“How to Create a Successful Blog with a Limited Budget and Limited Time”

This Blog post and series will be very Simple. Doing More With Less. So if your budget is small or your time is limited? Have no fear. It’s time to get to work, leverage what you’ve got, and start building some serious momentum.

Topics we’ll cover:

1- Bootstrapping Focus

2- Drawing Eyes

3- Bootstrap Blogging Strategy

Bonus:  Secret Free Tools of the Trade

Bootstrapping Focus

This is the make it or break it of the whole technique guys and gals. Focus. Driven Focus.  And for the 1st part of this Bootstrap Blogging post, were going to talk all about:  Selective focus.

To harness the power of selective focus, you have to find out where you are right now.  For ex: If you are just starting up your blog and don’t even have a domain name yet, why would you be checking out the new launch on how to get traffic? For some reason we are compelled to want to learn it ALL at once. e.g. Traffic, web design, social media, podcasting, building list, blah and blah, all before we have even taken the first step.

It is Lame and it’s not the Bootstrap Bloggers way. It is a habit we must break.

So let’s look at the technique to do this shall we?!

Put simple, learn what you need  in the moment. If you are not sure what you want to start a blog about? That should be your only focus. Nothing else is important. Give yourself a deadline and get it done.

Google Calendars is a great tool to use to organize yourself and your business.

Here is a pretty good overview of what you need to do and a sample screenshot of Google Calendars

1-Niche ( How will I be unique, How will I make money? Ads? Selling products? Build a List? Get Published? Build Personal Brand? etc…)
Select Niche and Strategy 1 day

2- Blog design and Layout- Check out cool blogs you like, google “top free wordpress themes”, check out my faves at WooThemes and Mojo Themes or check out a good list of freeby themes at SaveDelete .

Select design, download, create a cool domain, buy at NameCheap (p.s. Stay clear of GoDaddy! Personal opinion of myself and others for many reasons. Trust me!) Setup hosting at BlueHost. 3-days

3- Setup blog yourself or outsource for cheap (50.00 –75.00) Free tutorials abroad online. Cheap logos at LogoNerds, E-book covers, digital covers at E-Covers 2 days

4- Create first 10 Blog post before releasing blog to public, have an opt-in creative with a compelling bonus setup in place 1-2 blog post a day.

5- Sign up for social media sites only- Don’t waste time there yet. Just see if your domain is available. e.g. GhettoSnorkels.com, twitter.ghettosnorkels.com , facebook.ghettosnorkels.com etc… If you already have a presence in these spots under your name, then don’t worry about it.

6- Marketing Time!!!- Begin participating  relevant forums (find in google search and yahoo) – Give great content with a link back to post’s in your site.

Begin to get a pulse on your market – Problems, desires, etc…Interact in twitter, facebook etc…

Leave interactive comments on influential blogs, or blogs you enjoy related to your blog. Do this often and build meaningful relationships.

Put out great content 3-7 times a week.

Guest post on other blogs.

Rinse repeat. Rinse repeat. Rinse repeat.

It take focus and organization to get this all done. Use a tool like Google Calendar’s or 37Signals Basecamp to stay on top. Focus on your task at hand and handle other stuff as it comes. Learn what you NEED in the moment. You can call it using In The Moment Knowledge. That can be very profound for your life.

Drawing Eyes

Be unique. Do something different and extraordinary that no one else is doing in your industry. Use cool pictures, produce great video, create unique articles. You need to stand out. If you do the aforementioned strategy, people will begin to come to your blog. You want them to Want to come back, and to add you to there RSS Feeds. You want them to feel compelled to comment on your posts. Be Yourself and always make it original with your own flare.

If you do something really crazy, submit a news style article to PRWEB and who knows, you may end up getting a lot of national media exposure.  It happens every day!!

Bootstrap Blogging Strategy

It would seem that we went over the strategy above and we really did. But I wanted to finish this article off with a quick thought on internal strategy which is much more important. It is key.

You are doing this stuff for a reason right?  Maybe to create a better life for yourself and your loved ones. To create a sustainable side business. To do something everyday that you really enjoy.

I care about your success. I know the frustrating feeling of wanting to get an online business going, and then going to the computer, and instead of getting things done, you start following the gurus big launches, buying products, surfing social sites, checking email repeatedly, all in a crazy spiral!! And at the end of the night going to bed frustrated and depressed. I have been there. I always told myself that I needed more discipline.

A revelation to myself was when I realized I didn’t need discipline really. I knew I was a hard worker. I worked my butt off day in and out! For someone to call me lazy for not getting things done at night felt like a slap in the face.

The Problem wasn’t discipline. It was habit.

It was a habit to work 7-5. It was a habit to get out of bed and make coffee without thinkng about it. It took zero discipline. Working online productively can be the same way!

All I ask is for 30 days of your life to get yourself setup online for success. 1 month is all it takes to make it a Habit. Force yourself to avoid your email and following the big launches. Unsubscribe from all of them if that is what it takes. You can always subscribe back later;)

Be committed: Think of what can happen if you get all this done. Think of the benefits. And think what will happen if you don’t.

I am Here. You have Support. You are not alone. Follow the Bootstrap Method. Get Focused. Get Started today!!