Then back in July I was introduced to the blockchain social media platform Steemit. My love of blogging has returned with a vengeance. I have written more in the last three months than I did in the prior four years on my personal blog RandyHilarski.com.
I started blogging back in 2011 for a few clients. I was paid nicely for my blogging. My blog posts about gold, silver, economics, trade and Panama would earn me $100-$250 per post. I would sit and write 3-4 posts in one day and take the rest of the week off enjoying time with my wife Anabell and beautiful Panama.
At the same time we were perfecting our social media skills and growing an amazing following on Google Plus. We became masters of getting content to go viral on the social network. I was motivated to produce content because my following rewarded me with accolades. It sure felt good even though there was no financial reward.
Then the money from blogging dried up as the precious metals market went into a tough period financially. On top of that the travel website I was writing for about Panama pulled their funds due to issues with the parent company. We were in a pickle. It was time to start monetizing our social media skills since blogging money evaporated overnight.
Blogging for My Personal Brand.
This may seem odd to my fellow bloggers on Steemit but there was a time when a blogger had to find other ways to earn an income. Thousands of bloggers are still struggling and trying to find ways to monetize their work. Here are some of the ways bloggers traditionally make money.
Affiliate Marketing
Brand Ambassadors
Product Reviews with Links to the Products on Amazon.
Blogging for Brands.
Blogging for Media Outlets.
Producing and Selling eBooks and Training Courses.
Google Adsense Revenue.
Selling Ad Space on Their Blogs.
List Building.
Over my years of blogging I have known people who have used each of these techniques to monetize their content. In our case we used our blogging to build our personal brand in order to sell our social media services. It has worked like a charm because over time we built a great reputation online. The hardest part for us is complete. Now it is all about maintaining and growing our presence online. I like to use the term, "rinse and repeat". That is the key to success online.
My Blogging Hit a Wall in 2016.
In early 2016 my love of blogging really took a hit. Our favorite social network Google Plus was no longer fun to participate on. My favorite way to collaborate with fellow bloggers Triberr.com was loosing its brilliance. My blogging traffic was down about 30% over the previous year which sure did not help my motivation. Our business VIP Panama Tours was floundering after the Zika Virus news broke and traffic to our site was down 50%. I was dismayed with blogging.
Then the Blockchain Blogging Platform Steemit Appeared!
I don't know why it took me so long to take Steemit serious. When I say a long time I mean a few weeks. Since Anabell and I are heavily involved in the crypto currency and Bitcoin communities it just made sense that we would start blogging on Steemit. Like I said above, the joy of blogging disappeared. Then one day my friend and client Jeff Berwick of the Dollar Vigilante wrote a post where he made $15k on Steemit. I almost fell out of my chair when I saw it.
So without hesitation all of that drained energy came back in a rush of excitement. My first post on Steemit netted me $5,209 worth of Steem.
