Blogging is my dream job and I'm so glad I can do what I love for a living.

Despite what many people think, being a blogger doesn’t mean just being photographed all day in amazing places, getting new products before they even reach the shelves – and earning money by doing so.

True, it happens, and there is no doubt it is the glamorous side of the job, but, behind every successful blogger stands one very important thing, and no, it is definitely not ‘luck’….

There is one thing all successful bloggers share – they take their blog seriously, and see it as a business for all intents and purposes.

If you, too, want to expand the presence of your blog and start making a living via the internet, you need to make a practical decision and start viewing your blog as a business.

Don’t be afraid to make a change, invest, and really go for it!

Almost three years ago, when I first started my blog, the mere thought of Blogging as a profession seemed very odd to most people. Even today, it is not a traditional profession, and there are still many people who would raise eyebrows if you tell them you are interested in turning your blog into a business. With that said, lots of people are already aware of the fact that there are many blogs that are started not the purpose of hobby alone.

Opposite the people who still don’t see blogging as real work are people who say blogs are a thing of the past.

“People no longer read blogs”…. “Everyone is on Instagram these days”…

I have one thing to say to that – bullshit.

Blogs will be a part of everyone's life as long as the internet search engines exist. Let's put it this way – Google does not quite seem to be going anywhere.

It is no secret that these days there are so many ways to make money by blogging. The trend of content marketing seems to only be growing, and companies continue to increase the budgets they invest in marketing of this kind. So, yes, content marketing is being done today on social media, and not only on blogs. But with all of the changes in algorithms occurring each day on social networks, we just cannot put all of our eggs in somebody else’s basket. There is no doubt that, today, presence on social networks is an essential part of any business, but it definitely should not be the basis of the business. Not a business that sees itself as successful and profitable in the long run, anyway.

Following the success of many blogs that became brands and thriving businesses in recent years, the blog world has become saturated and more crowded than ever. When there are so many blogs in the blogosphere, if you want to stand out, you really need to put in more effort.

It's simple, if you want businesses and brands to want to work with you or if you want to turn your readers into future customers, you need to make sure your blog looks professional and provides real added value.

The bottom line is – blogs are going to continue to be a part of our lives, differently than the way they have been in the past. Today, in order for your blog to become successful, you can’t just go with the flow and merely rely on luck. If you really wish to make a living from your blog, you have to take your blog seriously and build a strategic plan for it.

It all begins with your approach. Only when you start to treat your blog as a business, will you give it the real opportunity to become one…

You should go for it, invest in it, be yourself and keep growing everyday. Do not be afraid of change.

So, if you are ready to take your blog seriously, here are some ways to do so…

STOP VIEWING YOURSELF AS A “LITTLE BLOGGER”

Stop that right away! Whether you’ve started your blog yesterday or two years ago – you shouldn’t see yourself as a “little blogger”. By seeing yourself as a little, amateur blogger, others will see the same.

I know that as a blogger you must experience many fears {I’ve even written about it here and here}, and that one of the most common ways to deal with some of these fears is to belittle yourself so that others don’t expect too much of you, and no less important – you, too, should not expect too much from yourself.

It is important that you understand that as long as you don’t consider yourself to be anything more than an amateur blogger, you will not succeed in developing and growing. Invest in your “About” page {choose flattering photos of yourself, present yourself, your achievements and the essence of your blog to your readers}, do not be afraid to promote yourself and do not be shy to turn to the brands and companies you love in order to achieve collaborations.

DO NOT WAIT TO BECOME A “BIG BLOGGER”

This may be one of the most common mistakes made by beginner bloggers. You cannot expect your blog to develop and grow if you are not willing to invest in it.

First of all, you have to be willing to spend the time and skill to turn your blog into one that the right people {meaning, your target audience} will want to visit. In addition, if it is important to you to turn your blog into a business, you should also invest the money to learn and develop. The financial investment in a blog is very low compared to establishing and operating other types of business, but the income from a blog can be large and very profitable. This is why it is so worth it to invest in a blog. You can, for example, take courses on certain subjects that will save you hours and hours of self-study online {I took courses on Pinterest and on blog monetisation via affiliates, and, I must admit, these were some of the best investments I’ve made during my blogging career!} And yes, you should buy the right equipment or hardware that will upgrade your website {like a strong computer, online storage and a professional design template).

You know what they say – you need to spend money to earn money.

You can read here and here about the tools I use to manage my blog.

DO NOT GIVE UP ON AN INDEPENDENT BLOG

While this is the blog world’s unfree option, it is really inexpensive {less than $3 a month} and it ensures that your blog remains entirely yours. That is, all of the content you will enter into the website will belong to you and no one will be able to suddenly delete it {different from free platforms}. Besides, an independant blog with an independant domain is a lot more professional, and will increase your chances for big companies to want to work with you.

