Are you using blogging to start or grow your freelance or consultation business?
There are many ways to monetize blogs but blogging for business is the fastest and most lucrative if you have products or services to sell.
I started blogging four years ago to learn blogging and social media so I could help my web design clients but I didn’t expect blogging to get me any new business. So I followed my passion and started a travel blog.
It took a while to grow but when it did take off I noticed that, even though I wasn’t blogging about business or online marketing, readers started getting in touch to ask if I could help them with web design or copywriting.
I’d had my own business for eight years before I started blogging but I could never get a job unless I met a client face to face. Now people were emailing me from all over Australia and as far away as the USA and the UK which surprised me because some of the travel stories I shared, like the one where I suffered sleep paralysis while staying on a Greek Island and ran out of my hotel room naked, were hardly the type of thing that screamed professional.
What I realised was that these new clients didn’t care about my qualifications or work experience, they were more interested in my personal experiences. Some of my stories resonated with them and made them feel as if they’d met a kindred spirit.
So that’s how I started to see the power of blogging for myself and why I’m passionate about helping other people learn about it.
Since realising that I’ve started focusing more on using my blogs to help me get more business and I’ve got five main tips that have helped me grow my business through blogging that will also help you.
I wrote a post for Copyblogger about How to Captivate New Readers in 5 Seconds or Less because that’s how long you’ve got to create the right first impression online and make people want to find out more. You have less than five seconds to convince a new blog visitor you’re credible and your blog is worth reading. Otherwise you’ll never see them again.
Making fast decisions is as much a question of survival now as it was back in the caveman days when people had to make split second decisions about whether to spear the woolly mammoth that was bearing down on them or to make a run for it and go back to the cave hungry but alive.
These days there’s so much information vying for our attention that it would be impossible to get anything done if we didn’t make fast decision. We do it all the time without even thinking about it. If you’ve ever seen a headline on Twitter and clicked it or visited a blog then left straight away without reading any posts you’ve done it too.
The other thing about first impressions is that they count. Once someone’s made up their mind about something it’s very hard to get them to change it so you need to make sure you create a great first impression straight away.
Here’s how to create a great first impression:
After people have checked out your blog design, your logo, slogan and the photo of you they’ll start scanning your blog post headlines looking for specific information. So you need to make sure that 90% of your blog posts are focused around one theme that ties your blog together.
If you’re a freelance writer, photographer or stylist you don’t necessarily have to blog about that niche. You can blog about anything as long as it’s not x-rated and interests you enough that you can keep blogging about it long-term.
Most people will only ever see the headline of your blog post, either on your blog, on Twitter or Facebook or even in your email newsletter so you need to write compelling headlines if you want people to click on them. The headline is the most important part of your blog posts so you need to spend time working on them. Don’t be afraid to run with tried and tested formulas to begin with like:
• Numbered lists – eg. 101 Ways to be a Happy Traveller
• How to posts – eg. How to use Twitter as a motivational tool
• Best or Worst posts – eg. Best and worst things about living in Australia
• Why…. posts – eg. Why I’ll Never Quit Commenting on Other Blogs
• Other questions – eg. Do You Need a Mobile Friendly WordPress Blog?
Copyblogger and Jon Morrow both share headline formulas you can start with if you’re not confident in that area.
But remember compelling headlines will get people to your site but you have to deliver on that promise.
There are thousands of photographers, wedding planners and social media gurus out there and the best point of difference is YOU.
You may be happy sharing all the gory details of your life and family but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Personal stories can be a funny thing that happened to you in the supermarket yesterday or a childhood memory. As long as you relate them back to your niche and keep them relevant to your audience, personal stories should be a mainstay of your blog and something you include in every blog post.
It’s not easy to share useful tips, focus on a niche and share a personal story at the same time but the best bloggers do that and you can too with practice. You can find more tips in my Free Personal Writing Magic ebook.
Personal stories are the magic touch that create a connection with people which makes them actually want to work with you and get in touch with you.
It’s also easier to stand out from the crowd if you aim local and that can make your search engine optimisation easier too.
In theory people can work with you where ever you are but they may not be comfy with that. It’s far easier to aim for local business and get a good search engine ranking for “tax accountant Manly” than for “tax accountant Sydney” or “tax accountant Australia”.
Be true to yourself. As a blogger we get email requests all the time for guest posts, paid posts or reviews and link requests. If something doesn’t feel right to you it probably isn’t and in the scheme of things a few dollars for writing a review are nothing compared to how much you’d earn from selling your own product or service to readers who know and trust you totally.
We’ve talked about how personal stories build trust and you can take that to the next level by using photographs, audio files or videos to create that bond and trust faster.
Commit to blogging and be patient because you won’t see results overnight and trust takes time to build.
Stick with it, follow these blogging tips and your business will fly.
Click here for free updates by email or buy the Successful Blogging book on Amazon in print or on Kindle.
