The previous week I discussed the three traits that I have observed among people who earn a substantial profit through their blogs. Aside from being great writers, web savvy, and updated though blog earners are also…

Adaptable – The internet is such a volatile medium and its users evolve rapidly. Anyone who wants to make a nice profit should not only be able to detect the shift in their readers’ needs but also adapt and develop new strategies. Successful bloggers should not only be able to adapt to change but should thrive on change. If you drag you feet when it comes to embracing new internet trends you will probably be able to make money by simply being a copycat but the early adapters will be the ones that will make the most money out of anything.

Statistics Conscious - Successful bloggers keep track of their statistics, analyze them, and USE the findings to IMPROVE on their blogs. This is where being web savvy again comes in since gathering and analyzing statistical data requires knowledge of existing analytics software available on the net. The pitfall of many bloggers though is that thought they may be aware of the statistics but do not really do anything to understand what it means for their blog and what they can do to to make it better. It is such a waste since there are so many free analytical software that will not only churn out number but have help sections to explain the importance of each and every metric they analyzed.

One of the core activities of any business is to gather information regarding their customers. In order to provide services or products which cater to their target market’s needs and preferences, a business has to have an accurate gauge of the market’s pulse, so to speak. As such, market research is one of the most important endeavors of any business.

Any businessman would know that in order to obtain results which are as accurate as can be, market research has to be conducted with as wide a coverage as possible. In order to achieve such a coverage, money has to be expended – a considerable amount. Yet there is another way to conduct market research without having to expend too many resources – both in terms of time, money, and personnel.

A business blog can do just that. Take the example of Stone Creek Coffee, a coffee store chain in the U.S. When they to make their presence felt online, they chose the blog to do the job. Tom Pionek, technology and marketing director, shares that their blog present more opportunities to interact with customers as compared to press releases and similar forms of business communications. Their blog also went on to serve as way of getting feedback from the customers – a form of market research.

According to consultant Dana Vanden Heuvel, blogs are “one of the largest free, for what that’s worth, market research test-beds. It goes beyond the focus groups and some of the other market-research vehicles that people have used in the past or companies have used in the past.”

With more and more people turning to the Internet for information, a business blog could give you the edge that you need.

The other day I was talking to an Italian guy who works for one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world. He works in the I.T. department and pretty soon he was telling me all about his latest pet project. I couldn’t help but notice how proud and excited he was of this endeavor – he just completed setting up a blog for the company. Naturally, that caught my interest and prodded him for more information.

One of the main things that stuck to my mind is the idea that a blog can humanize a corporation. That I.T. guy was saying that for companies as big as theirs, the consumers don’t even have the barest clue of the people behind the scenes. For us customers, all we see are the products themselves and advertisements on TV or magazines perhaps. As such, the corporation is a mere abstract idea in the minds of people – there is rarely any person associated with it.

He continued on to say that with their new blog, they are putting on a new spin to customer relations. The way he set up the company blog was for different people from within the company to contribute to the blog. In this way, there is freedom of expression. Their target is to reach out to customers so that they can see that there are real people working behind the scenes to deliver the products that they use.

I couldn’t help but agree with this guy. His arguments made sense – show the customers real people behind the scenes and they will be able to relate to the company more.

Last time I discussed why not everyone can make a huge profit through blogging. This time, having supposedly weeded out the wishy washy, I will be focusing on those who CAN making a nice profit through blogging. I have found that the blogs that DO earn money are those of bloggers that are…

• Great writers - While blogs do not require impeccable grammar and a highly sophisticated writing style you will find that the blogs that DO make money are usually written by people who have a certain way with words. Whatever the blog theme may be, from mommy blogs to tech blogs, the blogger has found a way for their readers to really enjoy what they write and to be reeled into discussions.
• Web Savvy – No matter how great a writer a blogger might be a blog will not take off if the blogger does not understand the web technologies that will enable to make his blog earn. By web technologies I mean stuff like RSS feeds, blog analytics, SEO, tagging, social bookmarking, monetization schemes like affiliate programs and ads, etc. Basically a blogger should learn how to use the tools available on the internet to his advantage and put them into practice.
• Updated – These blogger knows the latest things going on in their field. It may be the fact that the iPhone is now really unlocked, or that Google has a hidden flight simulator on Google Earth, or that this and that is the new way to make money online. Whatever the news may be these bloggers are often among the first to blog about it. They are the kind of people that are blurring the line between news sites and blogs and are why people rely on blogs as much as news sites for the news.

to be continued…

Communication is the key to most relationships in society. From families to friendships to business relationships, communication is integral to the success of the interaction. In business, communication does not come automatically. Perhaps within the company, the flow of communication is a bit easier to facilitate.

The communication between customers and businesses may be a bit tricky, however. Despite the honest intentions from the business side to have a free exchange of ideas between them and the customer, you cannot blame the customer for thinking that there is a hidden agenda. After all, we want them to purchase our goods and services.