This is exactly the kind of investment you should not give up on when starting a blog. Now, I know what you’re thinking….  “I’m still a ‘little blogger’… I can start my blog on a free platform and move on to an independent platform when I become a ‘big blogger’“.

If you are interested in taking your blog seriously, I am telling you now, this is a mistake, the two main reasons being:

a. Read the two previous sections….

b. Save yourself the trouble of transferring a blog full of content to an independent platform. True, it can be done, but the trouble involved is not worth the meager savings.

I remember when I first started my blog I debated a lot about this issue… I read an infinite amount of posts and articles that analyse the differences between the different options, and eventually, when looking at all of the successful bloggers at the time, I discovered they shared one thing in common – they all run an independent blog. It took me about a month to get the courage to go all the way and invest a little bit more money in the blog, and it was absolutely worth it.

If you’re still not sure about it, you should read this post in which I expanded on the benefits of an independent blog versus a free one, and explained how to easily start a blog in less than 15 minutes.

CREATE A BUSINESS PLAN AND SET GOALS FOR YOUR BLOG

Defining clear goals and designing a business plan is one of the most important things you can do for your blog. Where do you see your blog in a year from now? And how about five years? Take a pen and paper and write down your goals, no matter how big or small they seem to be. This process will help you to fine-tune your vision, set clear goals, and motivate you through challenging times. I suggest you start by reading this post I wrote about the “Five Year Plan”.

THINK OF YOUR BLOG AS YOU WOULD ANY OTHER BRAND

In order for your blog to be unique, it has to be different from the rest of the blogs online. This is exactly where branding and design come into play. Your aim is to have your blog become a brand with which other brands and businesses would like to collaborate, and readers can and would like to identify with.

One of the biggest mistakes many bloggers make is to “sacrifice” their brand in order to participate in campaigns {for pay or as a barter} and promote products that do not match their brand values. Doesn’t matter if you do it for the exchange or to form connections with PR agencies – I can assure you it will not pay off in the long run. You have no idea how many times I have been offered to promote products to which I politely declined because I did not want to be identified with brands I personally dislike and those that I knew would interfere with my brand positioning.

If you have not yet created a quality and cohesive branding for your blog, I highly recommend you do it as soon as possible according to my branding guide, where I explain how to do it step-by-step.

BE PROFESSIONAL FROM DAY ONE

Even if this is the first time you have made contact with brands in order to collaborate, you must be most professional. A first impression is always important, especially to people in an industry in which you are interested in creating ongoing collaborations with.

What does that mean? Here are some examples…

→ Understand and highlight the strengths of your blog. In my case, for example, when my blog was still in diapers and before I had a large amount of readers, I turned to all kinds of brands that I liked, and I emphasized the written and visual content of my blog. I presented to them the advantages of working together, instead of focusing on the things that were less developed on the blog at the time.

→ Write emails in an orderly fashion – know exactly who you’re writing to, do not beat around the bush, clearly present the purpose of the email, and be sure to check grammar and spelling.

→ Be available to clients and businesses with whom you are interested in working with.

→ Do not be late for meetings.

→ Try to answer urgent emails as soon as possible and devote the time to read emails on a regular basis.

BASE YOURSELF WITHIN YOUR NICHE

An important step in transforming your blog from a hobby to a business is to establish your place in your niche. Meaning, to be ‘in the know’ when it comes to your blog.

There are all kinds of ways to do it, for example: contact bloggers, influencers, or potential clients in your niche, open a Facebook group that shares your blog’s niche, offer to write a guest post on other blogs or content websites visited by your target audience, and of course – write valuable, quality content.

Social networks can also help you base yourself in your niche – choose a number of social networks in which you believe that your presence will help expose you to your target audience and base yourself. Once people start to see your name appear in more and more places, and not only on your own blog, it will help you build trust and become known in your field.

CREATE A NEWSLETTER FOR YOUR BLOG

Any business that takes itself seriously has a newsletter – fashion brands, newspapers and magazines, service offering companies, and large content websites.

You are not out of the ordinary. You, too, need a newsletter for your blog. Read this post to discover why it is so important.

KNOW THAT A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Everyone likes to see beautiful pictures {it’s not for nothing that Instagram is so successful…} so the importance of good, high quality images on the blog can increase the level of the blog, attract readers to spend more time on your blog, sell products and increase your business collaboration in an amazing way.

If you feel that when it comes to this area you’re a little weak, don’t give up! Photography is just another muscle you can train. The more you try, the better and more professional your photos will be, and through them you will be able to transmit your unique style. There is a lot to learn about photography on the internet, and you can also sign up to a photography course  to study in a more formal way.

If you decide that photography is still not for you, that you don’t enjoy it very much, or that you prefer spending your time managing other areas of your blog, you can always use copyright free images {search google for “Free stock photos”} or purchase images from various online image repositories.

Sign up here for my FREE blogging e-course!

What things are you doing right now to turn your blog from a hobby to a business and what tips do you plan to steal from this post? Tell me in the comments below! 🙂

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