In this video I show you to keep your blog and YouTube channel constantly updated even when you’re on vacation and don’t have access to the Internet. Because that’s what the Dot Com Lifestyle is all about!
In Part 1, I discussed how many people start their blog based on their passion. However, today, I’d like to discuss starting a blog based on demand, which is much harder because you are going against your niche. This method is simply based on the amount of money you can make within a specific niche, for example, a massive industry like health, love, wealth, etc. I know many of my clients have started a blog simply because they know if they keep pushing forward, then they’ll make enormous money because of the demand. As mentioned, this route tends to be much harder simply because if you see NO results in the beginning, you have a higher chance of simply giving up.
I get asked: If you were going to use this approach, what are the top niches you would focus on? I have mentioned this above, and speaking statistically, they would be: health, wealth, and romance. All “3” have a special connection with people and it’s much easier to sell a product when you can build an emotional connection with your audience. Let’s explore this route a bit further, and your feedback will be appreciated…
To summarize…
This type of business focuses on demand, and what type of products people are looking for right now. You won’t necessarily have a passion for the niche, but are only in it because the demand is massive, which increases the conversion rate going forward. Remember, it’s much easier selling a product when there is massive demand because you have that much bigger audience.
Personally, with this option, you are floating in dangerous territory because unlike following your passion, you have no emotional connection to keep pushing you forward if all else fails. I’m going to be honest, making money online is very difficult, and seeing results early is very unlikely so the chances of failure have just increased. However, if you have self-control, then this might NOT be a bad route for you to take going forward.
Let’s explore some ways for you to find niches that have enormous demand.
Forums – Just like finding questions for a niche that is your passion, you can use forums to find popular niches. You’ll notice the MOST popular niches have a lot of communities. Head over to Google and type “health + forums”, and you’ll notice three pages full of popular busy forums. Take some time and do forum research by typing in keywords + forums then skimming through.
Google Trends – The cool thing about Google Trends is you’ll be able to go through categories if you’re unsure about specific keywords to type in. For example, head over to Google Trends right now and you’ll notice a drop-down labelled “All Categories”. From here, you can filter through looking for high demand niches, which you can then transform into blogs. I would recommend taking the keyword and performing further research to ensure you can come up with the right content ideas.
Google Search – This one’s pretty easy…
Start by typing in random keywords and checking what type of engagement some of the other blogs have within the niche. You’ll know if the blog is popular by checking out content, social shares, comments, etc.
Social Media – An amazing channel to find topics that are HOT. Many of these popular social media channels have tools that will allow you to filter #hashtags & searches. Find some of the online marketing tools then go through looking for the MOST popular search phrases. You can then filter them, and conduct even more research to ensure you have a niche that can be built into a business.
I would suggest starting with the three popular social media networks like Twitter, Facebook, and Google +.
After you have performed your research, start creating a list, looking for a pattern. Once you notice a pattern, you’ll be able to start being selective about the niche you’ll like to get into going forward. This will help you do further research into the niche, coming up with topic ideas for your content. Your business blog will depend heavily on the content and value you provide to your users.
Now that you have learned 2 awesome ways to come up with ideas for your blog, let’s explore choosing the right domain name. We’ll be discussing domain names in Part 3 of our awesome series and the importance of choosing the right extension. You’ll learn about EMD (exact match domains), and if they make a difference when ranking your website.
I got a chance to test the S&Q mode of the Sony A7 III camera at John Lawson Park West Vancouver. S&Q mode allows me to film footages from 1 frame per second up to 120 FPS. This can create dramatic slow motion or super fast time lapses videos.
Blogging can be a very powerful business especially if you are focusing on the right niche. If your niche has enormous demand, then you can generate enormous readership, and even generate income from your blog. However, many of us fail before even starting because we simply don’t understand the fundamentals when starting a blog. Over the years, I have mentored many clients into starting a blog, and engineered a series of steps that have been proven to be very effective. For all of you looking to get started online, and need help starting a blog, you’ve come to the right place.
Welcome to my Ultimate Blogging Series, where I’ll be focusing on the step-by-step process of starting a blog the right way. Each step is from my own experience with my objective being for you to focus only on what matters. This will push you in the right direction so you cover the MOST important aspects going forward. Let’s get started with Part 1, where we’ll be discussing coming up with the right idea for your blog.
Coming up with the right idea has 2 important elements, which I’ll split into Part 1 and Part 2. Today, we focus on blogging based on your passion and why this is very important. Let’s get started, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated.
I have worked with hundreds of people over the last 7 years, and have learned a lot about how passion plays a very important role in your success. Passion truly has a mind of its own, and if you choose to focus on passion, then you have a hidden driving force behind your blog. I believe passion will push you even when all else fails simply because you are working on a project you feel close to. You’ll keep pushing forward even when there is NO immediate monetary value provided.
What is passion? Here’s a quick definition from Dictionary.com:
Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, such as love or hate.
Strong amorous feeling or desire; love; ardor.
