Blog Traffic, Blogging, Marketing Tips, Mom Marketing Coach |
Other Ways Mom Blogger Earn Income
Just recently, I came across an article that talks about mom-and-pop online stores which started small but are now earning hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
These stores are not the Alibaba or the eBay type of shops but those that were established by ordinary people like you and me who just wished for better products in the market.
The only difference with them is that they are so passionate about what they wanted that they quit their jobs and took huge risks until they reached the peak of success. One such risk is to see zero income for the first few months of operating their online stores.
Just to be clear, we’ll not talk about tips on how to grow your online business today. You can find those tips some place else in our blog. What we’ll discover today is how to earn some more cash while you wait for your Mom blog or online store to be phenomenal.
When you take on the mom blogging journey, you must understand that you’re also taking the risk that it might take months or even years before you’ll receive profit from blogging. So if you’ve quit your job for this pursuit or you’re on your way to doing so, here are some home-based online jobs that you can apply to so you can earn additional income while you wait.
Content Writing
I suppose you’re an enthusiastic mom blogger with so much creative ideas running inside your head. The best place to use those creative ideas and excellent written communication skills is in the websites of clients who are looking for amazing writers like you.
This job does not require a college degree or decades of experience in writing. You can look for a specific niche or field where you’re most familiar with, and you can start sending your application letter and writing samples to clients hunting for content writers in that niche.
Content writing is so far-reaching in scope that there are thousands of topics to be written about, including technology and gadgets, health and fitness, home improvement, and a lot more! The niches are as numerous as the industries all over the world. Some require technical knowledge while some only require research skills and creativity.
Transcription
Transcription simply means converting an audio file into a written form. This job is so in demand these days because of the growing need for online reading materials and subtitles for videos published all over the internet.
An experience in transcribing audio materials is a plus but normally, clients only require typing skills and the right device to hear the files clearly. Earnings from this type of job range from $4 to $10 per page of transcription.
Paid Online Survey
Another job that awaits you is answering online surveys for companies. Online surveys are helpful measuring tools for these businesses. They use survey results to make decisions on how to improve their products and services.
Data Entry Jobs
This is one of the simplest jobs that you can find online. Any person of any age, with or without job experience, can do data entry. It could be as simple as transferring data from a Spreadsheet to a Word file to something more challenging like typing text from several images into a document. In any case, all you need are typing skills and familiarity with certain computer programs.
Graphic Designing
If you have experience in making graphic arts, this is a suitable online job for you. Many businesses are in need of artists who can produce appealing graphic design for their websites. Even without experience in this field, you can try this out if you can create basic graphics and if you’re familiar with programs like Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
Social Media Management
Social media marketing has become one of the most effective strategies in growing your business in this day and age. Contrary to what you might think, social media marketing is not simply posting appealing content in your social media accounts whenever you can. There is an effective way to publish and manage posts to convert likes and hearts into actual sales.
This is the job of a social media manager. So if you can reap hundreds to thousands of likes in social media, you might want to develop that skill and manage the accounts of clients looking for social media managers.
Virtual Assistant Jobs
Another hot online job these days is that of a virtual assistant or VA. Being a VA requires administrative skills like managing websites, online researching, sending and responding to emails, organizing files, creating presentations, and a whole gamut of admin tasks for a businessman or a company. Most VAs are paid based on the hours worked while some receive a weekly or monthly salary.
Final Words
If you will notice, these jobs that we’ve listed above do not have regular calling as part of the tasks. All of these online jobs only involve typing, research, and designing tasks that are perfect for mom bloggers and mompreneurs who don’t have a quiet working environment most of the time. These jobs don’t require fixed working hours as well because that would be very difficult for moms like us.
Now that you’ve learned about these income-generating jobs that you can do everyday as a mom blogger or mompreneur, we hope you’ll have a sense of financial security while you work your way up in the bloggerverse.
This article was originally posted Mom Marketing Coach
Blog Tips, Blog Traffic, Blogging, Blogging Success, Mom Marketing Coach |
Mom Blog Post 5 Key Elements
The goal of this article is not to impress you but to educate you.
When you start with your mom blogging journey, it’s like you’re back to that first day in your first job where you feel totally lost. The office looks like a large room full of experienced people who are ready to eat you alive the moment you do the first dumbest thing that you can do in that office, which you eventually will because you are clueless!
Now, know this.
The online world is not just a large room but a sea of 1.8 billion websites competing against each other for the attention of over 3 billion people who have access to the internet. Translated in simple terms, one person has 3 billion options on where to look at when they open their browsers.
Now that sounds like an oversimplification of things, but with that statistics, how can your Mom blog or online store stand out? Why will a user look at your website? Why spend a few seconds staying at your website when they have over a billion other options?
