Some economists say we’re out of the worldwide recession, others disagree.  Either way, the financial world is far from booming and people are loosing their jobs and getting into debt or just looking at alternative ways to make money to eradicate existing debt.

Whilst our blogs have tended to focus on service provision and as a supplement to our other business, it is certainly possible to make money blogging and increasingly people are blogging to get out of debt.

You can make money online.  We do, millions of others do.  But you have to know how to do it – it’s a skill like anything else.  What is very difficult is to start from square one, or from a relatively inexperienced position, and create your own blueprint.

Fortunately, you’re never really alone with the internet if you look in the right places.  Be very careful of your sources, though, as we all know that trusting those sources can be an issue.

We thought it would be helpful to share some top tips for making money from blogging:

1- Realize that this will be an ongoing process.  The reason we recommend scoping is to help in making the whole process go smoothly, and so that you, as the owner behind the blog, can put your stamp on it and control it. But do not forget that no blog or any website is really ever “finished”.

2- Building a blog is a work in progress and, whilst planning is important, it’s importantat the right level – it should not be a barrier. Don’t wait until your blog is “perfect” to get it going.  If you do, it will probably never happen.  As long as the substance is there, you can develop and ‘fix’ it as it operates. You have to get this balance right, and this will come with experience.

3- Understand your target market inside out.  (You can never know this well enough, but again don’t let this be a barrier to action. You need to understand the demographic of your audience but you can work on that over time). Do not be vague about this. Do not cut corners in your fundamental understanding. It’s the bedrock of what you’re doing and you should document it (whether in a business plan or, at an early stage, in a separate note).  This doesn’t mean it has to be War and Peace – in fact, it’s better that it isn’t.  Short, concise, to the point.

4- Know what your branding is or will evolve into. You may have a brand created already through an offline business that you are moving online. Or many of you will be creating a new brand. Brands are all about the feeling your business imparts on those who do business with you, whether your customers, suppliers, etc. If you’re brainstorming this, get as much down on paper (or into your laptop) as you can. Again, don’t underestimate how useful mind mapping can be – it helps your ideas build, grown and connect.  It makes those ideas tangible.

5- What will your marketing strategy be? If you can’t lead people through your “marketing funnel” towards your product, service or other profit generator, you will struggle. This is an area which can have a big impact on how you design your blog or someone else does (if the latter, don’t let your designer ‘run away’ with the look and feel without considering this – honestly, this is great advice, from personal experience).

6- You should end up with map with ‘one route’, designed by you –  know exactly where you want your users to go and how you will get them there.  Make it a path of least resistance. Match your content to your goals. Decide what your content needs to achieve and make it achieve it.

7- Persevere.  Use tips and tricks from others.  You’ll get there.