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How to Sell Products as a Mom Blogger

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successfulbloggers use to earn their revenue is selling a product.  </h1>If you have your own products to sell, or are primarily dedicated to selling others' products via affiliate marketing, then using a mom blogto drive sales is very effective. Blogs naturally do well in search engines, and can make it easier for you to rank well in the quest for effective search terms (and that can be quite competitive). This kind of blog is also an excellent way to communicate directly with your customers and put a personal face on your business. Your most effective content will be tutorials and how-tos that utilize the products you're promoting. If those approaches aren't applicable to your product line, then reviews also work well. Additionally, quality product photography is absolutely critical and should be professionally done. When it comes to online retail sales, your goal should be to get your readers to your sale confirmation page in as few clicks as possible. This kind of blog is very similar to one you would use to promote your own services, but there is less focus on building working relationships with your potential customers. Instead, your main goal is to get people to your product page and to get them to make a purchase right away. Most blogs that are devoted to product sales don't carry any advertising, because they don't want to distract visitors from making a purchase. This kind of blog is the most difficult to diversify in terms of where your income comes from. That limitation leaves you a little vulnerable to changes in the industry, economy, or even changes in how the search engines rank your site, which can and does happen. Two possible defenses are <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> You can diversify what you sell; for example, you can teach classes or host events that use your product line.</li><li> You can pursue complimentary sponsorship opportunities; for example, you can promote your favorite sewing machine brand if your online store sells fabric and notions.</li></ul> The best way to promote this kind of blog is by creating valuable content that other bloggers will want to share with their readers. This means your blog posts can't just be about selling products. Instead, they should focus on being informative, entertaining, or educational. Additionally, intermediate to advanced level search engine optimization skills are going to be very important to your success. You will want to optimize your content for the right keywords, and also optimize your product images so that your blog can be found via Google's Image Search. You don't need large amounts of traffic to be successful with this kind of blog — instead, you need small amounts of traffic but visitors who are highly interested in your products. And finally, occasional giveaways of free products will draw attention to your blog and help you find new readers. To summarize, here are four recommended ways to be successful with a blog that promotes product sales: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Create useful content that your potential customers will value and want to share with others.</li><li>Learn intermediate- to advanced-level search engine optimization. </li><li>Pursue sponsorship opportunities as long as they are complimentary to your business and offer value to your customers. </li><li>Focus on finding the right kind of traffic rather than large amounts of traffic.</li></ul> For a good example of this kind of blog, check out <a href="http://papercrave.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Paper Crave</a>. They not only feature their own products, but products from other websites as well — even from sites that would actually be considered their competition. Paper Crave focuses on stunningly beautiful paper products, so they have built a loyal following thanks to their great taste in design. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/99/284099.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

How to Sell Products as a Mom Blogger

One of the five common business models that most successfulbloggers use to earn their revenue is selling a product. If you have your ow...

6:55 pm

How to Sell Products as a Mom Blogger

How to Sell Products as a Mom Blogger

One of the five common business models that most successfulbloggers use to earn their revenue is selling a product. If you have your ow...

6:55 pm

Promote Yourself as a Freelancer or Consultant

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is promoting themselves as a freelancer or consultant. If you are a freelancer or consultant, then using your blog to attract new clients is one of the most powerful ways you can do so. </h1>Your blog should become a part of your sales funnel, which is how you lead people from being interested in hiring you to becoming full-blown clients. You do this by offering free or low-cost resources and gradually encouraging your customers to purchase larger products or services from you. Your most effective content will be articles that demonstrate you can fix the problems your clients need help with. Consider building a mailing list to develop relationships with people who prefer e-mail over RSS. And make it easy for readers to contact you — feature your contact form or information prominently on your blog template. Because the goal of your blog is to get new clients, advertising can sometimes detract from this goal. Most professional blogs in this category don't have enough daily traffic to make advertising worth the time, anyway. There certainly are exceptions to this, especially when you can find advertisers or affiliate programs for products that enhance and don't compete with your services. One of the most effective ways to diversify your income on this kind of blog is to create your own training products that make your expertise available at a lower price than in a traditional client relationship. This way you create new revenue while also giving potential clients a way to test the waters with you. You can also create simple service packages of frequently requested projects like Shannon from<a href="http://eightcrazydesigns.com/design-services" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">EightCrazy Designs</a>. Her Design Services page features bundled packages such as an Etsy store banner, avatar, and custom-order image for a flat fee. The best ways to promote this kind of blog online involve social media interactions and search engine optimization. To summarize, recommended ways to be successful with a blog that promotes your freelance or consulting services are to: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Generate high-quality content that showcases your expertise.</li><li>Know your niche so you don't need heavy traffic in order to be profitable. </li><li>Minimize advertising so you don't distract readers from hiring you.</li><li> Build a sales funnel in which you lead customers into a working relationship with you.</li><li>Consider starting an e-mail newsletter. </li><li>Diversify the way you earn money by creating your own products to sell.</li><li> Set aside time every week to build relationships on LinkedIn,Facebook, and Twitter.</li></ul> A good example of this kind of blog is <a href="http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Escape from Cubicle Nation</a>, written by Pam Slim. Pam exemplifies all the things that make this kind of blog successful, and it shows. She has a wide range of products and services to sell, an engaging blog, an award-winning book, and a textbook-perfect sales funnel. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/02/284102.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

Promote Yourself as a Freelancer or Consultant

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is promoting themselves as a freelancer ...

