Makin' Money Monday!

Marin at Frugonomics 101 and I are teaming up to bring you this series. Every other Monday I will post an idea for making money (blogging or other ways to make money) and every other Monday she'll be posting and giving you an idea!

For Today's Makin' Money Monday topic I have had a request...

I was emailing a reader back and forth and this particular reader was wanting to know how realistic it is to think that she could start earning compensation from blogging.

I told her that there are a couple of ways to make money right away but it is a slow go - two of which is Google Adsense and Amazon Affiliates which I have talked about. There is also PayperPost which Marin has talked about. In addition, there are a couple of other affiliate programs which we will get to.

But, I'll tell you like I told her - don't get into blogging to make money fast you'll be disappointed. All of the ways I mentioned are slow money makers. I have been blogging for about 6 months and I will just now receive my first check from Google - because I have finally reached $100.

Actually I earned my first check from Google pretty fast- if you can believe that!! My readership grew at an unbelievable pace to most I hear.

So, that said, it is easier to make money with a large audience - so that was my first concentration - and is still my primary concentration - growing a large readership.

So as I told you...I've had a request...

HOW DO YOU GROW YOUR READERSHIP?

First, you might pleasantly surprised to know, one of the fastest growing and most passionate groups of bloggers online are MOMS! That good news for you!

According to Regina Lewis...

The Internet's more than 32.4 million busy moms are connecting 24/7 online on blogs and social-networking sites geared specifically for moms.

Moms have so many balls in the air each day – their "TO DO" list can be endless – and they are sometimes referred to as the "CEO" of the household – CEO in this case standing for Chief Everything Officer.

When moms need advice, they turn to other moms. Moms listen to moms ... they trust each other. While many are fortunate enough to have a relatively tight-knit group of peers they depend on, the Web is broadening those networks exponentially.

Okay, so I can blog ... but what can I blog about?

You can blog about ANYTHING. Lots of moms are sharing their advice online on topics from saving money and spotting online shopping deals to potty training, postpartum depression, baby's first steps ... you name it! The trick is to find something you already know a lot about or are interested in yourself and become an expert. Find content that isn't already every where else that people NEED. Then make it interesting!

But If I Type It...Will They Come?

There are a couple of rules you should follow.

The Five P’s of Successful Blogging: (Thanks to Vicki Knopf)

1. Post often. Blog readers like to see new content fairly often when they check in.

2. Pictures. There are a few rare successful blogs that are driven by words alone but for the most part pictures help tremendously. Many people view blog hopping like flipping through
magazines. Which pages are you most likely to stop on? The ones with interesting pictures that
grab your attention, not those with a lot of words.

3. Personality. Be genuine. Part of the appeal to blog readers is to get a peek into the life of the
author. How personal you want to get depends, of course, on the focus of your blog and your
intended audience.

4. Permutation. (Thank you dictionary.com.) It's great to have a specific topic that your blog is directed to, but the same ol' thing every day can get a bit boring. So keep it fresh by introducing new topics, jokes, tutorials, videos, etc. occasionally.

5. Participate. I was completely shocked to learn that on the whole, there is a blogging community! Get involved. Visit other blogs that interest you and leave comments. Share the link on your own blog. Participate in the community and you'll be more successful than you can imagine.

I would like to repeat that last one #5.... PARTICIPATE!!! I cannot say it enough!
If you want people to know you are out there you HAVE to leave comments. They don't have to be lengthy!

Amy Clark at Mom Advice says it this way:

"Start commenting on other people's blogs and networking within a community of people who will find your stuff interesting. If you blog is about photography, for example, start commenting and linking to the people that you admire most. Do a round-up of great stuff about photography. Highlight blogs that illustrate points you are making in your own entries and email the people that have enjoyed reading to tell them what a big fan you are. Don't spam them, but tell them what their work means to you. Offer feedback, share questions you have (which they could use for future material and even link back to you) and just be a groupie to the people you really love. In turn, they may link to you or might highlight you in an entry."

Take It One Step Further...

If you type an article, find a deal or a coupon, find a super sweet internet find, etc. SHARE! By typing it up on your blog and then sharing it with a larger blog you'll make a friend AND score lots of traffic! WIN - WIN!!

Especially if that larger blog HELPS you. This is what I mean...
If someone shares a really sweet deal with me I try my best to post it in a way that requires the readers to visit the other blogger's blog. This helps me and YOU. I have the latest information on where to score the deal and YOU get the traffic because EVERYONE wants the details!

Take Mercedes's post about Walgreen's last week for instance. Mercedes posted all about a coloring book you could score at Walgreen's for $0.99 that was chock full of coupons! She emailed me to let me know about her post. I read the post - realized how awesome this find was - and reposted the info on my blog in a way that required the readers to visit Mercedes's blog in order to see the coloring book - so they could score one themselves. You can see the post I did HERE to see what I mean (it is at the bottom of the post).

When I first started I did a LOT of sharing with larger blogs. I saw my traffic sky rocket on the days I shared my posts. And, it is likely that those readers not only read that single post but also skimmed around to see what else my blog had to offer.

Which brings me to.... in order to keep those new readers coming back you have to keep new content - and content that they aren't seeing on every other blog!

Find your niche. Find something that everyone is not already doing. Think broad...what will be useful to the majority? Try to take on more than one perspective.

Okay ... But How Will That Put Green in My Pocket?

Once your readership is large you will have advertisers coming to you. (You'll be easier to find!) Instead of you looking for ways to advertise - but that takes time - and lots of it!