[su_heading size=”18″]How to Monetize a Blog[/su_heading]
I read that sleeping and dreaming is a time where all of our thoughts from the day get organized in our brains. I dream in Periscope, Instagram and Twitter mode, which means that while I am asleep I am putting together all of the connections that I made during the day and figuring out how it all fits together, the big picture I mean. Crazy huh?
Departing from my creativity to focus on business is unnatural for me and it hurts my brain. It’s not that I didn’t have incredible jobs prior to having babies but it is taking a while for that business brain to emerge from cold storage. Fortunately, with each connection I make in town, comes a renewed energy and a heightened desire to get there, where Aspen Real Life needs and wants to be, and I am waking up.
Most of the world has caught on that bloggers play an integral role in helping to polish brand names and are enlisting bloggers to spread their word – Aspen is a bit behind.
So how to monetize a blog? I love being tapped into my community and sharing the love by bringing business to noteworthy organizations but there is no way I can keep up this work load without getting paid for my precious time and so what I first need to do is grow my numbers back to where they were when I left the blog in 2013, at over 10,000 unique visits a month, and then I will create a beautiful media kit and hit the corporate businesses who want to expose their brand to our highly affluent audience.
In my research I came up with some interesting information. Bloggersforhire.com puts it all into perspective in this quote I found written by Marshal Kirkpatrick;
[su_quote]Hiring bloggers is becoming more popular. This is not an anomaly, as Tris and I get calls regularly and emails from people wanting to hire a blogger. They are very excited at the idea until its time to pay the bill. They feel it’s a nothing job for nothing pay. My response is usually the same, hire a full time employee and let me know your bottom line at the end of the month or do the daily blogging yourself and let me know the amount of time, energy and difficulty you feel the job entails. They tend to hire a blogger right away when they have done this comparison. I believe that top-tier bloggers that will be tied closely to your brand should be paid between $5k and $8k per month. Pay your blogger well, communicate with them clearly about expectations and if it doesn’t seem worth it after some time then fire them and find a new one.[/su_quote]
For many of you who are confused about the difference between a blogger and a journalist, bloggers write from the heart about things they are passionate about, without the media intervening and manipulating the story. Back in 2008, Jim Turner from One By One Media said, [su_quote]Bloggers are a special breed. They know how to be successful as a community builder and as a marketer, advertiser and PR person for their blog. They wear all those hats and more. They are in effect, the CEO, CFO, CTO and all other C level employees of their blogs. This is invaluable to companies. A person that knows social media and can implement that knowledge into a use that benefits the blog, the company and its future. This is a skill that cannot be passed down to the communication department, the PR department, or to that intern in the mail room with a MySpace account. A blogger or a professional blogger must wear many hats. I call them social media managers as they wear any hats and have many functions.[/su_quote]
When I talk to people in the mountains about social media they hold their heads in their hands trying to understand how to fit in their true passion and the labors of being social. It’s not like I can’t relate, just seven years ago I too was that person wondering why anybody would want to waste their time on Facebook. As for Twitter? The simplest of social networking tools was beyond my comprehension. But I’m telling you what, when you dive into social media with your heart and soul, you soon see the benefits and then, if you’re like me, you’ll run with it until you reach the top.
Jillian's Real Life 
Jilly, you are really coming into your own! I want to use these tools too…..and “get ahead of the curve.” Will you help me?
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Lisa, yes, I’ll help you to use the tools I know and you’ll help me to look sizzling HOT!!! right???
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Jilly… thanx for the hat tip. Much obliged. I am looking forward to working with you. I appreciate you joining the AspenFilm Blogger Relations program.
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Don’t mention it Steve! Looking forward to working with you! So many ideas, so grateful to have a pro in the valley!
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Hi Jillian! Loved this – and I do hope you are hired and paid well!
hugs
suZen
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SuZen, when the money comes in, I’m flying you out for a visit!
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Good luck with it! You are well worth every penny!
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Awww shucks Viv!
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Great article – and great motivation to me to get on the ball with social networking. I went to a proposal writing seminar this weekend, and that was one of the first things they said. I’m terrified of twitter, but I’m going to do it, I swear.
And how cute are you in that costume??
.-= parenting ad absurdum´s last blog ..Parenting ad Absurdum Goes to Vegas =-.
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Peryl, Twitter is a piece of cake! I’ll show you the way.
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Monetizing a blog is something no one has really figured out yet. As a blogger friend/associate of mine notes, newspapers and traditional media put out news & analysis on some sort of hard medium and sell it for a bit and make their money on advertising. Well, it is not a secret that model is not doing too well anymore and that is what a lot of us are trying to replicate and I don’t see a many succeeding using that sort of model.
However, I do think running blogs connected to services and products can help boost/augment the marketing and branding of those services/products. And that is what I see in this article, bloggers taking on a topic to help others promote their goods/services. The problem with that then is then blogging becomes a 9-5 thing and all that goes along with 9-5s, I guess that is not the worst thing in the world but nothing like a 9-5 for sucking passion out of an endeavor.
I talked with someone today who runs a recreational business and they were searching for a social media person to work full time at their business during the upcoming snow season. They found someone and are doing “training”, unfortunately that person was busy tending bar, cleaning bar, serving tables, cleaning tables etc I could not talk in depth about this. This person is being paid to do this promotion and I wonder what the results will be.
.-= Mark Framness´s last blog ..Brule River Tap – I Take Some of it Back =-.
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Good morning Mark, deep in my heart I know that if I keep producing great content and help to bring business to other quality professionals, there is no way that I cannot be successful. I just have to persevere until either I make it or life drags me out of it.
Thank you so much for you response. When either of us figures it out, let’s chat! or better yet, I’ll jet you out here for coffee.
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I have a different view than Mark. Monetizing a blog is no biggie. Its all about driving readership to a level where it then becomes worth it for sponsors to advertise. The other route to go is to syndicate your content to outlets that are willing to pay for the content itself. Those are the two models that I’ve seen employed very successfully in the past.
.-= Steve Mann´s last blog ..Follow the EI blogs Well Social Network With Us in Person! =-.
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So here is my question to you Steve, why would somebody pay for syndication when they can grab my RSS feed for free?
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Because then they can massage your content to fit their needs. Use part or whole of it. Typically in a syndication deal your content would be cross-posted on more than one site.
.-= Steve Mann´s last blog ..Follow the EI blogs Well Social Network With Us in Person! =-.
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Right on…that sounds worthwhile to all of my people wanting my blog content! Will check it out.
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