6:52 pm

Promote Yourself as a Freelancer or Consultant

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is promoting themselves as a freelancer or consultant. If you are a freelancer or consultant, then using your blog to attract new clients is one of the most powerful ways you can do so. </h1>Your blog should become a part of your sales funnel, which is how you lead people from being interested in hiring you to becoming full-blown clients. You do this by offering free or low-cost resources and gradually encouraging your customers to purchase larger products or services from you. Your most effective content will be articles that demonstrate you can fix the problems your clients need help with. Consider building a mailing list to develop relationships with people who prefer e-mail over RSS. And make it easy for readers to contact you — feature your contact form or information prominently on your blog template. Because the goal of your blog is to get new clients, advertising can sometimes detract from this goal. Most professional blogs in this category don't have enough daily traffic to make advertising worth the time, anyway. There certainly are exceptions to this, especially when you can find advertisers or affiliate programs for products that enhance and don't compete with your services. One of the most effective ways to diversify your income on this kind of blog is to create your own training products that make your expertise available at a lower price than in a traditional client relationship. This way you create new revenue while also giving potential clients a way to test the waters with you. You can also create simple service packages of frequently requested projects like Shannon from<a href="http://eightcrazydesigns.com/design-services" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">EightCrazy Designs</a>. Her Design Services page features bundled packages such as an Etsy store banner, avatar, and custom-order image for a flat fee. The best ways to promote this kind of blog online involve social media interactions and search engine optimization. To summarize, recommended ways to be successful with a blog that promotes your freelance or consulting services are to: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Generate high-quality content that showcases your expertise.</li><li>Know your niche so you don't need heavy traffic in order to be profitable. </li><li>Minimize advertising so you don't distract readers from hiring you.</li><li> Build a sales funnel in which you lead customers into a working relationship with you.</li><li>Consider starting an e-mail newsletter. </li><li>Diversify the way you earn money by creating your own products to sell.</li><li> Set aside time every week to build relationships on LinkedIn,Facebook, and Twitter.</li></ul> A good example of this kind of blog is <a href="http://www.escapefromcubiclenation.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Escape from Cubicle Nation</a>, written by Pam Slim. Pam exemplifies all the things that make this kind of blog successful, and it shows. She has a wide range of products and services to sell, an engaging blog, an award-winning book, and a textbook-perfect sales funnel. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/02/284102.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

Promote Yourself as a Freelancer or Consultant

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is promoting themselves as a freelancer ...

6:52 pm

How to Earn from Advertising and Sponsorship

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is through advertising and sponsorship.  </h1>Advertising and sponsorship revenue suits a blogbest when the blog gets a lot of traffic or when the blog attracts a very specific interest group. <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> When the blog gets a lot of traffic: This is the "strength in numbers" approach. If you have a product or service that a lot of people want, an advertiser gets to put a message in front of a lot of eyes.</li><li> When the blog attracts a very specific interest group: This is the "target marketing" approach, and it's all about catering to specific needs. For the record, "moms" is not a very specific interest group. Instead, "moms with newborn infants under 6 months" or "moms who are interested in photography" are good examples of the kind of specific groups advertisers are looking for. </li></ul>Blogs focused on advertising revenue should be built to encourage people to stay on the site and view as many pages as possible. There is a reason there are so many slide shows on very large websites — those slide shows serve up an ad impression for every photo in the series. Other ways that blogs have increased their ad views is by adding forums, multimedia content, or by hiring more writers. This increased interaction makes the website more profitable. Your most effective content will be on topics that are popular and generate a lot of consumer interest. Advertisers love to have their ads appear by related content, so it helps if your blog topic is related to the consumer goods and services that advertise frequently on the Internet. Quantity is just as important as quality on these blogs, because the more content you have, the more advertising you can display. That means that you need to be willing to write a lot or hire writers. If you have a smaller blog, advertisers will be most interested in you if you're very tightly focused on a niche topic that attracts a large percentage of their potential customers. If not, most advertisers prefer to work with larger sites with a more influential presence. Because the goal of this type of blog is to increase ad impressions, it's helpful to have an eye for design. The idea is to place as many ads on your pages as possible without letting them become overbearing or distracting. You will also want to encourage readers to view your related blogposts with suggested links at the end of your entries and/or in yoursidebars. One effective way to diversify your income on this kind of blog is to work with an ad network that will allow you to sell your own ads, too. Plus, take advantage of affiliate marketing techniques to create new ways to generate revenue from your existing content. Depending on your blog topic, syndicating your content might be an option for you as well. One of the best ways to promote this kind of blog is to spend the time necessary to learn intermediate level search engine optimization, because it can be a very huge source of traffic. Additionally, you'll need to set aside time regularly to build incoming links to your blog. Ensure that there are plenty of ways for your readers to share your content with their friends. AddFacebook Share and Like buttons, Tweet This buttons, or use a service like <a href="http://www.addthis.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">AddThis</a> to give an even wider range of sharing options. And work on building a loyal following that returns to your blog again and again. Here's the short list of ways to be successful with a blog that earns revenue from advertising and sponsorships: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Maintain a high quality and quantity of content that appeals to a large audience and gets updated frequently.</li><li> Aim for a very high-traffic site or a smaller site that attracts a very dedicated niche audience.</li><li>Use various sources of advertising including ad networks, selling your own ads, and affiliate marketing. </li><li>Learn search engine optimization.</li><li> Set aside time to promote your content to other bloggers and websites.</li></ul> For a good example of this kind of website, look at <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">MoneySavingMom</a>. Blogger Crystal Paine earned enough from her blog advertising to pay for her home in cash in 2009. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/05/284105.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

How to Earn from Advertising and Sponsorship

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is through advertising and sponsorship. ...

