Is social media helping us reach potential customers? After all, we're sweating blood to create social media content and investing in ad campaigns to help our content gain more visibility. Is all of that delivering business results? We should find out. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
from https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/40778/how-effective-is-your-brand-on-social-media-heres-how-you-can-measure-that
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You want to make money as a writer, right? You’ve told everyone on Facebook (including your weird aunt) that you’re available to write. You’ve been writing guest post after guest post to showcase your talent and get your name out there. Maybe you’ve even landed a few jobs already. (Good for you!) But then a potential client emails you with the question, “Do you offer ghostwriting services?” And you’re stumped. Maybe you’ve heard of ghostwriting. Maybe you have some idea what a ghostwriter is. Or maybe you wonder if it involves ouija boards in some way. You don’t want to look like an idiot by emailing back to say, “Err… what do you mean?” That sounds like a good way to send your potential client running for the hills. But don’t worry — I’m about to tell you everything you need to know about ghostwriting, starting with… What IS Ghostwriting?You might already have some hazy ideas about ghostwriting. When I first heard of ghostwriting, I thought it was just used for celebrity memoirs. It turns out memoirs are just the tip of the iceberg. Ghostwriting is everywhere — from independent authors using Kindle Direct Publishing to popular bloggers using WordPress. So what is it? When you ghostwrite, you let someone else put their name on your work. That is, you don’t get any credit — at all. Typically, the person who commissions the work will own the copyright, which also means they can modify or republish the work in any way they see fit. So why would someone hire a ghostwriter? Are they too lazy to write their own stuff? Not necessarily. People hire ghostwriters for many different reasons, but the most common ones are:
It’s nothing new, either: ghostwriting has been around, in one form or another, for centuries. To give you a better idea what being a ghostwriter may involve, my own ghostwriting has included:
As you can see, ghostwriting has a spectrum from something akin to an editing relationship to writing a piece from scratch. And it’s growing in popularity. The demand for ghostwriters is so high it’s now taught in schools — California State University, Long Beach offers a Ghostwriting Professional Designation Program led by Claudia Suzanne. Of course, I’ve only ghostwritten for blogs. Authors like Roz Morris have written whole books as ghostwriters, which is a far more involved process that includes extensive interviews with the client. But Why Would You Let Someone Else Take Credit for YOUR Writing?Assuming you want to build up your own brand as a writer, why would you want to be a ghostwriter? After all, you won’t get any of the credit. Your name won’t appear anywhere on the piece, and you probably can’t tell anyone you wrote it. So why do so many writers ghostwrite, and why do so many love it? Well, because there are major benefits: Benefit #1: Being a Ghostwriter Pays Exceptionally WellOne huge reason to be a ghostwriter is money. Ghostwriting tends to pay better than regular freelancing. After all, having your name attached to your words is valuable for you as a writer. When you have a byline, you can use that piece of work to showcase your talent, build your reputation, and potentially attract new clients. So it’s appropriate (and standard practice) to increase your fee to compensate for the loss of these advantages. There’s no exact rule of thumb for how much extra you should charge for ghostwriting over regular freelancing. Personally, I tend to increase my fee by about 15%–20%. On top of that, once you’ve established a ghostwriting relationship with someone, it often results in ongoing work for you. Most people want their writing to be consistent, so it makes sense to stick with the same writer. In other words, you have consistent work at a higher rate than usual. That’s quite a plus, isn’t it? Benefit #2: Ghostwriting Lets You Develop Closer Relationships with Big Names in Your FieldAs a ghostwriter, you’ll normally work quite closely with your client. You may be privy to their rough notes or mind maps, or you might interview them on the phone or in person. Chances are, you’re also focusing your ghostwriting on a particular area of expertise (especially if you’re writing for a blog). This means you’ve got a brilliant opportunity to get to know and be affiliated with someone well-established in your field. You’ll find that you get valuable insights into the “behind the scenes” of a top blog, or you get a clearer idea of how a big-name author works and thinks. This may be eye-opening! It could give you some ideas for how best to move forward with your own business when you start your own blog. And as you build up closer relationships, or even friendships, with your client, they might share your other work on social media, bringing you a lot of extra traffic. (Several of the people I ghostwrite for have supported me in that way.) If you ever need a favor or need some advice, there’s a good chance they’ll be very happy to help. So much of blogging success depends on getting a helping hand from other bloggers — particularly those with a large audience and a great reputation in their field. Ghostwriting brings you into close contact with exactly those people. The Counterpoint: Why You Might NOT Want to Be a GhostwriterThere are a couple of big concerns that writers have about ghostwriting: “But surely that’s not ethical?” “But why should they benefit from my hard work?” “But what about building my platform?” These are real, valid concerns. And for you, they may be deal-breakers. So let’s dig into them. Objection #1: “When You’re a Ghostwriter, You’re Helping Someone Fool Their Readers — That’s Unethical”When you’re a ghostwriter for someone, they pass your words off as their own. Which begs the question… The authors who hire ghostwriters certainly think it is! But not all writers or readers agree. Many feel that some types of ghostwriting are more ethical than others. For instance, think about these two scenarios, which are on opposite ends of the ghostwriting spectrum:
Personally, as a reader, I’d feel comfortable with situation #1. The thoughts in the e-book belong to the blogger, but the ghostwriter has helped shape them. Situation #2, however, seems a lot thornier. As a reader, I’d feel cheated by that. I’m buying the e-book because I want the blogger’s expertise — not that of a ghostwriter I don’t know. If you’re thinking of ghostwriting, you have to make up your own mind about what is — and isn’t — ethical. Where would you personally draw the line as a ghostwriter, if at all? For more thoughts on the rights and wrongs of ghostwriting, check out Patty Podnar’s post Is Ghostwriting Ethical? Also, Amanda Montell’s Your Favorite Influencers Aren’t Writing Their Own Content—These Women Are is quite eye-opening about some of the less ethical practices in the ghostwriting world. Objection #2: “It’s Too Painful Watching Someone Else Get Praised for YOUR Work”It may sound silly, but not getting recognition for your writing can be quite painful — unbearable to some. I have to admit that, as a writer, it can sometimes sting a little to see a blogger receive lots of lovely praise for a post that I wrote every word of. And I’m not alone; many writers find themselves missing the attention and craving the recognition. It’s no fun watching someone bask in glory that should be yours. But think of it this way: All that praise is a sign you did a great job. You can be proud of that, and you can feel confident you’ll get hired again! Also, as ghostwriter Roz Morris points out in an interview with whitefox, it’s not just ghostwriters who go unnoticed by readers:
There are many unsung heroes in the creative industries, and ghostwriters are only one of them. Editors can also make a huge difference to a book and are rarely credited.
So, if you can’t stand watching someone else take the praise, that’s okay. Many writers feel that way. But maybe we should also keep things in perspective. Objection #3: “Ghostwriting Keeps You from Building Your Platform”Even if you’re okay with someone else getting the praise, you may still oppose the idea of letting them take credit. Some writers feel that, to become a successful freelance writer, you need to take credit for every powerful word you write and create an impressive body of work with your name on it. They believe that ghostwriting is essentially a waste of time. After all, when you’ve got a bio (or at least your name) on every blog post you write, each of those posts helps raise your profile. You’ll be bringing in new readers and potentially new clients through your work — without any additional marketing. This is essentially the argument that Demian Farnworth puts forward in The Brutally Honest Truth About Ghostwriting:
The first thing every writer should ask is this: What do you want to accomplish as a writer? Is building a personal and visible platform important to you? Will it help you in the long run? If you have to ghostwrite to make ends meet, fine. But beat a hasty path out of the business as soon as possible. It’s your turn to run the show.
I certainly think it’s worth putting some serious thought into how best to make ghostwriting work for you. It might be that you want to solely focus on your own platform (heck, you might even hire ghostwriters of your own, some day down the line!). But there’s no shame in taking ghostwriting jobs to generate a steady income while you build your platform. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can do both at the same time. Ghostwriting takes some focus away, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. By the way: We’ve created a handy visual summarizing this post that you can share and embed on your own site. Check out the image below (click to see a larger view): Embed This Infographic On Your Site
How to Become a GhostwriterIf you’ve been nodding your head while reading this post, you’re probably wondering… “Okay, but how do I become a ghostwriter?” Answer: The same way you become a freelance writer. Here are the keys: #1. Build Your Content Creation SkillsIf you want to be a ghostwriter, you have to learn how to create quality content. What’s this mean? It means:
…and more. Nothing will impact your ability to earn real, tangible income as a ghostwriter more than your ability to create amazing content. So, if you don’t know how, learn.
Further Reading: Check out our resource How to Write a Blog Post – The Ultimate Guide. Once you’ve mastered the basics, read How to Create Content People Will Still Remember in 5 Years’ Time.
#2. Learn the Ins and Outs of SEOIf you can create content that will rank on Google, clients will pay you. Happily. Heck, they’ll throw money at you. So how can you help your content rank on Google? By learning all you can about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and applying what you learn to the content you create.
Further Reading: Don’t know SEO? Brian Dean has a great guide that will help you learn the basics of SEO fast.
#3. Build an Awesome Portfolio of Sample ContentIdeally, you’ll have three levels of portfolios:
But when you’re just starting out, you need to focus on the first level: A portfolio that proves you know how to create a decent piece of content. If you don’t already have your own blog or website, create an account on a free blogging platform like Medium. Two or three sample posts are enough, and you can get started right away. #4. Find Your First Paying ClientIn the early days, finding those first few clients will be difficult. Even with solid content creation skills, SEO know-how, and a great portfolio proving you know how to write, finding paying clients without word of mouth and referrals won’t be easy. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
It’ll be a slow process at first, but once you get those first few clients you’ll be set. Do a great job, make your clients happy, and referrals will happen.
Further Reading: Bookmark this giant list of content marketing agencies. It’ll come in handy.
Ghostwriting 101: A Quick RecapWe’ve covered a lot, so let’s review:
What Is Ghostwriting?
Ghostwriting is when a writer (“ghostwriter”) is hired to create a piece of content for a company or individual, who will then publish the work as their own.
Do Ghostwriters Get Credit for Their Work?
Ghostwriters are paid to let someone else put their name on their work — they do not receive any credit, and they usually cannot tell anyone they wrote it.
Why Do People Hire Ghostwriters?
There are numerous reasons why someone would want to hire a ghostwriter, but two big reasons are time restraints and a lack of desire (or ability).
Regardless of their reason, parties who choose to hire ghostwriters do so because it’s advantageous. (They’re getting something out of it, in other words!)
What Are the Benefits of Being a Ghostwriter?
There are two huge benefits to ghostwriting:
Because they miss out on auxiliary perks like bylines and having their name attached to the content, ghostwriters are usually well compensated.
How Much Do Ghostwriters Make?
It varies from writer to writer, but an increased fee of 15% or more from their standard freelancing rate is reasonable when ghostwriting.
What Are the Typical Objections to Ghostwriting?
Those who throw shade at ghostwriting typically do so for one of three reasons:
We’ve covered each of these objections in detail. Whether any of them are deal-breakers is up to you.
How to Become a Ghostwriter
The process is very similar to the one for becoming a regular freelance writer:
In short:
Will You Give Ghostwriting a Try?Ultimately, ghostwriting can be a little divisive. Some writers feel — passionately — that readers deserve to know exactly who wrote the words they’re reading. Others feel building your platform is too important to let someone else take credit. But ghostwriting is a good way to make money as a writer. And it doesn’t mean your platform is off the table. You can be a ghostwriter and have a writing career under your own name. Many writers, including me, simply use ghostwriting as a way to supplement or support their writing passions. Personally, I think it’s worth it. Only you can decide whether it’s right for you.