Advertisements and traditional media is the bridge between the corporation and the customers. Just how effective this method is, we cannot really discount as it has been working for countless years now. Yet taking things one step further – short of the CEO walking around and talking to customers face to face – the business can reach out to its clientele in a more personal manner through a blog.

Blogs, by their very nature, have a personal down-to-earth touch. Though we do have business blogs, people tend to associate blogs with a “real” person. If you take advantage of this fact and work your business blog as an ordinary person would, you can enjoy an open channel of communication between you and your customers.

You can post anything relating to your products, your services, and maybe even insider tips. At the same time, customers who read your blog would have the chance to air out their concerns and questions through the comments section. In this way, your blog serves as a venue for open forum, which is always good in the eyes of customers.

If I wanted to write an entry just to make people feel good the answer to the question above would be a resounding “YES”. However, making people feel good is not my primary motive. My motive is to help people find a way to earn money through blogging and because of that I have to give an honest answer, which is a disappointing “MOST PROBABLY NOT”.

With the huge phenomenon blogging has become, millions of people flock on the web nowadays not just to check their emails but to check the blogs they subscribe to and read religiously. Blogs have become the morning paper of this generation. With such a large market it is no wonder many people fall into the trap of thinking that anyone can earn enough to make it as a full time blogger. The problem is that while there is a huge potential to earn big bucks, more often than not, the potential goes unrealized. Many bloggers earn enough extra money to making blogging worthwhile money-wise but not enough to quit their day jobs. Statistically speaking a vast majority of bloggers who try to earn serious income through blogs will not reach their target income.

The reason for this is simple. Like any line of business, many are just copycats who jump in on the bandwagon in hopes of getting rich fast but without any real notion of the work and skill it entails to be successful, and even worse, without any intention of DOING the work needed to make their blogs a success. So before you go quit your day job think about this and figure out whether you are ready to take on the challenge of blogging. If you know that you have the knowledge and skills to be a full time blogger then go ahead. If not I suggest you stick to your day job while learning the ropes until your blog starts earning and you can be pretty sure that you are ready to be a full time blogger.

For many businesses – if not all – influencing the way of thinking of the general public is quite important. In fact, it could be critical for some. How is this so? Think about it this way – if you establish yourself as a credible source of information and people believe you, they would, to a certain extent, do what you say and behave accordingly. This is important for a business when it comes to establishing the quality and worth of your product or service. Essentially, this is what marketing and advertising is about. You engage in these activities in order to make people aware of what you have to offer and to have them believe that you are offering only the best for them. You are influencing public opinion.

How about if you can all the above for a much lesser price? I am talking about blogs. Due to the boom the blogosphere has experienced in the past few years, there have been many studies conducted on its effects on people. I have good news for you – people tend to rely a lot on the information that they gather from blogs.

With this in mind, what is keeping you from engaging in blogging? A blog for your business will probably be visited more than your main web site. People would tend to look for fresher information which is reliable. Having a good business blog would not only establish you as an authority in your field but will also help mould the opinions of readers to your advantage.

A business blog can bring many advantages – that is the general consensus. Yet many times, this sweeping statement is not really backed up with concrete ideas and information. Here is one incentive for businessmen who are not yet fully convinced of a blog’s power to increase your presence online – a blog can position you as an expert in the field.

Before delving into how a blog can do this, let me answer another question: “So what if I can acquire expert status?” Isn’t it pretty obvious? Take any topic under the sun – say, English learning online. If the average person wants to know more about this topic, what does he normally do? Consult with someone he believes to be knowledgeable in the matter, right? In the absence of “real” people he can consult in “real time” what does he do? He goes to his computer and searches for reputable sources online.

Now if you have expert status – that is, if you gain that reputation of being knowledgeable in your field, you will have countless people knocking at your door.

So how can you acquire this status with a business blog? Simple, maintain an active blog with regular posts. Make sure that the content is updated and indeed accurate as befitting an authority in your field. Of course, you would also have to engage in some promotion so that your blog can be discovered by readers. If you are starting from scratch, your readership may be limited but with great content and proper marketing, you will be reaping the benefits before you know it.

Blogs are everywhere and they have their own pros and cons. It is about time that businesses – big or small – realize and accept that. No matter how some people may want to ignore this fact, it does not really change. Have you ever thought about how you can use blogging to expose a new product or idea?

I am sure there are some of you who are thinking “but we have our marketing and promotions campaign taking care of that already!” Here’s my question to you then: “Exactly how much are you spending on that campaign?” I would not want to guess, really.

Blogging, on the other hand, presents a cost effective alternative. If you already have a blog for your business then it would be a small matter to present something new. If you don’t have a blog set up yet, it is quite simple to get that done.

So how does a blog help you get the exposure that a new or a relatively unknown idea or product? Many times, the case is that customers or prospective customers do not have a clear idea of what you have to offer. Other forms of advertising and marketing can probably get the point across given enough time and resources. However, that would cost an arm and a leg. On the other hand, a blog can be as detailed and as specific as you like regarding a product or an idea. Customers – prospective or otherwise – can then be more informed about your product. This can then easily translate into more business for you.