6:51 pm

How to Earn from Advertising and Sponsorship

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is through advertising and sponsorship.  </h1>Advertising and sponsorship revenue suits a blogbest when the blog gets a lot of traffic or when the blog attracts a very specific interest group. <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> When the blog gets a lot of traffic: This is the "strength in numbers" approach. If you have a product or service that a lot of people want, an advertiser gets to put a message in front of a lot of eyes.</li><li> When the blog attracts a very specific interest group: This is the "target marketing" approach, and it's all about catering to specific needs. For the record, "moms" is not a very specific interest group. Instead, "moms with newborn infants under 6 months" or "moms who are interested in photography" are good examples of the kind of specific groups advertisers are looking for. </li></ul>Blogs focused on advertising revenue should be built to encourage people to stay on the site and view as many pages as possible. There is a reason there are so many slide shows on very large websites — those slide shows serve up an ad impression for every photo in the series. Other ways that blogs have increased their ad views is by adding forums, multimedia content, or by hiring more writers. This increased interaction makes the website more profitable. Your most effective content will be on topics that are popular and generate a lot of consumer interest. Advertisers love to have their ads appear by related content, so it helps if your blog topic is related to the consumer goods and services that advertise frequently on the Internet. Quantity is just as important as quality on these blogs, because the more content you have, the more advertising you can display. That means that you need to be willing to write a lot or hire writers. If you have a smaller blog, advertisers will be most interested in you if you're very tightly focused on a niche topic that attracts a large percentage of their potential customers. If not, most advertisers prefer to work with larger sites with a more influential presence. Because the goal of this type of blog is to increase ad impressions, it's helpful to have an eye for design. The idea is to place as many ads on your pages as possible without letting them become overbearing or distracting. You will also want to encourage readers to view your related blogposts with suggested links at the end of your entries and/or in yoursidebars. One effective way to diversify your income on this kind of blog is to work with an ad network that will allow you to sell your own ads, too. Plus, take advantage of affiliate marketing techniques to create new ways to generate revenue from your existing content. Depending on your blog topic, syndicating your content might be an option for you as well. One of the best ways to promote this kind of blog is to spend the time necessary to learn intermediate level search engine optimization, because it can be a very huge source of traffic. Additionally, you'll need to set aside time regularly to build incoming links to your blog. Ensure that there are plenty of ways for your readers to share your content with their friends. AddFacebook Share and Like buttons, Tweet This buttons, or use a service like <a href="http://www.addthis.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">AddThis</a> to give an even wider range of sharing options. And work on building a loyal following that returns to your blog again and again. Here's the short list of ways to be successful with a blog that earns revenue from advertising and sponsorships: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Maintain a high quality and quantity of content that appeals to a large audience and gets updated frequently.</li><li> Aim for a very high-traffic site or a smaller site that attracts a very dedicated niche audience.</li><li>Use various sources of advertising including ad networks, selling your own ads, and affiliate marketing. </li><li>Learn search engine optimization.</li><li> Set aside time to promote your content to other bloggers and websites.</li></ul> For a good example of this kind of website, look at <a href="http://moneysavingmom.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">MoneySavingMom</a>. Blogger Crystal Paine earned enough from her blog advertising to pay for her home in cash in 2009. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/05/284105.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

How to Earn from Advertising and Sponsorship

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is through advertising and sponsorship. ...

6:51 pm

How to Leverage Your Blog into Career Opportunities

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to leverage their blog into a career opportunity. As more and more companies realize the value that mom bloggers bring to the table, many moms are getting outright job offers from companies that want an employee who is on the inside of the mom-blogging community. </h1>These offers can range from regular corporate jobs to flexible work-at-home positions that offer stable income with great work-life balance. If you are hoping to find a job because of your blog, your most effective content will be resourceful and insightful articles that showcase your knowledge and expertise. You'll want to find a good balance between sharing personal information and professionalism. Your influence in the mom-blogging community will be a true asset for a potential employer, so you'll want to nurture your online relationships and be a resource to your fellow bloggers as well. Because the goal of this blog is to get hired, you want to get as much brand experience under your belt as possible to build your résumé. It's important for you to develop your online connections into offline relationships. So you want to get out to as many blogging and industry events and conferences as your schedule allows. This is your best opportunity to get in front of brand representatives and impress them with your expertise. You also want to pursue any freelance or consulting opportunities you can find, because often temporary work leads to permanent positions. The most important way to promote this kind of blog is through social media. Potential employers will most likely need you to handle their social marketing initiatives, so you need to be well established onFacebook and Twitter, and perhaps Foursquare or Groupon, especially if the employer is involved in marketing at a local level. Any experience with Facebook pages, Twitter parties, or coordinating other social media marketing projects will be proof that you can turn your online marketing knowledge into actual campaigns. Writing for larger publications will also help to build your credentials and get your name in front of a larger audience. To summarize the recommended ways to be successful finding a job with your blog: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Write resourceful blog poststhat showcase your expertise.</li><li>Get out to blogging and industry conferences to network with potential employers. </li><li>Demonstrate your social media marketing experience by developing and participating in successful marketing campaigns. </li><li>Nurture your relationships with the blogging community by being active on Facebook, Twitter, and other socialnetworks. </li><li>Work on finding freelance or temporary work with clients because they may lead to full-time work.</li></ul> Amber Watson-Tardiff is a great example of this scenario. She was able to take her experience in the legal field and as a mom blogger and get hired as the Content and PR Director for <a href="http://legalmarketingmaven.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Legal Marketing Maven</a>. She now works at home making a very respectable full-time income. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/08/284108.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

