What’s my ADVOCACY? This question has been lingering in my mind for the past weeks since I attended Blogging: The Formula for Success. One of the most successful bloggers in our country, Mr. Anton Diaz of Our Awesome Planet, shared with us how he turned blogging not only into a lucrative hobby but more importantly into an advocacy that has sparked a movement.
Last July 13, I was privileged to have been given a free seat to the workshop for having answered a survey by Manila Workshops more than a month ago. Good thing I took time to answer that survey coz I wouldn’t have been able to squeeze the 4,5oo-peso fee into our monthly budget. Mr. Anton Diaz shared so many insights and tips that was well worth more than the fee though. Still, thank you to Ginger Arboleda of ManilaReviews.com for inviting us to join the workshop.
I’ve only been blogging for a little over a year and have not really taken time to understand SEO nor how to effectively monetize my blog. Nonetheless, I found some useful resources online on the topic of blogging. Although the additional income I could earn from blogging was really what initially drove me to get my own domain and start a blog, it still remains to be just a mere hobby that allows me to voice out my thoughts. Call it therapy for the crazy work-at-home mom. 😀 By happenstance, I am still able to get sponsored posts and a few advertisers even without marketing my site. I credit this to my online mom-blogger friends who refer me to their advertisers. Still, to know that a blog could actually earn tens of thousands (even hundreds, I heard) each month is incredible. More than that, to know that you could actually affect and change lives through your blog is both inspiring and frigthening. Frightening because you realize that you have a huge responsibility to your readers.
Mr. Anton Diaz taught us all the rudiments of running a blog, from creating timeless posts and sharing them on social networking sites to monetizing the blog and how much to charge direct advertisers. Though there are millions of information on the internet about blogging, learning directly from someone who has worked to make his blog be the awesome blog that it is now is so much better than reading articles. Plus, you’re certain that the technique works because that’s exactly what he has been doing. Among the many things I’ve learned from him that day are:
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I shouldn’t write just because I can or just because I want to, I must write to EDUCATE my readers. I must strive to write posts that empower and change lives.
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Have an advocacy. I must figure out what I want to change in our society and make that my movement. (This really is easier said than done.)
- Use “google insights for search” to know what people are interested in and write about those topics. BUT, never to write about something I can’t relate to. If, like me, you are a novice when it comes to SEO, you might want to consider enlisting the help of an internet marketing specialist such as Ram Digital who are an SEO Company Lichfield.
- Be an online friend to my readers. This means replying to their comments and answering their emails. Apparently, getting emails from readers is one way to know that you are successful in reaching out to your audience.
- Not all readers are alike. Some are visual, some auditory, and some kinesthetic. My blog must appeal to all types of readers.
- A blogger’s goal is to reach EXPERT status. And, no, this is not something you can just claim for yourself, it has to be bestowed upon you by others. Earn that status by building followers. Some bloggers find that building followers begin with developing their followers on social media. Luckily some tools can help such as this free instagram followers app from social media companies similar to SocialFollow.
My 100+ pageviews per month is a loooong way from the 1000+ pageviews I should be getting if I want to move up the Blogging Evolution – from Artist to Advocate to Entrepreneur and finally to Maven. . However, I’m still thankful for those 100 people who take time to visit this blog and read what I have to share. Hopefully, I could eventually make a career out of blogging by applying the techniques I learned from Mr. Anton Diaz.
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Thank you for this long information about blogging sis. I feel like I am not a blogger at all. LOL… Well, I will have to make – mulay -mulay with all this details. Pretty helpful and interesting specially to me as a blogger.
Wow, you got a free seat! I think he’s the most successful blogger in the Philippines talaga. Thanks for sharing.
wow!!!thanks for sharing this sis i’m reading and this is very informative..
Good for you sis, hope Ill find time to attend to such events too.. 🙂 good luck in your blogging career.. for me, i am just a blogger bloggeran.. lol 🙂
Hi Tottering Mama!
I’ve actually seen this ad somewhere and really wanted to attend! I even posted on the Our Awesome Planet Facebook fanpage to ask when and where this will be held (because I searched and searched but was no longer able to find the ad), but got no reply 🙁
Anyway, thank you for sharing what you have learned 🙂
Thanks for sharing Mr. Anton’s tips. Been blogging for a year now, merely just sharing my thoughts but to actually monetize it, I know a have a looooooong way to go pa, hahaha!
Those are really interesting details. Hope that you make it to 1000 page views per day. I’m too am very far away from there.
On hindsight, I should have tried to attend this event. I’m sure I could have learned a lot but thanks for sharing with us bits of what you have learned. I would particularly like to learn about dealing with direct advertisers but more of that later. I’m still building up my blog 🙂 It’s still a hobby for me but a hobby with an advocacy na rin. Hopefully, my blog would go somewhere worthwhile in the future. No rush though. 🙂
wow. you are lucky! just last week i was trying to open Mr. Anton’s blog but something is wrong. anyway, it is true you have to have an objective in making a blog. i think i’ll tinker more on my blog to make it more educating? 🙂 thanks for the info.
Thank you for sharing your lessons with us, Mommy Olga! 😀 I am curious though… what exactly does it mean if we are able to get 1,000 page views per month? (Is it per month or per day?) You’re SO blessed to have been able to get a free slot! 🙂 Were you able to meet Martine of DaintyMom? Sir Anton is a really good blogger to learn from, and he’s uber-nice, too! 😉 God bless always! And good luck + blessings to us “newbie” bloggers!
Thanks for sharing those great takeaways from the seminar. I missed the seminar but I’m glad I chanced upon your post.
I really adore Mr. Anton Diaz! You are very lucky ! Thanks for sharing your learning. I do blogging as a stress remedy and a hobby, I doubt if am I really a blogger now but my heart is into blogging. This is really helpful! Thanks again 🙂
Wow! I didn’t know Anton Diaz had a talk about blogging. Hoping to attend when there’ll be another one 🙂
I am wanting to attend this kind of seminar/workshop about blogging. I learned something from this post, the ‘timeless posts”, some say “evergreen posts”. Post that don’t die. Post that’s applicable from this time onward.
wow! THE Anton Diaz! 🙂 he was the first blogger i was stalking before… hehehe he was the reason i got interested in blogging… 🙂
Nice. It gives me a new insight about blogging. I wish I could attend one like this.
Lucky for you to have attended a seminar like that. I’ve always wanted to join one for me to be able to enrich my knowledge about blogging. But you’re right. It is important to know my advocacy. It would still be a long way for me and I’m slowly working on it. Thank you for sharing such valuable information though. 🙂