The object of such a fondness or desire.
The desire and love will be strong enough that you’ll push yourself forward because of the emotional attachment you have. Here’s another cool fact…
Many bloggers who have succeed online have done so because they simply love what they are doing. They started just because they wanted to explore the topic, and introduce others to their passion. They kept pushing forward even when NO monetary value was the benefit.
Anyway, how can you start a blog simply based on your passion? Here are a few quick steps you can apply right now…
Whenever I start a new project, I always research online to find out what others are saying about my niche. This will also help me generate some cool topics, and understand my audience better. The more research I do, the better I know where to focus in the long run. For example, if I know people are searching my niche within forums, and have a handful of questions, then I know two things:
Remember, those of you who are passionate about your niche will want to make a difference, which is why it’s important to know what type of audience you have online.
You can do research within these “4” awesome channels that have always provided me with the information I need:
Google Search – Doing a quick search will provide you with results showing what EXACTLY the demand is for your niche. You’ll also find out who your competition is online.
Forums – These have been around forever, and provide you with real-time questions and answers within your niche. You can conduct research and find popular questions within your niche then answer them when you write content.
Google Trends – A very effective way to find out what keywords are trending related to your niche. You can find out how popular your niche is over a specific time-frame so you get a better understanding of the demand going forward. You can apply this knowledge to your blog, writing keyword-rich content that ranks high within the SERP’s.
Your passion can go along way when starting a business simply because you not only have knowledge already, but also because you’ll be ready to educate . Think about when you love doing something, and the effort you put into your work. Now apply this feeling to your online blog. It’s very hard to explain passion in business in-depth, but those of you with a passion for content writing and marketing will definitely understand the feeling.
In the next section, we’ll explore researching topics that are very popular, but NOT necessarily your passion. Many people get involved simply because there is enormous money in the niche and each year, there is growth at the same time.
Today’s lunch was at Cactus Club Cafe in West Vancouver. Born on the West Coast and growing across Canada, Cactus Club Cafe offers the best in global cuisine using local, fresh ingredients served in a vibrant, contemporary setting. Cactus has won best casual restaurant of the year for as long as I can remember.
If you’re anything like me, then you probably want to be great at what you do, regardless of whatever it is that you do. If you’re a photographer, you want to be a great photographer. If you’re a carpenter, you want to be a great carpenter. If you’re a blogger, you want to be a great blogger. We look up to the greats who have come before us and the greats who are with us now, and we can feel inspired.
But of course, as you’ve surely heard so many times before, by the time you see someone achieve greatness, they’ve already invested so much of their time and energy into their endeavor. We don’t see the countless failures and innumerable false steps along the way. How many times did they get rejected from how many possible investors before one of them finally gave them a chance? How many iterations of the mobile app did they go through before they landed upon a winning formula?
We look at these superstars and we admire all the incredible achievements that they’ve earned along the way. We see all their victories, we gaze upon their unfathomable fame and fortune, and we quickly come to the conclusion that this kind of success is so far beyond where we stand today. It just feels so out of reach, like scoring the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl or landing on Mars. Why even bother?
“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
That quote comes from the late American uathor and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. He made a career of speaking about the business of sales, hoping to raise the image of salespeople in the country. Over the course of his career, he also authored 30 books. All said, he accomplished a lot in his 86 years of life and his quotes continue to be circulated around the Internet to this day, like in today’s blog post.
But he wasn’t always great. See You At The Top, his first book, was rejected nearly 40 times before it was finally published in 1975. And today, nearly half a century later, it’s still in print and is still widely read. That’s great. But it wasn’t always great. It only got there and he only got there, because he decided to start. And then he decided to persevere.
So many of us get caught up in all sorts of excuses and justifications for why we are unable to pursue our passions and achieve our dreams. We convince ourselves that such lofty goals are out of reach and we’ve got to pull our heads out of the clouds. We tell ourselves that the conditions aren’t quite perfect, but of course they will never be perfect. There’s always going to be something (or someone) holding you back.
Simply getting started with something obviously will not guarantee its success. When I started my first blog back in 2006 (if you don’t count my other websites and email newsletters, which date back to 1999, as “blogs”), I made a number of fellow blogger friends. We were all learning about this whole thing together and, well, the overwhelming majority of them are no longer blogging. To be honest, I have no idea what they’re doing. But I’m still here. They got started, but they didn’t stick with it. They didn’t follow through.
At the same time, we have to realize that NOT getting started WILL guarantee a lack of success. A lack of greatness. If you never get started, you leave yourself with absolutely zero chance at “making it,” whatever that means to you. By far the single greatest prerequisite to anything you want to accomplish is getting started. So whether that’s affiliate marketing, web development, freelance writing, blogging, YouTubing or anything else, just get started. And keep moving forward.
I’m in Vancouver to try more great restaurants. Our food tour starts with a local favorite. Phnom Penh Restaurant is a Vietnamese-Cambodian institution that draws fans with specialties including marinated butter beef ad the best chicken wings in town.
