A Simple Framework for Success – 4 Steps every Blogger Needs to Take

I have been a blogger for a very long time. In fact, I started as early as 1997 with geocities as the platform.  I even hardcoded (HTML4) my whole site using only notepad.  I enjoyed those days but things do progress fast. I’m just glad that I am able to keep up.  I retired several sites of mine and restarted with hearty.ph. With the ‘rebirth’ of my blog, I want to also learn like a beginner.  I immediately signed up for the free event: A Simple Framework for Success – 4 Steps Every Blogger Needs to Take hosted by Elite Blog Academy and boy, I’m glad I did! It’s a great event for people who want to start a blog. I like how the trainer sends her message. It was clear, concise and easily understandable.  I’m going to follow the framework shared. And I’m posting here my notes.

Here are four super simple steps to creating a successful & profitable blog:

Refine your message

• Your message is not just what you say but how you say it and how you present it
• More importantly, your message is how you make your readers feel when they come to your site
• Strategy
  • Let people know at a glance what your blog is all about
  • Write with crystal clear focus
    • How to write with focus
      • First impression (title)
      • Opening (first paragraph)
      • Central idea (heart of the post)
      • Useful logic & illustrations (bullet points, personal stories that help drive the message of the post)
      • Strong conclusion (make it feel finished)
  • tell a visual story

In all honesty, I’m back at square one.  This blog right now is all over the place, haha! It just shows how much interest I have in so many things. I intend to focus on 3 items I want to write more on. I will continue to write until I organise my thoughts and this blog. So in this framework, I’m still on step one even if I’m an old blogger, hehehe!

Grow Your Audience

• Don’t try to grow if your message isn’t ready
• Not all metrics matter (focus on one growth strategy at a time)
• Sometimes, you need to go back to step one if everything is not working.
• Strategy
  • Develop your elevator pitch
    • quick 15 minutes synopsis of what your blog is about and why people should read it
    • Understanding that your blog is not about you but your audience
  • Grow your email list
    • There is no single most powerful for your audience other than email
    • Ask people, create a compelling reason for people to subscribe (free ebook, freebies)
    • Making email your first priority
  • Leverage social media
    • For maximum results, focus all your efforts in one place at a time

Monetize your platform

• Moving to step 3 doesn’t mean forgetting steps 1 & 2
• Focus on the strategies that will generate the maximum revenue per reader
• Strategy
  • Profit through ad networks (Google Adsense) – easiest to earn but requires a lot of page views in order to generate revenue
  • Profit through private advertising – working directly with brands, sponsored posts
  • Profit through affiliate sales – using special tracking links to recommend products other people own and earning commission when your reader purchases the product/s.
  • Profit through selling a product

Build your business

• You are entrepreneur
• Your blog is not your business rather a key asset of your business
• You’ll need help to grow
• Strategy
  • Learn to work smarter, not harder – concentrate only on the task that create the biggest impact