Today I am going to share my experiences about blogging and how seniors can make a little money out of it. Because of my virtual assisting stint, I’m able to work with fabulous people who do this on a regular basis – I mean, do these things for a living which in my eyes made them a pro. However, I found out that there is indeed more to it than just blogging and adding ads. You can actually make money out of it in so many ways that it is impossible to count them off your fingers! Let me share to you these examples:
CLIENT 1: CONTENT IS KING. This client made me write articles and blog posts 6 times a week, despite bad grammar just as long as it is understandable and keyword enriched. The idea is to populate the blog with content that is related to his niche. For my fellow seniors who aren’t too techie yet, “niche” is your blog’s overall topic. This is what keeps you in line and not blindingly shooting whatever happens to be in front of you.
TIP 1: Find a niche that is neither too broad nor too slim/narrow. Make sure you go for something you can write for a long time without having to repeat yourself after 2-3 months.
CLIENT 2: SOCIAL NETWORKING IS THE KEY. This client happens to be a social media coach so she’s very particular with her “tone” when talking to her community. She doesn’t want me anywhere near her blogs so she propped me on her social media sites, adding friends and posting news and quotes which won’t require me to do a couple of words inserted on every post. Of course, my posts should all be related to her niche and they should, every now and then, promote her websites and blogs.
TIP 2: Engage with your community. Expect people to ask questions and they expect you to answer in return. This is good since you are getting feedbacks which will help you grow as a better blogger.
CLIENT 3: THE AFFILIATE MARKETER. This is where the money-making part starts. After polishing your blog nice and shiny, you can now apply for affiliate programs. When approved, you’ll be able to post ads on your website/blog such that when someone clicks on it and buys something, you’ll be rewarded with a commission. Commissions can go as low as 4% to as high as 7% depending on your program. Some of the most popular ones are: Google Adsense, Amazon and Clickbank.
TIP 3: You might want to wait, say 6 months, before applying into anything as affiliate programs are quite strict in approving applications.
CLIENT 4: PHYSICAL PRODUCTS. Indeed you can use your blogs to promote whatever product you are now selling – physical products, I mean. While marketing campaigns are not as concentrated on blogs as you would when affiliated, your blogs can serve as an additional marketing tool and establishing online presence. You can even install third party applications on your blog for your customers to be able to buy your product online.
TIP 4: Going online with your product is a good decision since localised products on web are really a hit these days.

If you plan to do all these things, be prepared to spend a lot of time in front of the computer however, if you do have the time to do so, I assure you it’s rewarding and worthwhile. Retired seniors who are getting a little bored and anxious at home can start incorporating these things, have fun and make money all at the same time!