There are many ways to monetize blogs but blogging for business is the fastest and most lucrative if you have products or services to sell.
I started blogging four years ago to learn blogging and social media so I could help my web design clients but I didn’t expect blogging to get me any new business. So I followed my passion and started a travel blog.
It took a while to grow but when it did take off I noticed that, even though I wasn’t blogging about business or online marketing, readers started getting in touch to ask if I could help them with web design or copywriting.
I’d had my own business for eight years before I started blogging but I could never get a job unless I met a client face to face. Now people were emailing me from all over Australia and as far away as the USA and the UK which surprised me because some of the travel stories I shared, like the one where I suffered sleep paralysis while staying on a Greek Island and ran out of my hotel room naked, were hardly the type of thing that screamed professional.
What I realised was that these new clients didn’t care about my qualifications or work experience, they were more interested in my personal experiences. Some of my stories resonated with them and made them feel as if they’d met a kindred spirit.
So that’s how I started to see the power of blogging for myself and why I’m passionate about helping other people learn about it.
Why Blogging Works for Freelancers and Consultants
Blogging for business is a cost-effective and effective marketing tool which helps you:- Find and convert clients.
- Retain them and get repeat business.
- Improve your search engine ranking for specific keywords people are using to look for what you offer.
Since realising that I’ve started focusing more on using my blogs to help me get more business and I’ve got five main tips that have helped me grow my business through blogging that will also help you.
Blogging Tips for Freelancers and Consultants
1. Create a great first impression
I’m not that good at maths but it seems like there are a zillion great photographers, accountants and copywriters out there. So you need to make yourself stand out from the crowd before you even get to say a word.I wrote a post for Copyblogger about How to Captivate New Readers in 5 Seconds or Less because that’s how long you’ve got to create the right first impression online and make people want to find out more. You have less than five seconds to convince a new blog visitor you’re credible and your blog is worth reading. Otherwise you’ll never see them again.
Making fast decisions is as much a question of survival now as it was back in the caveman days when people had to make split second decisions about whether to spear the woolly mammoth that was bearing down on them or to make a run for it and go back to the cave hungry but alive.
These days there’s so much information vying for our attention that it would be impossible to get anything done if we didn’t make fast decision. We do it all the time without even thinking about it. If you’ve ever seen a headline on Twitter and clicked it or visited a blog then left straight away without reading any posts you’ve done it too.
The other thing about first impressions is that they count. Once someone’s made up their mind about something it’s very hard to get them to change it so you need to make sure you create a great first impression straight away.
Here’s how to create a great first impression:
- Be consistent – Check all your online profiles including your About page. You never know where people will find you online or which page of your site people will see first. Your profile photos don’t need to be exactly the same but use a smiling photo of yourself and make sure your branding and tone are consistent everywhere. Be aware that branding isn’t just the colors you choose, it’s about what you say, how you say it and who you associate with. Successful businesses and blogs evolve constantly so your online profiles need to reflect that and be up to date. Update your blog regularly and aim for quality over quantity. Posting once a week or fortnight is fine. Post monthly if that’s all you can manage but stick to a schedule to get you in the swing of it and establish a body of work. Otherwise you may appear uncommitted and undisciplined.
- Be clear – People scan things online. New blog visitors have three main questions: What’s this blog about? Who writes it? And What do I get out of reading it? Make sure a quick scan of your photo, slogan and blog headlines makes that obvious and be clear about the services you offer. They’re web readers, not mind readers. Concise wording and benefit-rich headlines help readers know instantly if they’re in the right place. Format your static pages such as about, hire me and all your blog posts. Choose a big, readable font and keep pages short and scannable. Use short paragraphs, watch your grammar and punctuation and avoid exclamation marks.
- Be minimalist – If you’re not confident with blog design less is more. Like kitchen drawers blogs tend to accumulate clutter overtime. You start off with simple, clean design, then add a few links, a couple of widgets and some banner then suddenly your sleek design has become a confusing mess. Clean up your side bars and be sure to leave white space where readers can rest their eyes. Clients don’t care about the widgets, subscriber numbers and blog rolls that we bloggers love. Avoid advertisements – you’re selling yourself, not someone else’s product and unless you make a good income from advertisements they’re probably costing you more money in lost business. Avoid distracting animations and big images which slow download times too.
- Be client-focused - Remember that a lot of the things we add to our blogs aren’t important to your target clients just to other bloggers. What new readers and prospective clients will notice is basic stuff like if every single post is showing zero comments. Make sure you have at least one comment on every post or turn your comments off because zero comments might make you look like a zero. Make sure you get and respond to comments.
