So, I said the other day to a friend of mine that I had made about 1700 dollars on my blogs in the past few weeks. Yes, I am totally serious! That is a long way from me making 4 cents in 6 months isn’t it?
After the crazy 12 weeks to goal event that I have been doing the entire year, it seemed like a good time to talk money! I have been doing this for quite some time. If you have read me from the beginning, you know how long I struggled, you know my frustrations, and you know my accomplishments! If you haven’t, stick around! I am sure that I will experience all of it again!
How do I do it? Well, instead of just offering ad space on my site, I offer a multitude of ad options and services to fit everyone’s budget and vision! I spend countless hours on the phone and over email chatting with the company about what they want and what I can do! I negotiate! I sometimes give a little more and it works for me! However, I also don’t have a problem saying “Sorry, I hope you find someone to help you.”
OK, when I really actually started trying to blog for money, I read the posts that said exactly what I just said, but I had no clue what they meant! It also seemed as if no one wanted to tell me. Guess what, you should know it by now. I am not afraid to tell you. Am I helping the competition? Certainly! Do I care? Not really! If I help you understand your worth and learn to charge your worth, then I am helping myself in the long run. Eventually, all companies will understand that social media is not the same as traditional media! We answer to only ourselves and can do what we want and charge what we want. We can also blow up your twitter feed with one carefully placed tweet! We can make you the greatest thing since sliced bread in literally a few second or we can cause your company to crumble in the exact same amount of time.
Anyway, tangent! Whew, I do that too often, don’t I? LOL! So, I am telling you what is working for me and hoping that it helps you decide what else you can do!
#1 – I make printables. I charge very little ($5.00 per page) and allow my blogging friends to offer them as freebies on their sites! What do I get out of it? Links in, other clients, and my name out there!
#2 – I help people grow their Twitter accounts. I have over 12,000 Twitter followers and while some spammy people slip in, for the most part they are legitimate followers. People who will respond to what I say and click on things I link to! I feel like I know what I am doing on Twitter and like to help others. It isn’t a cheap thing because it takes me quite some time. I want you to have followers that fit your niche and will spend about 1 month getting you 1,000 new twitter followers!
#3 – I offer to help companies set up multi-blogger campaigns! Again, I feel that I know what I am doing on here. I have been a review blogger at 3 Boys and a Dog for right at 5 years!
#4 – I offer variety! I have this new thing that I offer that is almost like a brand ambassadorship, but it is only a month long. It doesn’t really do product reviews but makes things fun for y’all and the company and really gets the name out there. Try to come up with your own unique spin on the common review and you just might get more bites!
If you have missed any of my Blogging Basics posts, you can read the Huge Tips post that lists them in order with a short description of each. Also, if you have a topic that you would like to see me tackle, be sure to email me with “Blogging Basics Request” in the subject. You might even get your blog linked to!