The answer is this: give them a reason to stay from the time they land on your page until they read the very last word.
In this blog post, you’ll learn not only one but five elements of a blog post that might keep a reader longer in your website.
There’s no better time to know this than now:
The power of your website to make readers stay is one of the first factors that Google considers in ranking your website.
Now, let’s begin.
A Great Structure
In our previous post, we talked about how to brainstorm content for your mom blog.
While you do this, take note of Brian Dean’s advice.
He said that it would be helpful to look into websites offering online courses like Udemy, Alison, and Open2Study to discover topics with huge viewership under your particular niche.
Focus on the courses which many people have enrolled to, especially those they paid for. The reason is obvious. If thousands or millions of people studied that course and even paid for it, then that much people will also be interested in your blog post if you write about it!
The next step is to look into the curriculum of that course and use it as a basis for your structure. This way, you don’t need to do a trial and error to find out which topic and structure to useso you can have more viewership.
Bucket Brigades
Also from Brian Dean, this strategy has been used by salesmen in writing letters to prospective clients.
Bucket brigades is simply the use of terms like, “Look, “See this,” “Here’s what,” “The two common problems are,” and “Stay with me,” among others. If you notice, these terms will make you scroll down because they demand attention from readers. They are great statements that will hook readers to keep reading.
SEO Keywords and their Synonyms
We all know the importance of inserting keywords that are aimed at increasing our rankings in Google. Whether or not you know how to research for keywords, this is one of the fundamentals of a good blog post.
However, Google has grown more intelligent these days that using the same keywords frequently in the post is not enough to give you a high ranking. Google has to see what we call the LSI seasoned in your post. LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing which refers to keywords related to your main keywords.
Simply put, you also have to season your post with keywords that are synonymous or closely related to your main keywords so that Google can pinpoint where you want to rank.
For example, if you want to optimize your blog post for ‘baby bottles,’ you can’t just use this term and mention it frequently in your article. You have to use words like ‘feeding bottles’ or ‘baby feeding bottles’ so that Google will understand that you want users to find you when they look for feeding bottles for babies.
Case Studies
When you look at Neil Patel’s blog posts, you will find each of them filled with case studies from beginning to end.
Case studies refer to statistics and published research works related to the topic you’re writing about. Without a case study, your blog post will just be a collection of opinions without solid facts to back them up.
Sentences or paragraphs showing statistics about your topic will boost the credibility that your post needs for people to trust you.
Headings
Another key element of an effective blog post is the presence of headings. Headings give your post a direction so that readers will easily find hints on what the post is all about.
Make the headings relatable and easy to understand so your readers will be able to grasp how your post can help them by simply looking at these headings.
At the end of the day
These five key elements can only do so much in increasing your Google rankings but they can never replace a great research work that you put in and the ability to clearly communicate information to your readers.
Make no mistake.
These key elements that we’ve discussed is not a guarantee of wide viewership. There are tons of other factors to consider to make that happen. But as a beginner, these elements will open your eyes to the competition you are up to and hopefully, give you a good fight.
How sure are we?
Well, as sure as our sources are, because these tips are from SEO experts themselves, like Brian Dean and Neil Patel, who have studied the Google algorithm for many years. These blog writing techniques gave them over 100% increase in viewership and they have the numbers to back it up!
This article was originally posted Mom Marketing Coach
Blog Tips, Blogging, Mom Marketing Coach |
Apps That Make Your Mom Blog Appealing
Mompreneurs and Mom Bloggers belong to a unique species of bloggers. We have specific needs and circumstances that set us apart from the ordinary bloggers out there, namely, we are the busiest of them all!
While the other members of the “bloggerverse” have all the time in the world to take photos for their blog posts, design graphics in Adobe Illustrator or InDesign, and research for the most popular keywords to pump up their SEO, mom bloggers like us have only one go-to place for all of these – Google Images. Sadly, googling images for your blog has more disadvantages than you can imagine, like getting yourself sued for infringement, having duplicate content in your blog, and getting images with poor quality, to name a few.
But you know, this does not have to be the case. Your Mom Marketing coach is right here to help you add beautiful graphics and images to your blog posts, without spending too much time which we don’t really have. In this blog post, we’ll talk about the very helpful apps and websites that you can use to add creativity to your posts and to help you become more productive in your mom blogging journey.
Mangools KWFinder
Let’s begin with the most helpful of all. KWFinder is an app that will help you find the high-ranking keywords in a specific topic. For instance, if you’re blogging about baby items, you can search for topics like baby shoes, baby dresses, or baby toys and you’ll find popular keywords for these specific topics. The keywords are ranked based on how frequent they are searched on Google. Mangools KWfinder even tells you the level of competition for that keyword so you’ll know the fight that you’re up to if you want to rank for it.
