Blogs are the perfect tool for fitness professionals who want to get started making money on the Internet. First, you can start a blog for free, and second, they are easy to use and require no special computer knowledge.
What Is a Blog?
A blog is a specific type of website. Technically, blog is short for "Web log", which refers to a site a person updates on a consistent basis, and the posts are arranged in chronological sequence. I'm sure you've come across several different blogs during your website surfing. For our purposes, your blog can also act as your main website, allowing you to post whatever you want and even make money by selling your products or someone else's products.
The best content for a blog includes short articles (500 words or less) related to your specific fitness niche because blog readers tend to want to get the information fast and then move on to the next blog on their list.
Literally, your blog will function like any other website. Each post is a "new page," and that looks good in Google's eyes because you are adding new content on a regular basis. As a result, the software at Google will frequently check out your blog and see what's new and then add your latest post to their search engine listings. This is just one way people will find your blog on the web.
When it comes to creating content for your blog, you should always be original and entertaining. You'll notice that the best blogs in any niche contain a hint of the personal touch. Each author gives a little bit, but not too much, personal info (talking about family, pets, weather in their area, what they did on the weekend, etc.). This allows the reader to connect with the author and evolve a trusting relationship.
Why is that important? Remember this rule: We buy from people we like and trust. More on building trust and relationship later, when I talk about writing posts.
Why Start a Blog?
Simple: You can start one for zero dollars. There is no overhead. If you have a computer and Internet access, you are in business. All you do is create the content, share your story, develop relationships and tell people about your website (where you sell products), your training studio or other products that you recommend as an affiliate. That's all there is to it. It's an easy, no-cost way to get your message out on the Internet and start making money online.
How Do You Blog?
First, I recommend getting a free blog from www.blogger.com. Remember, this blog will not cost you a penny. You don't pay for website hosting or website design. Blogger does all of that for you. Second, give your blog a title. Note: You want to pick a title that has some type of niche-related keyword in the title.
For example, if you want to write about fat loss, then "FatLossWorkouts.blogspot.com" is a good name. Those are good keywords to have in your title and will also help you get found easier in the search engines. Try to keep your title short, although as blogs get more popular and more names are taken, that becomes more difficult every day. So be creative. You might even use your name, such as "BobsFatLossWorkouts."
How Do You Blog?
First, I recommend getting a free blog from www.blogger.com. Remember, this blog will not cost you a penny. You don't pay for website hosting or website design. Blogger does all of that for you. Second, give your blog a title. Note: You want to pick a title that has some type of niche-related keyword in the title.
For example, if you want to write about fat loss, then "FatLossWorkouts.blogspot.com" is a good name. Those are good keywords to have in your title and will also help you get found easier in the search engines. Try to keep your title short, although as blogs get more popular and more names are taken, that becomes more difficult every day. So be creative. You might even use your name, such as "BobsFatLossWorkouts."
What Do I Blog?
The key is original content. You can talk about your best client stories, your own personal workouts, the science behind your training philosophy, reader mail or anything related to your fitness niche. But make sure the content is an easy read, and save the science stuff for research journals. Basically, just be yourself.
By writing a blog, you'll quickly become a credible expert in your fitness niche, and if you add a little personality, people will quickly come to know and like you — and that will keep them coming back every day, all while building a relationship with you. So telling your story and being yourself is really just the easiest thing to do. Trying to be someone else will come across as fake faster than someone can click the button on their mouse. And that's what they'll do: They'll click the "back" button and leave.
How Do I Get People to My Blog?
The first and easiest way to get people to your blog is to tell them about it. I'm not recommending "spamming" (sending a massive amount of emails to) anyone, but you can email a link to your blog to your close friends and family. That's a start. You can alsomention it on your Facebook, MySpace or any other social networking site you belong to.
Second, you should exchange links with other related blogs. Almost every blog has an area called a "blog roll" where you post links to your other favorite blogs, and those blogs often post a link back to yours.
Third, if you participate in any Internet forums, you can post a link to your blog in your signature. Again, don't "spam" the forums, but whenever you have something valuable to post in a forum, make sure you have a link to your blog in your signature. Your forum signature might look something like this:
Craig B.
www.ThisIsMyBlog.com
Fourth, you simply need to post good quality content about your topic. If you are creative, interesting and sometimes controversial, people will stop by your blog every day to see your latest opinions. You can also choose to allow people to comment on your blog posts, and this will increase traffic as well as encourage people to return and see how the discussion unfolds.
In addition, your posts should contain words and phrases from the keyword list you developed earlier. For example, using the correct keywords in your posts will help your posts on "fat loss for women" get found when folks search "fat loss for women."
So if you haven't already, sit down and spend some time generating a big keyword list of at least 300 keywords and phrases. It sounds like a lot, but you'll come up with them really quickly. Then start writing about the top five to 10 keywords on your list that you think will be the most popular topics. When in doubt, just write about the most common topics that come up between you and your clients.
Here are some questions to ask when forming your keyword list:
ü What terms would people use to search for the product you are promoting?
ü What does the product do? What are the benefits and uses of it?
ü What keywords are being used by other sites for this niche?
When writing a post, focus on two to three keywords. Use a main keyword in the title of your post as well as the first line of the post. Make sure to use the main keyword a couple more times in the post.
Here are some interesting topics for you to consider writing about:
· Nutrition tips, recipes or your grocery list
· Lessons from your clients' workouts
· Tips on how to overcome bad habits or lack of motivation
· Crazy things you see at your gym
· Your top 10 exercises, fat loss foods, protein shake recipes, etc.
· Rants about cardio, machines, people at your gym, diets, etc.
· Motivational stories you've experienced or have been motivated by
· Your comments on current events related to fitness and fat loss
· Pictures of your meals (also known as "food porn" in the blog world)
· Fitness equipment reviews
Blog Wrap-up
Blogging is about the easiest thing a computer beginner could do on the Internet to start making money. You can blog to get your training facility noticed, to sell an e-book or DVD you created or to refer readers to other websites so that you'll get paid an affiliate commission, if they purchase a product there.
All of this can be done without investing a penny in expensive software or web designers. So follow these steps to get started blogging today. Be consistent, and become a trusted authority in the eyes of your readers.
Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, is a regular contributor to Men's Health, the author of the best-selling fat loss e-book, Turbulence Training, and he is an Internet marketing coach for fitness experts. For more information, visit www.OnlineSuperProfits.com orwww.TransformationContest.com.
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