5 Little Known Blogging Mistakes that Could Be Frustrating Your Efforts

Let me formally welcome you to the year 2017!

It’s really great to have yet another opportunity to make a mark in whatever it is our focus in life is. But why welcoming the year with high hopes we must understand that we are the determinants of what we receive from the year.

One thing I do during this period is I spend a good time to review a number of the posts on this blog. The purpose is to note the ones that have done well great and those that have not.

And so, while I was away on the Christmas and New Year holidays, I spent a good time of that period to not only re-evaluate the focus and operations of this blog but also my business generally. In reviewing some of the posts I noticed a lot of broken links most of which are blogs is that a whole lot of blogs linked to from this blog

I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the number of broken links I discovered during this review. Now, these links are mostly blogs that I have linked to in my posts over the years. Unfortunately, most of these blogs are no more.

I wouldn’t say I’m surprised by this because over the past couple of years this has been the trend. Many bloggers after struggling for years trying to scrape a living from their blog end up throwing in the trowel.

Of course, it’s really frustrating to put in so much and not get anything from it. Fact is, except your #blog is just a platform for sharing your thoughts and connecting with friends and family, your expectation is to make some money (if not a full-time income) from your blog. But doing that is not really easy.

But why are many bloggers failing to do this?

There’s no doubt that bloggers fail to make money with their blogs as a result of many things. But of these, I have found the following mistakes to be top of the list.

Matter of fact is if you’re presently struggling with your blog, one of these mistakes might just be the culprit!

Why Seemly Hard -Working Bloggers Fail!

Mistake #1: #Blogging without a Definite Purpose

Do you have a purpose for your blog?

What is your motivation for starting the blog?

Do you have a story to tell?

It’s unfortunate that many of the blogs out there are nothing but “just another blog!” From design to the content and tactics employed by the blogger, there is really nothing that separates them from their peers online. Many of these blogs were only started because the blogger saw that you can make money blogging.

If you want to make money with your blog it is important that you have a definite purpose for the blog. It’s important you settle the question, WHY this blog?

Not taking care of this before you start will put a whole lot of boulders on your way.  And if you are in this boat then you must take some time off right now and settle this issue. Asking questions like:  why am I really blogging? I’m I just here to share my thoughts and opinions or to make a living? If I’m here to make money how do I do that? Should it be by promoting affiliate products or selling my own products or service? And what do I need to do to accomplish this?

Doing this right now will help you get a clearer picture and the focus of your blog.

Mistake #2: Blogging without a Plan

It’s unfortunate that many bloggers do not have a plan and worst still they never care to have one. There is a common saying that when you fail to plan you plan to fail. This should really be a wakeup call for bloggers but not many really care about this.

I wrote a blog post earlier this year on how bloggers can make yearly SMART goals and plans. I encourage you to read it right here.

Once you have decided on the purpose of your blog, designing a plan on how to achieve that purpose will greatly help on your journey. A blogging plan should answer the question of how you expect to make money with your blog and what you must do to achieve that goal.

Your plan for #making money from your blog will determine the type of content you showcase on your blog. A blog wanting to sell advertising space would be different content-wise from the one that is focused on selling your consulting practice!

It’s unfortunate that many bloggers who do not know these differences simply write content based on what they see on other blogs and when nothing come out of their efforts they sulk and ultimately give up!

Mistake #3: Not Building a List

This is really a big one.

Despite hearing it over and over again that the money is in the lists, many bloggers have not seen the need to start an email list. They are content with just writing content, interacting with other bloggers in the comment section of their blogs and connecting on #social media sites.

As much as these things are good, you must know that an email list is your greatest asset when it comes to #marketing online. Let no one deceive you with talk about email being a dead online marketing tactic. Indeed, many internet marketers may have put a bad name on this because of their spammy email promotions but don’t let that put you off.

Offering email subscription on your blog is the easiest way of turning your blog into a money making machine. Remember, not everyone who visits your blog will return except you have a system to bring them back. Capturing their contact info and adding them to your email contact list is the best way to do that.

You may have an RSS feed subscription on your blog but that has many limitations which an email list will help you overcome.

Here are some industry recognized autoresponder services that will help you build a list:

1. GetResponse.com – Widely used by internet marketers
2. MailerLite.com – High-quality service for an incredibly low price. You can use the system for FREE if you only have 1,000 subscribers or less. (Highly Recommended)
3. RapidMailer.com – Your best choice if you want to run your own autoresponder. It’s a one-time payment.

Mistake #4: Choosing the Wrong Market

In my previous post on spooky business start up tips, I clearly stated that if you start a business just based on what you love without carefully checking for profitability, you’ll simply struggle in that business.

This is more so when blogging to make money!

Of course, it is important that you choose your blog topic based on what you know as this will help you greatly in writing content and showing your expertise. However, except your desire is to share your thoughts with your family and friends, it is important that you research the profitability of your target niche ever before you write the first piece of content!

Conversely, simply choosing a blog niche because there is money to be made in that market will be like trying to make money in hell! This is because if your only focus is money then it will be really hard to make the money.

A two-edged sword you might say!

To say on the safe side, you must choose your blog niche based on market profitability and your passion. The good thing is that even if you have little knowledge about a niche, simply spending some time online researching the topic can set you on the path of becoming an expert in that field in no distant time.

Use online tools available all over the net to research the market before you start. If you’re already blogging and you discover you are having problems with this, take some time off, do the necessary research and then reposition your blog.

Mistake #5: Not Driving the Right Traffic

I must say that this is one problem that many bloggers are having without really knowing it. In the few years I have been blogging I have come across very wonderful bloggers. From all indications they appear to be doing great with their blogs. Superb blog posts, impressive blog comment sections bulging with readers comments, social buttons displaying the envious number of shares, etc.

But, when you ask how much they are making from their blogs the responses are a put-off!

I have seen many of these console themselves with things like: blogging is not about making money but connecting with like minds! But come to think of it, do you really love working your butts off every day just because you want those wonderful feelings of being known as a blogger?

I sincerely doubt that.

But, what is really the problem here?

It is this: these bloggers are simply driving the wrong type of traffic to their blogs!

Like we have seen above your blog exist for a specific purpose. In the same way, your blog should be targeted at a specific group. If you have clearly defined the purpose of your blog from the beginning knowing your blogs target audience will not be a problem.  This will therefore determine your promotional tactics.

Running round other similar blogs, commenting and interacting with other bloggers will only help you make money if your blog is targeted at this group of people. Go where your target audiences are gathering online and then entice them to your blog. This is the only way you can truly monetize your blog traffic.

Conclusion

I don’t know which of these blogging mistakes is holding your back from making money with your blog. But the truth is if you will take the time and work on these ones you will soon begin to see a change in your blogging success.

Your turn: What blogging mistakes do you think any blogger who wants to make this year concentrate on overcoming? Share your comments below.

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5 Little Known Blogging Mistakes that Could Be Frustrating Your Efforts was first posted on January 9, 2017 at 8:23 am.
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