Just what maketh a blog religion?

In short, a lot of things.  Just download your copy of the Master Mind Map (MMP) and you’ll see. 

At first glance, the MMP is a bit overwhelming. After all, there are a quite a few blips connected by just as many line segments.

Like Eating an Elephant

Remember the old joke, “How do you eat an elephant?”   Understanding the MMP isn’t really all that complicated when you look at it ‘one bite at a time.’

The 5 Not So Secret Ingredients of a Blog Religion.

Before we get into the overview, lets review some basic information about Blog Religions. Let’s recall what a Blog Religion is…

As I wrote in this post, blog religions have five elements that distinguish them from every other website. They include:

1. An engaging leader
   
2. A core philosophy that attracts attention
3. Loyal followers
4. A meeting place
5. A sense of community

Let’s add a sixth element: Evangelists!

Evangelists include those that can’t get enough of what you write, produce, exude from every pore of your blog. And, more importantly, they spread the gospel according to you!

Furthermore, a blog religion is a blog constructed according to a precise plan or blueprint.  The blueprint differs from that of most business websites and blogs, most of which are built on the store model.  A store model blog has items for sale, sales copy, a way to make your purchase, and all the rest of the things you’d expect from a store. Think Levenger.com, one of my favorite store websites.

Contrasting the store model with a site like Harley-Davidson.com.  As we all know, Harley riders wouldn’t ride anything else. They also aren’t shy about telling everyone they meet why they ride a Harley. Why do they do this?

Total and unabashed loyalty. Like Harley-Davidson, your bog religions can inspire loyal followers and zealous evangelists.

The View from 10,000 Feet

I recently flew back to San Jose, California from a trip to Anchorage, Alaska. On the decent into the Bay Area, we flew over the city of San Francisco, one of my favorite cities. Having lived there a number of years ago (not to mention being die-hard Giants fans), I’m in the city often.

What struck me as we flew over and I looked down on my old familiar haunts was the completeness of the view of the entire city from this altitude.  I know San Francisco well and can get anywhere without consulting a map.  But on this day, I was scoping out the Golden Gate Bridge, Golden Gate Park, Noe Valley, Diamond Heights, and the Embarcadero as if seeing it for the first time.

Lesson: The view from 10,000 feet is the best way to find your way around.

So let’s look at the MMP from 10,ooo feet. After all, it’s the best way to become familiar with what I’ll be teaching you in the next several posts.

The first thing you notice about the MMP is the color-coded sections.

• There is the central theme of the MMP, Blog Religion, in BLUE.
• Going clockwise, the GREEN section is first and it is concerned with how to monetize your blog.
• The RED section talks bout who is reading your blog, where and how to find them.
• The YELLOW section, though smaller than the rest, is vitally important. It’s about what you can’t and shouldn’t do with your blog religion.
• The ORANGE section is concerned with your purpose; the sole reason your blog religion exists.

The MMP really boils down to the four colors we just mentioned.  Each color designate a vital area of your blog religion.  Each are important and need continual attention. (Hey, nobody said this was for the lazy!)

Where To Now?

I envision at least 10 posts that need to be written to introduce the rest of the elements on the MMP. I hope you’ll be along for the ride.

FUTURE POSTS IN THIS SERIES:

• Purpose: The One Thing & Why It’s Vital to Your Success
• The Three-Pronged Approach to Monetizing Your Blog Religion
  • Consulting: A Necessary Evil
  • Training: Now We’re Getting Somewhere
  • Leverage: The Ultimate Monetization Plan
• The Primacy of Audience
  • Yes, Your Readers are ‘Psychotic Democrats!’
  • Finding Your Fishin’ Holes
  • Stocking the Fishin’ Holes with Social Media
• Limitations: What They Are & the Lesson They Teach

If you like this post, please tell your other blogger friends by retweeting this post using the logo below.  The more the merrier!

As Michael Martine over at Remarkablogger suggests,

It’s the fastest way I know of to “splat” out ideas and see them whole (and how each topic relates to others). “

I’ve used mind maps for years.