- Be professional – A professional blog design will make a huge difference and boost your confidence as well as your readers confidence in you. If you don’t have the budget for it spend time learning how to create an attractive blog and keep it as clean and professional as possible. Use WordPress and choose a free theme but do buy your own domain name and be prepared to invest a small fee in that and hosting fees. Once you’ve got some work and proven your business is viable you can start reinvesting in branding and blog design. Always credit images – you’re a professional so you need to behave like one and make sure your blog looks as good as you are. Unfortunately if your site looks boring, amateur, or cheap, that’s how you’ll be perceived.
2. Share Compelling Content
Sticking to a niche is important to show people that you’re really passionate about what you do and focused on it 100%.After people have checked out your blog design, your logo, slogan and the photo of you they’ll start scanning your blog post headlines looking for specific information. So you need to make sure that 90% of your blog posts are focused around one theme that ties your blog together.
If you’re a freelance writer, photographer or stylist you don’t necessarily have to blog about that niche. You can blog about anything as long as it’s not x-rated and interests you enough that you can keep blogging about it long-term.
Most people will only ever see the headline of your blog post, either on your blog, on Twitter or Facebook or even in your email newsletter so you need to write compelling headlines if you want people to click on them. The headline is the most important part of your blog posts so you need to spend time working on them. Don’t be afraid to run with tried and tested formulas to begin with like:
• Numbered lists – eg. 101 Ways to be a Happy Traveller
• How to posts – eg. How to use Twitter as a motivational tool
• Best or Worst posts – eg. Best and worst things about living in Australia
• Why…. posts – eg. Why I’ll Never Quit Commenting on Other Blogs
• Other questions – eg. Do You Need a Mobile Friendly WordPress Blog?
Copyblogger and Jon Morrow both share headline formulas you can start with if you’re not confident in that area.
But remember compelling headlines will get people to your site but you have to deliver on that promise.
3. Get Personal, be Local
Remember how I discovered the power of personal stories for helping people get to know me and build trust? So will you.There are thousands of photographers, wedding planners and social media gurus out there and the best point of difference is YOU.
You may be happy sharing all the gory details of your life and family but you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to. Personal stories can be a funny thing that happened to you in the supermarket yesterday or a childhood memory. As long as you relate them back to your niche and keep them relevant to your audience, personal stories should be a mainstay of your blog and something you include in every blog post.
It’s not easy to share useful tips, focus on a niche and share a personal story at the same time but the best bloggers do that and you can too with practice. You can find more tips in my Free Personal Writing Magic ebook.
Personal stories are the magic touch that create a connection with people which makes them actually want to work with you and get in touch with you.
It’s also easier to stand out from the crowd if you aim local and that can make your search engine optimisation easier too.
In theory people can work with you where ever you are but they may not be comfy with that. It’s far easier to aim for local business and get a good search engine ranking for “tax accountant Manly” than for “tax accountant Sydney” or “tax accountant Australia”.
4. Build Trust
The easiest way to build trust is to keep blogging regularly. Focusing on your niche and telling personal stories will all help but being constant and consistent is the key.Be true to yourself. As a blogger we get email requests all the time for guest posts, paid posts or reviews and link requests. If something doesn’t feel right to you it probably isn’t and in the scheme of things a few dollars for writing a review are nothing compared to how much you’d earn from selling your own product or service to readers who know and trust you totally.
We’ve talked about how personal stories build trust and you can take that to the next level by using photographs, audio files or videos to create that bond and trust faster.
Commit to blogging and be patient because you won’t see results overnight and trust takes time to build.
5. Promote Yourself With Pride
Self-promotion is hard for many consultants and freelancers so let’s start with the basics. Make sure you advertise what you do clearly on your blog. Here are some ways to do that:- Make sure you have a Hire Me page to let people know that you want to work with them.
- Add a footer to each blog post reminding people what you do and how to get in touch.
- Create an email signature – you can make a plain text version in Gmail or use WiseStamp for something fancier – including your job description.
- Use those media mentions and testimonials – they’re a great form of social proof.
- Build your email list. Repeat exposure is key so when people actually need a photographer or book-keeper you’re the first person they think of. If you collect email addresses for a newsletter people are giving you permission to market to them. Don’t abuse that but do get in the habit of sending regular promotional emails (say monthly) with a special offer or promoting a new service. Every time you do that you’ll get a flurry of unsubscribes but that’s normal. Some people will never buy from you and as a freelancer or consultant you probably couldn’t handle it if they all did.
- Talk about your work – There are plenty of ways to promote yourself without being overtly promotional. Share case studies, write blog posts about growing your business or offer a free consult to one commenter who says in 25 words or less what they most need help with.
Stick with it, follow these blogging tips and your business will fly.
Want More HOT Blogging Tips?
Click here for free updates by email or buy the Successful Blogging book on Amazon in print or on Kindle.Need Help with Blog Design?
If you need help with blog design or updates email me now - I’ve been helping creatives and freelancers set up effective websites for 17 years and I’d love to work with you too.Author: Annabel Candy
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