How to Leverage Your Blog into Career Opportunities

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to leverage their blog into a car...

6:49 pm

How to Leverage Your Blog into Career Opportunities

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to leverage their blog into a career opportunity. As more and more companies realize the value that mom bloggers bring to the table, many moms are getting outright job offers from companies that want an employee who is on the inside of the mom-blogging community. </h1>These offers can range from regular corporate jobs to flexible work-at-home positions that offer stable income with great work-life balance. If you are hoping to find a job because of your blog, your most effective content will be resourceful and insightful articles that showcase your knowledge and expertise. You'll want to find a good balance between sharing personal information and professionalism. Your influence in the mom-blogging community will be a true asset for a potential employer, so you'll want to nurture your online relationships and be a resource to your fellow bloggers as well. Because the goal of this blog is to get hired, you want to get as much brand experience under your belt as possible to build your résumé. It's important for you to develop your online connections into offline relationships. So you want to get out to as many blogging and industry events and conferences as your schedule allows. This is your best opportunity to get in front of brand representatives and impress them with your expertise. You also want to pursue any freelance or consulting opportunities you can find, because often temporary work leads to permanent positions. The most important way to promote this kind of blog is through social media. Potential employers will most likely need you to handle their social marketing initiatives, so you need to be well established onFacebook and Twitter, and perhaps Foursquare or Groupon, especially if the employer is involved in marketing at a local level. Any experience with Facebook pages, Twitter parties, or coordinating other social media marketing projects will be proof that you can turn your online marketing knowledge into actual campaigns. Writing for larger publications will also help to build your credentials and get your name in front of a larger audience. To summarize the recommended ways to be successful finding a job with your blog: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Write resourceful blog poststhat showcase your expertise.</li><li>Get out to blogging and industry conferences to network with potential employers. </li><li>Demonstrate your social media marketing experience by developing and participating in successful marketing campaigns. </li><li>Nurture your relationships with the blogging community by being active on Facebook, Twitter, and other socialnetworks. </li><li>Work on finding freelance or temporary work with clients because they may lead to full-time work.</li></ul> Amber Watson-Tardiff is a great example of this scenario. She was able to take her experience in the legal field and as a mom blogger and get hired as the Content and PR Director for <a href="http://legalmarketingmaven.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Legal Marketing Maven</a>. She now works at home making a very respectable full-time income. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/08/284108.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

How to Leverage Your Blog into Career Opportunities

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to leverage their blog into a car...

6:49 pm

Build a Platform as a Well-Known Influencer

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to build a platform as a well-known influencer.  </h1>You need to prove that you have what it takes to draw a large audience that thrives on reading your content. Your most effective content will be entertaining, honest, and real. You need to be a charismatic person that people can relate to — or perhaps instead you may be a polarizing blogger with controversial opinions. In a crowded blogosphere, you really have to be unique to get noticed. This kind of blog can be a compelling personal journey, such as Heather Armstrong's <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Dooce</a>blog, or it can be a professional platform such as <a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist</a> blog. If you're the kind of blogger who thrives in the spotlight, then your blog should be all about broadcasting your message to the world. You are building a platform from which you can promote yourself and any endeavor you pursue. The platform isn't the end goal — it is the means to an end. From your platform, you can become a book author, be a paid speaker, become a spokesperson for a brand, or sell your products and services. A handful of bloggers have even landed movie deals, the first one being Julie and Julia in 2009. It usually doesn't come without a cost — as bloggers become more influential, they also become larger targets for criticism. Whether or not the criticism is valid, you need to have a thick skin to manage any response on your part with dignity rather than with retaliation. Effective ways to make money off this kind of blog are to combine several direct and indirect methods of monetization. With a popular blog comes traffic, so selling ads or working with an ad network are important. But only in rare cases is it enough to earn a living just on advertising. Additionally, you need to pursue relationships with book publishers, top brands, or event planners, and build up your personal brand and fan base enough that you stand out from the crowd. All the while, you still need to be writing content and maintaining your blog so you continually engage your readers. Should you get a book deal or spokesperson gig, these can instantly double your workload. If you are seeking speaking gigs, plan on traveling frequently — around six to ten times a year. The best way to promote this kind of blog is by word of mouth, so you want to get people talking about you. That means you have to spend a lot of time on social networks and on other blogs, because first you need to go where the audience is. You have to establish a strong personal brand that's unique and compelling, and your blog design has to reflect the level of professionalism you're aiming for. To summarize, here are the recommended ways to be successful with a blog that serves as a platform for fame: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Your writing style has to be charismatic, unique, and appealing to a large audience.</li><li>You have to work consistently on getting exposure for yourself while you're also maintaining a rigorous writing schedule. </li><li>Establish a strong personal brand.</li><li> Be able to sell yourself to book publishers, event managers, and large company brands.</li><li>Invest in a professionally designed blog theme. </li></ul>A great example of this kind of blogging success is Karen Walrond of <a href="http://www.chookooloonks.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Chookooloonks</a>. Karen has built up a strong personal brand as a talented photographer, writer, and blogger. She's worked with brands such as Nikon and Procter and Gamble, and authored the best-selling book, The Beauty of Different. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/11/284111.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

Build a Platform as a Well-Known Influencer

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to build a platform as a well-known i...

