Archives for 2015

Purpose, Plan, Performance, Persistence and Payoff.

5 Days of Homeschool Blogging Basics.

Day 5 Payoff.

Read Day 1. Purpose here, read Day 2. Plan here, read Day 2 1/2. Plan here, read Day 3. Performance here and read Day 4. Persistence here.

Measuring the success of a blog is different for everyone.

Promoting Your Blog to Payoff

Before I discuss that though, I want to share a few more ways to promote your blog that will give you a measure of payoff.

• Purposeful Linking Up.

Linking up at other (not necessarily larger and will explain in a minute) blogs will keep your blog content out there and is a great way to promote.

Because a blogger took the time to prepare a post and has graciously allowed me to put content on her blog, I am sure to read all the guidelines and put on each blog post where it is linked up at.

When I say purposeful linking up that means I look for blogs in my niche of homeschooling, which means it may or may not have a large audience. My first priority is reach my niche and then my second priority is to join those link ups where my blog posts will be featured on more than one blog.

That is what I mean by the fact that one blog may not necessarily have a large following, but together with the other blogs, it may.

• Niche Round Ups

Another successful way of promoting traffic to your blog is a round up of posts about your niche.

It takes the work out of the research for your followers and gives them a specific place to find a lot of what they are looking for or want, whether it’s craft, organization or how to teach reading.

Other bloggers love to network, so you don’t need to ask permission to link to them, but using their images can be quite another thing.

I am careful when doing rounds up to read all I can on a blog if she has something specific about her images and respect copyright. Too, sometimes it’s better to have your own image. If in doubt, don’t use the images.

Some bloggers don’t mind you using their images if you ask and generously give you permission, but other bloggers make their livelihood off of their images and will not want you using their images.

If you do use images, use the same standard you want to be treated, which is give attribution or credit where it is due.

It does not make you a powerful blogger when you cannot graciously and generously give respect and credit when it’s due.

• Powerful content before Page views.

Again, the most important thing you can do to build your blog successfully the first year or two is to focus on powerful content.

What I didn’t do in my first year was to focus on page views, but to focus on my passion. Too, with the powerful Google analytics installed on your blog, you can check insights anytime.

I write my stats down about once a month and move on. They are a good indicator of whether my content was engaging or not, but they also can sidetrack you from payoff.

From Passion to Profession

Like I noted in my post on Day 1. Purpose, profit can’t be your only initial driving force.

You have to be passionate and enthusiastic about what you share because that spirit is contagious.

When you have benefited from some advice or a product and share that genuinely, followers know.

But knowing how to make a blog pay for itself is a must know because then your blog does become a business.

It’s got to be the ultimate payoff when you can do something that you are stoked about each day and that makes a profit.

Look at these ways that have all contributed to making a profit.

• When my blog reached about 75K to 1ook page views, which was about 4 months, I started selling ad space to sponsors in my niche. Believe me, I didn’t have much time for a learning curve with pricing. I had to learn quick. Can you see why I said on Day 3. Performance that you want to install Google Analytics soon? You can now bargain for ad space with potential sponsors.
• In addition, after about 5 months, I applied for Google Adsense, which is a way of being paid for ads on my blog. Again, because this is my blog, I can control what type of ads go on my blog. Google Adsense is almost a book unto itself to learn, but it’s easy to apply for and I read minimal information to get it started on my site.
• Affiliate links are another source of income. Affiliate links means that when somebody clicks on a link that you provide on your blog and buys something you get a percentage of the sell. This does not cost your follower more and most companies are glad to partner with you because it would be a sell they would have not gotten.
• Writing outside articles. Another source of income is writing articles for other companies.
• Homeschool or product reviews. Before I was with iHN, I was with another large homeschool review company, which still does not pay its bloggers for their time. Soon after joining them I left because I realized I spent hours on top of hours poring over all the curriculum or a product that a company gave me. I take reviews seriously and my time has to be compensated. Some homeschool companies still do not know how to work with bloggers and feel that giving us just free homeschool curriculum is enough for a review. From the beginning of starting this blog, I refused reviews where I was not compensated for my time. It’s up to us as professional bloggers to tout to sponsors that being paid for time is not being paid off. Do not start your blog off by underestimating your time. Companies need to recognize the power bloggers have to broadcast about their product. Never compromise your standard for a product and your followers will know that you are honest, candid and genuine.
• Having a product to sell. Something else I provide at an affordable price is a way for my followers to make their own unique 7 Step Homeschool Planner. I was bent on writing a book in my first year of blogging, but realized that I wanted time to mull over my thoughts. What I did right was to provide something (or a product) that my followers wanted, which are planner pages that are unique. Along each 7 steps of building their homeschool planner, my followers can choose from free or paid pages. My free pages too are pages I love and I give my followers my best always. Having a product that can be purchased night or day, year after year is passive income.
• Brand Ambassador. I am proud to be a brand ambassador for Bright Ideas Press. I value long term relationship and especially get excited about using and promoting products I believe in. Is there a product or curriculum that makes your heart go pitter patter?Then you may make a great brand ambassador for that company, but you have to pitch yourself first.

These are all ways that I have earned income that not only paid my blog expenses my first year, but gave me a profit.

Key to making more than just paying my expenses has been having multiple ways of making money.

When You Should Compromise the Trust of Your Followers

Even though my blog has scooted along to well over 100K page views, I am humbled by the fact that it has only been because of my faithful following.

What I have learned as I now finish up my second year is that the trust of my followers are worth more than any dollar amount any sponsor may pay me.

Making a profit in my first and second year of blogging has been a sweet unexpected surprise. But also, part of a successful payoff for me is being able to stay true to my conviction of being just who I am.

Following guidelines of treating followers how I want to be treated when buying my products, giving the good, bad and ugly of any product I review and sharing candid and genuine posts are ultimate payoffs for me too.

In this 5 Days of Homeschool Blogging turned 6 Days of Homeschool Blogging series, I feel I have barely scratched the surface of blogging, but wanted to give you a starting point to boost your blog.

I have so many more things to share with you that I have learned this past year too like:

• How to craft a well-laid out post
• How to take a deeper look at SEO
• How to design top rated graphics for Pinterest
• Understanding the analytics of Pinterest
• How to intentionally promote your content
• How to brainstorm topics
• How to choose blog courses that are worth your time
• How to pitch a company
• How to find your blogging voice and not lose it
• How to properly disclose and post legal information
• How to work with other bloggers
• How to price your time for sponsors’ reviews
• How to price ads on your blogs for sponsors

As I plod along, I will be sharing tips on those topics along with answering your questions because now you have the homeschool blogging basics.

Hugs and you know I love ya and threw a lot at you in this 5 day series turn 6 days,

I have enjoyed sharing different pictures of my Forever Blog Planner that I created much like my 7 Step Homeschool Planner. I know you would love it too because I help you step by step to choose the pages you want in your blog planner and and the best part is that you receive forever updates. Be sure to download the free printable from the planner set.

Also, check out iBlog Pro, Proud to be a Co-Author where you can grab practical tips from homeschool bloggers, like you!