Looking to get into the online marketing field but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, you can literally get started online marketing in a box! All you need is a laptop, an internet connection, and a good chunk of change to buy the various tools and platforms you will need to launch and grow a successful business online.

Why a Blog?

Blogs are a great place to start if you’re looking for content to post on your site. Not only do they grow effortlessly with very little effort, but they also provide you with tons of potential engaging content to draw readers to your site.

The average person spends over 4 hours a day on their phone. If you can get someone’s attention with a simple blog post, you can bet that they will be visiting your site frequently to find out more.

Create a Blog

If you’ve ever shopped at Nordstrom, you might have popped into the store’s café for a coffee before you left. Well, imagine my delight when I found out that Nordstrom has partnered with Cafe Press to give you the chance to create a free blog.

When you set up a blog with Cafe Press, you will automatically be given a unique web address, which you can then use to register your blog with WordPress.com. Once you’ve got your blog set up, you’ll need to browse the online marketplace for products that you can talk about and include in your content.

Choose the Right Domain Name

Having a catchy, memorable web address is a great way to draw in potential customers, so make sure you choose a.com address that will be both memorable and easy to spell.

Also, be sure to register your blog with WordPress.org so you can use their free, powerful blogging platform to build out your site.

This is also a good idea if you’re planning to monetize your blog, as they offer numerous methods of monetizing a blog through affiliate marketing programs and more.

Get Inspired

In addition to setting up a blog, you will also need to get inspired to write content. Look at what’s working online and take note of successful blog posts you might consider repurposing for your own purposes.

For example, if you’re a fashion blogger, you could take a look at stylish bloggers to see what style of content they are using and then apply that to your own blog.

Or, if you’re a travel blogger, you might consider checking out other successful travel blogs to see how they organized their content and how they presented their ideas.

The point is to look at what’s working well online and apply it to your own blog so you can grow your audience.

The Basics of SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the ranking of your blog’s content in search results. Essentially, you are trying to optimize your blog’s content so that it will appear in the top results when a person does a search.

This is a marathon, not a sprint, and it takes time to see results. However, with a little patience and some of the right tools, you can ensure that your content appears at the top of the heap.

The basics of SEO can be covered in a short FAQ video that explains how SEO works and how you can get started with basic SEO on your blog:

• How Does SEO Work?
• Why Should I Try SEO?
• What Is The Most Effective Way To Minimize Search Engine Blocking?
• How Can I Get Started With SEO?

Build A Following

If you’re new to blogging or have been blogging for a while now but haven’t seen much success, it might be time to try something new. Why not try and grow your blog’s audience by encouraging people to follow you? The more people you have following you, the more people will be interested in your content.

You can do this through a variety of means, but the most effective way is through engagement with your followers. Respond to their comments and engage with them on social media.

This will not only grow your following, but it will also make them more likely to visit your blog when you have new content to share. And when they’re visiting your blog, they’re also likely to be interested in your products, affiliate offers, and other digital marketing offers that might be relevant to them.

To get started, simply visit Blogger.com and create a blog. Then, you can explore the various ways that you can engage with your audience through social media or via email.

Monetization Through Affiliate Marketing

If you’re looking to monetize your blog, you have a variety of options. Most affiliate marketers will tell you that the most effective way to monetize a blog is though affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is the practice of earning a commission from advertisers when someone clicks a monetized link or buys a product that’s promoted on your blog. You can apply to become an affiliate marketer with affiliate marketing platform Commission Junction.

There are several different types of affiliate marketing, but the two most popular ones are:

• CPA (Cost Per Action): In this type of affiliate marketing, you are compensated based on the action (i.e., click or purchase) that occurs on your behalf.
• CPL (Cost Per Lead): In this type of affiliate marketing, you are compensated based on the action (i.e., click or purchase) that occurs on your behalf, as well as the action (i.e., click or purchase) of someone who has been sent to your site from a marketing or advertising platform (e.g., Mailchimp, Facebook, or Twitter).

Keep in mind: you’ll need to apply to become an affiliate marketer with Commission Junction. Once you’re approved, you can then create affiliate marketing campaigns for products that you’ve found interesting, whether traditional or digital marketing offers.

To get started with CPL affiliate marketing, you’ll need to sign up with a marketing platform that can connect you to merchants and advertisers. Then, you can gain visibility into the leads that visit your blog and gain a sense of how much money you should be earning from affiliate marketing.

Put It All Together

To recap, all you need to get started with blog marketing is a laptop, an internet connection, and a good chunk of change to buy the various tools and platforms you will need to launch and grow a successful business online.

With that, you’re ready to get started online marketing in a box! Now, you just need to populate your blog with content that will interest your target audience and then grow your audience through multiple channels.