My worst fears came true. In the summer of 2004, before I was Remarkablogger, blog consultant, my business was different. It was also failing, bigtime. I was working as a contract instructor for a computer training company, but I wasn’t getting paid enough because they couldn’t sell enough training. Things were getting tight. We needed extra income, so I started my little web design business.
I modeled it after what I thought a web business was supposed to be. I had a static website with a few pages that described what I did and how I did it. It was “brochureware”. I had hopes and dreams of success. Luckily, I landed a local client who cut me a check for over $3,000 for my first real job. I felt like a success.
The client dreamed up a bunch of schemes and I thought I had lucked into this fat pipeline of money. I thought he was a little weird, but it wasn’t until much later I found out the surprising and twisted truth: his judgment was impaired by over-prescribed medications. He had the illusion that he was some kind of business genius who could do no wrong.
When the bottom fell out for him, the poor guy had to sell off a bunch of his assets and get some longtime friends to take over his business affairs. And because he was my only source of work at the time, that meant the bottom dropped out for me, too.
The weight of the situation was emotionally crushing. My family depended on me, and I let them down. My wife had to work odd jobs she hated. We went through some tough times and had to file for bankruptcy.
The Lessons and The Wall
There were a lot of lessons from that experience. But there was also something else. I hit a mysterious wall, and I didn’t see how to break through it at the time… even though the answer was right in front of me.
What was the wall? Getting clients. I lived in the nation’s smallest capitol city (the only one without a McDonald’s and only one traffic light downtown, no joke) where a good third of the people thought the internet was evil if they even knew what it was at all. It was like I had opened up shop in the middle of a desert. Nobody came, so I closed the shop.
My business died. Totally flatlined. Gone.
Luckily, I found full-time employment, rather than contract work, and that saved my ass. I nursed my wounds until one day I realized what had been missing before. What had I missed? Perspective, for one thing. My field of vision about how to do business was too narrow, geographically. It never occurred to me that as one person I could do business with people all over the world. At that time, PayPal had not become the ever-present payment system it is now. In contrast to those days, now none of my clients are locally-based—-they are from all over the world.
The other thing I missed was how to get traffic. The answer was right in front of my face every time I wrote something for one of my blogs (which don’t exist, anymore). I was making a few hundred dollars a month with AdSense, and on my “personal” blog I was even an early “meta” blogger (someone who blogs about blogging). I subscribed to ProBlogger back when Darren only had a few thousand subscribers. And I still didn’t make the connection.
The Boing Boing Epiphany
Boing Boing was an early blog with a huge following. It is now one of the most popular blogs in the world (if not the most popular). Even back then, I marveled at their traffic. One day, when I was reading yet another Boing Boing post, it hit me: why did I visit Boing Boing so many times per day? Because they kept writing stuff that interested me.
That’s when I knew what blogging really was: it was a fantastic method for getting traffic and attention. What you write about determines what kind of and how much attention you’re going to get. And that was the secret to getting business clients over the web.
A brochureware site simply cannot accomplish what a blog can in this regard.
Blogging Saved My Bacon
When I realized this, this site you’re on right now was on its way to becoming a blog about fantasy and science fiction writing and illustration (no kidding). But my interest in that was dwindling (it may yet revive) and once I really began to see how I could profitably run a business entirely over the internet, my path became clear. I started blogging with renewed purpose. I had business objectives to meet. I turned this blog into a business by offering real business services based around what I knew and had skills in: blogging itself. My business became blog consulting, blog coaching, and blog design.
Almost as soon as I set up shop and opened my doors for business this time, I had work. And it hasn’t shown any signs of slowing. It was like throwing the big switch on Frankenstein’s monster: my business was not only back from the dead, it has super-human strength! Now, I realize the analogy breaks down at the part where the townspeople form a lynch mob, but you get the idea. Blogging saved my business.
I do not even have to try to attract clients, they come to me. How? My blog contains the information people search for when they find themselves in need of help on their blog, and I make it really easy for them to take the next step of contacting me. I’m creating more and more of this targeted content every week, instead of tossing a couple web pages out into the internet like messages in bottles and hoping somebody happens across them.
What might blogging do for your business?
Hi Michael – Thanks for sharing. I love this type of story because you’re actually showing people where you went wrong and how you fixed it.
This is far more helpful to real people than one of those blogs that says – I’m here, I’m amazing and I never made a single mistake.
I started blogging as a hobby to see where it might lead. But lately, I’ve begun to realise that it really is possible to turn visitors into customers.
And your post has given me the confidence to think about pursuing that possibility.
Thank you.
Michael,
Your story made me shudder and grin, once almost both at the same time. You constantly publish information that I have used on my genealogy blog and websites. Thank you so much for sharing.
I have been writing genealogy articles on the Internet for over ten years, actually about twenty years if you count early adopter use of forums and bulletin boards.