About the Author: Ali Luke blogs about the art, craft, and business of writing at Aliventures. If you’re interested in going further with ghostwriting or any type of freelance writing, check out her epic post: Freelance Writing: Ten Steps, Tons of Resources.
The post Ghostwriting 101: How to Get Paid Big Bucks As a Ghostwriter appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/ghostwriting/
Is social media helping us reach potential customers? After all, we're sweating blood to create social media content and investing in ad campaigns to help our content gain more visibility. Is all of that delivering business results? We should find out. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
from https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/40778/how-effective-is-your-brand-on-social-media-heres-how-you-can-measure-that You want to make money as a writer, right? You’ve told everyone on Facebook (including your weird aunt) that you’re available to write. You’ve been writing guest post after guest post to showcase your talent and get your name out there. Maybe you’ve even landed a few jobs already. (Good for you!) But then a potential client emails you with the question, “Do you offer ghostwriting services?” And you’re stumped. Maybe you’ve heard of ghostwriting. Maybe you have some idea what a ghostwriter is. Or maybe you wonder if it involves ouija boards in some way. You don’t want to look like an idiot by emailing back to say, “Err… what do you mean?” That sounds like a good way to send your potential client running for the hills. But don’t worry — I’m about to tell you everything you need to know about ghostwriting, starting with… What IS Ghostwriting?You might already have some hazy ideas about ghostwriting. When I first heard of ghostwriting, I thought it was just used for celebrity memoirs. It turns out memoirs are just the tip of the iceberg. Ghostwriting is everywhere — from independent authors using Kindle Direct Publishing to popular bloggers using WordPress. So what is it? When you ghostwrite, you let someone else put their name on your work. That is, you don’t get any credit — at all. Typically, the person who commissions the work will own the copyright, which also means they can modify or republish the work in any way they see fit. So why would someone hire a ghostwriter? Are they too lazy to write their own stuff? Not necessarily. People hire ghostwriters for many different reasons, but the most common ones are:
It’s nothing new, either: ghostwriting has been around, in one form or another, for centuries. To give you a better idea what being a ghostwriter may involve, my own ghostwriting has included:
As you can see, ghostwriting has a spectrum from something akin to an editing relationship to writing a piece from scratch. And it’s growing in popularity. The demand for ghostwriters is so high it’s now taught in schools — California State University, Long Beach offers a Ghostwriting Professional Designation Program led by Claudia Suzanne. Of course, I’ve only ghostwritten for blogs. Authors like Roz Morris have written whole books as ghostwriters, which is a far more involved process that includes extensive interviews with the client. But Why Would You Let Someone Else Take Credit for YOUR Writing?Assuming you want to build up your own brand as a writer, why would you want to be a ghostwriter? After all, you won’t get any of the credit. Your name won’t appear anywhere on the piece, and you probably can’t tell anyone you wrote it. So why do so many writers ghostwrite, and why do so many love it? Well, because there are major benefits: Benefit #1: Being a Ghostwriter Pays Exceptionally WellOne huge reason to be a ghostwriter is money. Ghostwriting tends to pay better than regular freelancing. After all, having your name attached to your words is valuable for you as a writer. When you have a byline, you can use that piece of work to showcase your talent, build your reputation, and potentially attract new clients. So it’s appropriate (and standard practice) to increase your fee to compensate for the loss of these advantages. There’s no exact rule of thumb for how much extra you should charge for ghostwriting over regular freelancing. Personally, I tend to increase my fee by about 15%–20%. On top of that, once you’ve established a ghostwriting relationship with someone, it often results in ongoing work for you. Most people want their writing to be consistent, so it makes sense to stick with the same writer. In other words, you have consistent work at a higher rate than usual. That’s quite a plus, isn’t it? Benefit #2: Ghostwriting Lets You Develop Closer Relationships with Big Names in Your FieldAs a ghostwriter, you’ll normally work quite closely with your client. You may be privy to their rough notes or mind maps, or you might interview them on the phone or in person. Chances are, you’re also focusing your ghostwriting on a particular area of expertise (especially if you’re writing for a blog). This means you’ve got a brilliant opportunity to get to know and be affiliated with someone well-established in your field. You’ll find that you get valuable insights into the “behind the scenes” of a top blog, or you get a clearer idea of how a big-name author works and thinks. This may be eye-opening! It could give you some ideas for how best to move forward with your own business when you start your own blog. And as you build up closer relationships, or even friendships, with your client, they might share your other work on social media, bringing you a lot of extra traffic. (Several of the people I ghostwrite for have supported me in that way.) If you ever need a favor or need some advice, there’s a good chance they’ll be very happy to help. So much of blogging success depends on getting a helping hand from other bloggers — particularly those with a large audience and a great reputation in their field. Ghostwriting brings you into close contact with exactly those people. The Counterpoint: Why You Might NOT Want to Be a GhostwriterThere are a couple of big concerns that writers have about ghostwriting: “But surely that’s not ethical?” “But why should they benefit from my hard work?” “But what about building my platform?” These are real, valid concerns. And for you, they may be deal-breakers. So let’s dig into them. Objection #1: “When You’re a Ghostwriter, You’re Helping Someone Fool Their Readers — That’s Unethical”When you’re a ghostwriter for someone, they pass your words off as their own. Which begs the question… The authors who hire ghostwriters certainly think it is! But not all writers or readers agree. Many feel that some types of ghostwriting are more ethical than others. For instance, think about these two scenarios, which are on opposite ends of the ghostwriting spectrum:
Personally, as a reader, I’d feel comfortable with situation #1. The thoughts in the e-book belong to the blogger, but the ghostwriter has helped shape them. Situation #2, however, seems a lot thornier. As a reader, I’d feel cheated by that. I’m buying the e-book because I want the blogger’s expertise — not that of a ghostwriter I don’t know. If you’re thinking of ghostwriting, you have to make up your own mind about what is — and isn’t — ethical. Where would you personally draw the line as a ghostwriter, if at all? For more thoughts on the rights and wrongs of ghostwriting, check out Patty Podnar’s post Is Ghostwriting Ethical? Also, Amanda Montell’s Your Favorite Influencers Aren’t Writing Their Own Content—These Women Are is quite eye-opening about some of the less ethical practices in the ghostwriting world. Objection #2: “It’s Too Painful Watching Someone Else Get Praised for YOUR Work”It may sound silly, but not getting recognition for your writing can be quite painful — unbearable to some. I have to admit that, as a writer, it can sometimes sting a little to see a blogger receive lots of lovely praise for a post that I wrote every word of. And I’m not alone; many writers find themselves missing the attention and craving the recognition. It’s no fun watching someone bask in glory that should be yours. But think of it this way: All that praise is a sign you did a great job. You can be proud of that, and you can feel confident you’ll get hired again! Also, as ghostwriter Roz Morris points out in an interview with whitefox, it’s not just ghostwriters who go unnoticed by readers:
There are many unsung heroes in the creative industries, and ghostwriters are only one of them. Editors can also make a huge difference to a book and are rarely credited.
So, if you can’t stand watching someone else take the praise, that’s okay. Many writers feel that way. But maybe we should also keep things in perspective. Objection #3: “Ghostwriting Keeps You from Building Your Platform”Even if you’re okay with someone else getting the praise, you may still oppose the idea of letting them take credit. Some writers feel that, to become a successful freelance writer, you need to take credit for every powerful word you write and create an impressive body of work with your name on it. They believe that ghostwriting is essentially a waste of time. After all, when you’ve got a bio (or at least your name) on every blog post you write, each of those posts helps raise your profile. You’ll be bringing in new readers and potentially new clients through your work — without any additional marketing. This is essentially the argument that Demian Farnworth puts forward in The Brutally Honest Truth About Ghostwriting:
The first thing every writer should ask is this: What do you want to accomplish as a writer? Is building a personal and visible platform important to you? Will it help you in the long run? If you have to ghostwrite to make ends meet, fine. But beat a hasty path out of the business as soon as possible. It’s your turn to run the show.
I certainly think it’s worth putting some serious thought into how best to make ghostwriting work for you. It might be that you want to solely focus on your own platform (heck, you might even hire ghostwriters of your own, some day down the line!). But there’s no shame in taking ghostwriting jobs to generate a steady income while you build your platform. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. You can do both at the same time. Ghostwriting takes some focus away, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing. By the way: We’ve created a handy visual summarizing this post that you can share and embed on your own site. Check out the image below (click to see a larger view): Embed This Infographic On Your Site
How to Become a GhostwriterIf you’ve been nodding your head while reading this post, you’re probably wondering… “Okay, but how do I become a ghostwriter?” Answer: The same way you become a freelance writer. Here are the keys: #1. Build Your Content Creation SkillsIf you want to be a ghostwriter, you have to learn how to create quality content. What’s this mean? It means:
…and more. Nothing will impact your ability to earn real, tangible income as a ghostwriter more than your ability to create amazing content. So, if you don’t know how, learn.
Further Reading: Check out our resource How to Write a Blog Post – The Ultimate Guide. Once you’ve mastered the basics, read How to Create Content People Will Still Remember in 5 Years’ Time.
#2. Learn the Ins and Outs of SEOIf you can create content that will rank on Google, clients will pay you. Happily. Heck, they’ll throw money at you. So how can you help your content rank on Google? By learning all you can about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and applying what you learn to the content you create.
Further Reading: Don’t know SEO? Brian Dean has a great guide that will help you learn the basics of SEO fast.
#3. Build an Awesome Portfolio of Sample ContentIdeally, you’ll have three levels of portfolios:
But when you’re just starting out, you need to focus on the first level: A portfolio that proves you know how to create a decent piece of content. If you don’t already have your own blog or website, create an account on a free blogging platform like Medium. Two or three sample posts are enough, and you can get started right away. #4. Find Your First Paying ClientIn the early days, finding those first few clients will be difficult. Even with solid content creation skills, SEO know-how, and a great portfolio proving you know how to write, finding paying clients without word of mouth and referrals won’t be easy. Here’s what you’ll need to do:
It’ll be a slow process at first, but once you get those first few clients you’ll be set. Do a great job, make your clients happy, and referrals will happen.
Further Reading: Bookmark this giant list of content marketing agencies. It’ll come in handy.
Ghostwriting 101: A Quick RecapWe’ve covered a lot, so let’s review:
What Is Ghostwriting?
Ghostwriting is when a writer (“ghostwriter”) is hired to create a piece of content for a company or individual, who will then publish the work as their own.
Do Ghostwriters Get Credit for Their Work?
Ghostwriters are paid to let someone else put their name on their work — they do not receive any credit, and they usually cannot tell anyone they wrote it.
Why Do People Hire Ghostwriters?
There are numerous reasons why someone would want to hire a ghostwriter, but two big reasons are time restraints and a lack of desire (or ability).
Regardless of their reason, parties who choose to hire ghostwriters do so because it’s advantageous. (They’re getting something out of it, in other words!)
What Are the Benefits of Being a Ghostwriter?
There are two huge benefits to ghostwriting:
Because they miss out on auxiliary perks like bylines and having their name attached to the content, ghostwriters are usually well compensated.
How Much Do Ghostwriters Make?
It varies from writer to writer, but an increased fee of 15% or more from their standard freelancing rate is reasonable when ghostwriting.
What Are the Typical Objections to Ghostwriting?
Those who throw shade at ghostwriting typically do so for one of three reasons:
We’ve covered each of these objections in detail. Whether any of them are deal-breakers is up to you.
How to Become a Ghostwriter
The process is very similar to the one for becoming a regular freelance writer:
In short:
Will You Give Ghostwriting a Try?Ultimately, ghostwriting can be a little divisive. Some writers feel — passionately — that readers deserve to know exactly who wrote the words they’re reading. Others feel building your platform is too important to let someone else take credit. But ghostwriting is a good way to make money as a writer. And it doesn’t mean your platform is off the table. You can be a ghostwriter and have a writing career under your own name. Many writers, including me, simply use ghostwriting as a way to supplement or support their writing passions. Personally, I think it’s worth it. Only you can decide whether it’s right for you.