Unsplash
Technically, Unsplash is not an app, but a website where you can find amazing images taken by professional photographers from around the world. Mind you, this website does not accept average-looking photos but those that are striking, clear, and cut-above-the-rest. Go ahead and type unsplash.com in your URL and see what we mean.
Canva
Some people say a picture can say a thousand words and it has never been true for mom bloggers who want to make an immediate impact. The challenge here is to create compelling posts with catchy graphics that can capture your audience’s attention. Fortunately, there’s Canva to save the day. This app has what you need to make your blog posts more friendly to the eyes. You can choose from their set of free templates and progress from there. There is a wide variety of fonts, graphics, and shapes you can add to spice your post further. And if that’s not enough, you can pay a small price for some of their premium design elements. With Canva, you’re one step closer to having professional content without having to pay for a graphic designer.
Buffer
Now that you’ve got your attention-grabbing content, it’s time to share them on your social media accounts. Ideally, you should allow a few minutes of your time every day to post so your engagement will rise through the roof. A good tool to have in your arsenal is Buffer.
Basically, Buffer helps you have a more organized experience when posting on social media. What this app does is give you a way to schedule your posts in advance. If you want, you can create a series of posts in one sitting and you’re done with your social media tasks for the whole week. You can even set Buffer to post to different social media websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, among others. In doing so, you can just sit back and relax while your audience grows exponentially.
Slack
Let’s face it, you can’t do everything all on your own. If you do so, you run the risk of missing your deadlines or putting out content that won’t have any positive effect on your goals. It’s much better to have a team to help you run your blog and your different social media accounts. If this is the way you want to go, you better take a look at what Slack has to offer you.
In its core, Slack provides you with the means to connect with people within your team without all the fuzz. You can create groups that revolve on a specific task and invite members of your team there. For instance, you have several people working on your social media engagement. All you need to do is create a group and you can focus on their development in one specific place.
There’s no need anymore for tons of e-mails and losing track of those important conversations in the process. Plus, Slack is better than the other apps in the market because it’s dedicated to giving you an enhanced communication experience with you and your team.
Trello
For some mom bloggers and mompreneurs, having a space dedicated for your files is heaven-sent. You no longer have to rummage your hard disk for that one photo you need to create a blog or social media post. This is the benefit of using Trello.
This app is all about organization. You can create numerous cards and organize them by columns. You can attach your files to these cards and add some important information to them. You can even take this app to the next level by labeling them with various colors so you can remember their specific purpose better.
In addition, Trello allows you to link these cards to your Google Drive account so there would be a seamless way to access your files. When you use this app with Slack, you and your team will have a trouble-free time communicating and organizing your content. Now that’s something priceless for any mom blogger.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success |
Brainstorming for Your Mom Blog Content
Once your mom blog is up and running, or even before you’ve ever started, you’ll find yourself always needing new ideas for content. For a beginner, this can be super intimidating.
How are you supposed to come up with a constant stream of ideas?
Are there even enough things to write about?
Well, I’m here to show you how to not only find great ideas to write about but also how to always have a fresh idea in your back pocket when you need it.
Let’s get started!
Finding Inspiration
To start, you need some good old inspiration. Fortunately, it isn’t as hard to find as you may think!
Inspiration comes from many places, but above all else, inspiration comes from your passion for a topic. If you love the niche you’re writing about, you should have no shortage of inspiration when you begin your blogging journey.
Of course, sometimes you hit a rut and the inspiration well runs dry. Don’t panic! Try answering a few of these questions to give yourself some ideas:
- What do people need to know about my niche?
- What would I be excited to talk about within my niche?
- Who cares about my niches, and what can I teach them?
- How can I help the people in my niche?
Researching Your Niche
If inspiration fails you (don’t worry, it’s natural!) then it’s time to turn to your competitors and the fellow blogs in your area.
This doesn’t mean you should copy these blogs; rather, you should focus on what they aren’t writing about. What holes are they leaving in your topic that you have the knowledge to fill?
For example, if you blogged about the best kitchen equipment and saw other bloggers in your niche blogging all about crockpots, you probably don’t want to write a long post about crockpots right at the same time. However, what about writing about all the different recipes you can make in a rice cooker, something many people already have! They’re cheaper than crockpots and can fulfill many of the same functions.
By taking this new approach, you’re helping solve a problem for people who can’t afford a crockpot but have a rice cooker, or for people just looking to mix it up. You can do the same thing in whatever niche you write in! So look carefully at the topics others are discussing in your niche and see how you can expand upon them, make them better, or find a new angle unique to you.
This is a great way to brainstorm content for your mom blog and is an effective supplement when inspiration runs dry.