I’ve used them for planning blog content, outlining goals, and even designing a vacation. I’ve even given talks and lectures using only a mind map sketched out on an index card.

The use of mind maps are endless.  But I find them most useful these days for planning.

There’s something very satisfying about seeing a plan as a mind map. As Michael mentions, it allows you to see how all your component parts fit together in a larger context. It can provide you simultaneously with the Big Picture as well as the Small.

The Blog As Religion Master Mind Map

Today, I begin giving away the BAR Master Mind Map to demonstrate how planning your blog’s structure and strategy can be combined into one document, thereby making it easier to grasp where your blog is today and where you might be going next.

This tool demonstrates both the strategy and structure required to build a Blog Religion.

I’ll be writing more about both in future posts, but for now why not get your copy and begin playing with your own Master Mind Map for your blog!

How To Obtain Your Full-Sized Copy

There are two ways to get your copy of the BAR Master Mind Map.

1. If you’re not a subscriber, simply fill out the form you see on the right with your name and email address and I’ll send you a couple of free gifts including this mind map.
2. If you’re already a subbie, look for a link to the mind map in the next few days via email newsletter.

Either way, you win.

If you’re a regular reader of BAR (bless you ), you’ll notice the blog has undergone some plastic surgery. A face lift to be exact.

Of course all the same great articles and blog posts are here, but the overall appearance is somewhat more contemporary…a more youthful appearance if you will.

At nearly 52, I’m all for looking a bit more youthful…even online.

I’m using the Headway theme

Headway is an extremely versatile and flexible theme. It allows you to change the layout of any page at any time.

And, if you’re not exactly a code-monkey, there’s literally no CSS or PHP to deal with.  Right up my alley.

If you’re looking for a new WordPress theme and you’re tired of the limitations that free themes offer, then I’d urge you to check out Headway.

Click here for more information on Headway Themes (my aff link).

My son Jeremy was 14 years old.  He needed shoes…badly. We walked in a Big 5 Sporting Goods store and froze in our tracks. The wall of shoes was overwhelming.  Every make and model of running shoes ever made was displayed on this running-shoe-hall-of-fame.  We walked out without new shoes.  Why?

There was too much choice.

Many blogs suffer from this same problem.  If you’ve created a page on your blog with the intent of selling a product, a service or a newsletter subscription, you’ve also got to think about reducing choice.

What do I mean?  I’m talking about removing anything that might distract from your copy. Specifically, I’m talking about landing pages and how to create them on your WordPress blog.

Landing pages are usually pages in your WordPress blog that are dedicated to a specific purpose.

Those purposes may include:

• sales pages for products or services.
• subscription pages for newsletters or memberships.
• anything else where you want to focus the attention of your reader.

Why Focus a Reader’s Attention?

There are many instances when focusing the attention of your reader will result in a greater chance of them doing what your page asks.

Usually this is accomplished by removing the sidebar from your blog’s page.  By removing the sidebar, you remove the distraction of widgets, photos of your smiling face, or anything else that competes for your reader’s attention.

Look at the Sidebar on this Page

Just glance over to the right and you’ll see what I mean.  In my sidebar you see options for subscribing, staying in touch with me in Twitter and Facebook, a list of recent post and comments…the list goes on.

But if my goal is to get you to by something right now, I don’t want any of those elements distracting you from my copy.

Examples of Landing Pages Without Distracting Elements

The following are examples of WordPress blog pages that have elements removed in order to focus the reader’s attention on the page copy.

• No Sidebar -  Look at my pages for my two books: Never Ask For Referrals…Ever and Becoming Irresistible. These are admittedly simple attempts to focus the reader’s attention on the copy for each book by removing the sidebar and keeping the blog header and footer in place. Ideally you want the page to look more balanced than these pages currently demonstrate.

• No Sidebar, Header, or Footer – Dave Navarro and Naomi Dunford’s site for their eBook, How To Launch the **** Out of Your eBook is an example of a WordPress blog page without the distracting elements of the header, sidebar, or footer.