About the Author: Ali Luke blogs about the art, craft, and business of writing at Aliventures. If you’re interested in going further with ghostwriting or any type of freelance writing, check out her epic post: Freelance Writing: Ten Steps, Tons of Resources.
The post Ghostwriting 101: How to Get Paid Big Bucks As a Ghostwriter appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/ghostwriting/ It’s okay to admit it. That deep, dark secret you don’t want anyone to know. That thought which keeps you up night after night. You want… to rule the world! You want to dominate your industry and be the envy of all. You want the house in the Hamptons and the spoils that go with it. You want two appetizers with your entree. But you’re afraid. You’re afraid of what others will say when they hear about your dream. You’re afraid it will seem too big — too crazy. Just like you’re afraid of what the waitress will think if you order onion rings and chicken tenders. But mostly? You’re afraid because you don’t know where to begin. You don’t know how to go from where you are as a blogger to where you want to be. You don’t know how to get from here to there. The good news? Just like eating an elephant, you don’t do it all in one bite. World domination — or any major blogging goal — is a journey you take one milestone at a time. Embed This Infographic On Your Site Why Bloggers Need Meaningful MilestonesWhen you break large tasks into small, manageable ones, what once seemed big and scary isn’t as daunting. Renovating your entire home? Start by painting a room. Training for a marathon? Walk to the end of your driveway. Want to start a rock band? Get a guitar and start practicing. Blogging isn’t any different. Your journey as a blogger is filled with incremental milestones. They start small, gradually increase in size, and culminate with you owning sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads. Want 10,000 subscribers? Start with 100. Want to quit your job? Focus on making your first sale. Want to be Jon Morrow’s best friend? Get him to notice you. These milestones comprise your bucket list. They highlight what you’ve already accomplished, what you’re striving toward next, and what still lies far ahead of you. To help you in your quest, here are the 21 major blogging milestones (and how to reach each one). Ready? Let’s dive in. #1. Starting Your BlogYou’ve been talking about doing it forever. You’ve been reading blogs like Smart Blogger, Blogging Wizard, and Be A Better Blogger for months. You’ve been planning, scheming, and daydreaming about starting a blog for so long that people have started to worry about that glazed look in your eyes. So don’t you think it’s time you finally did it?
How to Start a Blog
What to Do Next
Once your blog is up and running, it’s time to start writing.
But first, savor this moment. You’ve already accomplished more than many wannabe bloggers ever do… You’ve started a blog. You did it. Now… Let’s get to work. #2. Writing Your First Blog PostBloggers blog. It’s what we do. So once you’ve setup your blog on WordPress, Medium, or wherever, it’s time to make this whole “blogging thing” official. It’s time to write your first post.
How to Write a Blog Post
What to Do Next
After you publish your blog post, it’s time to promote it.
Share it with your friends and family on email and social media. Email it to your subscribers too (if you have any yet). #3 Getting Your First TweetGetting your content shared on social media for the first time is a big milestone. Each time your posts are tweeted, pinned, or liked, your content is exposed to new readers. These new readers are potential email subscribers. Potential customers. Potential allies in your quest for world domination.
How to Get People to Share Your Content
What to Do Next
Be friendly and appreciative. When someone shares one of your posts, thank them. In addition to being good form, this act of gratitude will increase the likelihood they’ll share your posts again in the future.
To boost the number of shares you receive, try using interesting images with embedded headlines as the featured images in your posts. Be sure to choose a relevant picture, or one that creates curiosity. #4. Receiving Your First Blog Comment From a StrangerIt finally happened. The moment you discover someone other than your mom is reading your blog. Your first comment from a stranger. It’s the first sign you’re engaging a real audience (not just friends and family). The first indication your words are striking a chord with readers. The first evidence you have what it takes to succeed.
How to Get Blog Comments
What to Do Next
Were you raised in a barn? Thought not. So once you’ve received a comment, respond to it. Continue engaging with your reader.
Next, visit their blog and leave them a comment. If they don’t have a blog, thank them in an email. True, this level of dedication will be difficult once you’re receiving dozens of comments. But in your blog’s early days? There’s simply no good reason not to go above and beyond to express your appreciation. After you’ve received a few comments, it’s time to implement strategies to further boost your comment count. #5. Gaining Your First Email Subscriber“The money is in the list,” says every blogger (even if nobody has asked them). It’s cliché, but it’s true. Email subscribers are far more likely to read, share, and engage with your content than someone who simply follows you on Twitter or “likes” you on Facebook. Email cuts through the noise. A person might receive a few dozen emails in a day, but they’ll receive several hundred (or more) tweets from their followers. If you want to reach the top of the blogging mountain, you must build your email list. And it all starts with that first subscriber.
How to Get Email Subscribers
What to Do Next
Make your new subscriber feel welcomed.
When someone subscribes to your list, your welcome email should be warm and inviting. Encourage them to ask you a question. Tell them to follow you on Twitter and say hello. Give them a link to an unexpected freebie bonus. (But don’t do all three at once — you might scare away your only subscriber!) #6. Getting Your First BacklinkSearch engines love backlinks — they help them discover how pages are related, and in what ways. Landing a high-quality link from a relevant website is great for SEO and results in more search engine traffic flocking to your website. And who doesn’t want that? When a website links to yours, it’s effectively telling Google, “This dude is cool. He’s with me.” Want to rule the world? You need Google to think you’re cool.
How to Get Backlinks
What to Do Next
Keep going.
Numerous untapped backlink resources are available to bloggers willing to tap them. And if you don’t, your competitors will. #7. Reaching 100 Visitors in a Single DayIn your blog’s early days, visitors are scarce. Occasionally, you’ll wonder if anyone is reading your blog. But slowly, little by little, your numbers creep higher and higher. And then it happens. The day your blog reaches triple-digit visitors. The day your hard work begins to pay off. The day you get your first taste of power. Intoxicating, isn’t it?
How to Get Blog Traffic
What to Do Next
Implement strategies to keep readers on your blog longer. This increases dwell time, which is another way to get Google to like you.
Linking to other posts on your blog, embedding videos, displaying related posts, and encouraging readers to leave comments are all effective methods for keeping visitors on your website. #8. Receiving Your First Piece of Fan Mail (Well, Email)This is strange. You receive an email from a stranger, but it has nothing to do with male enhancement or an unexpected inheritance from overseas. It’s an email from a reader. And she’s telling you how much she enjoys your blog! Your first “kudos” email from a reader is a big milestone for bloggers, and those who go on to rule the world receive many of them. (Mine may or may not be printed, framed, and hanging from the walls of my office.)
How to Get (True) Fans
What to Do Next
Reply to the email. Thank your reader for contacting you, and try to answer any questions they may have asked.
But don’t stop there. Follow them on social media. Visit and comment on their blog. Subscribe to their list, if you like what you see. Your response will make a lasting impression in the mind of your reader. Don’t waste it. #9. Getting Your First Negative Blog CommentAfter weeks of praise, attaboys, and well-wishes, you receive your first negative comment. You try to laugh it off by making a “these are where the tears would be if I could cry” joke, but it doesn’t work. You’re confused. Hurt. Maybe a little angry. (Plus, your spouse quickly reminds you of the time you cried like a baby watching Field of Dreams.) Don’t let it get you down. As you gain in popularity, criticism is inevitable. Consider it a badge of honor — every popular blogger receives negative comments. It’s proof you’re on the right track.
How to Reach This Milestone
What to Do Next
As much as you would like to respond to the negative comment with a barrage of sarcastic wit and venom, don’t do it.
Delete the comment, ignore the comment, or respond to it in a professional manner. But whatever you do, remain calm. Don’t let the insults fly. Others will see how you respond, and it will leave an indelible impression of you in their minds. #10. Landing Your First Guest PostSooner or later, you’ll discover that commenting on other blogs and making friends on Twitter will boost your traffic only so far. You need to reach new audiences. As the marketing crowd would say, you need fresh eyeballs on your content. In other words, you need to write a guest post.
How to Kick Tail as a Guest Blogger
What to Do Next
Your job isn’t finished once your guest post is published. No siree, Bob.
You need to promote the post on your social media accounts. You need to email the post to your mailing list (even if it’s small). You need to respond to any comments readers leave on the post. And, most importantly, you need to thank the blogger or bloggers who gave you the opportunity to write for them. Guest blogging, as much as anything, is about the connections you can make. Backlinks, traffic spikes, and a bump in email subscribers are all nice. But establishing a long-term connection with an influential blog owner? That’s worth its weight in gold. #11. Getting Featured in Your First Interview or “Expert Roundup”When people see you repeatedly mentioned on other sites via interviews and roundups, their perceptions of you change. Yesterday, you were just an attractive guy or gal oozing talent but drowning in anonymity. Today, you’re a freaking rock star. You’re no more knowledgeable than you were moments earlier, but suddenly your powerful words carry more weight with readers. That’s because someone they trust just called you an expert (or treated you like one). To reach world-leader status, others must view you as an authority. They need to consider you an expert in your industry. Participating in interviews and roundups is a great way to make that happen.
How to Become an Influencer People Want to Interview or Quote
What to Do Next
Take advantage of the networking opportunities an interview or expert roundup creates.
If you’ve been interviewed, respond to those who leave comments. Engage with them. Give them a reason to visit your blog. If you participated in a roundup, you now have some common ground with the other bloggers who participated. Follow them on social media. Tag them when you tweet the roundup. Send them emails saying how much you enjoy their blogs. #12. Hitting Your First 100 Email SubscribersFinally. After having single- and double-digit subscribers for what seems like forever, you finally reach 100. One hundred individuals decide they want updates from you. These first 100 subscribers are arguably your most important. They’re the ones who found your blog in its early days. They’re the ones who decided to follow you before you were popular. They’re the ones likely to be your biggest supporters as you rise through the ranks and vanquish kingdoms.
How to Get More Email Subscribers
What to Do Next
Why not survey your subscribers? You’ve built a small tribe and it’s time to discover what they think.
Find out what kind of content they want you to create, and what kind of content they wish you would stop creating. To encourage participation, turn your survey into a contest. #13. Seeing a Post You Wrote Go ViralWow. That was unexpected. One of your posts takes off. It goes viral, as the kids say. At its simplest definition, a viral post is one which has a life beyond your own promotion of it. As such, it gets considerably more clicks and shares than your typical post. And, as a result, your blog receives a nice (if temporary) bump in traffic. Even if it’s short lived, a viral post means more eyes on your content. And that’s just what a prospective world ruler wants.
How to Go Viral
What to Do Next
Since the bump in traffic is only temporary, you must capitalize on it. You must turn as many of those visitors into subscribers as possible.
Make sure your call to action is clear and singularly focused. Offer a content upgrade for users who subscribe. Use one of the dozens of available WordPress plugins designed to help you boost your subscriber count. #14. Getting Mentioned or Followed by an A-list BloggerWhen Bob the bellhop from Bolivia mentions you on Twitter, a small handful of people will see it. That’s nice. But if John Lee Dumas, Pat Flynn, or Jeff Goins mentions you on Twitter, a small army will see it. That’s even better. When you’re mentioned or followed by an A-lister, it means much more than a small bump in traffic. It means you’ve made it onto the radar of someone with influence.
How to Connect with Influencers
What to Do Next
Just as a couple should keep wooing each other even after they’re married, you should continue doing the things which caused the A-list bloggers to notice you in the first place.
