As a blogger-entrepreneur (blogpreneur) you may think you shouldn’t have to spend money. I mean it’s free to write, no? Yes, that is correct. However, when you decide to switch from blogging for a hobby to blogging for profit there are some things you need to invest in.
1. Laptop
Invest in a laptop. Your level of blogging and your niche will determine what type of laptop you should purchase. If you’re using your laptop for advance creative work (e.g., photo editing, drawing, etc.) then you will want to purchase a laptop that can accommodate all the software you will need to download. A Mac mini or Mac Pro, depending on how much storage you require, is your best option.
For bloggers on a budget, Dell Chromebooks are great for maintaining the basics of your blog.
2. Camera
Again, your blog niche will determine what type of camera you need, if you need one. Personally, my opinion is that all bloggers, no matter the niche, should have a camera other than the one on their phone. My favorite camera, which is easy to use and high quality, is the Canon Rebel T6i.
3. Smartphone
Don’t laugh, but there are people in the world today who do not have a functioning smartphone or a smartphone at all. To be a successful blogpreneur this is a must-have, no exceptions. A smartphone gives you unlimited access to the outside world right at your fingertips. Manage your social media, draft blogs and post content, do Internet research, and more with the click of a few buttons.
It’s up to you whether you want to be team Android or team iPhone.
4. Social Media Management
You’ve spent hours, perhaps days, creating your perfect blog post and you are ready to publish. Now that your blog has gone live you will need to promote it to gain an audience. Your time is limited; invest in things that will make your life easier. Schedule your blog promotions in advance through CoSchedule or Hootsuite.
5. Networking Events
Create a budget that will allow you to attend three strong networking events per month. There are plenty of free networking events that you can attend during your free time, but I’ve found that at the ones you pay for, you meet more serious people who are interested in doing business or giving you a wealth of knowledge to take you where you want to go with your blog business. Paid events and conferences also typically have powerful speakers and panelists whose brains you can pick and potentially exchange contact information with. Be pitch-ready.
6. Products
Once you’ve identified what you want to blog about—congrats by the way, as this is not an easy task—you will want to find products that your “target audience” will trust your opinion on. This is how you can get a revenue lane for yourself by partnering with popular brands such as Crate & Barrel, Target, Eden Works, etc. But first you have to show them you are capable of doing the job, so you need to invest in their products or stay at their hotel and do a blog post and Instagram/Facebook post promoting this so they can see what you are able to do.
Have fun with this and make it creative.
7. Facebook Ads
This is always a coin toss. Do you want to invest in ads that may or may not generate sales and revenue? I actually love Facebook ads because they allow you to bring real live users to your page that generates “likes” for a larger following that you will need when pitching to top brands. So while you may not directly see your bank account growing—this is a slow win—by increasing your number of Facebook followers and having engaging content to keep them interested in liking and sharing your posts, this will benefit you in the long run for when you want to expand your blog business model to that can charge for advertisements and/or again partnering with brands.
Also, the cool thing now is that when you run a Facebook ad, if you are set up as a business on Instagram your ad will run on there as well. So you get two for one. To really see some movement a great starting point is $150 per month, but you can start small with as little as $50 to see some numbers moving.
8. A Graphic Designer or Adobe Creative Cloud
As you get serious about your blogging so should your design skills or investing in an actual designer to do this for you. I will be the first to admit, this is an ongoing battle. I want marketing-agency quality on a serious shoestring budget. If you are intermediate with your design skills or a fast learner Adobe Creative Cloud is a great piece of software to invest in. And the cool thing is you can try it out and then pay monthly without breaking your bank account up front.
9. Your Blogging Budget
The daily/monthly essentials of running your blog that you can’t do without should always be considered in your monthly budget and continued investment. Hosting, domain name, email list provider such as MailChimp, and as your mailing list continues to expand you will eventually outgrow the free one. WordPress or Squarespace templates as you go through branding phases. And any other memberships or monthly subscriptions you are signed up for to enhance your blog.
10. Your Time
The biggest investment you can ever make in your blog is your time. This will cost you more than any product. Once you make the decision to turn your blog into a business, you will need to treat it as such and commit 100 percent, no excuses. Your blog will consume all your time and attention and will constantly need you to steer the ship. Stock up on coffee and get ready for some sleepless nights