Solving Your Own Struggles
Another great way to find content ideas for your blog, especially when you’re just starting out, is to think of ways to solve your own struggles. As they say, necessity is the mother of invention!
Start by identifying the things you struggle with within your niche. Perhaps you are a chef, but struggle with your knife skills, or you sew but struggle to embroider. It’s likely that others reading your blog experience these same struggles!
Once you’ve identified what you have difficulty with, do your research! Find solutions to these problems, or make some of your own. That right there is the topic of your blog post, maybe even your next five blog posts. You’ve just solved a clear problem for your niche, have collected or created valuable information, and all of that work is well deserving of becoming content on your blog!
Keeping a Notebook
Finally, we come to a content brainstorming method more focused on future-proofing than on finding content ideas now. However, if you take up this practice you’re setting yourself up for success, and for never having to worry about a lack of ideas again!
Our last method is keeping a notebook, and it’s surprisingly simple. All you need to do is keep a small notebook, legal pad, or computer document nearby. Whenever an idea for blog content strikes, write it down, in detail! You can organize this by topic or by date, but however you do it, this notebook will become an invaluable tool for you when you eventually hit a rut in your content creation.
Using this notebook of past ideas, coupled with the other three methods we’ve outlined about, you should be all set to continue putting out amazing content on your blog for years to come. Whenever you get stuck, just remember; there’s always more to write about when you know where to look!
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
Blog Tips, Blogging, Blogging Success, Grow Your Audience, Mom Marketing Coach |
Monetize Your Mom Blog
With any small business comes costs, and it’s no different for a newly created mom blog. Of course, with these costs also comes the desire to make money to sustain the needs of your new business, also to help support your family, your passion, and hobbies!
Below you’ll find four great ways to jumpstart and monetize your mom blog quickly after launch! All of these are easy to do, and with a little work and research can help you earn money for years to come thanks to your new blog.
Advertising
Starting our list we have one of the more obvious ways to make money through your blog; advertising.
Now don’t shy away! Many people feel that running ads on your blog has to be intrusive, annoying, or downright scummy. I’m here to tell you that this is definitely not the case! It’s all about how you do it and all about the kinds of ads you run.
Depending on your niches, you may be able to find an online ad service that will target their ads to your blog’s topic. Not only does this help them by showing ads your audience actually cares about, but it helps you make more money, since more people will want to click on the ads on your site.
Better yet, find a company or service provider in your niche and partner with them directly! While this may not be possible early on in your blogging career, plan for it down the line. This way you’re choosing exactly who to run ads for, ensuring they align with your blog’s message and values, and that they pay you a fair price for the precious internet real estate you’re giving them!
Affiliate Marketing
Next up we have affiliate marketing, which is in many ways similar to advertising, but more organically woven into your content.
For example, have you ever been researching, say, the best crock pots available on Amazon? You probably found a lot of blogs with an affiliate notice at the top. This lets you know that, if you buy one of those crock pots from the link on their site, they earn a little kickback at no charge to you.
Guess what? You can do this on your blog too!
Through super simple programs like Amazon Affiliates, affiliate marketing has never been easier. Whenever you mention a product you already enjoy and use on your blog, make it an affiliate link. That way, if one of your readers finds it equally as useful and buys it through your link, you earn a little bit of money as a thank you from the seller!
It’s a really simple process, and is likely to earn you way more money than plain old advertising!
Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is similar to affiliate marketing in that it’s essentially advertising that’s been organically included in your blog’s articles and posts. Sponsored content differs in that it’s usually done through a direct partnership with your sponsor company and that the entire article is geared towards selling that product to your readers.
In terms of advertising, sponsored posts will probably be the most lucrative you can do, though they’ll also require the most work. Researching, writing, and promoting the article are key if you want to earn money and a good reputation with your sponsors.
However, when done right, these types of posts are great ways to promote products and services you enjoy and use to your readers while making a large chunk of income for your blog!
Ebooks, Courses, and Coaching
Last but not least we have the most work intensive of the four; ebooks, courses, and coaching.
Essentially, this method requires you to spend a large chunk of time upfront to create a product or service, design it, market it, and sell it to your audience. However, what you get from all of that work is a sustainable source of income that doesn’t require much upkeep once it’s been created!
This is likely where you’ll want your mom blog to go in the future, moving you away from relying on other’s sponsorships and ad money and instead relying on your own fantastic products and offerings! Product creation is definitely a “down the road” endeavor for the beginning mom blogger, but it’s something to keep in mind as you start planning your monetization strategy and preparing your mom blog to become a profitable endeavor.
When combined, these four methods are a great way to start small, making bits of money here and there through ad revenue, and then grow as your blog grows, moving on to affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and eventually your own products.
This article was originally posted at Mom Marketing Coach.