Keep sharing their content. Keep leaving comments. Keep engaging with them. #15. Hitting Your First 1,000 Email SubscribersNow we’re talking. Around the time you hit the 1,000 subscriber mark, your emails begin to carry more weight. You’re able to generate traffic for new posts simply by emailing your subscribers. Even better? You can begin making real money from your blog. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to make at least $1 per subscriber each month — more if you really know what you’re doing.
How to Get Even More Email Subscribers
What to Do Next
It’s time to think about monetizing your blog.
Affiliate programs, sponsored content, digital products, and consulting/coaching sessions are common methods for making money with your blog. And speaking of those last two… #16. Successfully Selling Your First Product or Consulting SessionYou tried your hand at sponsored ads. Maybe you even had a little success with them. But eventually, you aim higher. You decide to offer your skills as a coach or consultant. Or maybe you decide to create your own digital product because you like the idea of unlimited income potential. Whatever the route, the desire is the same: to pad your wallet with twenty dollar bills.
How to Reach This Milestone
What to Do Next
Don’t rest on your laurels.
Once you’ve created your first product or course, create a sales funnel with an email autoresponder series. Then start working on your next product. #17 Reaching 1,000 Visitors a DayWhen you reach 1,000 daily visitors, your blog will be perched at a level many bloggers never see. Your blog has momentum, which means your email list starts to grow on its own. You’re selling more products and services. Your social media shares are increasing too, which is bringing even more new visitors. Your hard work is paying off. “Soon,” you say to yourself before laughing maniacally. “Soon.”
How to Get More Traffic
What to Do Next
Resist the urge to publish more often. Even though you receive traffic bumps on the days you publish, your time will be better spent on promotion.
If anything, scale back on your blogging and focus even more time on promotion. For example: targeted advertising. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others offer bloggers the ability to advertise and bring in additional traffic to their sites. #18. Reaching 100,000 Visitors in a MonthWhen you reach 100,000 visitors in a month, you’ve reached a level of success most can only dream of. At this level, practically anything you try can be lucrative.
How to Boost Blog Traffic
What to Do Next
Dig into Google Analytics and learn how to make the most of its data. Discover which topics and posts are performing best, and optimize your blog accordingly. Identify your most important traffic sources, and adjust your outreach efforts.
And if you haven’t started monetizing your blog yet, you’re leaving real money on the table each month. Get started! #19. You Hit 10,000 Email SubscribersAs Jon Morrow likes to say: 10,000 subscribers is the “magic number.” With 10,000 subscribers, publishers beat down your door to give you a book deal. With 10,000 subscribers, you could make a full-time living as a coach or consultant. With 10,000 subscribers, you can easily sell a course you have created. In short, earning a six-figure income from your blog is entirely realistic when you have 10,000 subscribers. It’s arguably the most important blogging milestone.
How to Supercharge Your Email List
What to Do Next
Look for ways to improve your email open rates. It doesn’t matter how big your list is if nobody bothers to read your emails.
As your list grows, and your humble blog starts to look more like a viable business, you may need to trade your email provider for a more sophisticated solution, such as Infusionsoft that can handle e-commerce and relationship management as well. #20. Finally Earning Enough Money to Quit Your Day JobIt’s the dream of most bloggers. Being able to quit your job and blog full-time means you’re able to quit the rat race. It means you can set your own schedule, pursue your passions, and spend more time with your loved ones. It means you’re the boss.
How to Quit Your Job
What to Do Next
Don’t quit your job just yet! Instead, create an exit plan.
Decide what kind of financial buffer you’ll need just in case things get tough. Your buffer will depend on your risk tolerance and personal situation, but a good rule of thumb is three to six months of salary in the bank. Use the time leading up to your departure to ensure your blog is running smoothly by the time you quit. Automate everything you can. Create processes to ensure you can work as efficiently as possible. Because when the paychecks stop, you don’t want any additional drag. #21. Achieving World DominationYou did it. They said it wasn’t possible, but you made it happen. The world is your oyster. You’re the master of your own destiny. And it’s all thanks to your blog. Now it’s time to take a vacation. Maybe even move to paradise. Heck, you earned it. So What’s Your Next Big Blogging Milestone?You realize they’re yours for the taking, right? The niche you want to dominate? The house in the Hamptons? The sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads? They’re all out there… just waiting for you. They’re waiting for you to decide, “Today is the day I’ll make my dreams come true.” They’re waiting for you to stop reading and start doing. So, don’t just sit there. Work out where you are on the list and what you must do to hit that next big milestone. And let’s do this thing. Because the world isn’t going to rule itself.
About the Author: Five years after first writing this post, Kevin J. Duncan’s dreams of quitting the rat race, blogging full-time, and world domination came true when Jon invited him to join the Smart Blogger team as our Blog Editor.
Never give up, folks. Never, ever give up. The post 21 Blogging Milestones on the Path to World Domination appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/bucket-list/ How to Plan Your Social Media Marketing: Four Tools for Approvals Workflow and Collaboration2/28/2019
When you work on a team managing social media--whether a team of 2 or 20--issues and mix-ups are bound to arise: Who decides what gets published? Who is allowed to access a particular social account? How do you quickly get approval from busy managers or clients? These four tools can ... Read the full article at MarketingProfs
from https://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2019/40702/how-to-plan-your-social-media-marketing-four-tools-for-approvals-workflow-and-collaboration Saving time, making connections with influencers, building authority — these are just some of the benefits of content curation. But you might also have lots of questions like…
Well, here’s the good news: In this post, I’ll answer all those questions about content curation and more. If you’re new to the topic, I’ll explain exactly what content curation is and why you should do it. We’ll also explore some tools and tactics for streamlining your content curation process, saving you loads of time, even if you’ve been doing it a while. And the best part… Lots of real-world examples! You’ll see what’s working in the trenches right now, so you can model it for yourself. Table of Contents
Why Should I Consider Content Curation?There’s an overabundance of information out there. As I write, in the early evening, around 3 million blog posts have been published today, all vying for your attention. Every second there are:
By 2020, an estimated 1.7 GB of data will be created for every person on earth — every second! No-one can possibly keep up. But with content curation, they don’t have to. Think of it like this: Imagine there was only one radio station that played every genre of music and broadcast all the news and talk-back shows ever made. Your passion is country music, but it’s too hard to find amidst the noise of the other content. Along comes a small, independent radio station dedicated to bringing you the best country music it can source. Everything about country music that entertains and informs you. All curated in one place for people like yourself to enjoy. Which radio station will you tune into the most? That’s why content curators are becoming increasingly important in a world of time-strapped, overwhelmed content-consumers. And that’s why every blogger, brand and business should consider curation as part of their content marketing strategy. What is Content Curation?Content curation is the art of sourcing, filtering and repackaging all forms of existing content to share with a specific audience to add value to their lives and save them time. Phew. That’s quite a mouthful. Let’s break it down into more bite-sized chunks before we delve into the detail of how to do it.
The Benefits of Content CurationIt Makes You a Trusted AuthorityWhen you consistently curate relevant content for your audience — and add value with your insights — you become a go-to person for your topic. Before long, your audience will turn to you as one of their trusted sources because you know how to filter out the noise and deliver what’s important. You’re making it easier and faster to find what they’re looking for.
Example: Social Media Today is a website and daily newsletter with 104k subscribers. In addition to curating the top news stories and publishing their own articles, they also provide information on industry events and jobs and run regular Twitter chats on all things related to social media marketing.
It Builds Your CredibilityMost businesses publish original content as part of their online marketing strategy. And that’s still a great approach. But sometimes it’s good to combine your advice with those of others. Curating work by other experts proves you care enough about your audience to bring them the best content — not just your own voice — which gives you greater credibility.
Example: If anyone has the right to voice his own opinions it’s Brian Clark of CopyBlogger fame, one of the world’s most influential blogs. But Brian also chooses to share curated content through his weekly email Unemployable for freelancers. It is this generosity of time and knowledge that boosts his credibility and pays back big time when it comes to selling his fee-generating services.
It Establishes Connections with InfluencersEvery time you curate content produced by an influencer or include their expert opinion in a curated list post of your own, you are endorsing their views and opening them up to a new audience. It also helps put you on their radar. You can draw their attention by tagging them on social media when you share their work, or emailing them a link to your curated blog post. Content curation is a great way to build solid relationships with top influencers in your niche, but only if you get it right. Like this:
Example: Mashable.com is a digital media site, which published a guest post by Aaron Orendorff about growth hacking strategies. In it he curates advice from 25 influencers and includes their headshots and links back to their sites. The post received a total of 4.4k shares across social media, and I bet I know where 25 of those came from.
It Makes You a Trend SpotterWhen you spend a couple of hours a day sourcing relevant and interesting content, you can’t help but increase your knowledge. You’ll start recognizing patterns and trends as they’re happening, and gaps in existing content you might be able to fill. Not only does this add value for your audience, but it also makes you a credible expert in your niche and one to watch.
Example: CB Insights mines massive amounts (I’m talking terabytes) of data to identify and make sense of emerging technology and business trends for its customers. And it puts this to good use by sharing its often-irreverent insights and curated findings in its free daily newsletter to over 537,000 subscribers.
It Can Boost Your Google Ranking (When You Get It Right)Many people think curated content could harm your Google ranking because it’s seen as duplicate content. And that’s true, if you do nothing but reproduce the original. But content curation is all aboutadding value. Here’s proof. The folks at Bruce Clay Inc. ran a test to see what ranking Google would give to curated content on their blog versus the original. You can read the full details here. Bottom line: When they reproduced the original post without adding value, the ranking went down from 4th place to 10th. But when they published an excerpt of the original with theirown summary and links, the ranking shot up to 1st place — even higher than the original post.
Example: SmartBrief.com (“We read everything. You get what matters.”) is a curator of industry news. It’s easy to navigate with every piece of content summarized in their own words, which adds value for their readers and brownie points with Google.
It Can Help Build Your Social Media Following, FasterAs a curator, your output of content will increase, giving you a lot more to Tweet about on a regular basis. But remember, always aim to add value, not simply retweet or share.
Example: TheSkimm is a curated subscription service for female millennials — over 7 million subscribers. It delivers its content via audio, video, an app, and of course, social media: They have 608k followers on Instagram, 246k on Twitter, over 1.1m likes and followers on Facebook, and 465k views on YouTube. That’s an impressive social media presence.
It Can Grow Communities and ConversationsGreat content curation encourages debate and feedback. When you add your own insights and respond to audience comments by providing them with more of what they want, it can attract other like-minded people to your knowledge “hug.” They come not just to seek information from you but also to share content and support each other.
Example: TED.com is one of the best-known global communities. At its core, it’s a curator of ideas, or as they put it in their mission statement: “We’re building a clearinghouse of free knowledge from the world’s most inspired thinkers — and a community of curious souls to engage with ideas and each other.” With an online community of tens of thousands, over 11 million Twitter followers, and 35 people watching a TED Talk every second, I reckon they’ve accomplished their mission.
The Myths of Content CurationIt Saves You a Truckload of TimeWhen done properly, the full process of content curation can take just as much time as creating original content. Sometimes more. You have to source, repackage and share a ton of information. Sure, this can be done more efficiently with automated tools. But you must also spend time filtering the content, adding insight and perspective, and building relationships with influencers and other publishers. This is where the real value of content curation kicks in. And it takes time. With curation, the volume of your published and shared content will increase, but your ability to spend more time with your feet up enjoying a beer won’t. So, don’t become a content curator if your sole purpose is to save time. All You Have to Do Is Find Relevant Content and Pump It out to Your SubscribersIf you just share every blog post and article you find on your topic without any filtering, you can do more harm than good to your brand and reputation. The content you curate will reflect directly on your credibility and reputation, so choose wisely. You Never Have to Worry About Creating Your Own Content AgainUndoubtedly, content curation is a great way to build authority in your niche, but it’s rare to find a site that relies 100% on curated content. Research has shown that creating your own content is more valuable regarding conversions. And let’s face it. That’s one of the main reasons we do content marketing of any kind. The research is explained by Tristan Handy in this post, who says the ratio for publishing curated v. original content on social media is around 60:40. This isn’t a hard and fast rule, and everyone needs to find their own sweet spot, but it’s not a bad guideline if you’re just starting out. Content Curation Strategy: How to Get ResultsGive Your Audience What It WantsWhat are they looking for when they seek information? What are they sharing on social media? Are they looking for comparisons and reviews, or the latest industry trends? Do they want to be entertained, inspired or informed? If you don’t have an existing audience, read this post. If you do have an audience, but you’re still not sure what they’re looking for, read this post.
