, some of the graphics could cost you quite a bit! But that shouldn’t stop you from giving it a shot. Maybe with your creative side, you can make a professional design for free! (honestly, it’s what I do all the time ;))
Let’s take a look at the content enhancing tools:
- Infographics: These are the most popularly used graphics that aim to provide an information. Pros: They are a great way to show statistical figures, opinion polls, surveys and other similar data that your viewers would want to share. Cons: They are expensive! A good infographic made by a professional could cost you $1000 or even more! That’s why I suggest using Canva. It has plenty free items that will help you get started. You can create a good looking infographic, banner, poster and several other useful graphics.
- Images: An image is more powerful than 1000 words, so you must consider using images in your blog posts. But, there are restrictions on what you can and cannot use. A word of caution: DO NOT ever download any image from Google and use it on your blog/website. You could be infringing on another’s copyrights. It’s always a good habit to check the source of the image. And if needed, contact its owner and get proper rights beforehand. There are several popular sites like iStockPhoto, Dreamstime, BigStockPhoto, etc that allow downloads to quality images if you concur with their terms and conditions. Make it your priority to familiarize with terms like Creative Commons, Public Domain, etc.(Refer to creativecommons.org for more information) The best thing you can do is to take pictures yourself since you are free to use them as you choose. In case you ever need to use one from the internet then make sure you mention its source in your blog/website. Doing this allows you to use images without committing a crime. It is also good for your conscience when you mention the source. Certain times you may be asked to mention the name of the copyright owner.
- Videos: We all know the effect videos have in our everyday lives. Ever since the onset of YouTube, videos have become an integral part of our lives, especially when it comes to a blogger’s life. Videos are by far the most powerful tool you have as a blogger. Popular video services include YouTube, Vimeo. But if you’re looking something more specific for Business then these 8 alternatives can prove useful.
There are many other ways to design your blog and I am certain you will come across them when you do your research. I recommend using the above-listed tools which will not only get you started but will also put you on a solid ground.
Learn from the community:
If you’re a newbie to the blogging world, then you must join social media and microblogging sites. This is where you connect with experienced professionals who share their expertise with others. They may also help review your blogs and promote your content. This is where bloggers get most of their gigs from. Don’t be shy to ask for help. Post tweets, share photos, videos, and graphics (most popular content shared across all platforms). Follow the leaders in the business (ex. Jeff Bullas, Darren Rowse, Neil Patel, Growth Hackers) and learn valuable contents shared by them. Make useful connections, and read a lot!!
If you have decided to be a blogger the first thing you need to be good at is ‘Speed Reading‘(Click here to read more about Speed Reading & WHY you need it!! ). You will have a multitude of tasks to do, not only writing but reading too. A lot of things to read and assimilate. It might seem like a lot in the beginning but if you are persistent you will come out victorious.
Conclusion:
If you are serious about making a full-time income from blogging then you will. But you need to climb the ropes like everyone else. Follow and apply valuable information gathered from social media gurus and you will have a shot at success. It is also a good practice to encourage fellow bloggers by reading their content and leaving a positive feedback. This helps in the generation of back-links and more blog visits.
Give blogging a try and share your experiences from the next few weeks in the comments section.
“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
Walt Disney
Reading Junkies 