Finding the balance between blogging to build your online presence, and building the core skills that you are eventually planning to offer through that ‘online presence’ is critical to your eventual success or failure.
This is a post inspired by my own struggle to find the balance between building my online presence and building my actual business. It’s my personal Chicken and Egg because I can’t see which one needs to come first. It’s also my personal Catch 22 because I certainly couldn’t have one without the other.
I know many bloggers are using the blogging business model as their foundation and as such the situation may be that they are working fulltime as well as blogging, knowing that if they put out good content consistently they will eventually make some money. This is absolutely fine and if this is the case then you don’t really have this Catch 22 scenario because building your brand and your online presence is exactly what a successful blog business requires, but if you are like me and have chosen a different business model to make money online AND have created a blog to build your own brand as well then finding the balance between the two is not only crucial to your success, it is also the greyest area I think I have ever seen!
When Two Business Models Meet
Building your online presence is crucial to success, this is a fact and I am not trying to argue it in any way, but when it starts to interfere with what you are eventually going to leverage (your learned skills) then you must surely reassess what you are doing online? But if you stop building your brand and your online presence through your blogging then when you eventually choose to scale up your initial business model you will have no online support, something that is paramount to any individual’s success.
“Isn’t it ironic that the harder I work on building my brand, the more chance there is that I will have nothing to offer once I succeed in doing so.” – Me, Just before.
Finding the balance is tricky and in my experience it is about staying committed to both causes.
I initially started blogging as a way to document all my experiences with my other business model which is niche site marketing but I quickly learned what an enjoyable and engaging place the blogosphere could be. Granted I am a very social being so this makes it even more enjoyable, but as I posted about Keyword Research and Niche Site Marketing I started to join blogging communities and form relationships with other bloggers. I made a subconscious commitment to my readers (all 24 of them at the time) to post at least twice a week and I then got so involved in the community that I was offered the chance to join the TIP Team, thus adding to my blogging business commitments . All these commitments are doing amazing things for my online presence and I also thoroughly enjoy each and every one of them, but the result of focusing on my blog and my own brand is that the actual building and promoting of niche sites has suffered, and even though I am also committed to building them up, the difference is that niche sites don’t involve people.
Accountability stands for everything
If you can’t be held accountable for your own actions then no one is going to want to know you let alone do business with you. If I neglect to build a niche site that week then I might lose $20 – $50, but if I am nurturing a relationship with another blogger and I suddenly stop talking then it not only goes against my character but I also stand to lose that relationship, and I don’t want to put a price on anyone – but I think close blogging allies are worth a hell of a lot more than $20-$50
See How Clouded it is?
OK Oxymoron aside, do you see how grey the balance is between two business models?
What I have learned from this and what I think I am trying to say here is that if you are planning on making money online then wait until you have something to offer before you start blogging for cash. For it has been my experience that the blogosphere is a thoroughly engaging and thought provoking place, so if you enter with the idea of simply perpetuating your brand and leaving, think again! So either come with something of value or come with an open mind ready to learn, but try not to show up whilst attempting to do thirty things at once!
Alex Whalley is the author of Alex Whalley.com where he writes about blogging, niche site marketing, and keyword research techniques. Alex recently quit his fulltime job to tackle niche marketing fulltime and uses his blog to catalogue and document his experiences with making money with niche sites and search engine marketing. If you’d like to see how easy it is to build, market and monetize niche sites check out his blog. You can also Follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his RSS Feed.
FREE 20/7 Report
FREE WordPress Training Videos
Hi Alex. That’s how I feel. I’m stuck in a niche world and trying to fit into blogging (since that is what I feel I do), I just haven’t taken that last step and started to blog about it. What holds me back is exactly what you said here: How do you merge them.
The thing I find interesting is that you seem like the blogosphere won’t make you money, only your niche sites will. Maybe this is where the thinking gets cloudy. Maybe you haven’t made the right products for the blog to turn that into a money making niche as well?
Personally, I love the niche site I have. I have a very hard time starting something else because I do fear that it would suffer. Building my site and my pressence online is not easy. I almost feel like I need to start a blog about blogging just to be taken seriously in the community. It’s crazy. I’m still on the fence and haven’t made that leap yet…
Hey Richard,
Man thanks so much for that detailed response. It’s good to see the same feelings echoed elsewhere, and you provide some good insight as well.
I am not sure if you were talking generally or referring to myself directly in regards to the blog not making me money, but either way I think you are correct in that you need the right product etc.
I honestly think my blog will make me more money in the long run than all my niche sites combined, which is why I created it. It will give me a platform to leverage the skills I gain in niche marketing so it’s perfect.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting (and the RT)
Awesome Richard!
Alex´s last [type] ..How to Build a Huge List of Active Twitter Followers
Hi Alex,
You’ve brought up some great points in your post. I think a lot of people just read the eye-catching titles of making 6 figures per year on blogging and how easy it is, and they don’t understand the business models behind the successes. Nor do they understand how much hard work, commitment and sacrifice is needed. Sure, you can go on Twitter and add every single person to follow and some will follow you back. You can leave comments on a thousand blogs a day and can get traffic back to your site. But, if you don’t have a real business behind all your activities, then what are you building your online presence for?
It’s can definitely be a chicken and egg scenario. Btw, the egg came first
Karen
Karen´s last [type] ..Happy Canada Day-
Hey Karen,
Thankyou for summarising my post so eloquently. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned well, everything!
In regards to the egg coming first, I am sending you a poem I wrote about that – it’s a crack up (no pun intended) and I think you will like it
Thanks for the support and the RT Karen!
Karen,
You’re absolutely right. If there’s no business behind all of your hard work then what are you working hard for? You want to give a lot of great things away for free but there has to come a time down the road where you put a price on things and then see what happens.
