tdog.blog

As a kid, I always loved those strategic board games that let you wear the Conqueror Hat for the evening. (You know, that pointy Napoleon-hat-looking thing? You didn’t have one of those? Never mind.)

Whether it was Risk, Axis & Allies, or one of the never-ending list of titles from Avalon Hill (Afrika Korps, Cross of Iron, War at Sea…here’s a complete list chronicling my misspent youth), it was always great fun laying the pieces out on the table, figuring out objectives, marshaling resources, and then blowing the other guy into teeny tiny bits.

But I digress.

I’ve mentioned in other posts (and to some people face to face) that 2009 is the year where I answer that most elusive question in the universe: Is it really possible to make a living just from the Internet?

(Ha! Had you going there! You thought I was going to say something like “Is it possible to understand women?” or “Is it possible to find something funnier than Tweety punking Sylvester yet again?”. Read on, though, it gets better.)

Part of my strategy does involve blogging. Now, there are some of you out there who just don’t see the point of blogging, and I totally understand where you’re coming from. You may think that the only people blogging are these self-centered megalomaniacs who are always trying to be the center of attention in every gathering, and to you I say, “What’s wrong with that?”

Seriously, though, blogging is just a vehicle, a way to get to the grocery store (read: objective) and back. It presents an easy way to communicate with a niche of followers. If you’ve got a blog about scuba diving vacations along the Gulf Coast, then those folks who are interested in that will follow you to the ends of the earth as long as you give them good infotainment.

They won’t mind targeted advertising and reviews and whatnot, because you’re actually enabling them in their quest for Good Times Via Scuba Diving At The Gulf Coast. You could even build a series of affiliate networks around this blog, or introduce a series of microsites each targeting a specific family of products or even information offerings that you yourself have created. Doesn’t matter, they’ll just sop it up.

Why? Because of the content. If you’re keeping it real, they’ll keep coming back with real money, in one way or another. That’s the beauty of it. The number one rule of successful marketing in a niche should be “Don’t make it look like you’re marketing.” (More on that later.)

Anyone who isn’t interested in that sweet spot (say, they’d rather be snorkeling in Alaska, or hunting quail in Italy, or just sitting at home watching old movies about redemption in small-town America) will go somewhere else.

In any case, there are basically three approaches to building a blogging empire. Doesn’t matter if you’re writing just one blog or creating a huge globe-spanning network of blogs (I just can’t help myself, can I?). Here they are:

1. “We only open our traps when we have something really important to say.” This is the New York Times approach to blogging. You go out and do tons of research, interview lots of experts, gather evidence, draw conclusions, make inferences, and all that, and come out with primo stuff suitable for Pulitzer nominating committees. As far as strategies go, this one can be a little exhausting, but it’s a great way to build a brand as The Expert.
2. “Well aren’t we a bunch of gossipy scamps?” This seems to be the model for places like HuffingtonPost and Perez Hilton. In other words, its extraordinarily effective, lucrative, and fun. Lots and lots of posts, covering a major niche (or many interrelated niches, or with a certain leaning–think Lefties for HuffingtonPost), published many times a week. These are the most fun to build, but you’re going to need help, unless you pick a niche small enough that you can’t help but have a blast doing it all yourself (i.e., Perez Hilton). This strategy builds your brand as The Man/Woman About Town.
3. Once upon a time, there was a brave blogger… Anytime you can tell a good story, you’re going to win hearts and minds. You don’t even have to sow your blog posts with good anecdotes (but they certainly help), just help the reader make sense of this ridiculous world we live in. Maybe you have an outlook on life or the industry that helps people get a grip on things (or keep whatever white-knuckle grip they already have). If you’re in the business of making accounting software for small business, maybe your blog is about helping the customer get a handle on smoother operations–invoicing, receivables, taxes, payroll. Give them a story line and they won’t mind the occasional sales pitch. This strategy builds your brand as The Story Teller.

All this talk of war gaming and strategery and such has given me a nostalgic rush: the hexagonal maps, the little die-cut units with attack/defense/movement ratings, the manic roll of the die to see if your hearty but woefully under-strength band of paratroopers holds back the other guy’s satanic armored columns…wait, I’m doing it again. Gotta go and see where I left all my old games!