6:48 pm

Build a Platform as a Well-Known Influencer

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to build a platform as a well-known influencer.  </h1>You need to prove that you have what it takes to draw a large audience that thrives on reading your content. Your most effective content will be entertaining, honest, and real. You need to be a charismatic person that people can relate to — or perhaps instead you may be a polarizing blogger with controversial opinions. In a crowded blogosphere, you really have to be unique to get noticed. This kind of blog can be a compelling personal journey, such as Heather Armstrong's <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Dooce</a>blog, or it can be a professional platform such as <a href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist</a> blog. If you're the kind of blogger who thrives in the spotlight, then your blog should be all about broadcasting your message to the world. You are building a platform from which you can promote yourself and any endeavor you pursue. The platform isn't the end goal — it is the means to an end. From your platform, you can become a book author, be a paid speaker, become a spokesperson for a brand, or sell your products and services. A handful of bloggers have even landed movie deals, the first one being Julie and Julia in 2009. It usually doesn't come without a cost — as bloggers become more influential, they also become larger targets for criticism. Whether or not the criticism is valid, you need to have a thick skin to manage any response on your part with dignity rather than with retaliation. Effective ways to make money off this kind of blog are to combine several direct and indirect methods of monetization. With a popular blog comes traffic, so selling ads or working with an ad network are important. But only in rare cases is it enough to earn a living just on advertising. Additionally, you need to pursue relationships with book publishers, top brands, or event planners, and build up your personal brand and fan base enough that you stand out from the crowd. All the while, you still need to be writing content and maintaining your blog so you continually engage your readers. Should you get a book deal or spokesperson gig, these can instantly double your workload. If you are seeking speaking gigs, plan on traveling frequently — around six to ten times a year. The best way to promote this kind of blog is by word of mouth, so you want to get people talking about you. That means you have to spend a lot of time on social networks and on other blogs, because first you need to go where the audience is. You have to establish a strong personal brand that's unique and compelling, and your blog design has to reflect the level of professionalism you're aiming for. To summarize, here are the recommended ways to be successful with a blog that serves as a platform for fame: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Your writing style has to be charismatic, unique, and appealing to a large audience.</li><li>You have to work consistently on getting exposure for yourself while you're also maintaining a rigorous writing schedule. </li><li>Establish a strong personal brand.</li><li> Be able to sell yourself to book publishers, event managers, and large company brands.</li><li>Invest in a professionally designed blog theme. </li></ul>A great example of this kind of blogging success is Karen Walrond of <a href="http://www.chookooloonks.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Chookooloonks</a>. Karen has built up a strong personal brand as a talented photographer, writer, and blogger. She's worked with brands such as Nikon and Procter and Gamble, and authored the best-selling book, The Beauty of Different. <img alt="image0.jpg" height="400" src="http://media.wiley.com/Lux/11/284111.image0.jpg" style="vertical-align: bottom; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); max-width: 100%; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; height: auto !important;" width="533">

Build a Platform as a Well-Known Influencer

One of the five common business models that most successful mombloggers use to earn their revenue is to build a platform as a well-known i...

6:48 pm

Personal Writing Style as a Mom Blogger

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> As a mom blogger, you must balance your need to write for pleasure with the need to give something to your readers in every single post. Even if you're already an established writer, developing your personal writing style as a blogger is something that can only come with time. If you ask established professional bloggers about their first few blog posts, you'll likely notice a hesitation and cringe before they respond. Blogging is different from any other writing medium. Posts need to be relatively short and have a well-defined value proposition for the reader. A value proposition is simply making sure your readers know what they'll get out of taking the time to read your blog post. If readers can't determine "what's in it for me" in a short amount of time, they'll leave your blog. Additionally, as a blogger, you have to enjoy what you're writing, or you won't be writing for long. To be successful at blogging, you really must enjoy writing for the sake of writing. This is why it's vital to choose a topic for your blog that you're extremely passionate about — a topic that you love so much that you'd be willing to write about for free. Because — let's face it — at the beginning, you will be writing for free! On top of all this, the personal nature of blogs makes it next to impossible not to write about the people and things that are a part of your life. It also can make it tricky when you want to make a business out of the parts of your life that are typically shared only privately with friends and family. Some of the harshest criticisms leveled at mom bloggers revolve around the ethics of sharing stories about family members — especially children — who don't (or can't) give explicit permission to appear on your blog.

Personal Writing Style as a Mom Blogger

As a mom blogger, you must balance your need to write for pleasure with the need to give something to your readers in every single post. E...

