Jan 15, 2020
What should you do in a world of
changing algorithms?
Should you be directing people
back to your blog instead of your social media platforms? Can you
adapt and adjust in the world of online business?
That’s what my friend Camile
Whiting and I are talking about in today’s episode. Camile has a
blog called Friday’s We’re In Love, where she documents the dates she goes on
with her husband every Friday night.
We talk about how to stay nimble
as an entrepreneur in an online world that is constantly changing.
Camille has a unique perspective on how to be flexible and continue
to test new things in her business.
How to Monetize a Blog
Camile has four main ways that
she monetizes her blog:
- Sponsored posts
- Ad
network
- Affiliate links/product
recommendations
- Services and consulting
Right now, Camile is focused on growing her
traffic.
A year ago, Camile was working
hard on her Instagram. But after seeing how the platform was
changing and not serving her as well as it could, she decided to be
flexible and seek out other avenues.
Camile uses social media because
it’s fun to her, but she is serious about her site and using it to
grow traffic.
Shifting Toward Growth
Camile is not one of those
people who wastes time whining about algorithm changes. As a matter
of fact, as a user, she appreciates the algorithms and how they
work to make her experience better.
The algorithm changes do act as
a wake-up call for her business though. It serves as a reminder
that nothing is constant. We, as bloggers, know that things change
constantly.
So Camile asked herself a
question: With social media changing all the time, what could she
own that wouldn’t change? And the answer was email.
She’s had an email list for a
couple of years but this year, she shifted toward more of an owner
mentality. She realized the reach she has with her list; that her
message is not limited in any way when she communicates with her
email subscribers.
A Big Company Mindset
Camile believes in copying big
companies’ strategies.
When she first started seeing
blogs take off and make money from their readers, she also had the
advantage of being in a group of Fortune 500 companies who were
experimenting with their own websites and social
platforms.
Camile got to watch these
businesses spend millions of dollars just trying new things. That’s
where she gets her experimental mindset.
What new things can you afford to try or
implement?
Big companies go above and
beyond to serve potential customers; they give away freebies, etc.,
before they try and make a sale.
Right now Camile is trying to
continue growing her audience, as well as fortify the relationship
she has with her current audience, so she can make more
sales.
SEO Strategy
Camile has switched up her use of Google Analytics to
find out what people want to read from her, not just what she wants
to write for them.
In past years, Camile would only
write about her passions, but people were looking for more than
just date ideas.
Camile wrote more varied
content, covering the topics her audience wanted to know
about.
You will see more traffic when
you give people what they want.
So you must be strategic when
thinking about the topics you are going to write
about.
See what content is already
doing well, and create more content around that topic. And be sure
to include links to the other posts you have on that topic so that
Google will know that you have the information searchers are
looking for.
Creating Content for Niche Topics
As Camile has shifted her focus
from writing about whatever grabbed her attention, to writing the
content that serves her audience, she has seen organic traffic
growth.
You can write tons of content
for very niche subjects. Take that big-picture subject and break it
down into smaller pieces. And don’t feel like you’ve covered
everything; there is always something else to say or another point
of view to write from.
A previous guest on my
show,
Nate
Woodbury, has a great
way of thinking about creating content for niche topics.
He says that as you gain
authority in small topics that all relate to each other, over time
you gain overall authority in that topic.
Think of a tree as the topic as
a whole. Then go leaf by
leaf by leaf (smaller niche areas). Once you have a few leaves
covered, begin to cover the trunk. Before you know it, you will
have covered the entire tree.
Where are the opportunities for
Bloggers
Camile attributes her success to
being an early adaptor to new platforms.
Video is very important on all
platforms this year. Camile has had to recognize and adapt to the
fact that she needs to upload videos, as well as written content,
in order to grow.
Camile sees her competitive
advantage as finding ways to create content that’s not easily
duplicated. If somebody can easily copy your style or your content,
it’s time to up your game. That's why she's doing much more
video.
Changing with Online Trends
When Camile learns a new skill
or hops onto a new trend, she thinks about how that knowledge can
serve her even if her business were to fail.
How she could adapt and move on
to something else and succeed with what she’s learned?
Online entrepreneurs typically
have more diverse knowledge and skills needed for their business
than most people.
The more you learn, stay up to
date on changes, and adapt to those changes, the bigger the
competitive edge you are going to have.
What is your competitive
edge? What skills have you learned in your online business that you
could take to another opportunity if your online business failed
today?
I’d love to hear from you on
the things you’re learning. Are you an early adopter? Does fear
hold you back from trying new things?
Come join me on
Facebook on Mondays at 3 pm where I discuss the podcast
and all my favorite takeaways.
TIMESTAMP
- Intro
- 3:20
How Camile Built A business by Building Her Marriage
- 10:17
Monetizing a Blog
- 15:00
Shifting Toward Growth
- 17:36
A Big Company Mindset
- 22:57
SEO Strategy
- 27:40
Creating Content for Niche Topics
- 33:54
Opportunities for Bloggers
- 38:10
Changing with Online Trends
TOP 4 TAKEAWAYS
- If
you hate algorithm changes, look at them from the user’s point of
view, and focus your attention on the things you can control, like
your email list.
- Be
willing to experiment with new things and be an early adopter of
new platforms.
- Stop
only writing the content you want to write and start writing what
your audience wants to read.
- Stay
up to date on changes in the online world so that you continue to
build skills that you can use in various ways and in various
businesses.
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