One Twitter marketing tactic that is extremely popular now is to follow and engage with influencers. There are good reasons to use it. They tweet great stuff that you can retweet to your followers. That makes you look good by association … Also, these influencers notice and appreciate RTs. If over time you make good connections with some of them they might mention or retweet you. If they do, it will lift your profile greatly.

Obviously, it's worth finding tweeps like this in your niche and following them … But remember that many influencers are aloof, and some are even downright arrogant. They often don't engage much -- at least not with other tweeps who are not already in their league.

So, when seeking them out, look for ones who do retweet tweeps who aren't influencers themselves -- and who reply to them too. If they do both, that's great. But they might only focus on one form of engagement. That's okay too.

Even if they do neither of these things they can still be well worth following. And you can tap into their influence in your own way. That is simply by replying to them.

Remember that your typical "A-List" influencer has many thousands if followers. So if you can get in early -- ideally with something good, insightful and memorable -- with a reply your profile will get in front of many people, most of whom have never seen it before.

There's a good chance that this tweet will be retweeted one or more times down the track by the influencer, too. Your comment will still be there, just underneath it. So it can end up getting thousands of extra impressions after a while.

That will certainly gain you new followers. But even if it doesn't, it's still lifting your profile. Your handle and account photo are being seen by many, many people. (Every little bit helps, as they say. And this is more than just a little bit!)

To get the best effect from these tweet replies, however, you can't just follow any old Twitter influencer in your niche. It has to be someone who really makes you want to do this. Remember it's crucial for your replies to really stand out. So they have to come naturally from you. As with all social media activity, it's always better if these responses are genuine.

So it might take you a while to find these people. My personal preference is for influencers who are forthright, and don't just post links all the time. They can be quite hard to find in the social media marketing, to be honest.

In this niche most influencers tend to post links to their long articles. These pieces can be great, of course. But you have to read them fully to respond insightfully to them. That takes time. And if the article covers a lot of ground, you have to select one aspect of it. That waters down the effect of your reply.

For these reasons I prefer to respond to those influencers whose tweets are self-contained -- direct tips, observations or insights. These trigger an equally direct response from me. The words flow easily and I type replies quickly. As a result I tend to get the best effect from them.

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I'm sure you've heard that “persistence pays”. It's often cited because it's true for most pursuits. But it's particularly relevant to blogging -- even more so if you want to make money from it.

Basically, the longer you keep blogging for the more content you have up there, and therefore the more searches you're going to be found for, apart from anything else.



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Blogging skills improve over time

Then there's the fact that you keep getting better at blogging the longer you go. You improve your keyword selection and headline writing skills among others. So as a general rule, each new post you write becomes more findable and shareable.

You can also look back on old posts with the benefit of new insight. So you can rewrite them or write about what you've learned subsequently, quoting from -- and linking back to -- those old posts.

You'll have a book's worth of posts eventually

There's another bonus: By constantly adding posts you accumulate an enormous amount of interesting posts over the long term. If you look back on all that you've written on a specific subject over a year or two, say, you're sure to have the raw material for at least one solid book.

While affiliate marketing is a proven method of blog monetization, it's always best to have your own tangible product to sell -- off your blog, and elsewhere. A book definitely fits that bill.

So, you've got to keep going with it, in my opinion. There are just so many good things that result from doing so.

Monetization takes time

The reality is that these days, even if your content is brilliant, it's going to take months, if not years before you make even a small income from a blog. There's just so much competition nowadays, and so many niches are completely saturated.

So as well as adding good content and sharing your posts on social media, you've got to try different monetization tactics until you find the ones that work. This will be a slow, often frustrating process for sure.

So, there are many reasons that blogging is a long term process requiring a great deal of persistence. And this is where cost comes in.

A free blog allows you to keep going indefinitely

If the hosting is expensive -- even if it is very good -- and you're not making enough to cover the cost over a long time period -- which is the most likely situation, let's face it -- your enthusiasm is surely going to wane.  You're likely to get to a point where finally sit down and look at the project in a dispassionate way. After "doing the math" you may well decide it's just not worth it anymore. So after many months, perhaps even a year or more, you decide to pull the plug.

It's a shame if you do this. Without a doubt, countless people do.

For these reasons it's important to start with a free or (very cheap blog) in my opinion. And you should stay with it until you start earning a consistent income.

Wordpress hosting can be costly

Now, I know this runs counter to what many blogging gurus say. They often advise that a custom designed Wordpress is the way to go from the very start. But you have to be sure that the hosting is rock solid for this platform. And you're probably going to have to fork out a fair amount over the long term for this.

Given the realities I've described above, there's a strong chance you'll come to the conclusion it's not worth it after a year or so.

Blogger, Weebly and similar hosts can be a good option

But if you just chip away with, say, a Blogger blog, or one with Weebly (where this site is hosted), you don't end up in that situation. Sure, they don't have that sleek Wordpress look -- along with all the plugins you can choose from. But you certainly don't have to worry about cost.

When your blog is making money for you in some way, you can always upgrade.

I accept that this approach to monetizing a blog isn't for everyone. But it's certainly something to consider. While you have to focus on something to succeed no matter what field you're in, you're sure to encounter obstacles you never expected. Achieving a goal almost always takes longer than you thought it would, which is why it's always a good idea to keep your costs down to an absolute minimum and your options open.

Twitter is great for blog traffic. But bloggers sometimes get too enthusiastic with it. A common error is when, out of the blue, one replies to another tweep with a link to his blog.