I never tried to monetize my sites until a little over six months ago. What a mistake. I still do not make any great amounts from AdSense or Affiliates, it sort of dribbles in. However my sites are now accepted as being professional with excellent content and I have achieved recognition many times in the way of paid lectures, genealogical research for others, and also writing.
I have just been contracted to provide a once a month article for the most prestigious genealogical society in the U.S and the New York Times contacted me last week about doing a story of my Upstate New York Genealogy Blog.
Life is good.
Love your story.
Dick Hillenbrand
Very powerful story told with honesty. You did a great job building and making your point. Congrats!
You had me at “bacon.”
I agree – ever since I started taking blogging seriously, my business has gone way up (especially for the freelance writing).
Having an audience ROCKS. If you don’t have one, blog one up
@Cath – Turning visitors into customers is the art and science of conversion. Blogs can do this over time, post after post, or, sometimes they do it after a single decisive (in the mind of the reader-prospect) post. You should definitely think about doing it.
Even if you start a blog as a hobby, you still want as many people as possible to read it, so you have a conversion objective to get subscribers. Introducing a new conversion objective, such as buying something, means you have to write content that gently allows readers to see that objective as a benefit to themselves.
@Dick – Monetization isn’t necessarily a mistake unless it causes you to lose business, traffic, search ranking, and Google PageRank. If any of those things start happening, reconsider. Otherwise, you’re just not doing it as well you could be.
But as you’ve discovered, the real value lies in the opportunities your exposure and content are providing you. To increase the chances of those opportunities, make sure it’s clear on your blog that you do these activities. That way, others will get the idea in their heads that they could pay you for them as well.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that makes my day!
Michael,
This post showed up in my mailbox this morning and I was going to scan it and come back later, but I couldn’t. I’ve often wondered if a static website for a service business is little more than a cyber business card.
This is priceless information that I need to use and try to revive one of my little businesses that has never really gotten off the ground. This is a great article, I am going to send it to my daughter who has a graphic design business.
Thanks
@Psiplex – Thanks!
@Dave – “Blog one up” is EXACTLY IT. Best phrase ever, and so true.
@Valerie –
That just might be the best compliment I’ve ever received on my writing. Thank you!
Did you mean boingboing.net or .com?
@Bill – Why… uh… .net, of course! I was just testing you!
Dave Navarro – “You had me at bacon” – Hilarious.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for sharing your story with us! Truly inspirational!
OMG…talk about RIGHT ON TIME! My husband has had a relatively popular blog in his niche for over that was generating some traffic, but he wasn’t making any money on it at all (as I continually reminded him!). He let it slide for awhile.
Last April, I started a blog–sort of; designed it, wrote a few posts, got Adsense and some affiliates, etc. Let it slide.
I had been trying to get another *real job* for several months; but only one interview, and the annual salary offered was $19,000! (I have been a member of AARP for several years…so that amount was a slap in the face…)
In June, I decided to get serious about developing a writing/blogging business. I studied all of these wonderful blogs about the blogging business, redesigned my 1st blog and website, etc., and linked that 1st blog to my husband’s blog (which he re-invigorated) for cross-traffic.
Since my official launch of July 1st, I have loads of traffic, 3 new clients (all from my blog and referrals), and enough work to keep me busy for awhile!
I want to thank you for your expertise, and for this post which makes it clear that I am on the right track.
I am still refining everything, but it will be done.
So Michael… you are a real person after all!
I’m glad you shared.
@waterprise – Thanks so much! Best of luck to you! Subscribe and keep reading!
@Rhett – Yes, the rumors about me being a robot who works constantly are entirely unfounded. I am in fact a human being… who works constantly.
Michael, thanks a ton for sharing this. One of my favorite things about you is your openness. I can empathize more than you might know. Best wishes going forward.
Fantastic article, clear and interesting to read as always but … how depressing! I just spent months teaching myself Dreamweaver and putting together a static website and now, having read your post and recently a few posts from other sites that all reach the same conclusion, I have figured out that I now need to teach myself how to use a blogging program and come up with the right angle for a blog if my business is to succeed online! O’ what a tangled web indeed. I must have been living under a rock! Thank goodness for all this online advice.
Abigail –
Don’t despair. If you taught yourself Dreamweaver, that knowledge will transfer and come in handy with blogging. You’ll still be doing some HTML work, and have an edge up when learning CSS.
[...] Michael Martine did just that in an amazing post. He explains why his first business failed and how blogging saved his bacon. If you’re a business owner, or you want to start a business, you can’t afford to miss reading his amazing story: How I Brought My Business Back From The Dead With Blogging. [...]
Dave – thanks, that’s good to know! I’m actually excited to learn something new. And who doesn’t love a project? But I need to make sure I get my angle right and that, I think, will be the trick. Which was, of course, Michael’s point!