Example: Further.com is a curated weekly email targeted directly at Generation X, by Brian Clark, one of the most influential Generation X-ers on the net. He knows what they’re thinking, feeling and aspiring to, and he delivers in spades.
Source Valuable ContentOverwhelming as it seems when you start out, sourcing great content is not hard, especially with so many automated tools at your fingertips. RSS feed readers are the first go-to source of content for curators. Using tools such as Flipboard allows you to search by URL or topic and collate your content into categories. Social media is the next main source, and again you have a myriad of tools at your disposal. For example, Social Searcher is a free platform that allows you to search by hashtags or topics and brings up every post published on the major social media sites. Or you can create a Twitter list to collate the accounts you follow. Find the right tools from the list below for your content sourcing and collating purposes, and remember to stay focused when you go searching. You can easily disappear down a rabbit warren of irrelevant information. And finally, don’t forget your own blog or social media pages as a source of content. Select posts that have done well in the past and may resonate with a new audience. Or think about repurposing or updating an old post. Here’s a great example of curating your content from Copyblogger. Filter Your ContentContent curation without filtering is a no-no. This is part of the process that’s going to demand time and attention, but it’s worth it. Once you have a good collection of content, filter each piece through these questions:
If the answer is yes, keep that piece of content and move on to the next step. If it’s no, dump it. Always Add ValueThere’s one more important consideration before you hit that share button. You need to add value. You know the content is worthy of sharing because you’ve filtered it. Now you need to tell your audience why. The following are some of the ways you can add value:
Make It Look GoodThink about a museum curator. Their job is to present an exhibition of works in a manner that makes sense. They encourage visitors in by making the collection look enticing. They often separate subcategories by rooms or open spaces. They add information and insights to each piece and present them in a logical flow. They don’t take random artworks, dump them in the middle of a room and expect visitors to work it out for themselves. Neither should you. Think about how you’ll best present your curated content on your website or in a newsletter. And above all, make sure you consistently represent and reflect your brand, whether that’s through the use of your logo and colors, your voice, the language you use or the content you curate.
Example: brainpickings.com by Maria Popova is a fine example of a well-presented and branded website with some of the most thoughtful and insightful curations on the web today.
Dedicate TimeAim to make the practice of curation a daily habit. When you’re starting out, set aside at least an hour a day to source, filter and add value to existing content. Build up a collection of quality content, enhanced with your own insights, that you know your audience will love. Be EthicalThe curating and sharing of content created by others is growing in popularity with proven success rates when it’s done right. And successful curators always follow these golden rules:
Find the Right Distribution Channels and Publishing ScheduleHands up anyone who’s shared anything on social media. That’s how easy content curation can be when you’re starting off. However, you should aim to use a variety of distribution channels as your curation efforts take wings. The four main ones are as follows: Social MediaMake sure you add your own introduction or insights to shared links, giving your audience a reason to click through to the original. Like this: Your BlogThis is where you can produce original posts featuring curated content (think “best of” posts, or list posts of tools and resources). Here’s a great example from CXL, which has curated 10 of its own articles in this post. Email NewslettersSend them out daily, weekly — whatever works best for you. Just make sure it’s at the same time each day or week so you can condition your audience to look forward to them. Convince & Convert’s email turns up in my inbox as regular as clockwork once a week with a mixture of curated and original content. WebsitesDedicating a website to content curation is best left until you’ve built your skills as a curator through some of the less demanding channels like social media and your blog. While you can build a successful content curation site on your own (take brainpickings.org, for example), mainstream information streams like Redef offer up a daily mix of hand-picked content that takes a sizeable team to curate and maintain. So, depending on the time sensitivity of your curated content and the method you’ll use to distribute it, you might aim to share on social media every second day, and publish a newsletter or blog post weekly, or monthly if that feels more doable. If you dive right in with a daily email or a dedicated website, you may create a monster you wish you’d never started. You can always increase the regularity of your content distribution once you become more confident. Now, set up a social media publishing schedule in whatever program or content curation tool you feel comfortable with. But a word of warning: Don’t schedule social media posts too far in advance. You want them to be as fresh and timely as possible. The following are some additional things to think about regarding distribution and timing:
Reach Out to InfluencersIf you want your curated content to fly, you should reach out to influencers. Here’s how you do it: First, read this post and start practicing some of the techniques to get on your favorite influencer’s radar. Next, when you’ve created your first blog post of curated links (a list of the best, or a round-up post for example), reach out to the influencers you’ve mentioned in the post. Here’s how you find their email addresses. You want to send your email before you publish. Something along these lines:
Hey [name of influencer],
I wanted to give you the heads up that we’re just about to publish a curated list of the top 20 tools and resources for freelancers, and you made the list because [tailor your reason why they made the cut]. We’re hoping to publish within the next few days, and I’ll send you the link as soon as it goes live. Thanks for being a continued inspiration. Cheers, [your name] Now you’ve got their attention, and they’ll likely be curious about your post. As soon as it goes live, send them a follow-up email:
Hey [name of influencer],
Here’s the link to the curated post I mentioned in my last email: The Top 20 Tools and Resources for Freelancers [Name of influencer’s site] is included as #5. If you think it deserves a share, we’d be grateful for the exposure. Either way, we were delighted to include you in our round-up. Cheers, [your name] Finally, when you’re sharing other curated content in social media, tag the original creator to let them know you’re sharing their work. But make sure you add value by highlighting something important. You need to demonstrate you’ve read their work and why it’s of value to your audience. A simple retweet or share won’t impress them. 10 Examples of Killer Content CurationThe following examples are great picks because they all demonstrate at least one outstanding quality of content curation, and together they showcase a cross-section of distribution channels and topics. #1. Kottke.org: BlogFounded by Jason Kottke in 1998, Kottke.org is one of the oldest blogs on the net. Jason (almost) single-handedly curates and creates content across several different topics. In January 2018, Jason launchedNoticing, an email newsletter with a curated roundup of the week’s posts on Kottke.org. He has even curated a collection of more than 2,000 books and products he’s linked to over the years, entitled The Accidental Shop, all of which you can purchase at Amazon. Why is it killer curation? Because the blog and website are nurtured and maintained by an individual with a strong personable voice. Jason curates and writes about what interests him, but in doing so, he reveals what’s interesting about himself, which is an attractive quality. This organic, hands-on approach to his work has built a loyal following of subscribers and members whom he talks to like old friends. #2. Deadspin.com: WebsiteThis one is for all you sports lovers, as long as you don’t mind a healthy dose of humor and sarcasm served up with your daily news and commentary. Edited by Megan Greenwell, Deadspin has broken several major stories making it a credible and widely-followed source of sports information for its mainly male community. It also distributes a weekly newsletter to subscribers. Why is it killer curation? It knows exactly what its audience is looking for and serves them well. It’s brash but unpretentious. It’s a visually appealing site, relying heavily on videos and images. Above all, its conversational tone makes it feel more like chatting to your buddies about the latest game than a staid news site. Bang on brand. #3. The Moz Top 10: Email NewsletterThe Moz Top 10 newsletter is emailed to subscribers every two weeks. In addition to the newsletter and its prolific social media sites, Moz publishes a blog (with daily updates emailed to subscribers) and its famous Whiteboard Friday videos. Why is it killer curation? Moz.com (founded by former CEO, Rand Fishkin) is one of the leading authorities on anything SEO and digital marketing. But you knew that, right? So, when they say they’ll share the“10 most valuable articles about SEO and online marketing that we could find,” you know they’ll dish up the goods. This email is killer curation because it’s current in a rapidly changing arena. It’s on point and unfussy, it’s easy to navigate, it adds considerable value and saves time. #4. Smashing Magazine: WebsiteSmashing Magazine is a curated information resource for web designers and developers. The website is fun and quirky (what’s with the cats?) while being chock full of articles, books, and even a job postings board. You can also subscribe to a newsletter, emailed out every two weeks. Why is it killer curation? As you would expect from web developers, the site is beautifully designed and easy to navigate with just the right number of tricks to be impressive, without being distracting. But it’s the community focus that’s most impressive. The passion for their subject matter really shines through, as does their desire to serve and support their audience with the best content and resources. #5. Rohit Bhargava: Twitter AccountRohit Bhargava is a marketing expert who describes himself as a “trend curator.” When he’s not teaching, blogging, writing books, or giving keynote presentations, he Tweets. At least daily. Rohit is the founder of the Non-Obvious company, which monitors and reports on trends and provides weekly insights through its email newsletter. It also runs the Non-Obvious book awards, which is a by-product of all the reading Rohit and his team do to curate ideas for their annual trends list. Why is it killer curation? Rohit’s Twitter feed is full of links to funny, informative, thought-provoking, trend-setting insights. He has an innate sense of balance between light-hearted and serious, and he injects just enough of his content and promotion to remain credible. Which is why he has amassed an impressive 34.3k followers. #6. Next Draft: Email NewsletterEvery day, Dave Pell sends out his news round-up — Next Draft. He curates ten items a day that he considers to be the essential, fascinating bits of information you need, without you having to go search for them. Or, as he puts it on his website,“I am the algorithm.” Why is it killer curation? Because he does thisevery day. He takes content curation to the next level with his analysis and insightful commentary. But he’s also funny, wacky, and devilish enough to make you lust after his next email. #7. Rocumentaries.com: WebsiteAnd now for something completely different — documentaries that rock your world. This is a collection of documentaries from BBC, Channel 4, Netflix, VICE, YouTube and more. You can browse the website or subscribe to the email for the latest picks. Why is it killer curation? Because the site is wonderfully minimalist and focused. This is for and by lovers of documentaries. Nothing more and nothing less. You can sort by genre, sources, or recommendations and read the original curation notes before deciding which ones to download. #8. Growth.email: Email NewsletterThis is another simple but highly targeted email. Compiled by Miles Burke, Growth.email delivers ten articles a week that have been carefully sourced, analyzed and curated. The theme, as the name suggests, is about growing revenue and business. Why is it killer curation? There is no fluff. This is a thoughtfully curated collection of ten articles a week that has the audience’s interests firmly in mind. Miles does this on his own, for free. It’s content curation at its purest. #9. Really Good Emails: Website, Email Newsletter and YouTube ChannelThis site is a curated collection for email marketing geeks. It has curated and showcased almost 4,000 email designs to date, and it provides practical and insightful critiques through its YouTube Channel, Feedback Friday. Every week it sends an email round-up of curated links to its subscribers entitled “News and articles we thought you’d like.” Why is it killer curation? This is one of those emails I really enjoy seeing in my inbox. It’s inspirational, educational, fun and I think I’ve clicked through to a link from every email I’ve received. Which is what you’d expect from email marketing experts. #10. Wirecutter.com: WebsiteWirecutter provides news and recommendations for its readers about the best gear and gadgets it can find. With detailed reviews, interviews and data, this is a curated gallery of diverse and insanely useful items with links back to the sellers. The website also has a Deals page with the latest retail discounts updated daily and sent to your inbox via an email newsletter. Why is it killer curation? This is curation with a difference. The team at Wirecutter spend hours, weeks and sometimes months researching and testing products to make shopping easy for their audience. From TVs to toilet brushes, everything is scrutinized with precision and care to establish the best product to buy in each category. The site is easy to navigate, insanely useful and hugely addictive. Content Curation ToolsI haven’t set out to give you an exhaustive list. No-one ever could. Tools come and go on the Internet all the time. Instead, I’ve researched as many as possible to bring you a good cross section of 20 automated content curation tools. Most of them are free, some have a free trial period before you need to start paying, and a couple are for the more dedicated and experienced curators with paid plans to match. Explore the features and decide which are the best fit for your business. Best Tools for Sourcing and Collating ContentFeedlyFeedly lets you source content from almost anywhere on the web and organize it in your feeds. You can sort by topic, save to read later, and even share directly to your social media accounts. Its free for up to 100 sources and three feeds, and $5.41/month for the pro version. NewsBlurSimilar to Feedly, Newsblur is a free personal news reader that allows you to read content from 64 sites in their original format and save by categories. If you upgrade to the premium account ($36/year), you get access to unlimited sources, custom tags and more. InoReaderInoReader is another free reader that gives you access to an unlimited number of feeds and archived content. You can use folders and tags to sort and collate your content, and it’s quick and easy to get up and running. The starter plan is just $14.99/year to get rid of the ads and enjoy a customizable dashboard. InstaPaperInstapaper has a beautifully simple interface and lets you source and collate content from anywhere on the web. The best feature is adding highlights and comments to any article, but you’ll need to upgrade to the premium account for $2.00/month to unlock the unlimited version of notes and other features. VidinterestNo list of curation tools would be complete without one dedicated to videos. Vidinterest supports videos from YouTube, Daily Motion and Vimeo, and while other tools support a wider range