How to convert your blog to a successful business?


Bloggers have been drawn to blogosphere for three reasons. First, for the passion of writing and showing one’s creativity. Second to earn a couple of bucks and lastly to promote a business or increase brand awareness. But Blog has developed over the years from being a mere tool for interactivity and promotion to a viable business unit, which can be harvested to create a brand of its own and earn handsome returns.
Blog has all the features of a business unit. It has inputs (i.e. innovative ideas), outputs (i.e. articles in the blog), promoters (i.e. blogger himself), clients (i.e. readers) and competitors (i.e. other blogs in the same niche). So blogging should be done in line with the best business practices followed globally.
Now, what is most important for a business? Its output i.e. its services or products that it wants to sell. The product must be unique and create a space for itself in a competitive space. So while blogging it’s essential for a blogger to write articles that stand out among the crowd. The quality and usefulness of the article alone decides the long term survival and success of the blog.
Next, question that comes is what to write about? Before just starting a blog, it’s advisable to do a market survey of your own. I have also done it before settling for a blog. The best way to do a survey is to join a blog directory like Technoratii or BlogFlux or BlogCatalog. Go through the directories and sub-directories to see the topics on which blogs are written. You should choose at least 5 topics from the directories. Then count the total number of blogs in each category to see how many competitors are there. The topic which you are comfortable with and has lower competitors is always best suited.
Once you have setup your business, it’s a must it should be marketed. If you own a shop in real world, you will always want it in the busiest places so that more people see and probably visit your shop. The same principle also applies here. Market the blog through channels that reach as many prospective clients as possible. Without proper marketing even the best blog articles will not be noticed.

If you have any queries or suggestions, please feel free to write it as comment.
Happy Blogging.

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