1. DIGITAL PRODUCTS
If you have got loads of valuable information on topics that
people are greatly interested in, you can package such information into an
e-book, and then put it up for sale on your blog. Writing and packaging an
e-book is very easy and can be completed within short time.
Alternatively, you can create videos or podcasts
(downloadable audios) that contain the valuable information that you want to
sell. You must bear in mind, however, that people generally prefer e-books to
videos for two reasons: First, they are more familiar with e-books. Second,
downloading e-books requires much less data than downloading videos does.
However, if the information you are selling is the type that
cannot be explained effectively with writing, then videos will be more
appropriate.
2.
AFFILIATE MARKETING
If you don’t want to go through the process of creating your
own product, then you can still make good money by promoting and selling other
people’s products. In fact, many bloggers make more money from affiliate
marketing than from selling their own products.
How affiliate marketing works is quite simple: You register
with an affiliate program or network. You choose what products you want to
promote, and you generate your unique affiliate link or banner for each
product. Then you either display your affiliate banner at strategic points on
your blog, or you publish a review or pre-sell article on the product (this
article will contain your affiliate links). Each time someone clicks your
affiliate banner or link and then makes a purchase, you will get a commission
from that sale.
Examples of affiliate networks include Amazon, Commission
Junction, ShareaSale, Markethealth, Clickbank, and so on.
3. ADVERTISING
There are two ways to make money on your blog from
advertising. The first is by registering with an ad network that automatically
generates and run ads on your blog. And second, by selling advert space
directly to advertisers.
Once your blog starts to attract a decent amount of traffic,
you can register with an ad network such as Google Adsense, Infolinks, or
Chitika. These networks will generate ads that are closely related to your
blog’s content and run them in slots that you’ve created for these ads. Each
time a visitor on your blog clicks these ads, you make money. You must bear in
mind, however, that you will need hundreds to thousands of clicks to make a
decent amount from this. And that’s why you need massive traffic to make this
method work well for you.
Alternatively, you can offer advert slots for sale to
businesses whose target market matches your blog’s audience. For example, if
you run a technology blog, you can sell advert space to businesses selling
technology products such as smartphones and PCs. Businesses will only pay to
advertise on your blog if it attracts massive, targeted traffic. So, you need
several thousands of daily visits to attract advertisers.
4. FREELANCING/
CONSULTING
Another smart way to make cool money from your blog is to
offer your services to your blog’s audience. If you have the skills, you can
offer services such as freelance writing, blog setup and installation, graphic
design, search engine optimization, data entry and so on to your audience.
Similarly, if you have years of experience in a particular
field, you can offer consulting services through your blog. For example, if you
are a seasoned attorney with several years of experience in business law, you
can consult for small businesses on legal matters.
5. PREMIUM CONTENT
If you are really loaded with information that can hardly be
found elsewhere, you can charge your visitors or audience a specified fee for
such information. There are many ways to go about this. You can set up an
online course, consisting of a series of lessons or modules. Or you can setup a
separate blog or forum that can be accessed only by those who pay to gain
access.
