Robbi Hess

Can You Make Money Blogging?

While you may not have gotten into blogging with the idea that you were going to quit your day job and live a life of writing, watching television and eating bonbons, right? Blogging can help you bring in some money but as with anything you have to work at it. Very few people jump into blogging and achieve overnight success.

Even if you take famous examples such as the blog that was made into a movie, Julie and Julia, consider how many days she was working and writing on her blog before she achieved “overnight success.” Blogging can bring you in money if you work at it and have a focus for your blog. Keep in mind too that if you hear that Jane Doe is making money blogging about extreme couponing and you feel you want to jump on that bandwagon, make certain you love extreme couponing. If you don’t love what you write about, the idea of blogging will become a chore and it will show in your work.

10 Ways To Grow Your Business Through Social Media Marketing

Social media moves and changes more quickly than the seasons – in some instances it seems to change and morph from one sunrise to the next! As a small business owner you’re faced with the daily task of working in and growing your business, so how to you keep up with the fast moving tide of social media?

Wrote Down My Dream, Made It Come True

For years I'd taught writing classes and was always great at telling the adults in the classes that "writers write" and to "make time to write something for yourself or toward your goals everyday." It was great advice and I patted myself on the back every time I gave the would-be writers in my class these words of wisdom. 

I realized though, that I was a lot of talk, but not much action. True, I write for a living and earn my livelihood as a blogger and social media consultant but when it came to my own writing -- my romance novel, my ebook series, etc. -- they were always on the back burner because, 'I have clients to write for, I just don't have time for me." 

As I saw the 2011 winding down I realized that yet again I didn't practice what I was preaching. I still hadn't written or published a romance, I still hadn't written my ebook. I knew I didn't want to end the year with these two things still no crossed off my To-Do list. I'd had enough of carrying these two goals forward from one calendar year to the next. 

Working To Be Resolute in 2012

Every year I ponder whether I should put together my New Year's Resolutions. I sit down with pen and paper and come up with the usual, "Lose weight," "write every day," "exercise more," etc. You know the drill. Those vague resolutions that eventually fail and then make you feel bad about yourself? We've all been there, right?

One thing I found extremely difficult to keep up with was the "exercise more" especially when I lived in New York. It's hard to get out and exercise when it's snowing and blowing and I was never much on team sports -- which I consider a gym to be. 

Looking for an 'I do' from a publisher?

In a perfect world -- just like with the love of your life -- a book publisher or potential blog sponsor
would knock on your door, drop to one knee and ask you if they could publish your prose or sponsor your online words. Well, in the I-want-to-be-published world, this doesn't happen. You have to be the one to pursue the publisher, sponsor or advertiser of your dreams. You have to be on your best behavior and cross your fingers, hoping they will accept you into their family and you will publish happily ever after. 

There are some steps you can take to make that happen. While seeking a sponsor for, or advertiser on, your blog is different from locating a publisher for your book, there are some universal truths.

Looking for new writing markets? 7 tips you can use

Whether you're a new writer or a writer of repute that is looking to break into new markets here is a quick top seven list for you to make the change from becoming published to becoming even more published. Regardless of whether you're a new or established writer there are no shortcuts to success and publication. Writing is hard work and requires perseverance and dedication. 

Here are our top bits of advice on getting your foot in the door of a new market:

1. Uncover new solutions to ongoing problems. Is there an easier, quicker way to get your dog to take his pill? Have you found a foolproof way to keep pet hair off your furniture? Write about it.
2. Money-saving tips. Regardless of the current economic times, who doesn't want to save money? No one that I know of. If you have money-saving solutions to everyday problems, pitch it to an editor. 
3. Being proactive. Why not offer the readers ways to prevent problems from ever happening? If you have tips on preventative measures to age-old issues such as keeping your carpets flea-free or keeping Fluffy from jumping on the guests, write about it. 
4. Make a list. Readers love lists. With the limited time that people have to devote to reading and leisure, offer a quick Top 10 list. 
5. Take it from me... Readers enjoy learning vicariously through the writer, with whom they are identifying as the expert in this situation. 
6. Technology solutions. With the proliferation of Smartphones and netbooks, there are myriad apps that can offer quick and easy solutions to everyday problems. If you've found an app for that, write about it. 
7. Pssst, I've got a secret. How many times have you picked up a magazine and seen titles such as, "Secrets to rapid weight loss," or "Secrets to puppy housebreaking success"? Everyone wants in on a secret. Tell yours. 

What's your secret to success in breaking into a new market?

 

Build your internet 'Field of Dreams'

Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or an individual with a dream, you want people to know about you and buy your “stuff,” right? If you have a blog you can become known as an expert, a thought leader, and can use your blog to engage your readers.

Are there bloggers out there that you simply love to read – so much so that you can’t get through a day 
without checking them out? What do they have that you don’t? They’ve found a way to make their blog a place where things are happening and they want to be part of it. What do the other pet bloggers have that you don’t? Probably a niche. What’s yours? If you can find it you can corner the market on it and soon readers will be flocking to your blog like kittens to a milk dish!

How many social media platforms are you managing?

By now, you've probably heard about Google+, right? The "Facebook Killer" is one of the many things it's been called. Gaining an invite into the beta Google+ was something I was looking forward to simply because I love to be part of whatever new gadget or technology is available. 

I did get into the new social media site and now I am trying to build my Circles, as they're called there. With a Circle you can add professional contacts, family, friends, acquaintances or whatever Cicle names you'd like to designate for yourself. You can add people to multiple circles and in Google+ people can add you to Circles without first sending a "friend request" as they do through Facebook -- is that a good or a bad thing, I haven't decided quite yet. With Circles you certainly have the opportunity to widen your reach and get to "know" and interact with more people than you might have access to through other social media platforms. 

Where do you 'dig up' your readers?

By now I assume that everyone has a blog, right? No? If you don't is there a reason? If you're looking to find a publisher or a following for your products or services you should consider a blog as a way to "get your name out there." 

Starting a blog is 1) an easy way to get an online presence and 2) you can use your blog as a website -- win/win. Even if you're not at the stage in a writing project where you're looking for a publisher, it is never too early to get an online presence going. If you're a business owner -- whether an aesthetician, an auto dealer, or an accountant -- you need to establish an online presence. No longer do individuals look to the Yellow Pages when they're looking for a service provider. When people are looking for a service provider, they are turning to the internet, typing in a few search terms and voila there you are, right? If you want to survive and thrive, you'd better have an online presence because chances are, your competition does. 

How to avoid social media snafus

You’ve made the jump into social media for your business because “everyone said you had to,” right? But, now that you’re into it, you’re wondering if you’re doing it correctly. You were under the impression that there is no right or wrong way to “do” social media, but there is. Social media is a balancing act of it being about you and your clients.

Here are the top five mishaps that those new (and sometimes those who’ve been around a while) make in their social media presence: