I am happy to reveal a secret. The new age internet wonder – blogging has made a huge difference to my life. What started as a hobby soon became a passion and then progressed to become a source of valuable income.
They say that if you love your work and enjoy it, then you are not working but just indulging in your favorite hobby. As far as I am concerned, that statement sums up my current state of mind and my views towards my work. It has also brought me additional benefits – both tangible and intangible and I wish to share them as under:
a) Great Visibility: I was already getting good reviews and responses for my posts over the last couple of years. However, I was pleasantly surprised to bump into somebody the other day, someone who had visited my blog and found it extremely refreshing. He found my posts very easy to relate to and appreciated the fact that I was in total control of my subject. I was dumbfounded when he offered me an assignment straight away without any pitching from my side and he did that purely from the positive impression that my blog gave him.
b) Improved Written Communication: Earlier, my writing was labored and the words just didn’t flow. I was not too impressed with my own capability to write well and convince people through my writing. My ideas about content writing were totally different and that I was the misfit. With blogging, this has turned on its head and I now can reel off written communication without much fuss. I have been able to contribute to e-books, newsletters, press releases etc and at this stage; I do not feel overawed by any assignment. The more I write, the more self confident I am becoming.
2 Able to Meet Requirement: Nowadays, I am able to fit in my thoughts and come up with just the right content to suit the headline. It seems that all my past experience and current efforts are combining efficiently within my brain and producing matter that is just what the doctor ordered, in a manner of speaking. For instance, with more and more pressure on keeping the copy short and when you are required to work in multiple assignments at the same time, your control on the vocabulary is extremely important to ensure the implicit meaning of the message is not compromised in any fashion. I am glad to say that I seem to have got the knack of delivering just what is required.
c) Pace: Initially, I used to take anywhere between 1 to 2 hours for my contribution. Now, I am able to finish off in less than 45 minutes with superior output. I am therefore making more income as I get more repeat orders from loyal customers.
d) Better Efficiency: This activity has enabled me to concentrate better and I am able to optimize my effort in meeting deadlines without sacrificing quality.
e) Better Sales: Thanks to my loyal traffic who respects my views and thoughts, I am able to push more sales onto them. I am their preferred choice as compared to the others in the internet space.
Blogging is not a short cut to making money but it is definitely worth pursuing if you can consistently write good content and meet customer requirements.
Original Article
Blogging Cash in Your Pocket
Blogging has brought me many benefits - many which have led directly to cash in my pocket. Following are the things that have led directly to more income from my blogging efforts:
a) Wholistic Body of Work: I recently picked up a client who came across my blog while surfing the web.
Without even asking, he told me that he liked by conversational style of writing and could tell that I "knew my stuff." He was talking about my marketing ability.
No marketing, no persuading, no samples - he handed me a project right off the bat. All because he was able to read through almost two years of blog posts, which gave him an idea of what I could do for him.
b) Better Writing Style: This kind of ties into the aforementioned point, but blogging has made me a better writer. Before I sweated over every word and really didn't have much confidence in my ability as a "saleable" writer.
I thought copywriting was some type of rocket science that I just didn't do well. But, the more I did it and the more clients were pleased with what I turned in, the more confidence I gained.
I've written e-books, postcards, web copy, newsletters and sales letters - and almost everything in between. Blogging has innately given me a "feel for the right words." It's hard to explain. But, I no longer feel intimidated or panicked by a project.
Because I write a lot these days, I'm confident in my ability to do a project.
2 Tips To Better Writing Skills
Write Headlines: What do I mean? Many times, I will write down just a headline without having any idea of what type of copy I'm going to write. But, 99% of the time, I am able to come up with copy to fit that headline.
I think this comes from working the old brain muscle. Eg, the more you write, the more ideas you will be able to flesh out.
Write Tight: As in, develop the habit of saying what you want to say in as few words as possible. Cut, cut, cut! While this skill may take some time, it will pay off when you have numerous projects on your desk that have to be done, and/or if you work in advertising.
Many commercials (radio and TV) require tight copy. When the client is paying $250,000 for a 30-second spot, they're not going to want Shakespeare.
c) Speed: When I first started blogging, I would spend anywhere from 1.5 to 2.5 hours on a post. Now, I knock it out in 30 minutes or less - without sacrificing quality.
This has increased my income because I apply the same rapidity to rote client projects (eg, those projects I consistently handle for clients). Again, without sacrificing quality.
d) More Self-production: Blogging forces you to focus. When I sit down to write a post, I almost always finish it because I have in my head what I want to say and I want to get it out before it disappears.
I apply this same intensity and rapidity to client projects wherever possible. While it's not possible to finish all client projects in one sitting, I do focus more when I am working on them and am able to get more done in one sitting than before I started blogging.
Again, I think it's a matter of working some portion fo the brain. Like any muscle, the more you use it, the better it performs.
e) More Product Sales: This is kind of obvious, but I sell more stuff (my e-books) because I've cultivated a loyal readership who trust my opinion. So, when they need the type of info I offer, they purchase from me instead of the gazillion other freelancers on the web.
Blogging is not an immediate way to make money. And, it's hard work. But it's those who blog consistent write well and become an authority of sorts, who turn blogging into cash.
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