How I've Monetized My Blog

Yesterday I shared some of the ways I earn money online that don't necessarily require a website. Today I'm going to share how I've monetized my blog.  Don't get me wrong I love writing and most importantly I want this blog to be a blessing but I am a Momtrepreneur, and the extra income that comes in through my blog is a blessing to the family.

So here are the ways I've actually been successful making earning money from my blog.  For the record you will never see me advertise anything I can't completely endorse.

Sponsored Posts I don’t spend a lot of time seeking advertising, I’m too busy writing and child wrangling.  Occasionally however I’ll get an offer from an advertiser about writing a sponsored post.  As long as it’s a product I like I have no problem doing this.  I don’t want my blog to turn into one big advertisement, but I personally don’t think the occasional sponsored takes away from my blog's intent.  The most I’ve been offered for a sponsored post is $15.  Keep in mind though these are offers from company’s who e-mail me out of the blue, I have never sought to write a sponsored post.  If I did I could probably charge more.  That’s just not where I want to spend my time right now.

Affiliate Sales As I said before I have never spent the time to e-mail companies to purchase ad space on my blog.  It’s been a low priority on my to-do list.  Some bloggers are quite successful filling ad space this way.  They are generally the “bigger blogs” though.  Affiliate sales however are something any size blogger can take advantage of.  I mention affiliate products in my posts as they apply and have their ads on my sidebar. 

My biggest success when it comes to affiliate sales have been selling eBooks by other bloggers that are in my niche.  I can generally get a review copy for free, then I post a book review, and include affiliate links in the post.  I typically see a few sales immediately and then more over time.  Selling eBooks has been great because I can generally get a free review copy, get giveaway copies, and they’re inexpensive making them an impulse buy for a lot of people.  I never recommend an eBook I don't like.

I recently signed up for a new Affiliate program through "Mother's Lounge" those are the free baby slings or nursing covers that are being advertised on my sidebar.  I honestly don't know why I waited so long to become an affiliate.  I got a free nursing cover 2 years ago, and a free baby sling one year ago and really like both products.  This is a really neat program because customers only need to use your coupon code for you to make a commission, and it's a fairly decent one considering customers just pay for shipping.  

Amazon Associates  Amazon Associates is simply another affiliate program, but I’m giving it, its own category because of its potential.  Practically any blog post can recommend a product on Amazon, since it’s such a giant retailer with every type of  product imaginable. 

Amazon has great pre-made banners you can use but utilizing text links in your blog posts actually cause more people to click over, which is what you want.  No one wants to read a blog that is one big advertisement, but whenever you have a natural opportunity throw in an Amazon link in your posts do it.  Go back and read through your old posts and add some affiliate links there too. 

Another great thing about Amazon Associates is that customers don’t have to buy the item you suggest in order for you to get a sale.  So let’s say you recommend a Kindle book that’s free today (always be sure to specify the date with free Kindle books) and someone clicks over to snag the free Kindle book but also buys 3 other kindle books, you get a commission on the 3 paid purchases.

Just a note, you are only permitted to share your associate links via your personal websites (Facebook and Twitter are included in this).  This means you cannot e-mail or include associate links in eBooks.

Personal Advertising Having a blog has allowed me to also advertise my other projects like my eBooks, and Lilla Rose Business.  Although having a blog isn't necessary for either of these it certainly helps.   

If you're interested in monetizing your blog I highly recommend:

Anything that works for you I didn't mention?

*This post contains affiliate links.

Enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

 Thrifty Thursday Link Up!

How To Make Money Online, No Website Required

If it's not obvious by my occasional recommendations, eBooks, and sidebar ads I'm a bit of a Momtrepreneur and make money work from home.  I was going to title this post "10 Ways To Make Money Online" but the phrase "making money" makes me think of a sleezy multi-level marketing, get rich quick scheme rather than actual work.  But the fact of the matter is I have a home based business, and I do make money doing various things online.  These are the ways that I actually earn money online.  Some take less work than others, some require a blog some don't.  I figured however with Christmas coming up some of you might enjoy a little extra income.

