Welcome to the Blog Marketing Academy. I'm David. Together, we're going to build you an amazing blog which helps others and - yes - makes money at the same time. Oh yeah, and you'll have a life, too. I'm all about that.
If this is your first time here, let's get started on the right footing...
Step 1: Nice to Meet You
Hi, I'm David Risley. I'm the dude behind the Blog Marketing Academy. Sure, I have a small team (which also includes my wife), but most of the time, you'll be hearing from me.
I take a business approach to blogging which keeps things in perspective. I'm a massive believer in blogging smartly, doing things with a strategy in mind... and all so that you can have a life. My family and I like to do a fair amount of traveling and we use our motorhome quite a bit. To learn more me, click here to read the about page... or click here to read my personal story.
Step 2: Let's Get Connected
Alright, you're subscribed? Awesome. You're going to love The Edge. Honestly, if you didn't get in on that, you'd be missing out on so much.
Sure, like a lot of people, I use Twitter and you can also find me on Facebook. Feel free to connect if you like. But...
By far, the best way to get connected (especially as somebody brand new to my site) is via a free subscription to The Edge.
The Edge is an exclusive newsletter sent out to subscribers 3-5 times per week. It is like a blog, but delivered exclusively via email. Unlike some people who use their email lists solely to blast out links to new stuff or stuff to buy, my aim is to give you an email you look forward to reading.
Here's a few comments from current subscribers to The Edge (when I ran a recent survey):
- "I'd prob recommend people unsubscribe from everything else and just read your emails."
- I love the personal bits you share in the beginning of each email."
- "It's a quick email, easy read with one focus each day... not clutter!"
- "The best thing about The Edge is that it's refreshing and gets me through the day. The Edge lets you shine the way all good teachers shine: as a great example for your students to follow.
Step 3: Let's See How I Can Best Assist You
Alright, my new friend. Now that we're connected, let's see how I can best help. I've been at this a long time, so I have a lot to share with you.
You can keep up with all of my content by following the blog. Unlike some people, however, I don't blog a ton. Most of that goes in The Daily. When I do blog, I aim to create a major guide that will be like a little piece of training in and of itself. I called these redwood posts, and you can read all about that strategy right here.
If you're into podcasts, I also host my own podcast called Coffee Break Blogging. This podcast is different in that they're usually fairly short and highly tactical. You're not going to find a bunch of long-winded interviews here. There's already plenty of those. Coffee Break Blogging is like an ongoing training course, delivered in audio format via podcast.
Lastly, typically every Thursday, I do the Blog Marketing Academy Weekly Update. This is a video newsletter where I bring you up to speed on what's happening at the Academy, then I do a segment called #AskBMA. Using the AskBMA system, you can submit any question or request to me and, if I choose your submission, I will answer you live on video in the #AskBMA segment. You can catch the Weekly Updates over on the Facebook page or on the Youtube channel.
Some Of My Top Guides
Niche selection often dives into the confusing world of keyword research. But, there is a simpler way to look at it. Here’s a different way of choosing your niche.
If I had to start over from scratch, what would I do to build my online business?
How do you get blog traffic? How do you generate traffic when you’re first starting out? Which strategies are more effective than others?
A complete guide to the 9 separate factors that go into crafting the perfect blog post – optimized to have maximum traction after you hit the publish button.
This guide presents the Blog Monetization Model. We’ll walk through the entire model together, step by step.
The complete guide to how to build your email list from your blog, including opt-in and lead magnet strategy that is working today.
How relevant is keyword research? What are the factors Google looks at? How exactly do we go about attracting organic traffic from the world’s most popular search engine?
How EXACTLY should you launch a new blog today? This 14-step blog launch plan will give you the play-by-play on how it works – today.
You're going to need a few essential tools in order to get started. I strongly suggest that you not go on an unguided shopping spree. There are so many potential tools one could buy, but you don't need them all. Not even remotely.
You need 3 things in the beginning - and that's it! They are: (a) web hosting, (b) email list hosting, (c) landing page and opt-in form creator.
After TONS of trial and error and years of experience, here are my recommendations:
Step 4: Gather The Essential Tools Of The Trade
Thrive Themes
Thrive Themes is the best game in town for marketing-focused themes and tools. You can use their powerful themes for your site design, but that's not the best part. Their Thrive Architect product enables anybody to create any page they want without knowing any geeky code. Their Thrive Leads tool enables powerful opt-in forms. For the best deal, I recommend their membership to get access to every single tool they offer. That's what I use - and I can't recommend it highly enough.
BTW, this very page was built with Thrive Architect. :)
Aweber Email Marketing
In my opinion, Aweber is the best all-around solution to host your email list in the beginning. In fact, they'll grow with you quite nicely. They're one of the oldest and most trusted names in the industry. It isn't what I use personally any longer, however it is what I recommend to most people just starting out.
Step 5: Grab The New Business Starter Kit
Now, it is time to get busy on your blog-based business. What steps should you take - and in what order?
On the next page, you'll have the option to download (for free) my 90 Day Startup Plan. If you're in the beginning phases of your business, this is the best way to get started. In fact, I won't even assume you have an email list, a product, or any traffic.
Might sound hypey, but trust me... it isn't. It is just about doing common sense steps, in the right order. That's why it works.