Don’t Let Your Reader Leave Because of Too Many Shoes

If you want to sell a product or service, consider removing the sidebar from your blog page and you’ll focus your reader’s attention on the copy.  You’ll reduce the chance that they will succumb to the distraction of too many shoes.

In the next post, I’ll teach you how to go about doing this.

At first glance, this strikes some bloggers as strange.  I mean, bloggers blog, right?  And blogging means writing.

Yes… and no.  Yes, the majority of a blogger’s time is spent writing. But the writing needs to come from a place of authority; a place of experience.

Consulting is where this begins.

3 Reasons To Consider Consulting

1. Consulting Forms the Basis of Your Message  

I think Albert Einstein said it best:

“Nothing happens until something moves.”

Movement implies an event has taken place.  Nothing is learned unless you experience something.  Nothing builds experience better than rolling up your sleeves and getting to work.

For the blogger, hopefully that has occurred. I mean, who can write endlessly about a topic unless they’ve had experience doing it?  

Doing it for others is what consulting is all about.  The experience gained through performing your service for paying clients forms the very basis of your expertise and authority.

2. Consulting Sharpens Your Message

Your blog is about one thing, really.  If you can’t boil down your blog’s focus and core philosophy to just one idea, there is still much work to be done.

If you know what your blog’s one-thing is, then the experience gained in performing this one-thing is like your own professional laboratory.  It’s where you form your hypothesis and test your methods.  

It’s where you evaluate client feedback and results. These ultimately impact your message by sharpening the razor’s edge of your message and discarding the rest. 

3. Consulting Brings In Revenue

No matter how much we blog on a topic the fact is there are some in our readership that won’t do what we urge them to.

There are both doers and pay-others-to-be-doers among us.

 The pay-others-to-be-doers are your potential consulting clients.  They take longer to ‘sell,’ but they can represent a significant percentage of revenue for your blogging business if you market your services in the right way.

How much revenue? That depends on your service you offer.  My consulting service for crafting referral-generating case studies for blogs and websites runs nearly a $1,000. Chris Garrett’s Flagship Content production services brings in between $1,700 and $3,900 a pop.

Summary

Consulting can be a blogger’s best friend. It helps you build authority of experience, a sharper overall message and a healthier revenue stream.

What About You?

Do you have experience consulting with clients?  Care to share what worked and what didn’t? I’d love to hear your comments.

Likewise, Chevrolet recently reissued an updated version of my first car, the Camaro. It has all the original lines and a very classic look.  It’s sure to become an instant success as well.

Never Ask For Referrals…Ever! – New Title & New Content

Like Ford and Chevy, bloggers and authors need to redesign and update their own works to keep up with changing technology and the needs of their market.  Sean D’Souza’s recent update of The Brain Audit is one example.

I’ve been revising and rewriting my book on referrals and I’m happy to reintroduce it today under a new title: Never Ask For Referrals…Ever! – How To Generate a Flood of Referrals for both You & Your Clients Using Case Studies.

Whats New?

The Title The title of the previous version always bothered me for some reason.  When I embarked on the rewrite, I knew it would ultimately change.

Throughout the revision process one theme kept coming to me and it became the new title – after all, never asking for referrals is the main idea of the book.

The Subtitle The subtitle explains the benefit of using the book. In the book, I take you step-by-step through the process of approaching your client, selling them on the benefits of participating in a case study, and finally, how to complete one.

The Content I’ve revised and rewritten most of the content to reflect the advent of the blogosphere and its impact on Internet marketing. I’ve also enhanced the tutorial about how to approach clients with the case study-referral conversation and included a script for follow-up conversations.

New Audio Version I’m going to add an audio version to accompany a ‘Premium version’ of the book and it will be priced a bit higher at $24.95.  Still, a bargain in my opinion.

What Hasn’t Changed?

The price. Even though the content has changed and it’s become more focused and -well, quite frankly- a heck of a lot better than the old version, I’m keeping the price the same at $19.95.