So, let's cut to the chase.  In no particular order here are the things I do/use to make money online that don't require a website.  Tomorrow I'll share how I've monetized my blogs.

Swagbucks  The first and easiest way I earn money online is Swagbucks,(referral link) I just use their search engine and redeem points I earn for gift cards.  At the moment I generate about one five dollar gift card a month just by using Swagbucks’ search engine instead of Yahoo.  To me, this is a no-brainer, and free money so to speak.  It doesn't require a lot of extra work.  Also, you can earn Swagbucks by playing their free online games, printing off and using their manufactur’s coupons, and watching their free videos.

Tip, you can earn more Swagbucks if your referrals are earning Swagbucks.  At the moment I don’t have a ton of referrals because I don’t advertise it enough on my blog, facebook, or twitter.  There have been months however where I haven’t used the Swagbucks search engine at all (because I’m a little addicted to yahoo news articles) and I still have earned enough points for a gift card because a referral of mine earned a ton of points.

To advertise Swagbucks on your blog you can write a post about it, and what you’re trying to earn or put an ad on your sidebar.  This is seriously an easy, no strings attached way to earn money so getting referrals isn’t that difficult.  Be sure to share when you’ve earned gift cards too on Facebook or Twitter.  Everyone loves free money.

eBooks  Not only do I use eBooks to grow my blog by offering them as freebies to subscribers but I also use my blog to advertise my eBooks that are for sale.  Most of my sales come via Amazon Kindle books but I do sell a handful of them from my blog itself.

At this point, I've made the most money online from selling my eBooks, but I don't even want to think about how much I've technically made per hour at this point.  A lot of work goes into publishing an eBook (I treat writing like a part time job) but unfortunately it takes time for the sales to roll in.  What is nice however, is once a book is published all the royalties I get from my sales are for work that's already been done.  It's becoming lucrative though which is a plus.  If you're interested in writing a book I highly recommend Sarah Mae's "How To Market And Sell Your eBook"

Consulting  I have several areas of expertise and I advertise personal consulting in all of them.  I’ve priced myself on the low end (I do some consulting through Fiverr) because I don’t want to spend time advertising myself.  By having a lower price I don’t need to spend as much time advertising to get clients.  Although I make less per consultation, I’m not necessarily making less per hour.

Ebay  Don’t let Ebay imtimidate you, it really is easy to sell things, and there’s no need to advertise your products. I've written my eBay tips before.  I've sold clothes, car parts, Barbies, and collectible cards on eBay all to great success.

Craigslist Like ebay you can sell just about anything on Craig’s list locally.  But don’t stop their, you can also offer services you can complete as a virtual assistant or online consultant.  If you have a skill you can provide as a virtual assistant you can advertise in all the major metropolitan areas.

Fiverr   What's Fiverr you might ask?  Well it's an online community where people offer their services for only $5.  Everything from singing happy birthday to editing resumes (which is what I mostly do) can be purchased there.  If you have any skills you're willing to offer for $5 you can start earning money of Fiverr immediately.  I had my first sale within a day of posting my "gig".  You can read more about my experience with Fiverr here.

Lilla Rose All of my Lilla Rose sales come exclusively through web advertising, although Lilla Rose is just like any other Independent consultant business and you can certainly have parties if you don't want to advertise online.  The reason why I chose to become a Lilla Rose consultant was mostly because I wanted the discount on Flexi-clips.  Becoming a consultant was very inexpensive and there is no minimum selling threshold.

Tomorrow I'll share how I monetize my blog.  Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss it.

*This article uses referral and affiliate links.

Want more homemaking help?
Sale Ends Monday April 28 2014, be sure to check out all the details!