Some tweeps do this to those who've just followed them back. They include a link to their home page or latest post. You can see it in their "tweets and replies". It's a bad look, it annoys people, and you shouldn't do it. It's a kind of spam, let's face it.


Context and relevance matter

That said, there is an effective, non-spammy way to share posts in replies. You just have to do it in context.

Let's say you've blogged about a specific topic and you've already tweeted the link out to your own followers. You can draw still more traffic to it by finding tweets (and ideally actual Twitter conversations) about the same subject.

Then you can add to the conversation, sharing the link. You could say something like, "I see your point. But here's another way of looking at it." Or maybe: "Good list of tips. Here are a couple more."

Doing this isn't spam because it's relevant, in context and adding to the conversation.

Be selective and don't overdo it

I wouldn't do this to people you don't already follow, however. And I would only use this tactic with other tweeps -- preferably influencers -- with whom you've engaged before. Make sure to make other link-free contributions as well.

Also, don't do it over and over again with the same people. That way they won't resent it and neither will their followers. If it's a good post, and relevant, they'll appreciate it. You never know, they might even retweet it. If an influencer does this it can bring a torrent of hits as well as new followers.

I have used this method from time to time, particularly with my political blogs, and I know it works. It's particularly good for topical posts. This is because they're very specific by definition. Tweeps who are intensely focused on some particular issue are much more likely to click on a post that deals with it. So if you "strike while the iron is hot" you can sometimes pick up a surprising number of extra clicks this way.

(Image courtesy of and copyright Free Range Stock, www.freerangestock.com.)

A lot of people who start blogging these days do so because they want to make money from it. There has long been a buzz about this method of income generation, after all. It's not as intense as it used to be. But there are still many people with this aim. 

And because this is their main goal, and they've been reading heaps about how to do this, they often create blogs about ... how to make money from blogging!

(Image courtesy of and copyright Free Range Stock, www.freerangestock.com.)


An increasingly saturated niche

I'm sure that way back in the early days this was a good approach. There was huge interest in this subject and not that many people doing it. So you didn't have to be a super-export in the field to get some momentum going with it. And you could therefore make it profitable. 

But these days there are just way too many people doing it. And the top dogs in this niche have built up so much expertise and authority that they just become the go-to bloggers. They are not just kings of their niches, they're almost like emperors now!

Another reason that this particular niche is that it's full of sellers and promoters. They do buy stuff form time to time, but by definition they are much more keen to make money than spend it.

Better to follow your passion

So, you shouldn't even start on this quest IMO. You'll never knock these guys off. It's best to choose a specific, unsaturated niche. One that you truly enjoy.

If you do that you'll "hit the ground running". You'll come up with lots of really good quality stuff with ease. Keep adding good quality posts being mindful of SEO and you'll gradually build up solid search engine traffic.

At the same time you should get cracking on social media. Again, you'll find it comparatively easy to build quality followings on Facebook, Twitter, etc because you have a passion for your subject, and you'll be enjoying all the interaction with others who share it.

And if you can find a niche that people follow primarily because of their own enthusiasm rather than a desire to earn income themselves that's another bonus. The means by which you start to make money from a blog like this may not be immediately apparent, but it will come to you eventually.

Build an audience first. Monetize later

Here's a personal example: I have a keen interest in politics and have been blogging about it for years now. I've built up quite a profile with one blog in particular. I've long been meaning to monetize it, but never got around to it until recently. The reason was that I just blogged for the love of it.

But lately I've been working out how best to earn cash form it. The most effective method Promoting specific books in posts.

The key is to put the affiliate links into the body of the post, and make sure that it is relevant. Also, I don't put one in every post. I want the readers to know that I'm not just writing posts to make money. I'm doing it because I love the subject. So they know it remains authentic.

I've found as long as I do this the sales trickle in. It's not much money, but it is consistent. And all I have to do is keep at it and my earnings from this method will continue to grow.

We all know that the key to success on social media, particularly Twitter, is activity. Engagement is the magic word. The more you engage, the more you benefit. Of course following good new tweeps, retweeting and mentioning others comes to mind here. Needless to say you should do this regularly. 

Conversations are key

But you should also go further when you can. And by that I mean don't just retweet someone a few times, or say "good point" in a mention. Actually try to start conversations that go on for a while.

You've got to sense when this is appropriate. Just as you can't force someone to chat with you in a real social situation such as a dinner party, it has to develop naturally on Twitter, too. So, you find that many attempts will not bear fruit. 

But some will. And they'll keep recurring with the same people. You'll really stand out in their feeds as "top drawer" tweeps. And they'll often be happy to help you with retweets, etc -- especially if you do the same for them. 

Influencers can help you greatly

If these people are influencers then the benefits are obvious. But even if they're not, they may well become influencers in time. And you can build your folllowings at the same rate and help each other out. It's these people who will be "the gift that keeps on giving". 

This is why it's so important to have a real, genuine interest in what you are tweeting about. You should also genuinely want to discuss it with others. And make sure that the people you try and engage in this way look like they will. That's why constant use of the site is important.

It's like when you are at a social event in the real world. You don't just talk to anybody. You mingle with the people who look attractive to you, who you know already, or who have heard about from others you know and trust. 

Always be sincere

If you just go into it because you've heard that you should engage with others, but you don't have any real desire to, then it's pretty clear to others.

I know from experience. Often I'll get a tweet asking how my day was or something like that. Then I'll go to their stream and see they've been saying exactly the same thing to numerous others. It just rings hollow in my opinion. 

I know others might not feel this way. But I do think it's better to only mention someone when you really feel like it. That way, the odds of a quality conversation -- eventually leading to a lasting connection -- go right up. 

(Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)