6:46 pm

Personal Writing Style as a Mom Blogger

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> As a mom blogger, you must balance your need to write for pleasure with the need to give something to your readers in every single post. Even if you're already an established writer, developing your personal writing style as a blogger is something that can only come with time. If you ask established professional bloggers about their first few blog posts, you'll likely notice a hesitation and cringe before they respond. Blogging is different from any other writing medium. Posts need to be relatively short and have a well-defined value proposition for the reader. A value proposition is simply making sure your readers know what they'll get out of taking the time to read your blog post. If readers can't determine "what's in it for me" in a short amount of time, they'll leave your blog. Additionally, as a blogger, you have to enjoy what you're writing, or you won't be writing for long. To be successful at blogging, you really must enjoy writing for the sake of writing. This is why it's vital to choose a topic for your blog that you're extremely passionate about — a topic that you love so much that you'd be willing to write about for free. Because — let's face it — at the beginning, you will be writing for free! On top of all this, the personal nature of blogs makes it next to impossible not to write about the people and things that are a part of your life. It also can make it tricky when you want to make a business out of the parts of your life that are typically shared only privately with friends and family. Some of the harshest criticisms leveled at mom bloggers revolve around the ethics of sharing stories about family members — especially children — who don't (or can't) give explicit permission to appear on your blog.

Personal Writing Style as a Mom Blogger

As a mom blogger, you must balance your need to write for pleasure with the need to give something to your readers in every single post. E...

6:46 pm

How Privacy Affects Your Family and Mom Blogging Business

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> Blogging is a balancing act between finding ways to share personal stories while setting boundaries about the things you refuse to share publicly. Even thebloggers who seem to bare it all have certain topics they won't discuss. The permanence of blogging puts a different perspective on cute and funny stories about children as they go through stages such as breastfeeding, potty training, and social struggles with their peers. There's no way of knowing what children will think of these writings when they're 16 years old and in the midst of teenage angst. Or how a spouse will feel about what you wrote about an argument you had. Or how your own parents will feel about how you could blog about a childhood experience that you never had the courage to share with them. There are also safety issues to consider when you start living your life publicly online. It's next to impossible to conceal your home address and home phone number thanks to public records and online phone books. Additionally, newer cameras are equipped with sophisticated geo-tagging technology that can embed detailed location information in photographs you make public. To date, there have not been any incidents in which bloggers or their families have been harmed due to the findability of personal information. But unfortunately, such harm is still in the realm of possibility. Ironically, the simple solution to this problem — being and remaining anonymous — isn't a solution that really works for bloggers. Blog readers typically want to know the person behind the words. They care about not only what the blog says, but who says it. Additionally, it's these very personal stories that seem to resonate most with our readers. In fact, writing about taboo subjects (carefully, of course) can be helpful and healing to both the author and the reader. For example, several mom bloggers have shared their personal struggles with anxiety and depression. While this may be a topic that's difficult for their families to discuss, more good than harm has come from shedding light on this condition that affects many women. And the communities that have been created because of these blogs have become an invaluable support system for thousands of women. Here are some of the questions to ask yourself to help weigh the value of sharing versus the potential consequences: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Is this information self-serving, or will my blog visitors get something out of reading thispost? Sometimes you'll need to rewrite sections to change venting into a sharing of lessons learned instead.</li><li> Does this blog post say anything that I wouldn't say directly to the persons involved? If not, then either choose to speak to that person first, or omit the information from your blog post.</li><li> Does this material violate the privacy of the persons I've written about? If you would be afraid to have them find the post, then the answer to this question is probably yes.</li><li> Is there a way I can get my message across effectively without sharing personal details? If so, it's probably in your best interests to do so.</li><li> How would my children feel about this post if they were reading it as adults? The best way to answer this question is to imagine that your own parents wrote this blog entryabout you. If that leaves you with hesitation or uneasiness, there's probably room for revision. </li><li>Can anything in this post get taken out of context in a way that I hadn't intended? And could that misinterpretation cause harm to me or my family? If so, be sure to edit your words or add more information. You don't want to risk being misrepresented in a way that creates problems that aren't there in the first place. </li></ul>Sometimes you just don't know the answers to these questions. Trust your intuition when that little voice says, "don't hit Publish just yet." When that happens, walk away from the content for a few hours or days until you can see the situation objectively. Sometimes you don't know you've crossed the line until the line is already crossed.

How Privacy Affects Your Family and Mom Blogging Business

Blogging is a balancing act between finding ways to share personal stories while setting boundaries about the things you refuse to share p...