of sources, Vidinterest is free. Plus you can earn affiliate dollars by writing and sharing reviews. Social SearcherA gazillion tools can help you source content from social media platforms, but I like Social Searcher because you can start using it without registering an account. This gives you access to real-time searches across 12 social media platforms, data analytics and the ability to sort by date or popularity. Upgrade to the basic plan for around $4/month and you can start saving your searches and monitoring data results. Blog Lovin’You’ve gotta love Blog Lovin’! It keeps all of the blogs you follow in one place and updates your feed as they publish new posts. It operates like a cross between a news reader and a social media platform, with love and comment buttons and a card layout like Pinterest. And it’s free. Flow ReaderFlow Reader is the best free content sourcing and collating tool in this list because you can combine your RSS and social network feeds in one platform. Best Tools for Sharing Curated Content on Social Media and Your BlogCrowdFireWith over 19 million users, Crowdfire is a crowd pleaser regarding content curation. Source from social media and other websites and blogs with its new RSS feature. Customize and schedule posts for each social media profile. It’s free for unlimited curation and up to 10 posts/month on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. It’s $9.90/month for the plus account. DrumUpDrumUp lets you source, collate and share content across multiple social media accounts. You can get hashtag and content recommendations to suit your audience, share directly from the Chrome extension and track and measure engagement. DrumUp has a limited free plan, and the paid plans start at $15/month. TriberrTriberr is a content marketing tool wrapped up in a community of like-minded bloggers. Firstly, it helps you source and share content across your social media accounts. But you can also follow and share posts from tribes of bloggers and influencers and get invited to become a member. You can get started on Triberr for free, or unlock additional features for $20/year. TailwindIf your content marketing is focused on Pinterest and Instagram, this one’s for you. With Tailwind, you can source, schedule and publish across both platforms and monitor and track the success of your efforts. There’s a free trial period, but the paid plan for bloggers and small businesses starts at an affordable $9.99/month. Tweeted TimesThe Tweeted Times helps you create a curated online newspaper from the most relevant content on Twitter to share with your followers. You can get basic branding and promotion for your newspaper for free, or pay $15/month to unlock more features in the pro plan. Curation SoftThis is the only software included in the list. It’s compatible with several major platforms including WordPress, Blogger and Facebook. CurationSoft is easy to use. You can search for content by keyword across blogs and social media, drag and drop, add your own commentary and post. It comes with a 14-day free trial and costs $49/year for the annual plan or $5/month for a pay-as-you-go plan. Best Tools for Publishing Curated Email NewslettersElinkElink is a visual collection of curated links that are shareable in an email newsletter and other online formats. From Elink you can source content, design and personalize your email, add curated links and send it to your subscribers via Mailchimp. Elink has a free 14-day trial, and then it costs $12/month. NuzzelNuzzel is a free Twitter and Facebook news monitoring and research tool that also sends out automatically generated or self-curated social newsletters. Subscribers to your newsletter receive a daily email containing the top five stories from your Nuzzel feed or any stories you want to include. RevueRevue is an email newsletter tool that connects to a range of social media and other content curation tools to build the content for your newsletter. It’s free for up to 50 subscribers and $5/month (or more as your subscriber numbers increase). Best Tools for the Full PackageContent StudioWith Content Studio, you can source and filter trending content and share it across your social media accounts, blog and email marketing platforms. The free subscription allows you to publish up to 500 posts/month to two social media accounts, but you’ll need to upgrade to the $49/month pro plan for unlimited social media and blog publishing. Publish ThisPublish This is another full package content curation tool that lets you curate and publish content in newsletters and social media accounts. It’s free to start, but paid plans start at a slightly higher $99/month. Scoop.it!With Scoop.it, you can source content and publish it across your social media accounts, in your blog, your website or your newsletters. But you can only publish to one social media account with the free subscription and publish to five with the pro subscription ($14.99/month). If you want to embed on your website or publish newsletters, you will need to upgrade again to plus for $67/month, so this is a tool you will need to grow into. Can You Hire Content Curators to Do This?Sure, you can hire a freelancer or VA to do several content marketing tasks for you. But consider a few things before you search Google. Whenever you outsource work, you’ll have a trade-off. No-one will know your brand and voice as well as you unless they work with you consistently over a length of time. So, you need to decide what functions of your content curation you are comfortable outsourcing and what needs to be done by you to retain an authentic relationship with your audience. My suggestion is that with a good brief, you can hire a VA to:
You still need to add your own voice and insights to your curated content before sharing it, but a VA can do a lot of the time-consuming implementation tasks, freeing up your time to focus on strategy and relationship building. And secondly, it might not be a smart move to outsource your content curation until you have mastered the discipline yourself with the aid of the tools available. You’ll be in a much better position to work effectively with a VA down the road once you have tested curation firsthand and understand the needs and interests of your audience. The Bottom Line on Content CurationA final word of advice: In your rush to embrace your new curation skills, don’t ever stop writing your own blog or producing your own videos and podcasts. Just ease back a little (remember that 60:40 rule of thumb). Curation can certainly lighten the load and open new doors, but it will never replace the authority-building power that comes with creating original content. What it does give you is a stack of new opportunities to build relationships with influencers and turbo-charge your social media following. Just remember — always filter the content you source, always add value with your own insights and find a publishing schedule that works for you. The grind of having to come up with something fresh and original on a daily basis is relegated to the past. You’re now armed with the strategy and tools to become a killer content curator! So, go get ‘em! About the AuthorMel Wicks is a seasoned copywriter who helps bloggers and business owners bring the ‘wow-where-do-I- sign-up’ oomph to their writing. Give your original content a shot in the arm with her free ‘No-Fluff Guide to Writing Epic Blog Posts Every Time’. The post The Ultimate Guide to Content Curation (With Examples!) appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/content-curation/
Instagram has over 1 billion active monthly users, but seeing success on the social platform is still a challenge for many marketers. Here's what your business needs to know before you 'gram. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
from https://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2019/40315/21-instagram-stats-every-e-commerce-brand-should-know-infographic It’s an addiction like any other. Ten or twenty bucks will scratch that itch, but the high never lasts, and before long you’re craving the next hit. And the worst part? Nobody understands. Except just maybe a fellow addict… That’s how I’d introduce myself to the support group. (You know, the one that doesn’t exist yet.) I’d stand up and tell my story to a circle of fellow addicts, who’d nod their silent support. My own addiction started with an act of vanity — I acquired the .COM version of my own name. That was 17 years ago, and owning a piece of Internet real estate was novel and exciting. But that first domain registration, like the first high from an illicit drug, set me on the path to dependency. The Telltale Signs of a Destructive Domain HabitLike many addicts, I failed to acknowledge my problem until it was too late. For years I told myself buying domains was just a harmless hobby. Something to do on evenings and weekends to help unwind after work. But over time my hobby became a powerful obsession. I’d wake up each morning with a head full of new domain ideas and a burning desire to check their availability. At social occasions, I’d sneak out of the room to browse domain resale sites on my smartphone. And despite plans to become a savvy domain “flipper,” I was selling almost none of the domains I bought, instead keeping them for personal use. Eventually, my behavior became more erratic. I would buy any domains I could get my hands on — .ORGs, .COs, even .INFOs. One Monday morning I hit rock bottom when I found a dozen GoDaddy receipts in my inbox for domains that had no practical purpose. Worse still, I couldn’t even remember buying them. These days I’m on the road to recovery, and my mission is to help other addicts. So take a careful look at the list below, and see if you recognize any of these destructive behaviors. If so, you might just be a domain name junkie. #1. You Just Can’t Quit GoDaddyWhen you’re a domain name junkie, you struggle to think about anything else. You spend every idle moment brainstorming cool domains for your “someday, one day” online projects. And once an idea has surfaced, you simply must know — is the name already taken? It doesn’t matter where you are, at work, at home, even in bed. You have to know. When you discover the domain has already been taken (the good ones usually are), you start the search for viable alternatives. And once you’ve dived down the rabbit hole, you can hardly crawl back out. #2. You Lie About How Many Domains You OwnWhen you start collecting domains, it’s fun to log in to your account and delight in the breadth of your online kingdom. But one day you reach the point where that list of domains is a painful reminder of a habit that’s out of control. When your partner catches you buying yet another domain and casually asks, “How many is that now?” you pretend you don’t know, or deliberately lowball the true number. But of course, lying is a telltale sign your casual hobby has turned into a serious problem. #3. You’ve Started Dabbling in the Newer TLDsIn the beginning (well, 1985), just six top-level domains (TLDs): .COM, .ORG, .NET, .EDU, .GOV and .MIL existed, but that list has since snowballed. Today we have more than 1,500 TLDs including .COFFEE, .LAWYER and .PORN. On the one hand, domains are more plentiful than ever, and even if your dream .COM is long gone, you have hundreds of other options for snagging a snappy name. On the other hand, who knows how much prestige these newer domains will hold over the longer term? Nobody wants to build their blog around the domain equivalent of a pet rock. Some domain junkies won’t look beyond .COM, but if you’re exploring the murkier end of the market (.CM anyone?), it might be a sign that your hobby’s taking a worrying turn. #4. You Tell Yourself You’re a “Domain Investor”When your domain account lists tens (or even hundreds) of seemingly random domain purchases, there are two ways to explain it. Either it’s the result of years of clueless impulse buying from a click-happy domain junkie with no more strategy than a half-blind pigeon pecking in the dirt. Or it’s the culmination of a strategic acquisition campaign to build a valuable portfolio of undervalued digital assets for future sale. Not surprisingly, most domain name “enthusiasts” favor the second version. But deep down, if you suspect there’s very little method to your madness, it might be time to go cold turkey on domains. #5. You Read the Thesaurus… for FunNot every domain you dream up will be available for registration. The truth is, most won’t. That’s why a thesaurus is a domain collector’s best friend. In fact, uncovering snappy synonyms for your latest near-miss idea can be a lot of fun. But if a thesaurus has become your favorite bedtime read (you know, just in case a cool domain idea jumps out) it may be time to seek professional help. Because — wake up call! — it’s a reference book, not the latest Jack Reacher. #6. You Secretly Stalk the Person Who Owns YourName.comI was lucky. I grabbed my personal domain before anyone else could. But if you have a popular birth name, or you were just too slow to the punch, your best options may already have gone. And that really stings. Because when your name’s John Brown, telling people your treasured home on the Internet is TheRealJohnWBrown.info is plain embarrassing. And that’s why you secretly stalk the person who nabbed your name online. You stake out their website, mentally mocking their pathetic efforts while waiting patiently for the right moment to pounce. Because one day, they’ll forget to renew that domain and then, my friend, victory will be yours. #7. You’ve Felt the Pain of “Lapsers Remorse”Sometimes you see a domain for what it is — a dumb impulse purchase you’ll never be able to use or resell. Maybe you tried to make money by listing it for sale at a couple of domain marketplaces but didn’t get the faintest sniff of interest. So when it comes up for renewal, you do the sensible thing and let it lapse. You even feel good about your level-headed decision. Weeks later, you casually check to see if anyone’s re-registered it and find it’s now listed on a “premium domains” site for $3,000! Of course, just because it’s listed for thousands doesn’t mean it’s worth thousands. But you can’t escape the feeling you let a valuable domain slip through your fingers. #8. You’re Considering a Domain-Inspired Career MoveSometimes you’ll stumble across a domain name that’s so good you simply have to own it… even though it’s totally unrelated to your work or hobbies. The smart move would be to snag it and sell it for a profit to someone who can make good use of it. But like Gollum and that damned ring, you can’t quite bring yourself to part with it. So your brain starts to explore a future possible world where you become the person for whom this is the perfect domain. Sure it means throwing away years of hard-won experience and starting a blog in a new field. But finding a domain this good must be a signal from the universe, right? #9. You Lose Interest in Domains Moments After Buying ThemOnce the buzz of snagging the name you’ve been lusting after subsides, a faint sense of regret can quickly follow. “I can’t believe nobody bought this yet,” quickly turns to, “I can’t believe I just bought that.” And the longer you hold onto a domain, the more money you rack up in wasted renewal fees. The best way to take your mind off this painful predicament? Start scouting for your next domain name. #10. You Have a Conspiracy Theory about Domain RegistrarsMaybe this happened to you… One day you check a new domain and find it available for the regular price. The next day it’s suddenly a “premium” domain, commanding several thousand dollars. And you can’t help but wonder: Did my search alert the registrar to the juicy potential of this previously unrecognized name? You wouldn’t be alone in your suspicions. Type “do domain registrars” into Google and “steal domains?” is the top auto-complete suggestion. Are registrars capable of dirty tricks like this? Maybe. It’s difficult to be sure. But paranoid thoughts like these might be the first sign your harmless hobby is turning into a dangerous addiction. Learn to Spot the Signs of Addiction Before It’s Too LateDomain name addiction is real. And it can wreck your life if you don’t catch it in time. If you suspect you might be addicted, ask yourself the following questions:
If so, you’re likely a domain name junkie. The good news? With the right support, a full recovery is possible. But you must take that crucial first step. Acknowledge your addiction. So repeat after me: “I’m a domain name junkie. And today’s the day I get help.”
