Today, I’m going to share a sample blog business plan. My goal is to give you adequate information and step-by-step instructions on how to create your own blog business plan.
Do you own a website or blog? If you answered YES to that question, do you have a written business plan for your blog? Honestly?
Chances are, you don’t. Most people start a blog or website without putting much thought into it. They simply wake up one morning, have a great idea, and launch a blog. They don’t have a specific plan, goal or objective. All they have is an idea.
In my opinion, this is one of the major reasons that so many blogs and websites fail.
I learned in the Army that failing to plan is planning to fail. Every hour you spend planning will save you at least five to ten hours in execution, and probably much more than that.
Regardless of what type of business you own, even if it is a blog or website, you need a written business and marketing plan. It’s non-negotiable.
What Should Be Included In Your Blog Business Plan?
In case you are overwhelmed by the idea or don’t know where to start, just ask the questions you see below and type up the information into a Word document.
# 1: Who is your target market?
Who is your ideal reader? Who are you ultimately trying to reach? Please take the time to determine this before you even create a blog. Be specific. The tighter, more focused your target market the better. On the internet, everything is broken down by niche. Think of the internet as a bunch of small communities. Also, you can’t be all things to all people. Who do you want to resonate with the most?
# 2: What is your unique selling proposition?
What makes you and your blog different from every other blog or website in the marketplace? For example, I am the No B.S. Network Marketer. I call a spade a spade and focus on educating, helping and inspiring other network marketers.
# 3: What is your mission?
What is your mission? Why do you exist? What is your purpose? What value or benefit do you offer your readers? What problem do you hope to solve?
# 4: What is your vision for your blog?
What is the ultimate goal of your blog? What do you really want to accomplish with it? For instance, do you want to sell it one day for a large profit, have it provide ongoing passive income, or do you just want to help serve, educate or entertain others, regardless of whether or not you make money? Only you can decide what is best for you.
# 5: What are your five-year goals?
Where do you see your blog in five years from now? How much content will you have? How much income will it produce? Just make your best guess.
# 6: What are your one-year goals?
What are you trying to accomplish in the next 12-months? How much content will you create? How much income will you make? The best thing to do is divide your five-year goals by five. For example, if you want 500 articles in five years from now, your goal should be to create 100 articles this year.
# 7: What are your income streams?
How will you make money with your blog? What will be your primary income stream? What will be your additional income streams? It’s best to brainstorm these things BEFORE you start your own blog.
# 8: What is your daily action plan?
What will you do each day, each week and each month to grow your blog and move closer to your goals? What are your three to seven daily tasks?
# 9: What is your marketing plan and budget?
What type of marketing and advertising budget do you have to promote your blog each week? Where will you advertise it? How will you advertise it? Without a doubt, this is the number one reason so many blogs fail: a poor marketing strategy.
# 10: Who are your competitors?
It makes sense to spend time evaluating your competition. Look at the 5-10 most popular blogs in your potential niche. What are they doing well? What are they doing wrong? What could they improve upon? How are the monetizing their blog? How can you make your blog different from them? The answers to these questions will point you in the right direction.
As you can see, your blog business plan will clearly identify your goals, vision, unique selling proposition, daily action plan, marketing plan, and much more. It will let you see the big picture: the forest from the trees. It will let you see your website from the outside in.
Now, don’t get stressed out about these questions. Your answers to these questions can change. They will change. Just start where you start and make the necessary adjustments along the way, as you learn and earn.
Sample Blog Business Plan
What I want to do in the rest of this post is provide a sample blog business plan.
It’s my business plan for 2020. I update it each year in early January. I created my blog business plan when I first launched this blog, and I have updated it every year since. If you want to monitor my progress, you can read my blogging success story here.
By no means do you need to use the exact same format that I did. Feel free to modify, edit or change this sample blog business plan to whatever format works best for you.
Chuck’s Blog Business Plan
(January 1, 2020 to Dec 31, 2020)
My Target Market
My website is www.OnlineMLMCommunity.com. My target market is current and former network marketers and anyone actively looking to get involved in the industry. My website also attracts people interested in making money from home, people servicing the MLM Industry and MLM Companies.
Unique Selling Proposition
I am the No B.S. Network Marketer. I call a spade a spade and speak the truth, without hype, fluff or B.S. I am a watchdog for the MLM Industry. I provide cutting edge help, tips and information to network marketers from any company. My goal is to educate, to help, and to inspire other network marketers to achieve success in their current company.
Vision
In the next five years (December 31, 2024), I will have one of the top 3 most visited network marketing blogs on the internet, with more than 2,500 pages of valuable content. In 2024, I will have 3 million page views at my blog. My goal is to earn $1,000,,000 per year in income from my blog in 2024 (including my MLM Income). My 20-year goal is to sell my blog for at least $5 million.
Mission Statement
To educate, to help, and to inspire other network marketers. To serve as a “watchdog” for our industry and help give the industry a good name.
My Income Streams
I sell training courses, affiliate programs, leads, and services that benefit network marketers. I promote about 40 different income streams, but focus most of my efforts on my top 3 income streams. My primary focus is building my own MLM team. Some of my best income streams include:
- My Primary Company
- Power Lead System
- Aweber
- Herculist
- Amazon Affiliate
- My Info Products
- My Services
- Advertising
Five Year Business Goals (December 31, 2024):
- Have 2,500 pages of content
- Have an email list with 200k subscribers
- Have 3 million page views in 2024
- Earn $1,000,000
This Year’s Business Goals (by December 31, 2020)
- Add 120 new blog posts
- Edit 300 old blog posts
- Add 50,000 new email subscribers
- Earn $300,000
Action Plan
In order to achieve these goals, this is my action plan.
- Publish 2-3 new blog posts each week
- Edit 5 blog posts each week
- Email my list every Monday, Wednesday and Friday
- Share content on Facebook daily
- Leave 5-10 blog comments per week
- Invest $1k weekly in paid advertising to promote my blog
***** End of Business Plan
Creating Your Own Blog Business Plan
I really hope you will take the time to create your own blog business plan. No, your goals don’t need to be as lofty as mine are. You don’t need to use the same format I did either. Just take out a pen and paper and write down your plans on a piece of paper. Do a brain dump and write down everything you can think of.
Review it once or twice a day for the next 7-days. Make changes as needed until you have a concrete business plan. If possible, keep your blog business plan to no more than 1-2 pages. The simpler the better.
Once you are happy with your finished plan, type it up on your computer. Next, review your final blog business plan at least once every 7-days to make sure you are on track. Remember, it is a living, breathing document that will change from time to time. Update it as needed.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, this is my sample blog business plan. I hope you found the information helpful. What are your thoughts? Does it make sense to you? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. I look forward to hearing from you.
Suggested Resources
Chuck Holmes
20+ Year Network Marketing Professional
Top Earner & Top Recruiter
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
P.S. Learn how to grow a successful network marketing business. Secret tips, training, and practical ideas. Free training delivered by email.
Great post! but before going for a business plan we need to keep some of the things in mind like Surveys, In-depth Interviews, and Desktop Research. I am in really love with your action plan thank you so much.
Glad I could be of assistance.
Yes, its true the one must have a business plan for succeeding in any endeavour. But above all, it’s the perseverance and constant efforts in that direction that lead you to the final destination. The hard work has to be done by you to fulfill your dream….
Good points. Show me someone who can put in the work consistently, and persist, and I will show you someone who is successful.
What a gift, sharing your business plan is very generous. Now I have written mine – just need to tweak it and it’s done.
You’re a blessing Chuck.
Thank you
Glad I could help Donna.