Marketing A Blog
Now that I have my awesome looking template for wordpress and the new RaymondBurton.com blog, what are my first steps in getting it off the ground? Well I’m glad you asked because it so happens that I have made a list!
Some of these things are intentions, things I would like to do with the site and others are more like things that I should do. There are a few things I have to modify on this blog to monitize it so I can keep writing and still buy food and a few modifications that have to be done to ensure that someone will actually find it. So marketing the blog has some steps to be taken as well.
All said and done, if I complete this list I should see some great results in traffic and money coming in, all the while having some fun in about 15 months. What?!! 15 months seems to long to start a business? Talk to you later then. If you would like to follow along though, see you on November 2008.
I would like to do podcasts on this new blog because I have never done them before and I think I could do some neat and fun things that may be usefull. The first one is going to be a guided meditation I think.
Product Promotion
I have to add my products (you have a product right?) over in the navigation bar so that if someone would like to buy something from me, then they can! We can talk about product creation a little later
Search box
I need to change the search box over in the navigation bar to a google search so that I can at least make some money on the search if people cant find what they are looking for here. This requires a google account and I can show you how to do that also.
Advertising Script For Blog
I am going to purchase and advertising script from James Brausch called trafficopia and install it on this site so that like minded advertisers can reach their targeted audience and pay me to keep writing. *UPDATE - I do not recommend this script in hindsight. The new subscription service from Paypal works just as well as you can see through the above link.
Trackback Code For Wordpress Blog
This wordpress template doesn’t have the trackback box at the end of the posts like most do. I’m not an expert but I feel that trackbacks can offer some benefit especially when you are just getting started to get the odd new reader. So I have to go out and find this little snippet of code. (* Done)
Pings To Increase Blog Traffic
I want to keep the search engines coming back so I want the major locations pinged when I make a post. I have to go out and find these so that I can add them into the wordpress template. *UPDATE - WOW. As I look back I can’t believe how much things have developed with blogs!
Blog Carnivals For Exposure
Blog Carnivals are going to play a role in the initial launch to bring awareness of the site. I’ll go scout out some places or carnivals to submit to and let you know about them
Monitize The Blog With Donations
I am also going to put a donate button over in the left to, well get donations. They say you can’t ever get anything unless you ask for it. So if anyone would like to give away some money, I would like to accept it! * UPDATE - Why donate when you can advertise?
The Blog Roll
I have to go into the wordpress dashboard and touch up the blogroll. I will add in my favorite sites to read as well as some of my other sites that are related to different themes.
Article Submission For Blog Traffic
There are a few methods like mentioned above that I will use to bring awareness to this site and article marketing will be one of the big ones. I cant stand going around and asking people to link to me. What’s the point anyway, if someone likes your stuff, they will link. If you go hunting for them you only end up hidden away on some back end links page.
I will update this page as I go through this initial list of “To Do’s”. Talk to you later
