A new career in blogging...

I am very close to completing my diploma course in Corporate Communications and Public Relations from Centennial College in Toronto, Ontario.  My internship is already underway (I've already said goodbye to Tuesdays with no classes) and I am excited for my career to take off.  I'm ready to escape student life, earn some money and move out of the bedroom in which I've spent the majority of both my childhood and adulthood.  I'm very happy with this new career path that I'm about to embark on, but of course I am always thinking about that next trip abroad.  Wanderlust - "a very strong or irresistible impulse to travel" is probably the adjective that would suit me at the moment.  So, it got me thinking about how I could combine my love of world exploration with the necessity to make money.  I think travel bloggers have got it figured out.  So in case you've ever thought about turning your wanderlust into a fruitful career, I've compiled some tips that can help you take your love of travel to the next level and maybe even get some money back into that dwindling bank account.  In no way am I claiming to be an expert, but am simply providing you with the very basics of a world that I would love to explore...getting paid to travel - who wouldn't love that?


In theory, the idea of making money from any type of blog is simple.  First, you create your site, begin writing some insightful entries, gain a following, and then apply to some online advertising companies and watch the cash start to roll in.  But in reality, a blogging career is just how it sounds; it's a career.  It takes time and dedication.  I've read that it takes about one year to gain an online following.  And this is with interesting and constantly updated content. So once you've got your ideas and the wonderful ideas are flowing out from your fingertips, the next step is to gather traffic to your site.  So what you need is a descriptive URL to increase your search engine ranking.  Once people are there, make use of social media buttons! On your home page, you need to have buttons so that people can click and do the following: go to your Twitter profile, “like” your Facebook fan page (and yes, you should have one), go to your StumbleUpon profile, subscribe to your RSS feed, and subscribe to your posts by email.




Use links to promote your posts. At the end of your posts, you should have some plug-in that allows those of us that use social media sites, like StumbleUpon or Facebook to click their way to promoting your post in that forum.  You must have a retweet button so readers can post your entry via Twitter.



Once the technical stuff is out of the way, you need to think about your relationships.  First with your audience what material do they want, how will you sell them your brand? Try to create a relationship with other bloggers, with professionals in the travel and public relations industries. Another idea is to connect with the locals. You can sell your expertise and put together holiday packages and earn commission from local travel providers.


So now you've got an audience and a following, take advantage of this and sell ad space. You can sell banner ads or text links, or sell products.



I'm sure this list hasn't provided anyone with a detailed map of how to get rich quick by travel blogging, but hopefully these basics have steered you in the right direction in starting a travel blog as a hopeful career or even just as a hobby.



If I were to start a blog at this very moment, my first post would be about "the cutest tourist attractions in the Southern Hemisphere."  I am feeling a little "cutesy" at the moment and am recalling my time at The Phillip Island Penguin Parade, where every night at sunset, tiny penguins about 30 centimetres tall, come ashore in groups to burrow.  It could possibly be the cutest sight I've ever witnessed.  If you ever get to Australia and take a trip to this small island off the coast of Melbourne, you must make time to see this adorable attraction.



 
Scenery at Phillip Island


...Claire was here