Monday, November 2, 2009

Becoming a Successful Blogger

For this week's marketing column, we're happy to welcome Oliver Darraugh. Oliver is an experienced commentator and investor in the UK property market. He is the founder of Sell House Fast, the online leader for quick property sales in the UK. Oliver has some fantastic advice for "Becoming a Successful Blogger." Read on!

Prerequisites

To become a blogger, two specific things must be in place or the site would go nowhere. These include:

· Working a niche market, one the blogger has experience, education, or knowledge in

· Being responsive to readers by showing respect to build a connection and following

Making More Money

· The website needs an opt-in box but one designed properly. The blogger should consider a system that allows split testing campaigns to test results.

· A pop-up advertisement should be added to improve rates of opt-ins

· Bloggers working with affiliate ads or CPC should experiment with ad placement and make small changes to increase CTR percentage

· When selling eBooks or giving something away free, an image added only costs around $75 and can dramatically improve customer conversation rates

· Bloggers should give a premium for the opt-in list

· The opt-in box needs to be visible

· Instead of using blog “categories”, the blogger should list “topics” that are easy to navigate, making it easier for people to follow

· A free newsletter consisting of a single page should be given out free to encourage readers to sign up, improving conversions through opt-in forms

Bloggers need to understand these changes are uncomplicated but simple tweaks can have substantial results that take little time.

Stealing from Others

Bloggers can steal ideas from other bloggers. This means identifying working systems and then implementing them. This cuts back on wasted time trying to determine what works. “Stealing” does not mean illegal actions but using methods and ideas from others. Bloggers should look at other websites, finding established procedures that are successful, using existing concepts.

Importance of Color

Top online companies, such as Microsoft, use the color blue, as in the motif, a strategic move. Certain colors are noticed, speaking to readers. For instance, the color blue shows confidence, trust, and expertise, actually making a psychological impression. Choosing the right colors is imperative to success.

Important Note

While successful bloggers do not share all their secrets, they do help people with whom they work. Prospective employees understand the value of wearing the right type and color clothing, cologne or perfume, and attitude for a job interview. A blogger site is no different - deliberate decisions are needed to make a lasting impression.

Details Matter

Details matter, even small ones but unfortunately, people overlook them. Actions taken determine outcome so paying attention to details leads to appropriate decisions, getting a blogger’s site more visibility and the blogger more money.

Details Make Money

Small changes can lead to big money. Every small change adds up. All websites need to be tweaked and while not fun, the process is necessary for creating a business or promoting a product. A simple 1% increase in conversion rate is worth change. A site with 5,000 monthly visitors, equating to 600 subscribers annually matters. Selling a $24 eBook with a 2% conversion would increase income by $288 a year. One man with an online forum repositioned his AdSense ad from the sidebar to just beneath the header and for two minutes of work, his income increased $200 a month, a small but vital detail.

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