How to Find Your Blogging Expert

My online business background consists mainly of ecommerce, SEO, web design, affiliate marketing and email marketing. Blogging (or should I say successful blogging) was new to me before the launch of FresheVenture.com.

Sure I’ve created other blogs (for my ecommerce stores), but had a heck of a time consistently updating my content and understanding the concept of why blogs are crucial to making money online.

Truth is, I was never good with diaries, even as a kid.

Prior to opening FresheVenture.com, I knew I needed to find an expert to learn from – someone who could explain the concepts of RSS, social proof, and WordPress. Someone who could help me learn how to create a successful blog with an active and ever-growing audience.

Of course, FresheVenture.com is still young and has a long way to go to, but the launch of my blog has been a success with more traffic and newsletter subscribers than I had anticipated! I’ve formed great new relationships with people who have the same interests as me and I’ve experienced the excitement and joy of helping others grow their online businesses! Plus, I’m actually reimbursed for my work through affiliate commissions and new web design leads!

So how did I do it? Simple, I did what I’ve done with every other new online business platform I decided to embark upon – I teamed up with an expert!

But, There Are Hundreds of So-Called “Blog Experts!”

True and it’s hard to figure out which ones are the real gurus and which ones simply regurgitate information anyone of us could find online. Trust me, I understand your frustration. But, it’s important to understand the concept of blogging for profit if you intend to make a living from it. And who better to learn from then someone who’s done or doing it?

There are several ways you can determine whether or not someone is worth listening to. The process can be as simple as getting a referral from a trusted friend or just observing the vibe you get from someone.

It’s not really hard to find someone online who claims to be a blog expert. But finding YOUR blog expert takes more work since there are several factors you must consider when choosing. Will this person’s knowledge really help my blog? Will I be able to understand this person? Will they understand MY needs?

Does the Blogger Pass the Expert Test?

Probably every successful online entrepreneur will tell you if they had found the RIGHT information and the RIGHT mentor on day one, their online success would be 10 times greater (or at least they would have obtained their success much quicker). And I would have to agree. Had I found my ecommerce experts on day one, I may not have opened a store that just one year later I would have to completely revamp.

So, today I want to share with you a quick test you can utilize to determine if you’ve found YOUR blog expert. The following factors deal with the credibility of the blogger, the relationship you hope to form with them and your own personal requirements. So, let’s get started:

1. Proof of Success

I’m not talking about pictures of checks and affiliate commissions here. I’m talking about LINKS to the blogger’s websites. Do they provide you with links so you can see for yourself how they make their living online? For example, on my about page I list my websites so you can see my online businesses in action. I do this to help prove to you I’m legit, real and actually online.

If a blogger isn’t willing to disclose to you how they earn their income, how much knowledge will they be willing to share with you? If they’re supposed to teach you how to create a strong online presence through blogging, they had better have some darn good blogs of their own!

2. Social Proof

Practically everyone online today has a MySpace, Facebook or Twitter account. And with new twitter following tools and social network automating software, it’s not hard to find yourself being followed by hundreds or thousands of people online. So, when I say “Social Proof,” I’m ignoring these factors since they are a little skewed.

By “social proof” I mean real people writing to or about your blogging expert. Check out their blog and take a look at the comments sections on their posts. Do they have a lot? This means there’s a community based around that blogger. They have an ACTIVE audience, which isn’t easy to obtain. If they have that, they might just know what they’re doing.

Do a Google search of their name and read the content in the results. What are people saying about them? What relationships have they formed online? If they have testimonials, check out the websites of their “students” and see if THEY’VE obtained an active audience.

Take a look at their RSS Reader icon if they post one on their blog. This should tell you how many subscribers they have. This is a much better social proof measurement tool than their twitter following since RSS means people have actually subscribed to the CONTENT of their blog.

You can also check their Alexa Ranking. This will give you insight into the traffic their blog receives.