It’s great you are sharing your failure story — we can all learn from failures but too few have the courage to share one.
I have a mixed feeling about blogs as a way to get clients, however. It’s great for businesses like internet marketing or computer gadgets, but for certain businesses, I think it may work as distraction — I mean certain people who come to certain website already motivated to do business as long as the offer is good, may get sidetracked to reading all the blog posts, get tired, and may postpone their purchase.
I’m thinking of my own second site, Akashic Record Reading. It’s on the first page of google search for that term, so people who know what Akashic Record is are already very interested. Will I do better if I offer more blog posts there? (I don’t even call it “blog” there even though I use WP. Some people still don’t know what a blog is.) Or is it better to leave it as it is?
I know the conversion rate is not 100% (if that is ever possible) so there is a room for improvement. . . maybe . . .
What do you think?
@Easton – Thanks, very much. That means a lot to me, and it goes to show that we learn more from mistakes than success—even if it’s someone else’s mistake. As long as you’re looking for the lessons in them, mistakes always contain the seed of an equal or greater benefit. This post could have prevented who knows how many people from making the same mistake I did.
@Abigail – Dave is right (thanks, Dave!). We are all at different points along the path, and although you can be smart about things, there are no magic shortcuts. I know your feeling very well, because I’ve been there many times (I’m just farther down the path). Just think how you would feel if hadn’t learned this until two years from now.
Your skills will allow you to reach the next level. Without them, you couldn’t take the next step on your own. You’d have to hire someone. Buck up and press on. You still know more than most people.
@Akemi – Well, the next step after getting on the first page of Google search results is getting the number one position!
Through a conversion-oriented blog design, it is possible to have a blog that does not distract. By the way, that is an excellent point you raise. I have never heard anybody say anything about how a blog might distract and detract from the main conversion goal, but now that you mention it, I can see how it would be possible.
You will never know for sure unless you test the conversion effectiveness of different designs. Notice how I really aim for conversion on my blog, yet it is still very much a blog. The area at the top of the page converts very well for me. Many other business blogs use a similar design tactic because it converts so well.
I can see how well this site is designed. Clearly, you know what you are doing.
And thank you for understanding my view. I think people have a limited attention span — they stay on one site only so long. That is why you put the conversion buttons at the top, right? When a site takes too long to navigate around, or offer too many options to choose, many simple opt out rather than spending the time to look around and contemplate.
Another issue of blog is older posts get buried. Sure I have “Best of Yes to Me” list on the sidebar, but I know many readers just read the newest post, or the post on the “blog” page.
How happy I am that Catherine Lawson linked to this post.
Thank you for sharing your story of how a blog helped you to find success. As a blogger it’s always great to read how others “did it”.
Well first I would like to know where you got that great picture, it’s perfect for the post.
Second, this is a great story and somewhat similar to mine, while I have had success with static sites, blogging is a completely different animal and the traffic is like a magnet.
@Akemi – Thanks for the compliments on the design, and you’re welcome!
@Barbara – You’re welcome, and thanks for stopping by for a visit. I hope you’ll be here regularly!
@JR – That picture is a stock photo. I photoshopped the text onto it. Glad you enjoyed the post!
[...] Micheal Martine begins the singing the praises of blogging hit parade with his post How I Brought My Business Back from the Dead with Blogging. [...]
Great story. Thanks for sharing. I like this sort of story where people share their experiences.
[...] may remember last week a published a very different kind of post from what I usually do, called How I Brought My Business Back from the Dead with Blogging. I wrote that post after reading Made to Stick. It had an impact on people and drew a very [...]
[...] Free To Cast The First Stone: Ian Denny talks about the stigma attached to business bankruptcy. How I Brought My Business Back From The Dead With Blogging: Michael Martine lost everything and describes how blogging helped him start again. Reaching Back [...]
I’m glad I stumbled onto your site! I love the realistic tone and the honesty about failure. As someone who is making some major changes in life and career, I get tired of the sites that never acknowledge the possibility of failure. That’s not the way the world works.
I look for the best advice I can get, and I appreciate it when people admit their mistakes and what they learned from them. Believe me, I’ve made a couple of doozies already, and someday I may actually blog about them!! If someone hasn’t experienced setbacks or failures, then I believe they haven’t learned anything. And those folks have nothing to say that I want to hear.
Great site! I’m looking forward to reading more.
@Alice – Thanks and welcome! Success doesn’t happen without failure, and the more you fail the more you succeed. Funny how people want to pretend like failure doesn’t exist. If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough!
[...] Martine of Remarkablogger had me with this dramatic title: How I Brought My Business Back from the Dead with Blogging. Fortunately, the post doesn’t fail to disappoint. Michael’s post clearly shows how [...]
[...] or provide an important service – and you’ve got plenty of experience doing it. Write about how you solved a particular problem, or give your readers a little inside information that they wouldn’t know on their own. This [...]