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Last Time in part three of the Killer Blogging Guide I gave a hint of what was to come by introducing the concept of SPIN.

If you remember I closed the last issue with a brief reference to a newly arrived and very popular form of blogging promoted by sketchcast.com known as sketchcasting. If you want to learn a little more about this new craze then check out last issue.

For now what is important is that I introduced sketchcasting as a new spin on blogging and it is but it was the SPIN that was important. Once again we must always be very deliberate in discerning the forest from the trees whilst never losing the trees in the forest.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that effective monetization of anything is all about conveying a message to an audience that then spends their money.

The Message Must Get Through

Communication is not about the message, its content, its presenter, its style or its form. It’s all about getting the message through. How this is done is where the “art” lies and I do say “ART”.

The “Art”

The trick with all art forms is realising that there are things that work and those that don’t. The skill lies in telling the difference. The money lies in exploiting that skill.

Get Your Priorities in Order

The first thing that you need to do is to get your priorities in order. Since this article is about monetizing blogging; money is right up there, but it is not the number one priority. That honor belongs to the exploitation of skill.

Exploitation Comes First

Okay; so now we realize that our first priority is in exploiting some skill or other; but which one?

Well; to put it bluntly, the skill that we need to exploit in every monetizing venture are the skills or skill-sets used in the identification of what works and what doesn’t.

The Money

Now that we have identified that being able to tell the difference between what works and what doesn’t is our first priority we need to move on to identifying our objective and how to achieve them.

Identifying Objectives

Well this one’s easy; it’s all about the money. So how do we get our hands on the green stuff?

Angles

The answer is; as every ad-man can tell you, “You’ve got to have an angle” or in trade-lingo “You’ve got to put the right spin on it.”

This is the SPIN Principle. We will discuss it in more depth shortly; but first, let’s finish putting our priorities in order.

The Skills/Skill-Sets

The skills and skill-sets required to be able to tell the difference between that which works and that which doesn’t are not just a gift or talent that you were born with. Yes; this helps but there is more to these skill-sets than purely talent alone.

It Makes No Difference

One of the most important of these skills is doing it. It’s all about application, perseverance and persistence. The fact that these are skills that we either have or we don’t have, makes no difference at all.

Good News

The good news is that for those who don’t have innate perseverance and persistence; these are traits that can be taught, developed, honed and exploited. It’s all a bit like being an athlete; 1% talent and 99% perspiration.

The Sixty-Four Dollar Question 

The really big question here is “How do you tell the difference between what works and what doesn’t?”

This is the $64 question. It is a skill and like all skills it is something that can be taught, practiced and tuned into an art. Talent only means that you start further up the ladder.

Self-Esteem 

A big part of this skill-set is in preserving your self-esteem in the process. Unlike like any other skill this is something that is purely learned. Fear not; all will be explained soon.

Tricks of the Trade

Learning and developing your skill/skill-sets are great. But; as I have already said, the trick is in the telling of the difference between that which works and that which doesn’t. This is a bit like story-telling. It’s all in the telling.

The Principles of Realization and Inspiration

Realization includes many different factors; some of which are very closely tied to each other, while others may be loosely connected and then again there are those that aren’t related in any manner, shape or form. I am now going to introduce some of them to you.

1. Realization Element One

   The first element of the realization process is to recognize that differences between entities and their attributes do/may in fact exist

2. Realization Element Two

   The second element of the realization process is to recognize that relationships between entities and their attributes do/may in fact exist

3. Realization Element Three

   The third element of the realization process is to recognize that there are many different types of relationships that may exist between entities and their attributes

4. Realization Element Four

   The fourth element of the realization process is to recognize that while there are many different types of relationships; that may exist between entities and their attributes, not all of them are applicable or even relevant all of the time in every situation or circumstance

5. Realization Element Five

   The fifth element of the realization process is to recognize that; in order for the relationships between entities and their attributes to exist in the first place, there must be some type or form of connection(s) between them.

6. Realization Element Six

   The sixth element of the realization process is to recognize that these connections may be physical or logical in nature.

   Here are some of the more common ways by which connections can be established today: The Internet, mobile phones, websites, newsletters, email, TV and radio, networks, network transmission media and of course Blogs.

7. Realization Element Seven

   The seventh element of the realization process is to recognize that the connections between entities and their attributes change. Nothing remains stagnant.

8. Realization Element Eight

   The eighth element of the realization process is to recognize that all of the other elements; which I have introduced above, can and usually do change for one reason or another and to varying degrees.

9. Realization Element Ninth

   The ninth element of the realization process involves the identification of the change, determination of the source of the change and to identify the effects of the change.

It’s now time to extrapolate the information that we have collected with the goal of helping in the identification of the types of issues that may crop up in the future being foremost in our minds. These calculations are to be based on the data and other criteria that we have been collecting.

In this way you will be able to see where this change is “going”. With direction, progress, potential, and the positive/negative aspects identified and detailed it is now time to reassess your situation again. If more changes are called for; make them.

Realization Element Ten – The tenth element of the realization process is to recognize that you can influence these changes. In so doing you are directing traffic to proceed in a direction of your choosing.

It is this element that drives marketing and market advertising. Both the vendor and their advertising agent need to work very closely together to ensure that not only does traffic come your way but they also spend some money.

In Conclusion

Well; this certainly is a lot to get one’s head around the first time so I will sign-off and let you mull over this for a short while. When the Killer Blogging Guide returns; in Part five, we will dive straight into such aspects as: motives, entities, entrepreneurs, change and sex.

Until then enjoy!!!