Every now and then, someone asks me: “Hey man, how do you manage to live off your blogs?” At first, this question (that kept popping up) made me feel special, appreciated, and even envied sometimes. Of course, my ego was having its best time. This all ended when the questions became irritating, as most of my friends/known ones were actually misjudging the requirements and level of commitment that one needs in order to be a successful blogger. Therefore, I took my time to come up with several tips, tricks, “secrets” if you wish, of successful bloggers (besides from myself), who have effectively managed to launch and grow their businesses up to impressive levels. I am not there yet, though I aspire like all of you. In today’s post, I’m showcasing what I believe to be some of the most important aspects, elements, and requirements of a successful blogging journey. I gathered these ideas while I was researching some of the most impressive bloggers out there. If you’re just like me, you’re probably doing some of these things. That’s good, but you can learn more!

1. Work Harder and Smarter

If you ever wondered why some people end up amazingly rich while others can barely make the ends meet, the answer is often related to work. In order to develop things in our life, such as a financial stability, productive relationships, growth experiences, or a successful blog, we must take action. The willpower, the discipline, the commitment, the work ethics, the work resilience, and many other factors are going to influence your odds. To successfully develop a brand online, you must not only work hard but also smart. In today’s marketplace, every blogger should think in his/her unique way and bring unique aspects in the marketplace.

2. Have a Well-Established Roadmap to Follow

As you understand how important the quality of the work is, you should also acknowledge that improving the work’s results can be achieved through proper organization. In simple words, plan your success before you get to work. Establish the big objectives, the big results that will let you know (objectively) that you’ve made progress. Then, split them into small chunks and start working on them one by one. Use your “roadmap” whenever you fall off the track.

3. Success Leaves Clues

Success leaves clues in the sense that everything that you may want to achieve might have already been achieved at least once. Therefore, connecting with the individual/organization that has already achieved your goal is one of the good ways to start your journey. With blogging it’s simple. If you wish to start a successful digital cat products store, you’d better pay attention to what your best competitors are doing. Their success can help you understand what you have to do or what you have to avoid. Don’t copy-paste but take your inspiration and apply different twists!

4. If You Believe You Can Then You Can

The difference between $100k and $1 million lies in your standards. If through your blog you aim to earn millions, your work will automatically be planned in such a way that you achieve millions. If you focus on hundreds, you’ll probably achieve hundreds (as long as you work hard, smart, and until you reach success.) Although, Making $100 per day with Google AdSense is easy and can be achieved with smart work and determination.

5. Take Great Care of Your Energy

Every morning, you wake up with a limited amount of energy. Every morning, you decide how you spend that energy. Let me ask you a question. What if your morning energy would be money? Would you give it to everyone on the street? “Here is $10, here is $20, here is $50 bucks for you because I care about you, and here’s $500 bucks, my love, because I love you.” Where does that leave you at the end of the day?

6. Stay Physically & Mentally Healthy

Try to stay healthy at all times, physically and mentally. In today’s times, staying healthy is more like a challenge rather than a natural thing. If you pay attention, most of the products we consume have been corrupted. Added sugars, metals, GMOs – these will all “put you down”. Your immune system, the one that regenerates your energy, the blood circulation, the organs’ strength, your motivation – they’re all heavily influenced by what you put inside your stomach and belly.

7. Improve Your Digital Marketing Skills and Knowledge

To successfully run a blog in such a competitive time, you should consistently improve your digital marketing skills. Search engine optimization, content marketing, social media marketing – these are the three big distribution channels that can be enough. The rest depends on your actual strategy, which is built after some research and planning.

8. Stay Up to Speed with the Marketplace’s Shifts

The marketplace’s always changing, especially in the digital era that we’re currently experiencing. The international digital marketplace and the technology are progressing at culminant speeds, so if you’re looking to stay visible online, you must know what Google appreciates, what YouTube ranks, what Instagram prefers, or perhaps what LinkedIn offers. You should stay up to speed with the newly launched digital tools. Perhaps one $30 investment will save you 1 hour per day forever, which equals $30 won each day. These types of investments will “smarten” your work and make you progress faster.

9. Stay Consistent and Persistent

Consistency and persistence are essential keys to reaching success. Obviously, if you truly want to reach an objective, if you care with your whole being, and if you commit with your all heart, you will achieve it. However, up until you reach that state of existence, that goal, that person, or that object, you will encounter challenges, struggles, and setbacks. Overwhelm may kick in, and so, after you’ve made a few steps forward, you’ll make a few backs. To push through, you got to be consistent and persistent!

10. Know You Audience Like You Know Yourself

Who are you approaching online? Your blog discusses one or more topics, but the real question is – who is interested in such topics? If you try to monetize it, then the question is – who is likely to buy your products, click your links, or interact with your brand? The answer is simple: your target audience. To identify it, you should start imagining your ideal target audience member. His problems, needs, dreams, characteristics, personality, status, etc. Always pay attention to what your audience says and does. Collect the feedback and implement it in your future strategies.

11. If There is No Passion There is No Real Gain

Mark Farwell, the CEO of Essay Geeks, who also happens to be a close friend of mine, has made a terrific point: “If your work consistently brings effort, you are doing the wrong work. When your work is play, you feel no pain when you have to get up and running. You feel no negativity when a challenge arises. Most importantly, you feel extremely connected to your purpose and you’d never give up on what you do.” I would like to ask you one question: If money didn’t exist, would you still be doing what you’re currently doing, or you would immediately jump to something else and spend your time differently? If you’re all in, then it means your blog may have the success you crave for. If you’re half-in, you’d better reconsider your options!

12. Long-Term Branding for Long-Term Success

For your blog to last in time, you’ll have to ensure that the proper branding foundations have been established. One of the biggest differences between blog’s success is the branding they do.  If you can offer something that nobody else in the niche is offering, something valuable that will retain most of the attention, your brand is standing out and it will continue to stand out as your other promotion efforts will also bring satisfaction.

13. Amazing Content Will Always Bring Results

Keep your content’s quality high and half of your blogging work is done. By developing a blog and by approaching subjects of discussion, you’re basically stating that you have something new to add to what existed. If you develop content only for the sake of developing it, for the sake of Google improvements, or for the sake of a big portfolio of published posts, you are doing it wrong. Focus on your audience and do your best to be actually helpful. The rewards will eventually follow.

14. Diversity in Marketing & Advertising is Key

Use diversity in marketing and advertising and you’ll be able to understand what traffic channel provides the best results. Don’t believe everything you read. In fact, don’t believe a lot of things that come from anyone else because your experience is different. There were so many different decisions that you and the “guru” you might be following have taken that there’s no point in considering that what worked for somebody will work for you.

15. Attachment is the Root of Stagnation

Don’t become attached to your work, to money, to fame, to status, or to do anything that will hold you down. Don’t become attached to strategies that do no longer work, stop allowing toxic people near you, stop being attached to that TV show, that game, that fun thing you’ve been comforting yourself with for the past days, weeks, months, years… To be successful and enjoy a great degree of abundance, you should work on your attachments and cut them one by one. Leave your life freely and enjoy every moment. Live in the present moment and give your 100% attention and hustle to all the things you do. Once you detach yourself, you’ll be able to attain incredible growth.

Takeaways

Take our tips into consideration and don’t shy away from applying them in your life today tomorrow, or the next day. Do you want to be a successful blogger? Then you must know, success takes time, patience, and work. Most of the successful bloggers you appreciate because they’re famous, intelligent, rich, and so on – they have gone through endless hours of hustle and pain to get there. Lots of failures, lots of comebacks, and lots and lots of work. Step up your game and you’ll get there too!