Not everyone wants to put advertising on their blog or get into selling stuff mainly because they just want to create, express and be completely uncensored. I totally get that!
But, did you know that even if your blog is monetization free, you can still make money indirectly because of your blog? Oh yes, and here are seven examples:
- A new job or career: I landed a job at Microsoft because someone there new of my blog(s), the authority and brand I had developed online, and called me up out of the blue about a newly created position that dealt with working in the socialsphere and helping Microsoft sell more of their consumer products. Because the web is changing how businesses operate, sell, and market, new jobs are created all the time, and yes even in this down economy because web skills and influence is considered very valuable right now.
Your blog can help you establish authority, experience, and influence which is a fabulous segway into a new job opportunity or a segway into creating a whole new career. It is my firm belief that the next big lifestyle celebrities like an Oprah, Martha, Rachel Ray, or Dr. Phil will get their start online from their own kitchen or couch.
- Consulting gigs and Contract work: There is some good money to be made in consulting work especially in social media right now. More and more brands are moving their sales and marketing efforts to the web, and they need help because the web is a whole different beast. If you've been blogging in your particular space for awhile, and can demonstrate an expertise, influence, and knowledge of the consumers and users in that niche, then there are opportunities for consulting gigs and contract work like being a paid blogger or community manager for the brand/company.
If you're influential enough, some companies will pay you just to pick your brain. The best way to find these opportunities right now is to contact the company directly and sell yourself. As well, mention on your blog in the about page that you are open to consulting opportunities.
- New clients: If you're self employed like a lawyer, accountant, trainer, life coach, a blog is a great way to attract new clients. With so much competition out there, your blog can help potential new clients get a feel for who you are, what you stand for, and how you think and operate. We all know that many times people want to just work with people they like. Your blog can do a better job of selling "you" than any brochure or a regular plain website.
- Book deal: It is a life long dream of many, yours truly included, to be a published author. One day, I'd like mom & dad to be able to walk into Barnes & Noble and be able to see a book I wrote on the shelves. The folks still don't really get "that blog stuff" I do, but they totally get books. Your family & friends too? Book publishers are always on the look out for new talent, and especially talent that has a following already.
Your blog can help you do two things: Write constantly because writers need to continually practice their craft, and two build your brand as an author. It's not enough to just be talented, you also have to be marketable, and your blog can help you get exposure and build fans which publishers want to see in book proposals.
- Paid writing gigs: If you've ever wanted to write for a magazine, a newspaper, or a popular website as a paid writer, then having a blog can be your online portfolio as well as a way to show your marketability and popularity. Again, like book publishers, magazines, newspapers, and sites are businesses first, and they are looking for traffic, subscriptions, and sold copies. If you are a writer who can show that you can pull in good traffic numbers and get good exposure, then your odds of getting paid writing gigs goes up greatly, and you can ask for rates commensurate with that influence you bring in.
Movie deal: Oh yes! And we're talking big screen, Oscar potential type of stuff. One of the most famous examples of a blog becoming a movie is Julie & Julia. Julie Powell was a temp administrative assistant living in a small apartment in NY where over 365 days she cooked 524 Julia Childs recipes and blogged about it every step of the way. Julie & Julia
then became a book, and coming out in summer of 2009 will be the movie version starring Amy Adams as Julie, Meryl Streep as Julie, and directed by Nora Ephron. Um, hello! From blog to Box office bonanza crew. Who knew?
- Speaking engagements and appearances: Gary Vaynerchuk ran a family owned brick & mortar wine business which did well, but a couple years ago, Gary saw that everything was moving online so he started a video blog, Wine Library TV where he talks about wine. Soon after, he launched his personal video blog Gary Vaynerchuk, his 2-minute take on life. Today, Gary is one of the hottest personalities online, he is hired to speak for companies and at events all over the place, and he is now repped by CAA, Creative Artists Agency, who also reps the likes of George Clooney, Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, and Stephen King. For Gary, it started by just blogging.
So, here are just 7 ways that you can make money because of your blog.The opportunity is wide open which is why I LOVE the web. Now, you just need to start blogging, take action, and stay focused. For those who have been blogging for awhile already, what are some ways you've been able to make money indirectly because of your blog?
Next, I'll talk about ways you can monetize and make money directly from your blog.
