Two Office Items Worth Investing In - DailyBlogTips

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Two Office Items Worth Investing In Posted: 05 Feb 2014 02:47 AM PST As a blogger or webmaster you might feel that the only things you should worry about are those that happen online. Better hosting plan, backup software and so on. Well, there are two office items that I think are worth worrying about and investing in. A good chair Having a good chair is essential, as you will end up spending most of your day sitting on it. First of all it should be ergonomic, meaning that it will enable you to retain a correct sitting position throughout the day. Second, it should also be damn comfortable, for obvious reasons. The quality of your chair will end up affecting how long you can work, and sometimes even how well you will work. If money is not a problem invest in a Aeron Chair, by Herman Miller. It’s by far the best chair in the world. Another good option, slightly less expensive, is the Ergohuman. Visit a local shop and I am sure it will have more options. A good monitor with a large screen resolution Having a good monitor with a decent screen resolution will do two things for you: first it will reduce your eye strain, and like with a good chair, it will enable you to work longer hours comfortably. Second, a large screen resolution will make you much more productive, as you’ll be able to have tabs and programs opened side by side, you’ll be able to view a longer section of websites and so on. These days I would say the bare minimum you should have is a 23″ inches monitor with 1920×1080 resolution. Again if money is not a problem aim for a 27″ or 30″ with a resolution of 2560×1440. Some people like using two monitors side by side. It’s an option to give you more screen real estate. Personally I prefer one large monitor as I don’t like to keep switching from monitor to monitor. Wanna learn how to make more money with your website? Check the Online Profits training program!

“Help! No-one Even Knows My Blog Exists…” Here’s What to Do Posted: 04 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST In our survey a few months ago, one DailyBlogTips reader asked: "How do I get people to even know that my blog exists and then to click on the advertising. Also how do I attract sponsorship?" A lot of bloggers have that “no-one knows I exist” feeling, and advertising is a pretty common monetization method, so maybe this question touches on problems you’ve had too. Let's unpack it a bit. As I see it, there are a couple of crucial but separate issues here: Getting the first 100 or so regular readers Using monetization effectively Getting Your First 100 Readers When you're just starting out, there are a few ways you can bring in traffic. These are three great ones to begin with: #1: Telling Your Friends While you don't want to spam your friends and family with constant updates about your blog, it's a good idea to email them all and let them know what you're up to. They'll often be keen to support you (and may well leave comments) – and even if they're not in your target audience, they may know someone who is. #2: Using Your Forum and Email Signature If you belong to any web forums that allow you to have a link in your signature, use it! (And if it's appropriate, post on the forum to let people know about your blog too.) Whenever you send an email, you have an opportunity to promote your blog: add a link in the signature. You may also want to include your blog's tagline, or a sentence or two about it. #3: Leaving Comments While this isn't a great long-term strategy, it can be a quick way to get a few readers early on. Choose five or so large blogs in your niche and comment regularly on their posts. (Don't feel you have to comment on every single post). Make sure your comment adds to the conversation by making or reinforcing a point from the post, or by asking a good question. If you do those three things, you should have at least a few dozen people who know your blog exists – and some may become regular readers. Using Monetization Effectively: Considering Advertising and Sponsorship Let's tackle the next part of the question, then, which is about advertising and sponsorship. I want to make one really crucial point before carrying on: You cannot ASK people to click on your ads, and you cannot click on your own ads. (If you do, you'll be breaking the terms of service you signed up for.) Of course, you can increase the chances of someone clicking on your ads by: Making sure they're reasonably prominently positioned on your site. Making sure they're as relevant as possible to your audience. Some bloggers use other techniques, like trying to make ads blend in as much as possible with their site, so people click them thinking they're a navigation link. This could backfire by annoying readers and making your site look a little scammy. Sponsorship can mean different things to different bloggers. Some will have "sponsors" who are basically advertisers, with banners in the sidebar. Others will take "sponsored posts" – posts they get paid to publish. You may be able to attract some sponsors with a small, new, blog, but they won't be willing to pay much. If you're not getting approached by sponsors spontaneously, you could look for sponsored posts / ads on other sites in your niche and contact those companies, letting them know your rates. But… There's a deeper issue here, and that's whether advertising and sponsorship are really effective monetization methods. The problem with both is that they need quite a bit of traffic in order to work well. You may only get a few cents for each click on an ad (and most of your visitors won't click). If you're new to blogging and want to monetize fast, a better method is to use affiliate links. Affiliates get paid commission on what they sell – often 50% on digital products. So if you sell a $30 ebook, you'll get $15. Plus, with affiliate products, you can go far beyond just putting an ad banner in your sidebar. You could write a review or a case study, or even interview the product creator. It's still not going to make you rich overnight (I'll let you into a secret – nothing in blogging is!) but affiliate links are a great long-term way to make money from your blog. If you want to read more about monetization, check out these posts: When Should You Start Monetizing Your Blog? How Should You Monetize a New Blog? Seven Ways Blogs Make Money – Which is Right for You?   Wanna learn how to make more money with your website? Check the Online Profits training program!

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