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Delivering The Master Plan
The moment you stepped into the arena, everyone knew you were a serious blogger.
Now you can prove it by turning your words into cash using these direct ("Not so subtle touches") and indirect ("Subtle touches") monetization strategies...
The Subtle Touch: Indirect Monetization Strategies
Direct product recommendations and selling ad space aren't the only ways to make money with your blog.
Here are five indirect means of getting paid for your efforts.
Landing Freelance Writing Contracts
Your blog is proof that you're a good writer and researcher, especially when you get to the point where you have hundreds of posts on your blog. If freelance writing interests you, then your blog can serve as a springboard into this career.
There are a few directions you may go. You can offer your services as a ghostwriter, article writer or even copywriter (if you write good sales copy). Or you can write and submit articles to traditional paying media, like magazines.
If you go the ghostwriting route, then make it clear on your blog that you're for hire. You can also go to the freelancing boards (like Elance and Guru) to look for projects you'd like to do.
Getting Lucrative Book Deals
Here again, there are a couple different ways you can make money with this idea.
Turn your blog posts into a book, and either seek out a publisher or self-publish. If you self-publish, then you may look into print-on-demand (POD) services like Lulu or iUniverse.
Approach a publishing house about a book idea. Here, the idea for your book is closely related to your blog, but you're not just taking your posts and creating a book. Publishers tend to like those who have "platforms" - that is, an existing way to reach the audience. So it's to your benefit to have a blog with a large readership.
Naturally, you can also self-publish any type of book related to your blog, and then promote this book on your blog.
Creating Speaking Engagements
If you enjoy teaching from podium or stage, then you can make money speaking. (And the reason your blog makes this happen for you is because you've established yourself as an expert.)
As usual, there are a few different ways you can profit from this idea, including:
Offer offline workshops. You can create your own teaching experiences, such as weekend workshops, conferences and seminars. You may offer small events so you can work individually with the participants, or you can teach hundreds or even thousands from an auditorium. You may even invite other experts in your niche to be guest speakers.
Be a guest speaker at someone else's event. You may have other workshop organizers inviting you to speak at their events. However, you don't need to wait around for these invitations - instead, you can get in contact with organizers and let them know you're available and interested in being a guest speaker.
Offer yourself at local gatherings. You may offer to do talks at local gatherings of related organizations, clubs, charities and so on. For example, you may give a talk for a local weight-loss group. In this case you likely won't be paid directly for your talk, but you can pitch your products at the end of the talk and/or from the back of the room.
Get paid for your speeches. Finally, one of the other major ways to get paid for your speaking is by offering paid speeches. For example, if you're in the business or motivation field, you may go around to companies speak or even train them.
Remember - don't wait for invitations. Instead, create your own opportunities!
Offering Consulting
Once you've established yourself as an expert in your niche (through your blog), then you can easily start offering consulting in your field. Anyone who doubts your credentials just needs to go to your blog and spend a few minutes reading your posts.
There are a few different ways for you to advertise your consulting services, including (but not limited to) the following five ideas:
Obviously, you should create a prominent page on your blog that advertises your services.
Secondly, you do co-promotions with other marketers in your niche, where you advertise their products and services on your blog in exchange for them doing the same for you.
Third, you can post your services on classifieds like Craiaslist.
Next, you may even find projects on freelancing sites like Elance and Guru.
Finally, you may promote your services through social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and similar.
If you're using other indirect monetization tactics like speaking at your local groups, be sure to mention your consulting services at every chance you get.
Building a List
Finally, one of the last techniques you can use to indirectly make money from your blog is perhaps also one of the most powerful.
Namely, you can build a list from all the traffic flowing to your blog.
Think of it this way: A marketer without a list is like a ship without sails. Neither one of them will ever perform at their full potential. That's because what you've heard before is true: The money is in the list.
You see, there will be people who come to your site one time, like what they see, and decide they'll come back again later. They may even bookmark your blog. But things happen... and they never return.
Your blog is forgotten alongside all the other sites they bookmarked.
Think of this: If this person had remembered to come back, he probably would have become a regular reader. And if you were selling anything on your blog, there's no doubt he would have become one of your best customers.