6:45 pm

How Privacy Affects Your Family and Mom Blogging Business

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> Blogging is a balancing act between finding ways to share personal stories while setting boundaries about the things you refuse to share publicly. Even thebloggers who seem to bare it all have certain topics they won't discuss. The permanence of blogging puts a different perspective on cute and funny stories about children as they go through stages such as breastfeeding, potty training, and social struggles with their peers. There's no way of knowing what children will think of these writings when they're 16 years old and in the midst of teenage angst. Or how a spouse will feel about what you wrote about an argument you had. Or how your own parents will feel about how you could blog about a childhood experience that you never had the courage to share with them. There are also safety issues to consider when you start living your life publicly online. It's next to impossible to conceal your home address and home phone number thanks to public records and online phone books. Additionally, newer cameras are equipped with sophisticated geo-tagging technology that can embed detailed location information in photographs you make public. To date, there have not been any incidents in which bloggers or their families have been harmed due to the findability of personal information. But unfortunately, such harm is still in the realm of possibility. Ironically, the simple solution to this problem — being and remaining anonymous — isn't a solution that really works for bloggers. Blog readers typically want to know the person behind the words. They care about not only what the blog says, but who says it. Additionally, it's these very personal stories that seem to resonate most with our readers. In fact, writing about taboo subjects (carefully, of course) can be helpful and healing to both the author and the reader. For example, several mom bloggers have shared their personal struggles with anxiety and depression. While this may be a topic that's difficult for their families to discuss, more good than harm has come from shedding light on this condition that affects many women. And the communities that have been created because of these blogs have become an invaluable support system for thousands of women. Here are some of the questions to ask yourself to help weigh the value of sharing versus the potential consequences: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Is this information self-serving, or will my blog visitors get something out of reading thispost? Sometimes you'll need to rewrite sections to change venting into a sharing of lessons learned instead.</li><li> Does this blog post say anything that I wouldn't say directly to the persons involved? If not, then either choose to speak to that person first, or omit the information from your blog post.</li><li> Does this material violate the privacy of the persons I've written about? If you would be afraid to have them find the post, then the answer to this question is probably yes.</li><li> Is there a way I can get my message across effectively without sharing personal details? If so, it's probably in your best interests to do so.</li><li> How would my children feel about this post if they were reading it as adults? The best way to answer this question is to imagine that your own parents wrote this blog entryabout you. If that leaves you with hesitation or uneasiness, there's probably room for revision. </li><li>Can anything in this post get taken out of context in a way that I hadn't intended? And could that misinterpretation cause harm to me or my family? If so, be sure to edit your words or add more information. You don't want to risk being misrepresented in a way that creates problems that aren't there in the first place. </li></ul>Sometimes you just don't know the answers to these questions. Trust your intuition when that little voice says, "don't hit Publish just yet." When that happens, walk away from the content for a few hours or days until you can see the situation objectively. Sometimes you don't know you've crossed the line until the line is already crossed.

How Privacy Affects Your Family and Mom Blogging Business

Blogging is a balancing act between finding ways to share personal stories while setting boundaries about the things you refuse to share p...

6:45 pm

Personal and Professional Boundaries for Mom Bloggers

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> In an interview, Heather Armstrong of <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Dooce.com</a> revealed how she crossed personal and professional boundaries, the result of which was losing her job and hurting her family. Heather Armstrong started<a class="" href="http://m.dummies.com/DummiesArticle/Personal-and-Professional-Boundaries-for-Mom-Bloggers.id-284116.html#glossary-blog" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">blogging</a> as a way to vent her frustrations with her co-workers, and to share her critical opinions on her family's Mormon religion. Back then, she certainly never thought any of her family members would ever find her blog online. And she never mentioned names, either of her company or her co-workers, feeling that this level of privacy was all she needed to ensure that her writings wouldn't cause any trouble in real life. Heather learned the hard way that her co-workers did indeed find out about her blog, and she was promptly fired for it. And around the same time, her family found out about it as well, and was devastated to read the hurtful things she had said about them and their religion. Heather's lesson learned is as important now as it was back then — everything that you publish online is permanent. You can't delete a blog post and erase it from the web. Your words don't just reside on your blog — they are spread around the Internet via RSSfeeds, search engines, and webarchives. They get copied on server backups and on any computer of a blog reader.

Personal and Professional Boundaries for Mom Bloggers

In an interview, Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com revealed how she crossed personal and professional boundaries, the result of which was l...

6:44 pm

Personal and Professional Boundaries for Mom Bloggers

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> In an interview, Heather Armstrong of <a href="http://www.dooce.com/" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">Dooce.com</a> revealed how she crossed personal and professional boundaries, the result of which was losing her job and hurting her family. Heather Armstrong started<a class="" href="http://m.dummies.com/DummiesArticle/Personal-and-Professional-Boundaries-for-Mom-Bloggers.id-284116.html#glossary-blog" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">blogging</a> as a way to vent her frustrations with her co-workers, and to share her critical opinions on her family's Mormon religion. Back then, she certainly never thought any of her family members would ever find her blog online. And she never mentioned names, either of her company or her co-workers, feeling that this level of privacy was all she needed to ensure that her writings wouldn't cause any trouble in real life. Heather learned the hard way that her co-workers did indeed find out about her blog, and she was promptly fired for it. And around the same time, her family found out about it as well, and was devastated to read the hurtful things she had said about them and their religion. Heather's lesson learned is as important now as it was back then — everything that you publish online is permanent. You can't delete a blog post and erase it from the web. Your words don't just reside on your blog — they are spread around the Internet via RSSfeeds, search engines, and webarchives. They get copied on server backups and on any computer of a blog reader.

Personal and Professional Boundaries for Mom Bloggers

In an interview, Heather Armstrong of Dooce.com revealed how she crossed personal and professional boundaries, the result of which was l...

