Lots of bloggers come online with the dream of starting their own blog, quitting their day job, and making a full-time income online.
Unfortunately, only a handful of people make it to that point.Most bloggers burn out in the process. At the end of the day,
they have a hobby, NOT a business.
If you want to build a REAL business online, your blog should
serve to build your list, provide massive value, engage with
your audience on a deeper level, and lead your readers into
your sales funnel.
In this article I’m going to show you 7 ways to turn your
blog into a REAL money-making asset in your business.
1. Sidebar Image Ad.
Most people aren’t making the most of their Sidebar. Instead
they’re using it to list their ‘latest comments’, ‘latest posts,
and their ‘latest tweets’.
Well… that ‘latest’ information is not going to make you a dime.
So instead, let’s use that valuable real estate to promote
your own products (or an affiliate product).
Create an enticing, eye-catching banner that converts your
visitors into buyers.
You can see an example in the right-hand sidebar of this blog.
The LESS you have in your sidebar, the better!
Because it INCREASES the chance that they’ll click on
what YOU want them to click on.
So declutter your sidebar and see what you can take out.
The more widgets your plop onto your sidebars, the more
confused your visitor gets. And a confused visitor does
not take action. They leave.
Instead, limit your sidebar to 3 items at most and make
them the critical, money-making items in your business.
(i.e. Opt-In Box, Product Promo, and Affiliate Review Pages)
2. Post Recent Reviews in Your Sidebar.
Now that we’ve got your sidebar cleaned up, let’s optimize
it for maximum profits.
Instead of listing your ‘latest’ blog posts or your ‘most popular’
blog posts – why not list the articles that make you money!
I would recommend listing your product review pages in
the sidebar. If you’re going to list any of your blog
posts in the sidebar – why not make them your most
profitable pages?
Let’s be more strategic…
Find out EXACTLY which of your blog posts is most profitable.
Which one’s are converting more visitors into sales?
To figure this out you’ll need to use tracking links.
But for starters, let’s put the product review pages
in the sidebar. These are specific pages that review
some of the best products from within your industry.
So for example, in my market I might list product reviews
for Aweber, Bluehost, OptimizePress, and Easy Video Player.
And instantly, you’ve now maximized your chances of making
affiliate sales.
3. Teaser Posts
If you have a membership site, here’s something super simple
you can do to increase sales…
In addition to your regularly scheduled blog posts, create
a ‘teaser’ post each week that highlights some of the
best content from your membership site.
In this post, you’ll give an overview of your premium content.
You tease the reader about what’s ‘behind the curtain’. Tease
the benefit but don’t give away the details.
As said best by Jimmy D. Brown, ‘useful but incomplete’.
Then underneath the teaser post – put a link to the
sales page where they can get the rest of the content.
When done properly, this alone can bring in a steady
new flow of members into your site.
4. Footer Image Ad.
Once someone has read your blog post, they’re going to be hungry for more!
So give them an opportunity to get more information on that topic.
EVERY piece of content should LEAD somewhere.
If I’m writing an article about how to build your subscriber
list, at the end of the article you can transition naturally
into recommending your favorite pop-up software.
One of the BIGGEST mistakes that bloggers make is NOT
integrating their valuable content with useful product promotions.
You can see an example of one of our own footer image
ads at the end of this post.
Notice how I’ve used a bit of creativity to grab attention
and funnel my visitors to the sales page.
Remember, the more eyeballs you get on the sales page – the
MORE sales you make.
5. Johnson Box at the TOP of each Blog Post.
This is perfect for when you’re running a holiday special.
Put a Johnson Box at the TOP of each blog post that points
to your special offer.
For example…
“Click Here to Save 90% off of ALL of our VERY Best Products…”
OR
“It’s my Birthday! Get Everything Half-Off!”
Of course, you’ll want to use these special offers sparingly.
Otherwise, they would no longer be special.
But when used properly, they can bring in cash windfalls
throughout the year.
6. Featured Post: On the front page of your blog.
Do you have ONE blog post that performs especially well?
One that does a REALLY good job of converting readers into buyers.
If so, then why not feature that at the TOP of your homepage.
This is super simple to do in WordPress – but the feature is
kind of hidden.
So when you’re editing a post, look at the “Publish” settings
on the right-hand side.
Click to Edit the “Visibility” settings. From there you’ll
be able to make that particular post sticky.
That post will now be positioned at the very top of the
home page. Driving more traffic and increasing your
profits!
7. Pop-Over
If you aren’t building a subscriber list, then every single
person who leaves your blog is gone (and probably for good).
It’s highly unlikely that they’re going to remember to come
back to your site.
So instead, why not build a perpetual traffic machine?
With an email list, you have traffic on tap.
A lot of people (especially bloggers) make the mistake of NOT
building their subscriber list. When in reality this should be
the #1 focus in your business.
This is where the MAJORITY of your profits will come from.
So you need to be making every effort to convert your
visitor into a subscriber.
And one of the best ways to do that is using a pop-over.
Your subscriber list is the lifeblood of your business. It’s the
money engine in your business.
I wish someone would have kicked me in the butt, knocked me
in the head and forced me to start building my list from Day 1.
When it comes to building a business online, nothing generates
on-demand traffic and long-term revenue like a list of engaged
customers and subscribers.
I’m personally able to send an average of 3,000 clicks per email.
Imagine being able to command that kind of traffic. Sending 3,000
people to your latest blog post. 3,000 people to a webinar
registration page. 3,000 people to an affiliate promotion.
That’s the power that comes with doing email marketing properly.