A Special Re-Issue Offer

Because I’ve not finished the audio version of the book, my Premium package isn’t ready.  As I said above, the Premium version will be priced at $24.95.

Here’s my Special Offer

Purchase the new version of the eBook within the next five days and I’ll give you the audio version for free*.

*In order to get this deal, you must purchase the book (an instant download eBook) by Saturday, April 18th.

When you purchase the eBook before April 18, I’ll send you a special download link by week’s end and you can download the audio version of the book as well.

Want To Take Advantage of This Special Offer?

Click here to take advantage of this Special Offer or just read about the book in more detail.

He toiled day and night and after  about a year or so, his RSS readers numbered in the thousands. He was sought after by big name blogs for interviews and his days were spent making the rounds to all the big events in the blogosphere. 

The paradox is, of course, how his time was consumed by his notoriety. 

The Paradox of Consulting

This example is similar to what happens when you front-load your business with consulting.  While consulting is usually a necessary component of most small businesses, it can quickly consume all your time.

Consulting is a time eater.  It’s also represents a self-imposed income limit because if you’re not consulting, you’re not earning.

Consulting limits your income because there are only so many hours per week you can work and bill that time to clients.  Let’s say your consulting rate is $75 per hour. If you’re lucky enough to bill 10 hours per day for 5 days each week. 

A quick sum reveals a maximum income of $3,750. At first glance, that’s nothing to sneeze at.  But a closer look reveals the truth. 

The Consultant’s Snare

Not many people can bill for 50 hours per week. Depending on your industry, consultants average about 20 billable hours per week.  There is easily 10 hours per week lost to general office work, marketing, preparation, etc. Include out of town travel or daily commuting and your time pool shrinks further.

Billing 20 hours per week knocks your income (pre-tax) to $1,500. Still, a good income in many circles…you need to ask yourself this question.  

Is this the maximum I wish to make for the rest of my life?

The Safe Haven Clause

In Dan Brown’s novel-turned-film, The Da Vinci Code, protagonist Prof. Robert Langdon is being pursued by unknown enemies and find himself in danger of capture in the vault of a Swiss Bank in Paris.  

The Banker tells him that his is one of the oldest accounts on file and includes a safe haven clause…in effect…a clause in the fine print guaranteeing him a safe escape should the very situation presenting itself ever arise.

Langdon and his French police cohort escape from the bank in thesafe haven of an armored transport car.

Consulting’s Safe Haven

The solution to the consultant’s problem of being time-poor and idea-rich is diversification of her business structure.  Here at BlogAsReligion, we refer to this as the Holy Trinity.

Besides consulting, which is necessary and useful because it keeps us sharp and hones the skill required for operating a blog-religion in our field, training and leverage are the forms of diversification to consider.

Recall that the Holy Trinity of Blog-Religions includes consulting, training and leverage.  

By supplementing your consulting with training (really just group consulting), you leverage your time and a dramatic rise in income results.

Let’s say you hold a training session and charge each person $75 to attend. 10 people enroll in your training session and pay in advance.  For the same amount of time you will spend conducting your training session, you’ve managed to multiply your consulting income ten-fold.

You’ve earned $1,500 for a 2-hour workshop as opposed to the $150 you would have earned consulting at your $75 per hour rate with a single client.

While training sessions take time to prepare, once the initial organization is complete the workshop is self-contained for repeat sessions for as long as you are able to attract clients to fill the seats.  

With the availablity of free conference calling vendors, having your clients attend a training session via phone from their home or office is easier than ever.

What About You?

Is your consulting consuming your schedule?  How have you dealt with this paradox?  

If you enjoyed this post, please post of comment and let us know how you’ve dealt with the limitation of consulting or how you feel about the ‘safe haven’ that training affords.

 I look forward to your comments.

Have your seen the headlines today?

How about yesterday? What does it matter, they’re all talking about how the global recession is making it tough for everybody.