6:44 pm

Change a Personal Mom Blog into a Business

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> To take your personal blog and turn it into a business, two of the most important things you can do are grow thicker skin and consciously start looking at your blog objectively from an outsider's point of view. Blogging is a personal business, and your personality is the greatest asset of your business. But you may find that some things are just too important to you to risk making them a part of your professional life. Successful bloggers pour their hearts and souls into their blogging businesses. Blogs aren't just an online journal of personal events — many times they are an expression of who you are as a person. This can make it difficult to be impartial when your highly subjective content must be analyzed objectively from a business point of view. And it makes it even harder to not take criticism or setbacks personally. For many bloggers, that may mean shifting content around into a more user-friendly format and putting up more formal boundaries between personal life and business. It doesn't mean you have to stop being personal — far from it. On a larger scale, it's important to pay attention to how exactly you plan on making money off your personal writings. You want to think carefully about what exactly you're selling on your blog. Even if you aren't selling products, you may be selling advertising or your own services. How will your personal opinions affect your ability to market yourself? In some cases, a blog with controversial content may have a hard time finding advertisers. Other times, you want to put policies in place to ensure that you aren't giving your readers an impression that your opinions are for sale.

Change a Personal Mom Blog into a Business

To take your personal blog and turn it into a business, two of the most important things you can do are grow thicker skin and consciously ...

6:42 pm

Change a Personal Mom Blog into a Business

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif"> </h1> To take your personal blog and turn it into a business, two of the most important things you can do are grow thicker skin and consciously start looking at your blog objectively from an outsider's point of view. Blogging is a personal business, and your personality is the greatest asset of your business. But you may find that some things are just too important to you to risk making them a part of your professional life. Successful bloggers pour their hearts and souls into their blogging businesses. Blogs aren't just an online journal of personal events — many times they are an expression of who you are as a person. This can make it difficult to be impartial when your highly subjective content must be analyzed objectively from a business point of view. And it makes it even harder to not take criticism or setbacks personally. For many bloggers, that may mean shifting content around into a more user-friendly format and putting up more formal boundaries between personal life and business. It doesn't mean you have to stop being personal — far from it. On a larger scale, it's important to pay attention to how exactly you plan on making money off your personal writings. You want to think carefully about what exactly you're selling on your blog. Even if you aren't selling products, you may be selling advertising or your own services. How will your personal opinions affect your ability to market yourself? In some cases, a blog with controversial content may have a hard time finding advertisers. Other times, you want to put policies in place to ensure that you aren't giving your readers an impression that your opinions are for sale.

Change a Personal Mom Blog into a Business

To take your personal blog and turn it into a business, two of the most important things you can do are grow thicker skin and consciously ...

6:42 pm

How to Profit from Mom Blogging without Selling Out

<h1 style="font-size:20px;margin:0.25rem 0px;padding:0px 0px 0.5rem;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-bottom-style:solid;border-bottom-color:rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Selling out is a term used for compromising your integrity, principles, or morals to gain money or success. The problem is, if everyone had the same principles and definition of integrity, there wouldn't be much need for different political parties or religions. </h1>People can be accused of selling out if they simply do things like broaden their horizons or develop new interests over the course of time. Additionally, you may have certain beliefs in place that seem important now, but become less important as you gain more experience and knowledge. A great example of this is the evolution of the very organization that provides standards to bloggerswho work with brands: the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (<a href="http://womma.org/main" style="color:rgb(1,69,138)">WOMMA</a>). When WOMMA was first established, its founding members came from a very traditional media background and took old-school journalistic standards and applied them to all marketing in the new world of social media. For several years, WOMMA formally said that members were not allowed to pay money to bloggers for writing blog posts, but they could offer products for free. The founding members felt strongly that this led to the perception of buying opinions from bloggers. Yet as the blogging industry evolved, bloggers began to feel taken advantage of. They didn't want useless free products; they wanted to be compensated for their writing and input. The tables began to turn as WOMMA realized this position was enabling brands to get free or cheap advertising at the expense of bloggers' businesses. In a reversal, WOMMA changed its policy (and its board management) to reflect the new needs of social media marketing, and now states that it's absolutely ethical to pay bloggers for writing sponsored content as long as they comply with the FTC guidelines. Sadly, mom bloggers are sometimes accused of selling out when they get opportunities to work with brands. The importance of this is not that the accusers are right — usually they aren't. They are projecting their own definition of selling out onto other people. And they are usually coming from WOMMA's old-school perspective that is out of tune with the reality of running a blogging business. Here the crucial issue is that you know what selling out means toyou, because true selling out can only hurt you in the long term if you don't correct your course. No matter what you decide is right for you, here are some general topics and guidelines that apply for everyone who wrestles with the idea of what "selling out" means: <ul class="level-one" style="padding:0px 1rem;margin:0px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><li> Unethical advertising: An advertiser that specifically asks you to write something positive about the company is being unethical. All professional bloggers will refuse any opportunity that requires they lead their readers to believe that an opinion expressed is their own when it isn't. </li><li>Breaking FTC guidelines: An advertiser that wants to hire you to write something and asks you not to disclose that the content is sponsored is breaking the FTC guidelines. If you do not disclose that the content was compensated, then you're breaking FTC guidelines, too. Both you and the advertiser would be liable for fines or damages that could arise in the future. This is not ethical social media marketing. </li><li>Conflicts of interest: A blogger maintains a respected blog and is a trusted voice in social media only by avoiding opportunities that present very clear conflicts of interest. For example, a mom who writes as a breastfeeding advocate shouldn't become a spokesblogger for a baby-formula company. Most opportunities are not this clear-cut, however, which is why it's a must to create an editorial policy for your blog. </li></ul>

How to Profit from Mom Blogging without Selling Out

Selling out is a term used for compromising your integrity, principles, or morals to gain money or success. The problem is, if everyone ha...

6:41 pm

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