Colin Klinkert Dot Com

No I’m not quitting

Having said that, I am sick of people new to the industry feeling they need to spam their affiliate links all over the web. 99.99% of the time with no result other then to make yourself look like a tosser!

Comments are moderated these days so it’s a waste of time making spam posts, they won’t get approved. It wastes your time, my time and does nothing but hurt your reputation.

This is a short ‘Rant’ post because like a second hand car salesman business, there are some VERY good and VERY honest people that sell used cars; but if you say you are ‘used car salesman’ what is the response you get from others? Friends, Family? Do they say ‘wow, that is awesome!’? I doubt it…

Well our industry has a similar connotation! Even though we have so many great, amazing marketers who’s main focus and goal is to educate others and help them lead a better life… there are, due to the ease of labeling, ‘internet marketers’ who spam, fail and clog up our industry and with it the reputation of those of us who want to be positive and make a real difference!

Where am I going with this? Well anyone can be an ‘internet marketer’ even if you lose money at it! You can still self proclaim yourself an ‘internet marketer’. Guess what, if you post a bunch of spam, or even comment on forums promoting a product or service, you are ‘marketing’ on the ‘internet’, welcome: ‘internet marketer’.

From now on, I am an…. Interactive Marketer!

The difference? I interact with people both followers and friends and we work together to produce better results then are currently available, we work to advance the standard and truly help and educate people.

I challenge you to label yourself an ‘Interactive Marketer’ and walk the walk!

Check out the Posting Contest I have running: Click HERE to learn how you can win $100!

Did you know that You can make money just by keeping a blog?

Niche Market Blogging For Money

Have you thought about starting your own Internet business at home? If you have, then you are not alone, there are millions who are now making money online by creating niche market blogs.

Don’t worry, this does not mean you can’t do it, matter of fact, you have access to more tools and ideas than ever before.

What Is A Niche Market Blog?

Blogging is a great way to get started, and when I mention blogging, I don’t mean your personal family blog, I mean Niche Blogging.

What is a niche?

According to Wikipedia: niche (plural niches)

(architecture) A cavity, hollow, or recess, generally within the thickness of a wall, for a statue, bust, or other erect ornament. Hence, any similar position, literal or figurative. “Images defended from the injuries of the weather by niches of stone wherein they are placed.” –Evelun.

(biology) A function within an ecological system to which an organism is especially suited.

(by extension) Any position of opportunity for which one is well-suited, such as a particular market in business.

An arrow woven into a muslim prayer rug pointing in the direction of Mecca.

Something To Offer

In order for you to make some money online, you need to be able to have something to offer in exchange for the dollar. So, what can you sell and how do you know if it will be in demand or popular?

How do you know if your niche  market is something that Internet shoppers are interested in?

Where To Begin?

Let’s begin by checking out the web sites, publications, and periodicals that others are reading and shopping for. A great place to begin is Amazon.com.

This is like a giant library of information just waiting for you to take advantage of. You will be amazed when you begin to gather ideas as easily as thumbing through your favorite magazine.

You will have only spent a few moments on Amazon, and have so many ideas, you won’t know which one to use first for your niche market blog.

Magazine & Newspaper Subscriptions

The first place you want to go is to look at the magazine and newspapers offered on Amazon.

Once you are in this area, look to the left side of the page and you will see a long list of categories. You will find unlimited amounts of ideas for your niche blogging here.

Categories

• Antiques & Collectibles
• Arts & Photography
• Automotive
• Brides & Weddings
• Business & Investing
• Children’s Magazines
• Comics & Graphic Novels
• Computers & Internet
• Cooking, Food & Wine
• Crafts & Hobbies
• Education
• Electronics & Audio

As you can see to the right, there are a lot of different magazines and publications distributed on a regular basis. These magazines are not here to fill the pages of Amazon, they are here because they have a huge audience that is willing to spend money on these subscriptions.

Time To Get Ideas

A place to start are the topics that interest you. If there is something that you find interesting, you will find it easy to write about. You want to get a topic that you will enjoy researching, and your knowledge and enthusiasm will show in your writing. Wait till later for the more difficult topics, after you are more of an expert in niche market blogging.

Start small; don’t go up against the big guys that are in the giant niches like fitness and weight loss. You want to stay in the smaller niches where you will have a lot less competition. Leave the giant niches to the pro’s. You will find some great success in these smaller areas.

Keep It Simple

Here are some ideas to check out:

• Knitting

• Crocheting

• Needlepoint

• Pottery

• Jewelry making

Check It Out

As you go through the magazine subscriptions, look to see how often they go out, if they are only a ‘once a year’ thing, it may be because they don’t have a large enough audience . Most of the more popular craft and hobby magazines go out at least quarterly, and these are the ones to check out.

Once you have decided on a niche idea, take that topic and put it in Google and search for any news or articles on that topic. You may come up with some interesting news or articles on your subject.

Just One Idea

As you can see, there are a lot of ways to get ideas for niche blogging, and this is only one of them. Go for what you love, what interests you, not only will you have a lot more information to work with, but you will thoroughly enjoy the entire process. You may wonder if you are even working at all.

What Do I Mean By Scannable Content?

Did you know that only 16% of people on the internet actually read each word, and….the typical reader comprehends about 60% of it? So, this in a nutshell, should tell you why it’s vital to your success to make your blog content scannable.

You are writing a blog to effectively communicate with your readers. Let’s take a look at your style and find out if your blog is easy to read.

What are some of the main things a reader is looking for?

They are looking for words or phrases, pictures and/or visual cues along with powerful headings.

Reading text from a screen is actually harder on the eyes than reading from a paper source. By making your scannable blog content, you will be inviting more to read your blog without ever asking them to.

How Do You Know If Your Blog is Scannable?

Do a simple test; have a friend who has not seen your site, take a look at your most recent blog posts. After about 30 seconds, at the end of each post, ask them what they had read, what was the message of the post? You will instantly have a send of how interactive your blog content is.

There are a few techniques you should keep in mind as you write, which will make your blog scannable and easy to read:

• Visual - Pictures are an important factor in attracting the reader. According to research, pictures will draw the readers’ eyes down the page. The key is to place your pictures in the area of content they represent, drawing attention to the keywords in your blog. If you have good visuals, the chance of them reading the full content is much higher.
• Formatting Your Text - You can make your text eye-catching by using CAPITALS, underlining, bold, italics, and different fonts to get their attention. Don’t go crazy with this, it can cause a bit of frustration if overdone. Also, make your font color, size and style easy to read, drawing attention to your key points.
• Bullet Points - Readers love bullets and lists, easy to read, and the information is to the point.
• Headings - Use large words in bold that can be a visual cue to the blog content, sub-headings are also helpful.
• Quotes - If you have quotes or key points, place [boxes around them].
• Keep the Ideas Brief - Keeping the information short and simple will allow you to keep their attention. By bringing in too many points, the reader can become overwhelmed with too much information.

The goal is to make great blog content that is scannable, if you don’t, you may lose your reader to another blog, one that is easy to read.

Has my blog been easy to read so far?

Check out the Posting Contest I have running: Click HERE to learn how you can win $100!