About the Author: Glen Long is Smart Blogger’s operations guy and a recovering domain name junkie. He’s holding a “yard sale” of the best blogging, copywriting and content marketing domains that he’s collected over the years — go check it out.
The post 10 Things You’ll Only Understand If You’re a Domain Name Junkie appeared first on Smart Blogger. from https://smartblogger.com/domain-name-junkie/ If you’re a beginner with affiliate marketing, this post is going to become your new Bible. Not only am I going to teach you the basics of affiliate marketing, but we’ll also dive into some real examples from professional affiliate marketers who are making thousands or even millions of dollars per year. In other words… Want to make a few extra bucks on the side without doing much? I got you covered. Or maybe you’re wondering how to become an affiliate marketer and quit your day job? You’ll find this useful too. Let’s jump in. Table of ContentsWhat Is “Affiliate Marketing”?Well, here’s our (somewhat long-winded) definition: If you’ve been listening to us for long, you’ve learned that bloggers make money by building an audience that trusts them, and then offering products or services that will genuinely help that audience. Affiliate marketing is really just a quicker way to offer products and services without creating them yourself. In practice, it’s a modern interpretation of a very old idea — getting a commission on a sale. You introduce your readers to products or services from trusted companies or individuals and get a commission on any sales from customers you send their way. For bloggers, that means you find a product or service that you like, promote it to your readers, and earn part of the profit on each sale that you make. Simple idea, right? Let’s see an example. In our WordPress hosting post, we give readers the ins and outs of how to choose an excellent host. A portion of readers want to know who we recommend based on those criteria, and so here’s what we say: The arrow is pointing to an affiliate link. If anyone clicks on that link and buys from them, we earn a commission Bloggers can include links like this in blog posts, emails, social media posts, and much more. We’ll get into all the possibilities later. For now, though, it’s important that you know exactly what affiliate marketing means — as well as its potential for you as a blogger. Why Should You Learn Affiliate Marketing?Here are three compelling reasons:
All pretty significant advantages to you as a growing blogger. But that’s not all. There are additional benefits to affiliate marketing as well:
Sounds pretty good in theory, right? Let’s see if affiliate marketing is right for you. Is Affiliate Marketing Easy?Affiliate income can look pretty attractive, but you need to have a few things in place first if you want to succeed. For instance, don’t jump into the deep end if you’re still figuring out how to start a blog. Instead, make sure that:
Hold Off on Affiliate Marketing if…If you already have a list of at least a few hundred people and are planning to sell services like coaching, consulting, design, writing or other professional services (as in legal advice, finance, or real estate) in the short term, it’s probably best to hold off on affiliate marketing. That’s because for service providers, your best bet is selling services first. It’s simply your most profitable way to start monetizing. You can consider adding affiliate offers into the mix once your money-making machine from services is running smoothly. Still with me? Great! Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: A Crash CourseEven though it’s based on a simple idea, affiliate marketing can be complicated, especially when you start getting into the nitty-gritty details. The section will help you understand the most important concepts without drowning you in technical detail. Let’s start with some basic definitions. Affiliate Marketing GlossaryAffiliate marketing has its own terminology, which can be confusing at first. But if you become familiar with these concepts, you’ll be well on your way. Here are a few terms it’s important to know: Affiliate — the partner who promotes the merchant’s products for a commission. Also called the publisher. Affiliate agreement — an informal agreement specifying the rules that both parties agree to, responsibilities, rates to be paid and other legalities. Affiliate link — a trackable URL that identifies the affiliate as the source of targeted traffic to a merchant’s site. (A click on an affiliate link counts as a referral.) Affiliate network — an online marketplace where merchants list their products and where affiliates can find products to sell. Affiliate program — a program set up by merchants to pay commissions when affiliates refer people to their products. Commission — a percentage of the total sale that is paid to the affiliate for referring the sale. Cookie — in affiliate marketing, cookies are used to assign a unique ID to the buyer in order to tag the purchase as being referred by you. Cookies usually have a predetermined lifespan, so that even if the buyer doesn’t purchase right away, you will still get credit for the sale if it occurs within that time-frame (often 60 days or more). Customer — the end user or purchaser of the merchant’s product or service. Merchant — the owner or creator of the product or service. Also known as a retailer or brand. Referral — credit for a click or a sale that occurs when the affiliate sends traffic to the merchant’s site. How Do I Become an Affiliate Marketer?Affiliate marketing can get pretty technical. Fortunately, you don’t need to know all the details to get started. The actual mechanics run in the background, thanks to the merchant’s affiliate program software. But here’s a quick look behind the scenes:
Here’s a graphical overview to help you visualize the process: The flow is pretty straightforward once you understand it, and it works the same no matter what kind of product you’re promoting or how established you are as an affiliate marketer. So let’s look at the typical progression for a blogger who’s serious about making affiliate marketing a major source of income. How to Start Affiliate Marketing in 5 Steps:Here’s the key point you need to understand if you want to become an affiliate marketer:
You’re earning a commission in exchange for giving readers valuable insights on products or services they were already thinking about purchasing.
In other words, your readers are already buying things. They are already going to make a purchase whether or not you give them any advice. The question is, could you help them make a smarter decision than they could alone? Because that’s where you add value. You earn a commission in exchange for helping people make smarter decisions, and you use your blog and the Internet to systemize that process, providing valuable advice to thousands of people. Here’s a step-by-step process for doing exactly that: Step 1: Identify What Your Audience is Already PurchasingThe core question you need to ask yourself is: What types of products and services is your audience already buying? For example, Smart Blogger readers all need WordPress hosting, WordPress themes, and WordPress plugins to create their site. So, we carefully research all the products in those categories and make recommendations. So, here’s the question for your audience: What Types of Products or Services Do They Buy?Initially, you might not know exactly what products to promote, but if you think about it for a bit, you can probably guess the major categories. For instance, what do moms of toddlers spend a lot of money on? My guess: child care, cleaning supplies, snacks, gas, toys. How about aspiring freelance photographers? Cameras, other photography equipment (lighting, lenses, etc.), photography courses, photo editing software, and so on. I’m guessing on both, but there’s a good chance my guesses are pretty spot on. When in doubt, you can also email your audience and just ask them. How to Conduct a Miniature SurveyThere are lots of tools out there for conducting surveys, but the simplest one is good old-fashioned email. Assuming you have an email list, just to send out an email like this: Readers will reply with answers and give you all kinds of interesting insights. Because it’s through email, you can also reply to ask them follow up questions if you like. And then you just need to… Step 2: Choose a Product to Promote as an AffiliateAs an ethical blogger, you’ll always be constrained in the products you choose to represent in one of two ways:
No matter which approach you take, expect to have to invest time and money into researching the best products for your audience. Here are your two main options (with your best option listed first). Option #1: Promote Products You Already Know and LoveThis is the most common way bloggers get started with affiliate sales. You become an affiliate for something that you’ve used yourself, had a good experience with, thoroughly tested and feel good recommending. You should be fairly confident that others will get the same results you did (or better), as long as they do the work. If you’ve found great success from a course, mastermind, or ebook that your readers could also benefit from, it only makes sense for you to spread the word and share your results. Do an inventory of the products, services and courses you already have experience with. You might have a list of a dozen or more. Which of these would you be thrilled to promote? Cross out any that don’t fit the bill. Now simply check to see if the merchant has an affiliate program (some won’t but you’ll probably be surprised at how many do). Do a Google search for “affiliate program” + [product name], or simply email the merchant and ask. Then run your remaining options through this Good Affiliate Product checklist:
The products that tick all the checkboxes are your best opportunities for affiliate income. As time goes on, add as many of these products to your mix as you like. You’ve found your first product! Apply using the merchant’s process and start promoting. If you’re just dipping your toe in the water of affiliate marketing, this first option may be enough to get you started. However, most bloggers will want to try the next one, too. (And you’ll have to explore the second option if you don’t have an existing product you love that is also a great match for your audience and offers an affiliate program.) Option #2: Find Products Via an Affiliate NetworkIf you don’t have any direct experience with or knowledge of products in your niche that could help your readers, you can often find good affiliate products on affiliate networks (← our detailed guide). But be careful — this approach requires that you invest time into research and money into purchasing products to try out, more so than the first option. That’s because there’s less trust and prior knowledge involved from the outset. You have to do your due diligence to protect your reputation and the credibility you’ve built with your readers. When you work through a network, you typically won’t know the merchant ahead of time and usually won’t build a relationship with them (your business relationship is with the network). Two of the most popular and reliable affiliate networks are Clickbank and Amazon Associates. Step 3: Get Yourself Set Up as an AffiliateWhether you work directly with a merchant or through a network, you’ll have to apply, be approved and provide certain information so that you can be paid. At a minimum you’ll need to provide:
In turn, the merchant must provide you with:
Here’s what some typical affiliate links look like.
