A lot of bloggers are looking to make money blogging. This leads down a typical pathway…

It starts with banner ads. It is easy to implement and so it seems like low hanging fruit. Then, the reality sets in on that. You need a BOATLOAD of traffic to make decent money with ads.

The next progression usually brings the blogger into the world of internet marketing. They start learning about affiliate marketing, information marketing and the like. You learn about the importance of building the list, but then you’re told you need a giveaway. Realizing that those who are really banking are typically product creators, you start thinking you need to create a product.

The whole thing is overwhelming. The truth sets in: this stuff is hard!

Re-Think Your “Training”

First of all, let’s get a simple fact out of the way here.

While I’m all about making money with a blog (and this is what I teach people to do), I’ll be the first to admit…

If all you want to do is make money, then blogging is one of the WORST ways to start.

That’s because blogging isn’t a business. And it takes a lot of patience to build up to a point where you can “monetize” in all the ways one typically thinks about monetization. Most successful bloggers who started out as bloggers took a year or (in most cases) more to build up. In order to shorten the runway, you’ve got to be very strategic about how you get on the map.

So, instead of starting off with a blog, consider starting off with your BUSINESS.

If ads, affiliate marketing, info marketing – and all that stuff – is all outside your reach because you’re just getting started, then what can you do to bring in money?

FREELANCING.

But…

What About Passive Income?

When I talk about freelancing, a lot of people would likely react with a shudder.

… Because the whole “internet marketing” field seems to be wrapped up in this idea of quick money, passive income, and sitting on the beach while money rolls in.

The reality of passive income is that it takes a shitload of work. There isn’t anything passive about it. The only thing “passive” about it is that it is income which isn’t tied to your time. But, it takes a LOT of work to build up truly passive income.

When you’re at the beginning, your priority is to establish yourself. Establish your authority in your niche. Establish your value.

You also need to get your feet wet with making money independent of a J-O-B. Because, otherwise, you never actually are able to break that bond to your job and it actually can keep you from ever transitioning to this internet lifestyle that you want.

Starting As A Freelancer

Identify a SERVICE you can provide.

If your blog topic doesn’t lend itself to any kind of service, then perhaps you need to re-think some things. Because any good niche is going to be based around a need and want of another group of people. That need and want, in most cases, could be translated into some kind of “done for you” service. If your niche has no service option – and no real options in the info marketing arena either – then there’s a pretty good chance you’re just in a bad niche with a dead end.

I can speak more about potential services in another post, but for now, let’s just assume there is a service you can offer.

Instead of littering your blog with affiliate offers and banner ads, you turn your blog into a lead generator for your service. Get people onto your list. Work on getting them to hire you for this service. Also, most definitely think outside the blog. See, you’re not a blogger at this point. You’re a ___________ (whatever you’re actually providing for people).

So, promote locally on Craigslist, local PPC ads, classified ads – whatever. You’re building a BUSINESS here. Not a blog.

What Comes Later

During this process, you will be building a real business. You’ll be learning your craft incredibly well by helping others. You’ll come to know exactly what kinds of problems your clients deal with on a routine basis. You’ll also build credibility and authority.

All of this then allows you to more easily enter the information marketing world. Because, at this point, you truly will be an expert in whatever you’re doing. You’ll know what problems people are dealing with. So, product creation should be a HECK of a lot easier now.

And so you engineer a transition. Because freelancing is tied to your time and we all know you can’t get wealthy if your income is tied to your time. So, you begin to transition your services into “done for you”, automatic products. You  can scale up by selling your product instead of your time. You can branch out nationally or internationally with your reach because, again, this isn’t tied to you and your own schedule anymore.

Another good thing about this approach is that you’re establishing your value. You know what your time is worth and you will price your products accordingly. And not only that, you’ll have the BACKUP to actually price the product the way that you do. This is SO much better than coming out with some dinky ebook and trying to sell it for $9.95.

The Fast Path To “Make Money Online”

When you get right down to it, the fastest way to make money online is as a freelancer. You provide a service and you use the Internet to find/attract business.

A lot of people already do this. For them, the challenge is transitioning into the productization of their solution and selling it online. A lot of that will come down to systematizing their service delivery. Then, the systems you create in order to deliver to your clients are what then form the bedrock of your products.

But, for those just starting… give it some thought. What can you offer?

Don’t become so distracted by the shiny light of the “passive income” that you forget the business basics first. Namely, (1) Find a need or want, (2) Put yourself into service to deliver a solution to that need or want.

One doesn’t start an internet business by bypassing the obvious.