Sign Up and For Lessons From Ivy's Free Newsletter  

And Get Instant Free Access To 5 eBooks

And Nearly 100 Pages of Free Printables

Teach Us to Pray

I've started a community on Facebook for other Christian bloggers, Blogging for God, the 40 day Experiment.  I'm keeping it open until Thursday.  It's about prioritizing all areas of life so that our blogs can bring honor and glory to God.  To give you some idea of what we're doing this is our first Devotional.  I hope you'll come over and join us.

Luke 11:1-13
King James Version (KJV)
11 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
3 Give us day by day our daily bread.
4 And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?
12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?
13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Daily Prayer

“Lord give me the wisdom so that my blog will expand your Kingdom. Begin giving me a clear vision for how you want me to use this blog and what its place is in my life.”

Devotion

If you were sitting at the feet of Jesus right now what would you ask Him. Would you ask Him how to serve Him better? Would you ask Him, what His calling is in your life? Would you ask Him a parenting or a marriage question?

Out of any question you could pose, what would you choose? The disciples of course had this opportunity every day they walked with Jesus, and yet there is no record of the disciples asking Jesus how to preach, how to serve, or how to raise their families. The one thing we do have record of however is the disciples asking Jesus how to pray.

They had an opportunity to ask Jesus anything and they chose prayer. That’s poignant, it’s worth thinking on.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best parenting skills, writing skills, speaking skills, or social media skills. Our efforts without the power of prayer behind them are quite frankly pointless.  They may not be fruitless, but I would much rather Christ drive every area of my life then try to muddle through on my own strength.

The first step in this journey is prayer. We’ll be talking a lot about priorities; in the coming days but if you only have time to do one thing each day, pray.

How in the world can we expect our blogs to be blessed if we don’t ask God to bless them. My efforts will only take me so far. My vision and plans are not necessarily God’s.
With that in mind it is also important to remember we’re not truly blogging for the glory of God if we neglect our other ministries. As women this means the home. We can’t expect to know the balance God wishes us to pursue unless we ask Him.

To-do
 Spend Time Reading the Bible and in Prayer
 Do something to show love to your husband
 Do something to show love to your children
 Create a List of 5 Household Priorities, make sure they get done
 Write out 5 blog ideas for the week
 Get ahead on the weeks posting if you have time

Will you learn along with me? Let's encourage one another.

I'd love for you to sign up for e-mail updates or follow me on Facebook.
And to see the lovely places where I link click here.  

How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home Review and Giveaway!!!

I am ecstatic to review (ecstatic is a fancy word for thrilled (can you tell which books we've been reading around here lately?)) Jacinda Vanderberg's newest eBook! How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home.

Believe it or not Jacinda has only been blogging at Growing Home for one year!  And her stats (not that numbers matter when it comes to blogging) are AMAZING!  It is evident that her blog is truly God blessed.

I love the fact that the first thing this book addresses is the importance of putting family first, before cyber space.  The first section of her book was so convicting I spent all of yesterday cleaning.

My only complaint about her book was it's only 25 pages, I wanted her to write MORE!!! But then I started thinking, I was able to read the entire book in the time it took my husband to mow our back yard.  I purchased another book about blogging 2 months ago now and still haven't finished it.

Because you can get through the book quickly you can begin to systematically take her advice!  What's the use just reading about blogging unless you're implementing the tips?

If you take her tips one by one I can guarantee your blog will grow.  A lot of the things Jacinda recommends in her book I started doing in earnest  at the end of last year. (Note my stats with the arrow) And there are some more tips that I plan on implementing IMMEDIATELY.  

One of which is building a community.  If you're interested in joining my facebook group I'm starting leave a message on my timeline. (Any size blog)  I know this is the next step in growing my blog, and I would love to join others who want to do the same.

I would absolutely recommend this book to new bloggers, but also someone who wants concrete actions to take to see growth in their blog.

You can buy the book here for only $4.99.  

