Blogging and Marketing Resources for the Average Blogger and Business
Posts tagged Subscription
Membership Sites as a Lucrative Business Model
Jun 14th
Yaro Starak's "Motivational" Video
As bloggers, many of us envision a time when we can actually make a few dollars from this hobby. Some of us are already there and looking to expand the success. Membership sites are one way to do that, although it could be a very different way to look at the world.
Yaro Starak is one of the “whales” of the industry and while I am not here to endorse or recommend anything he is selling as blogging resources, I had to share this video with you. Yaro Starak on Membership Sites
In the spirit of full disclosure, I am not an affiliate of, nor associated with Mr. Starak in any way. I just enjoy viewing his video as my own motivational tool.
Let’s think about changing your business model into one supporting a membership site. You’ve developed considerable and valuable base of content in your blog and believe people would pay a small monthly fee for exclusive access to it. You may publish “routine” material for everyone, but in-depth and very detailed descriptions of thing people need is held for the subscribers.
Sounds easy, huh? Potentially lucrative, yes. Easy? Not so much.
The hard work comes not only in developing a critical mass of valuable information to launch the membership site, but it comes again in the form of continuing to feed the monster. Without a consistent flow of quality material ADDED on a regular basis, your initial fans (paying members) will not believe they are getting the value.
Impossible? No. It just takes effort.
Remember, the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit is not about screaming hype about getting rich quick. It’s common sense discussions about growing your blogging success. With some planning and hard work, membership sites could be a part of your long term efforts.
Share your successes (or failures) with membership sites. Have you tried it; are you making it work; have you given up? We can all benefit from your thoughts.
Dave
PS: For more information, you can visit Yaro’s Membership Mastermind. (Again, not a pitch, just simply a resource.)
PPS: Here’s another link to Jeremy Shoemaker’s post on Shoemoney. His post includes a link to an MP3 of an interview with Yaro.
Read Many Blogs with Google Reader
Apr 25th
a.k.a. Blog Consumption Manager
One of many tools I take for granted is my Google Reader. I have a small number of blogs which I regularly read and even with a small number, the “Reader” saves me significant time navigating to each one. Instead, new posts are served up in a nice tidy window – then go away after I’ve read them.
For anyone who is an experienced blogger, this is – well – old news. But remember the Ultimate Blogging Toolkit’s tag line: ”Blogging Tips and Resources for the Average Blogger.” We must stay true to our purpose.
The value of an aggregator like Google Reader is that it automatically pulls together new information from around the web from those sites to which you’ve subscribed. When there’s something new, it appears. The reason I am appreciating this tool more than I have in the past is due to my recent membership in Entrecard. In Entrecard to Increase Blog Traffic, I make a point about the importance of building relationships and how Entrecard is a great platform for doing so. However, I have frequently been reminder of the adage, “be careful for what you wish.”
(Note: traffic has increased substantially since enrolling in Entrecard. Look for a post with some commentary on that soon.)
With tens of thousands of blogs, it’s a big feast – one that is difficult to consume. Enter Google Reader. While some of the Entrecard activity is “shallow and wide” (brief exposure to many types of blogs), much of the time is spent interacting with those blogs where a more involved connection is made (narrow and deep.) When I encounter a blog that really fits with my interests, I add it as a subscribed blog to Google Reader. Then, I don’t have to remember to visit that blog to see if anything is new – I just wait for a post to appear in my window. One click and I’m at the feast.
Dave
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