It seems this downturn in the economy is affecting everyone from solo-entrepreneurs to companies as huge as AIG (don’t even get me started on that…).

Some industries actually thrive in sour economies

Education is one of them. When I was a college president, I always saw enrollments increase during times of economic doom-n-gloom.

Why? Because uncertainty in the economy makes people think about their future and how they need to be better prepared to weather economic recessions with better training and even a new career.

Blog-Religions do well in uncertain times

Blog-Religions are especially immune to the ups and downs of the economy. That’s because of the way they’re structured.

Here are three reasons (all involving structure) why blog-religions succeed in any economy.

1. Blog-Religions Balance Income Streams -  Consulting, training and leverage are crucial elements of a blog-religion’s structure.  It allows for a balance of income streams without relying solely on one stream to meet your financial needs.

2. Blog Religions Are Problem Oriented - Your blog exists to help solve pressing problems and perplexing issues your readers experience.  It provides practical solutions to the issues plaguing those who come to you for advice.

Systematically solve your clients’ problems and you’ll have a customer for life.

3. Blog Religions Provide Community – Community is a hallmark of any religion and a crucial element of any blog-religion.  Your followers need your leadership as well as each other.  Hosting a forum (like the The Upper Room) for your loyal followers provides a safe-zone where questions can be asked and answers explored without the fear of rejection. It provides a sense of belonging and community.

Economies rise and fall

Your blog -when structured like a religion- can weather any economic storm.

I’m not talking about rituals, though they can be important markers for a blog-religion.

I’m talking about the underlying infrastructure that all religions possess; the rock foundation upon which the faithful depend.

Yes, religions grok structure.

Successful blogs do, too.

Think about it..the structural elements (I know…I said ‘secret ingredients’ in the headline…so, we’ll go with that) that most religions rely on for their success are also found inside successful blogs.

The 5 Not-So-Secret Ingredients for a Thriving Blog-Religion:

1. An engaging leader
   
2. A core philosophy that attracts attention
3. Loyal followers
4. A meeting place
5. A sense of community

Take away any of these ingredients and you no longer have a religion. You simply have a..well..you don’t have much at all…maybe a recipe for failure?

After all, what good is a meeting place without a community?  What good are loyal followers if there isn’t an engaging leader to organize things?  No, the not-so-secret-ingredients are definitely required for both religions and blogs.

“Form ever follows function“

Louis Sullivan, America’s first modern architect and mentor of Frank Lloyd Wright, is credited with this quote:

“It is the pervading law of all things organic, and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things super-human, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.”

Form does indeed follow function. If form follows function, the form a building takes on should fulfill it’s intended function.

• A hospital should be designed with patient care in mind, not the doctors.
• A gym should be designed with it’s users in mind, not designed around the fitness equipment.
• A church should be designed with the parishioners in mind.
• A blog should be designed with the readers/client/customer in mind, not the blogger.

Let’s take that a step further

Blogs should be designed (design includes the framework, mechanics, structure) so that readers/clients/customers gain the ultimate benefit.

In order to bring that ultimate benefit to your readers, you’ve got to build something more than just a blog.  You need to build an online presence that creates community, that engages followers, that provides the structure necessary to convert to your core philosophy.

Here are 3 steps you can take  now to get started building your blog-religion.

1. Define your core beliefs. What does your blog stand for? What problem does it help your readers solve?  What’s the one-thing, the core idea around which your blog coalesces? Explore it. Know it. Write about it.

2. Craft your conversion story. Tell the story that includes why and how readers should adopt your core philosophy. What has your core philosophy done for you?  What will it do me me?  Tell them what will happen if they don’t convert!

3. Evangelize the world. Go forth and spread the gospel according to you! Do this in guest posts, in blog posts, in speaking engagements, in your email newsletter.  Leave a trail back to your blog wherever you go.

Bonus Step

4. Join a community of like-minded bloggers where you can find support and advice.  You might even consider The Upper Room Community Forum!

Today’s Brief: ‘Why You Should Get a Free Gravatar’

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