Now for the giveaway.  If you'd like to win a copy enter using the rafflecopter below.  Be sure to give me an e-mail address you actually check because this will be how you're notified.  If you win and I don't hear back from you within 48 hours I'll draw another winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Will you learn along with me? Let's encourage one another.

I'd love for you to sign up for e-mail updates or follow me on Facebook.
And to see the lovely places where I link click here.  

Don't Be a Mean Commenter

Is it just me or have the comment sections on websites become an excuse to debase and insult people you don't know?  Many comment sections have become downright mean, and there are some websites where I won't even read the comments for that reason.

 It's easy because of the perceived anonymity of the keyboard and the internet to write something that one may later regret.  I never thought it would be me, but yesterday I wrote something that I deeply regret.

I became that commenter.  You know the one that I mean.  The one that calls the "Duggars pigs" Christians "hypocritical morans" and uses 10 different swear words all in the same breath.  I became the commenter that I so often have to respond to in my blog posts.

Yes, even though I didn't use any profanity, I became that commenter after reading this post by Courtney at Women Living Well about former Victoria's Secret model Kylie Bisutti.

It didn't matter if the opinions I expressed in my comment were Biblical, completely wrong or in between.  It didn't matter because my comments weren't written in love.

Maybe they were written out of a spirit of insecurity or jealousy, but I realized they weren't loving words the moment I hit the "submit" button.  God convicted my heart almost immediately, he seemed to say:

"Why in the world would any woman want to be a Christian if they would be dealing with sisters like you."

It wasn't however until that evening when I read Romans 12:3 that I humbled myself and asked Courtney to delete my previous comment.  Praise God it didn't even make it past her moderation.  (I'm embarrassed enough she had to read it.)

My words that I had so sanctimoniously written were discouraging to say the least but what's worse is that they had the potential to drive people away from God.  They had the potential to be used as an excuse to not come to Jesus' amazing, sweet, grace.  My words weren't loving, plain and simple.

Had Paul simply written to the church of Corinth "You guys stink at this Christianity thing! Everything you do is wrong, " he probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere with their hearts.  Instead he wrote this:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, and have not charity, I become as a sounding brass or tinkling cymbal"  1 Corinthians 13:1.

I pray that I am known as a blogger that is an encouragement not some commenter that snipes at other's with her words.  I never again want to be that commenter.  Thankfully God's grace even covers my foolishness.

Bringing people to the love and of Jesus is far too important to risk with careless words.  Think carefully the next time before you hit the submit button. I am so grateful only one person had to see that ugly side of my heart, but it was still one too many.

Let me know I not alone here, have any of you ever typed something you later regretted?  And for those of you wondering what I actually wrote.......you'll never know ; ) 

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3

To stay up to date, and have access to my free e-book  Sign up for E-mails or  Like Lessons from Ivy 

Let this Blog Expand Your Kingdom

Lord, help me.  Help me glorify you in this blog.  If I am not seeking your Kingdom first everything I do here is worthless.

Lord, let this blog affect your Kingdom.  Guide what I write, guide the stories I share and enable me to do your will here.  Bring readers to your salvation because of it.

Allow this blog to be an encouragement that inspires others to serve you with diligence.  Bless the ministries of my readers, and bring people to your salvation because of them.

Lord allow my words to be blessed that they might provide instruction to those who need it.  Allow me to become a Titus 2 woman to other ladies.  Enable me to speak Your grace and truth to them.

Lord bless the mothers and wives that read this blog.  Help them serve you in their homes.  May I play a role in encouraging their hearts.

Jesus, bring people to your saving grace because of what is written here.  Allow the impact of these words to be felt in eternity.

If there is any sins in my heart expose them to me so I may deal with them.  Do not let any of my short-comings be a hindrance to this ministry.

Lord this blog and every other webpage associated with it is yours.  I ask you allow it to do a mighty work.