3. FREE Content

That’s right! Your blogging expert should provide FREE content. This content can be in the form of a well written and consistently updated blog, eBook or report. If they can offer you a taste of their knowledge and experience, you can get a better idea of who they are and how they could impact your online success. My three favorite blogging experts each offer loads of free content.

Yaro Starak of Blog Mastermind offers one of the BEST reports on blogging for no charge. It’s called Blog Profits Blueprint. Before I signed up for Blog Mastermind (his 6 month blogging course), I downloaded Yaro’s free report to find out whether or not he knew what he was talking about. The second I finished it, I purchased my membership in his course. The report blew me away and not just because of what he wrote. It’s because of the AMOUNT of content he provided for free. All I could think was, “If he’s willing to give all of this info away for free, I can only imagine what he offers in his course.” Well, I haven’t been disappointed. I owe much of the success of FresheVenture.com’s launch to Yaro. I’ve also formed great new relationships with fellow bloggers through the Blog Mastermind Members Forum.

Gideon Shalwick and Yaro Starak teamed up to create Become a Blogger, a video membership course on blogging. In order to prove they know what they’re talking about, they offer The 10 FREE Become a Blogger Videos and The Roadmap Report, each of which I have. They also offer a free ecourse that I have been glued to for a couple months now. Again, fantastic information that offers you an insight into their minds and experience.

Darren Rowse of ProBlogger is another example of an expert that offers FREE info. After reading his blog for several months now, I just decided to purchase his 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook (it’s 25% off today, June 17th!). Again, I was sold on his knowledge by reading his free content. I will report back to you on my thoughts of his book!

4. Not Just Affiliate Recommendations

I happily admit I am an affiliate of my three favorite bloggers, but I’m also a fan and student. Affiliate recommendations can be helpful when determining whether or not to purchase a product or service, but a recommendation from a student or mentee is much more valuable. Anyone can sign up to be an affiliate, whether or not they’ve ever actually benefited from the product/service themselves.

When looking for good recommendations, try to find people who have actual experience with your blogging expert. And don’t be afraid to reach out to them and ask questions about the blogger!

5. Consider Your Learning Style

This factor doesn’t really concern the credibility of the blog expert, but does play an important role in your decision process. If they offer a course of some sort, what is the platform utilized? Videos? Forums? Email? eBooks?

You may find that Videos keep you captivated while reports put you to sleep. Or, perhaps you want to be part of a community where you can ask questions. In this case, a member forum is what you’ll need.

Consider the delivery of the information when determining who your expert blogger is. After all, it doesn’t matter how much they can teach you if you aren’t capable of learning from them!

6. Consider Your Budget

If you’re just starting out online, you may not have much to invest in training right now. Therefore, a great blog with a free newsletter or RSS feed may be the best option for you. If you have money to invest, a serious course like Blog Mastermind might be worth investing in. Or perhaps Darren Rowse’s $19.95 Workbook!

The point is, your investment capabilities play a huge role in your selection process. For example, I wouldn’t be able to invest $10,000 in a one hour consultation with a blog expert. If that’s all they offered, I would have to look elsewhere. But, if they happened to have a free report or newsletter, I could at least stay in touch.

7. The Vibe

This is pretty easy – what vibe do you get from the blogger? Do you like their writing style? Can you understand their instructions? Do you look forward to receiving their latest emails?

Just because thousands of people learn from Blog Expert Jon Doe, it doesn’t mean you will. Jon may not be right for you. Perhaps he’s too sarcastic or doesn’t drive home his points clearly enough.

After all of the other points above are said and done, it still comes down to YOU and what YOU need. Don’t fight it – embrace it. After all, the more you enjoy learning from your blog expert, the more you will actually learn.

Who’s Your Blogging Expert? What do You Look for In a Blog Guru?

Topic Tags:

31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook, Darren Rowse, Gideon Shalwick, blog profits blueprint, blogging, internet marketing, make money online, wordpress, yaro starak