If you have a passion for travel, and can string a sentence together, you could make a living by sharing your adventures with the world. If this sounds like exciting, keep reading to find out how to make this wanderlust dream a reality.

The first step is to set up a place to write about your adventures online, such as WordPress, and create social media handles so that you can share them with your network, family and friends. So, where to start?

 

Register Your Blog’s Domain Name

The first step to becoming a successful travel blogger is to think of an amazing name. You’ll need to put on your creative thinking cap, as it really is all in the name. You should steer clear of obvious choices and come up a unique and descriptive name. Once you’ve found the perfect name for your travel blog you need to register it, and make sure it’s not already taken, with a domain name registration service. Find out more on the practicalities of setting up and registering your blog name at Business.gov.au.

 

Bring Your Blog to Life

You don’t need an uber web developer to create an awesome website for your travel blog. Website-building platforms, such as WordPress, make it easy to set up your blog by yourself. Be prepared to embark on a steep learning curve as you take on the tutorials involved in getting your travel blog ‘publish’ ready. If you want to skip this step, you can also use website-builders such as SquareSpace. But if you have time, the effort of learning to use WordPress will equip you with a valuable skillset.

 

Writing for the Web

Once your travel blog is created and ready for action, it’s time to focus on writing and publishing quality content. Writing for the web is different to writing for print publications. This is because people read differently online that they do in print. A short online course such as Writing for the Web  with Australian Online Courses is an ideal way to ensure your content is engaging and effective in building your online audience.

 

Take Professional Photographs

You don’t need advanced skills in photography to take amazing photos, but it helps to know the basics. A good quality SLR camera to capture beautiful, travel scenery that you’ll want to share is a must. Most cameras come with instructions, and while it might take time to work out the settings, it will be worth it! Great photographs are not usually made by having your camera stuck on its automatic settings.

It’s also a good idea, as you become more experienced, to invest in photo editing software, such as  Photoshop, to enhance your shots.

 

Find Your Niche or Point-Of-Difference

It’s in your best interest to explore (and follow) other travel bloggers to get an idea of what others are doing in this space. There may be influencers (people who have a large online audience) who will be willing to mentor or help you. Then again, maybe not; but, you won’t know if you don’t ask.

Next, you need to carve out your niche, or point-of-difference, to make your mark as an original voice in the travel blogosphere! As an example, do you adore food? If so, you could explore the best restaurants of the world. Maybe you’re an avid camper? You could visit all the best camping sites in Australia and blog about the experience. The ideas are limited only by your imagination and interests.

 

Digital and Social Media Marketing

There’s more to creating a successful travel blog than writing creative content and posting extraordinary photographs. Why? Because no matter how awesome your travel blog, if no one knows about it, it doesn’t exist. This is where social media and digital marketing skills become essential. You can learn a lot from studying how other successful bloggers operate but to educate yourself on digital marketing techniques.

 

Build Your Network

Networking is particularly important for new bloggers. You can network and build links to your new blog by commenting and guest posting on other blogs. Just make sure it’s authentic and relevant to the travel blog you have created.  If you provide valuable content you’re more likely to be promoted by other websites. You can also connect to an audience looking for travel inspiration through social media platforms, such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to build your Likes and Followers.

 

Build an Email List

When you have your travel blog up and running it’s time to focus on advertising and marketing. One of the best ways to find those true fans who love reading about your adventures is through building a regular readership. So, how do you do it? You need to build an Email subscriber list by offering something of value. It could be a poster-size photograph of one of the most beautiful places you’ve visited. Or it could be your subscriber-only 100 Things to do In Switzerland.  Whatever your giveaway, it needs to create excitement. You can use a marketing automation system like Mail Chimp to help you set up and create emails and e-newsletters to send out to subscribers.

 

Time-Management

Starting a successful blog is time consuming, so if you fail to plan you plan to fail. Time-management strategies will be your best friend, especially if you’re juggling a full-time job or work commitments. Check out the short online course offered by Australian Online Courses, Successful Time Management, to master the art of managing your time well.

If you create a content strategy and set goals for your blog, you’ll be more likely to stay motivated. Keep in mind that the quality of your content is more important than the quantity you publish. After all, your audience won’t return or share your content if it’s not remarkable.

 

Australian Online Courses

Australian Online Courses delivers quality online professional development courses covering a variety of subjects from many industries. All online courses are industry-approved and flexible in delivery, so you can study when, where and how best fits your lifestyle. Simply visit us online or contact one of our friendly Learning Consultants today on 1300 762 221.