4 Changes I made when I was serious about my blog

Taking your blog from a casual hobby to a serious venture involves making strategic changes that can significantly impact your growth and earnings. When I decided to get serious about my blog, I made three major changes that transformed my online presence and revenue. Here’s what I did:

1. Growing My Social Media Audience

One of the first steps I took was to expand my social media presence. Diversifying traffic sources is crucial for ensuring a steady flow of visitors to your blog.

Why It Matters:

- Increased Visibility: A strong social media presence helps you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your blog.

- Engagement: Social media platforms are great for interacting with your audience, understanding their needs, and building a community.

How I Did It:

- Consistent Posting: I created a content calendar and consistently posted on multiple platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

- Engaging Content: I focused on sharing valuable and engaging content tailored to each platform’s audience. This included infographics, short videos, and engaging captions.

- How I got visitors to my blog: Growing on social media is not useful if it does not result in traffic to your blog. To get traffic from socials to your blog, the best way to do it is to create lead magnets that people go to your blog to get. For Instagram, use a program called Manychat for this.

2. Growing My Email List

Building an email list became a priority because it is a direct way to communicate with my audience and is not subject to the whims of social media algorithms.

Why It Matters:

- Ownership: Unlike social media followers, you own your email list, giving you control over how and when you reach out to your audience.

- Higher Engagement: Email marketing often results in higher engagement rates compared to social media posts.

How I Did It:

- Creating Lead Magnets: I developed valuable lead magnets like eBooks, checklists, and mini-courses that offered real value in exchange for email addresses.

- Opt-in Forms: I strategically placed opt-in forms on my blog, including pop-ups, sidebar widgets, and within blog posts.

- Consistent Communication: I sent regular newsletters with updates, exclusive content, and special offers to keep my subscribers engaged and invested in my content.

3. Creating My Own Digital Products

To diversify my income streams and provide additional value to my audience, I started creating and selling my own digital products.

Why It Matters:

• Higher Earnings: Selling your own products can significantly boost your income compared to traditional ad revenue.

• Authority Building: Creating and selling digital products establishes you as an authority in your niche.

How I Did It:

• Identify Audience Needs: I conducted surveys and engaged with my audience to understand their needs and pain points.

• Develop Valuable Products: Based on the feedback, I created eBooks, online courses, and printable planners that provided solutions to my audience's problems.

• Market Through Multiple Channels: I promoted these products on my blog, through my email list, and on social media to reach a wide audience.

4. Reaching Out to Sponsors

Securing sponsorships was another key strategy for increasing my blog's revenue and providing exclusive content to my audience.

Why It Matters:

• Higher Earnings: Sponsorships can offer substantial income, often higher than traditional ad revenue. Especially if you can use it for your email newsletter.

• Content Value: Sponsored content can provide your audience with valuable information and exclusive deals.

How I Did It:

• Using Lemlist: I used Lemlist to automate my outreach process and personalize my emails to potential sponsors.

• Networking on LinkedIn: I connected with brands and businesses relevant to my niche on LinkedIn, building relationships and proposing sponsorship opportunities.

• Showcase Value: I highlighted my engaged email list and blog traffic to demonstrate the value of partnering with my blog.