It may not turn out as you wish and it will probably be a hard road to keep going down which is why you have to ask yourself if what your doing is worth it or not.
Great point.
Eric´s last [type] ..Blogging Better- The Two Simple Ways To Do So
I personally think that learning your chosen skills should come first before building a site you intend to make money from. This helps you have a more focused direction in the posts you make and the other things you do — even the site’s design.
Julius´s last [type] ..A Day of a Person With Quadriplegia
Hey Julius,
You make a very good point about the posts and blog direction being more focused once you have found your niche and skillset but at the same time there is the arguement that the sooner you start your blog the sooner you can build a presence online.
Thanks for your comments Julius.
Awesome!
Very interesting Alex,
What you talk about in your post is pretty similar to a big issue we all face so frequently in our business, namely, keeping our focus. Personally, I always want to do everything perfectly at the same time.
As you wrote it, it is a balancing act that requires lots of energy and lots of focus. Thanks!
Michel J. Gagnon´s last [type] ..Two Simple Tips to Help You Become a Better Writer
Hey Michael,
) but one needs to prioritize and FOCUS!
You raise a good point (as well as a glass I see – cheers!) about this not just being an issue for online business. I guess it does all come down to focus, like even now I should be submitting articles for my latest niche sites but I am engaging in conversation instead (not that this is a bad thing of course
Thanks for your comments and insight Michael.
Cheers, Alex
Alex´s last [type] ..Show them you care with a bouquet of Keywords and a box of SEO
I’m catching up after our Independence Day weekend, and boy, am I behind
Thank goodness I took the time to look through my reader though because here you are with your good stuff.
I think coming in to this with an open mind is huge. Doors open that we can’t even imagine when we’re plotting things out in the early days. Granted, I never planned to be a niche marketer, but still, I’m glad I got into this end of things and haven’t locked myself into any one business model.
Jean Sarauer´s last [type] ..Newbie Interview Tips From My Virgin Interview
Hey gorgeous girl!
You know I only bring the good stuff to TIP
You make a good point about coming in with an open mind. I started with the idea of building a list around someone else’s product and created this blog to learn about everything and now look where I am – very far from both the list building model AND the promoting of someone else’s product!
Thanks for stopping by and for providing your wonderful input as always.
Alex
Alex´s last [type] ..Show them you care with a bouquet of Keywords and a box of SEO
If you’re working hard for nothing then nothing will work hard for you.
Eric´s last [type] ..Blogging Better- The Two Simple Ways To Do So
How eloquent Eric.
I like it!
Thanks man.
Alex´s last [type] ..Show them you care with a bouquet of Keywords and a box of SEO
Great quote Eric!
Matthew Needham´s last [type] ..Book Review- Rework
@Alex & Matthew,
Yeah thanks. And it makes so much sense.
Thanks for the replies.
Eric´s last [type] ..Blogging Better- The Two Simple Ways To Do So
Hi Alex, interesting post. Personally I think it all boils down to your business plan. Essentially your blog should support your business not the other way around.
So, if you’re thinking of making 6 figures from blogging, you first of all have to figure out how you can make those 6 figures, then the blog should support how you do that.
Matthew Needham´s last [type] ..Book Review- Rework
Hey Matthew,
OK serious for a second now mate.
THAT was the best way of surmising what took me around 900 words to say! Brilliant, I absolutely love the way you put that and I think you hit it on the head right there!
Thanks so much for bringing your business brain to the table.
Alex´s last [type] ..Show them you care with a bouquet of Keywords and a box of SEO
Awesome food for thought as always, but this one really hit home.
I’ve been kinda in the same boat. I started my blog as a way to document my successes as I worked my way up to a good full-time living online, but I kinda fell in love with blogging.
I found myself spending less time on the things that were making me money, and more time getting involved with the blogosphere. Like you, I set out to post twice a week and later added a feature at another site (mine is Fridays over at Hot Blog Tips).
Right now, I’m trying to find a better way to make the two work in harmony. I wish you luck in doing the same
Jillian´s last [type] ..Monetizing and You
Jillian,
Thanks so much for commenting because what you said echoed exactly what I am feeling, and I know this post touched on the general idea, it did not specifically say what the issue is, but you just did.
I think we are both in the same boat since you are blogging at Keith’s site (and producing consistently good content I might add)
Let me know how you go with the harmony, I’ll see what I can do from this end
Thanks for stopping and commenting Jillian
Alex´s last [type] ..Show them you care with a bouquet of Keywords and a box of SEO
It’s a conundrum, isn’t it? I think you speak to the struggle that all entrepreneurs face when launching their businesses. It’s the classic catch-22 for a sole proprietor. You need more customers to grow, but you have to service your existing customers survive. Doing one takes away from the other.
I think it is more pronounced when everything is online. Having your websites work for you 24/7 is great, but at the same time it sets up an entirely unrealistic expectation that you are also there 24/7.
The trick becomes finding the right balancing act to play, and most entrepreneurs never find it. The one piece of advice I’ve found that has helped me the most is to choose your clients (in your case websites) wisely.
Don’t focus your energy on the vampires – the ones that suck your time, energy, resources, etc. without a fair payback. They are the ones that usually cause the scales to tip.
PS: It’s always the chicken.
Brad Harmon´s last [type] ..Look What I Stumbled Upon This Week
One of the greatest benefits of coming from two different business models is how many actually have the same parallels. Much like the “old” style of running a business, many people get stuck in just one mindset of how things can be done. When you mix in the additional business model you can try new things and later introduce them to your audience!
Murlu´s last [type] ..How-To Setup A Simple Online Store Using Paypal