If you would like to share in this prayer, feel free to copy this and place it on your side bar, or copy the html code below.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">

<a href="http://www.lessonsfromivy.com/2012/02/let-this-blog-expand-your-kingdom.html"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGEtLKWxexrIhUDDdB5jkom0_KoXw-zIn-nv35L9cfLLqM4aX8MpGjAMADGt433I2HxX7tMVOO08Jk0v847h3xerVVtJpLgbZSG2LbJdu-fGUdP-6H6ZLSGrQZCpveiOeTu7UtKxS9Y029/s1600/Kingdom.jpg" /></a></div>

To stay up to date, and have access to my free e-book  Subscribe or  Like Lessons from Ivy 

Do Other Blogs Make You Jealous?

I'm guest posting today over at Raising Mighty Arrows.


As I've been blogging I have come across some fabulous sites that bless me on a regular basis resources like Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers, A Wise Woman Builds Her Home, Holy Spirit led Homeschooling, The Better Mom, Roo Mag and so many others.


It's easy however to get just a little jealous of other people's success when you so desperately want to be used by God.  Numbers aren't the whole story though.


If you are blogging just for yourself, to share family pictures, or to build a website then this post isn't for you.  But if you desire to honor and glorify God with what you do, I hope you'll join me at Raising Mighty Arrows today to read the rest.


And, have you taken a moment to enter into the "True Christian Motherhood" Giveaway, ending on Monday.

Should I Get a Blog Consultation?

Click here to view more details

If your husband hasn't bought your Christmas gift yet or if you're expecting a little Christmas money, might I recommend a blog consultation?

Why do I blog?  It's really become my ministry for this season in life, and I truly believe it's something God wants me to do not only to encourage other women who are in the trenches with me, but also to one day bring an income to this family.

As many of you know my husband and I desire to transition into full time ministry in the future.  He's just three finals shy of being ordained, but this season of life he's needed to concentrate on providing an income to this family and raising 3 babies.  As frustrating as this extra "time off" from ministry has been to both of us, God has allowed me to be in the position to write and hopefully develop this and other blogs so that it can provide income, support, and advertisement when we do enter full-time ministry.

This is only part of the vision that God placed on our hearts, and we knew last year if this was where God was leading us then we needed some professional, Christian advice.  So as a Christmas gift my husband bought me a Wise Woman Blog Consultation, and I'm so glad he did.

June Fuentes not only provided valuable "how to's" but also provided personal advice specific to my blog and my family's vision, something that can't be found on a Google search or blogging website.  After her consultation my mind was rolling with ideas and purpose.  Armed with a legal pad full of notes and access to her personal blogging advice website God used the consultation to solidify this blog's purpose in my mind.  I especially appreciated the godly guidance and cautions she gave.

With clear goals in mind, I've implemented things slowly into my blogging.  My goal was not to immediately start making $3000 a month (which June has done on her own blogs) but to run the race like the tortoise (who still wins  last time I checked). If I could spend more time at the computer things of course would move faster, but that is not where God has called me.

I am content if things take years to start generating notable income, because I have a vision.  There is a goal in mind, and due to the blog consultation, I know how to reach it.

If you're like me and can't spend a lot of time blogging, it is worth the investment to start with a firm foundation, plan, and goals. If you're ready to start off and running a consultation will of course also provide valuable advice.

The cost is incredibly reasonable, and it is an investment.  Pray about it, and talk to your husband about it, if you're serious about making money with your blog I strongly recommend getting a consultation.  And consider using one of my links, every extra dollar this blog generates will help this family reach our goal of one day being in full time ministry.

Be Blessed!!

And don't forget to write a post for Monday's "Why I love being a Mom" link up.  Subscribe or  Like Lessons from Ivy to stay up to date  

And..........
If you frequent my blog you may have noticed things look different around here lately, that's thanks to Designs by Lee, she has packages that start as low as $30, so if you've been thinking about a custom design check out her shop.