EXAMPLE LINK THAT DIRECTS TO THE MERCHANT’S HOME PAGE
https://merchantsite.com/dap/a/?a=1199
EXAMPLE LINK TO ANOTHER PAGE ON THE MERCHANT’S SITE
https://merchantsite.com/dap/a/?a=1199&p=merchantsite.com/page.html
You’ll also usually get some tips and useful assets for marketing the product (often found in a welcome guide or on the affiliate reporting site). These could include:
If you use a network like Amazon, you’ll get your own link for each of the specific products you promote. Be sure to check your specific network’s help or support pages for more information.
Tip: If your audience is global (which many bloggers’ are), you might want to check out geniuslink for tracking overseas sales through Amazon, iTunes and Microsoft Store.
Step 4: Start Promoting Your Chosen Affiliate ProductsUltimately, all your hard work finding and evaluating products only pays off if somebody takes your advice and make the purchase, right? For that to happen, you need to put your recommendation in front of your audience. Even more importantly, you need to make your recommendation trustworthy. This is where a lot of affiliate marketers slip up. They think slapping some banners up on their blog that link to affiliate products is all they need to do. But take a look at this: Does that look trustworthy to you? Nowhere close, right? Well, here’s a little secret: The most successful affiliate promotions look nothing like that. Here’s what to do instead: Option #1: Create a Resource Page on Your BlogOur own resource page is a good example: It promotes lots of different products, but it also organizes them according to different types of readers and what they might need at the time. It also explains why those products would be helpful to them. In other words, it’s not just a sales pitch. It’s educational. And it’s an easy way to get started. Chances are, you can put together a resource page like this within a few hours. Your readers will also appreciate you putting all of your recommendations in one place for easy reference. Option #2: Create and Promote Custom ContentCustom content strategies will be the backbone of your affiliate promotional efforts. Use as many of the following different strategies as make sense for your blog and audience.
Note: All of these strategies assume that you are already sending traffic to the latest content you’re creating by emailing your list on a regular basis (at least two to four times per month) to let them know what’s new.
A) Write ReviewsYou can write detailed reviews of products, courses, books or software products you promote as an affiliate. For example, here’s our review of Siteground. Your reviews can focus on a single product or compare competing products side-by-side. The second approach arguably builds more trust, but it also distracts people by giving them a lot of different recommendations B) Write Definitive Content on a Related TopicYou can write a definitive, comprehensive post on your site to educate your readers and “soft sell” your products. For instance, you could write an ultimate guide to setting up a WordPress blog and include your affiliate links to your favorite hosting providers. Whatever the topic, make sure that it’s evergreen content — information that’s likely to be useful and valuable for years to come. You can create blog posts, videos, infographics or anything similar — but whatever you do, it should not be a sales page. Finally, your content must be excellent — make sure it’s an authoritative list post, an epic how-to post, an ultimate guide or some otherwise epic content. C) Conduct InterviewsYou can interview people who’ve had great success using the product so that your audience can hear their stories — think of it as a kind of audio testimonial. If the merchant is an individual rather than a company, you can also invite them to chat about how their product works and why your readers will find it useful. D) Create Valuable Bonus ContentAssuming it’s allowed by your affiliate agreement (sometimes it’s not), you can create bonus content, exclusive to your readers, that helps people get even more value from the affiliate product. People love bonuses! You can create many types of bonuses fairly quickly and easily while still giving your readers excellent value. By the way, this is a fantastic way to differentiate yourself from other bloggers representing the same products. Here are some example bonuses you could offer:
Option #3: Craft Promotional Emails for Your SubscribersYour email list is your biggest asset when it comes to driving traffic to your offers. Assuming you’re already emailing your list on a regular basis — for example, every Tuesday, every two weeks, etc. — you can also run occasional promotions where you email your readers more frequently. If your mailing list software allows it, you can segment interested readers onto a separate interest list, so that only people who raise their hands will receive your free informational and promotional emails. But even if you can’t segment your list, you’ll want to provide lots of valuable content and build anticipation for your product offers. Here are some quick ideas:
If you’re promoting a low-priced product like an ebook, digital download or hosted service on an ongoing basis, you might do something as simple as using a P.S. or signature link in your regular emails, with occasional emailed links to custom content. For courses, masterminds, services or higher-earning products, you might do something closer to an official launch once per year with softer launches once per quarter. And of course, always follow your merchants’ lead. If they run major launches twice a year, for example, you can participate in those and take advantage of the natural momentum these launches often create. You may have a different promotion plan for each product. Example Email SequenceCustom email sequences are especially effective for your core products. You’ll usually send out a series of five to seven emails spread out over a time frame spanning a week or two. These can be run in parallel with your normal blog emails or you can “pause” your regular content for the duration of the sequence. A sample seven-email series might look like this:
* Warning: Only use scarcity or urgency tactics if they are genuine and you intend to stick to the limits or deadlines. Telling readers a deal ends for good at midnight, then offering it again the following week, is a surefire way to lose their trust. The important thing here is to try different approaches for each product, see what your audience responds to best, and don’t give up! Option #4: Run Exclusive Live EventsFinally, you can run live events to introduce your audience to your products. Webinars are the most popular way to do this, and you can host them on your own or as a joint venture with the merchant. (Usually, though, merchants will only participate if you can attract a certain number of attendees.) If there’s already strong interest from your readers in a particular product, you can make it the focus of your webinar, giving attendees one of the following:
More typically, the webinar will focus on a particular outcome that the audience wants to achieve and then position the product as a way to achieve those results more easily or quickly. A common way to separate webinar content from product content is using the webinar to explain what you need to do to achieve a certain goal, and leaving the product to dive into (or facilitate) the how. Importantly, the webinar should be valuable even to people who don’t end up buying the product. To give an example, if you were promoting a software product that automates blogger outreach, your webinar could talk about high-level strategies for outreach that attendees could implement manually, then position the product as a time-saver that lets you focus on the relationship-building instead of the initial outreach.
Tip: to get the most from a live event, remember to publish and promote your webinar replays for people who weren’t able to attend first time around.
Don’t Forget to Track Everything to Discover What’s Working BestWhichever options you choose for promoting your affiliate products, you’ll want to know which are producing the best results. Pat Flynn recommends Pretty Link for this. You can create clean, easy-to-use-and-remember links plus get analytics so you can see exactly where people are coming from and what strategies are working best for you. Most importantly of all, be patient. Don’t expect to get any of this right the first time out. Keep building a strong foundation of content and continually test and try new things. Step 5: Comply with Legal Requirements (and Best Practices)In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that you let people know you’ll earn a commission. But even if it isn’t required by law where you’re located, we recommend it. It’s just good business. Don’t be afraid to be transparent. People will appreciate your honesty and want to support you to repay you for making their lives better. So wherever you share an affiliate link, whether it’s in blog posts, web pages, or emails, let your readers know that you stand to earn a small commission if they buy through you — and if they choose not to use your link, no worries. Assure them that you wouldn’t recommend any products if you hadn’t used them yourself or were confident they could help them. It’s also a good idea to create an Affiliate Disclaimer page on your website. Here’s an example of our own disclaimer page at Smart Blogger: We’re also clear on how those affiliate links might look within blog posts. Affiliate Marketing Examples: 4 Types of Products to PromoteSo, we’ve walked through the process of becoming a successful affiliate marketer. Now let’s step through some real-world affiliate marketing examples, walking through four different types of products you can promote and make a tidy profit. Usually, most of your affiliate income will come from one or two “ringers” — core products that just about everyone in your audience needs and which also pay a good commission. As you progress, you can add complementary products to round out your offerings and help your audience in new ways, but identifying your core earners is an essential first step. We highly recommend you start with digital products, services and courses for this simple reason: They usually have greater earning potential. Digital products generally pay higher commissions than physical products because there is much less overhead to produce and distribute them. They also have the advantage that the merchant is often an individual rather than a company, so you can build a personal relationship with them that will increase your status as a blogger and future success as an affiliate. That said, physical products can be a good option for certain niches, but we’ll focus on digital products for the most part (although we revisit physical products below). So what’s a potential ringer? Your best bets are mid-priced ($200–$2,000) courses or services that could potentially benefit almost all of your readers at some point in their journey. Once you start generating steady affiliate income, you can offer other similar products, hosted services or ebooks that allow you to help more people (or help everyone more thoroughly). Let’s look into the product options for bloggers. Option #1: Digital DownloadsDigital downloads are online resources that your readers can access instantly, without having to wait for a package to come in the mail (as is true for physical products). They could be audio or video files, PDFs, ebooks or even links to webpages where the content lives online. Examples:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Our Recommendation?
Do it! But expect higher earnings from other options on this list.
Option #2: Online, Hosted and Professional ServicesWhen it comes to selling services as an affiliate, it’s important to concentrate on those which will be accessible to your entire audience no matter where they’re located (as opposed to service providers who serve local customers only). In other words, don’t limit your earning potential by geography. Your best bet is to represent online, hosted or professional service providers/influencers you’ve worked with in the past and have full confidence in. Examples of professional services:
Examples of online/hosted services:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Our Recommendation?
Do it! Especially if you can find an excellent service provider who can potentially help nearly everyone in your audience at one time or another and who can be a strong, steady income generator.
Option #3: Online CoursesOnline courses are an important subset of digital products, especially for bloggers, and the market is huge. They’re so popular that they deserve their own category on this list. Online courses exist on just about any topic you can think of. They range in price from free to thousands of dollars, with higher-priced programs promising big results for students. Examples:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Our Recommendation?
Do it! Help your readers in a big way, and earn big at the same time.
Option #4: Physical ProductsIf you decide to represent physical products on your blog, your best bet is to choose high-quality, distinctive products that that will appeal strongly to your specific audience. Avoid commodity products that your readers can buy anywhere — the commissions are so small you won’t make worthwhile money unless you can drive tremendous traffic to your site. Commissions on physical products are usually fairly low because of the overhead of production costs, storage costs, shipping, etc. So unless you are planning to build a large review or shopping site, physical products will probably be a very small portion of your blogging affiliate income. However, if you have a favorite tool of your trade, a must-have gadget that will make your readers’ lives easier, or a high-quality recommendation that you’re sure people will be thrilled with, go ahead and offer it. You’ll build goodwill even if you don’t make a lot of money. Examples:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Our Recommendation?
Offer physical products only under certain circumstances:
You should now have plenty of ideas for types of products you can represent. The Bottom Line on Affiliate MarketingThat dream you’ve had of making money while you sleep isn’t just a silly fantasy. It’s a completely achievable reality. Sure, it’s not as easy as pushing a magic button, but with a little knowledge and persistence you can definitely do it. Once you’ve gained a respectable following, affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money blogging. And the best news is that it’s so easy to get started. All the steps are spelled out in this post. Simply identify the one big thing everyone in your audience needs to reach their goals and start there. Choose a great digital product that you believe in and share it. Tell the story of your successes. Provide lots of valuable content that helps and educates your readers, and take care not to be too salesy. Be honest and transparent. Nurture the trust that readers place in you. And finally, be patient. All your efforts will pay you back with that sweet “cha-ching” of overnight deposits into your bank account.
About the Author: Leanne Regalla is a writer and content strategist for B2B software, tech, and supply chain businesses at Writing That Resonates. Quickly avoid the common content mistakes that bore your readers and drive potential customers away with her Compelling Business Writing Checklist.
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AuthorHello everyone I am Julia Dillon 20 years old living in Los Angeles with my parents. I just finished my high school and started social media marketing. I have been reading about it for 3 years and finally decided to become social media expert. ArchivesNo Archives Categories |