Hi, and welcome! If you are new here, my name is Arttu. I’m the owner of this site (as you could probably imagine from the domain). My plan was to post all kinds of stuff here, from poker to web design tips. Now, I’m not sure what I want to post about.
Realizing that most people aren’t interested in the same things I am, made me reconsider my options. I want my websites to be successful. This means focusing on a niche and building an audience around it.
The need to create specific content lead to me wanting to build multiple sites. And so the idea of an online empire begun.
What I mean by online empire
One thing is certain, “normal” life with a “normal” job isn’t for me. I want to do something bigger. That’s where my “Online Empire” comes in.
To me, an online empire is a series of websites and other online platforms I own that make passive income. I’m not yet sure how many websites there are going to be, but I would guess many.
Parts of the “empire”:
- Different niche websites
- YouTube videos from the same content
- Podcasts
- Digital content like courses and ebooks
- Online store
Running an online empire is what I want my future to be like. I have wanted to be an entrepreneur for as long as I can remember. Being my own boss and getting to choose my own hours seems like a goal worth pursuing.
I know that running my own business isn’t easy. Most of the time it’s super hard work with little reward. But I don’t mind. The feeling of doing things for myself makes up for all the hardship.
Something that I need to get better with is social media. There are thousands if not millions of people who use it for great financial success, and I want to be one of them. And judging by the fact that you are still reading you also want to be one of them.
Why you should start your online empire
The answer to this is pretty simple, you can be free! Having your empire means that you can make money while you sleep! Is there anything better?
Like I said earlier, it’s going to be a lot of work for very little compensation in the beginning. That shouldn’t make you feel sad or want to stop doing it. It should make you want to do it even more! Because if it was easy everybody would be doing it.
The good thing is there is no secret to success. It simply requires a lot of hard work and dedication.
So are you ready to start?
Deciding the target audience
As many of you have probably guessed from my name, English isn’t my native language. So, why did I decide to write in English?
The reason is simple, there isn’t enough traffic in Finnish. There are only five million of us Finns on this planet, so it is a pretty small playing field, to begin with. If I pick a topic that doesn’t appeal to the masses the traffic for Finnish content is super tiny.
That’s why I’m writing in English.
However, the language is only a small part of the picture. For anyone to succeed in this highly competitive industry that is content creation, you need to do one thing. You have to target it.
This means creating content in one area and sticking with it. This way the content on your site is something that the readers are interested in. AKA, they will consume more of your work.
Having a targeted audience also means you can have higher-paying adds. Also, it’s easier to convert your loyal readers/watchers to customers.
Different platforms to choose from
There are many ways one could start an online empire. The most well-known one is probably starting your own website. Many have become successful that way.
Your website can be a blog, or it could be some other kind of website. Getting either the traffic or some social media following is the key to success.
More platforms:
- YouTube, the second biggest search engine and largest video sharing site in the world.
- Facebook, still the number one social media site.
- Instagram, great for pictures and short videos.
- Pinterest, amazing photos, and ideas.
- Twitter, best way to connect with fans.
If you want to be successful in the online landscape, you need to diversify, but do it slowly. This gives you time to understand how the different platforms work.
After getting your feet wet, you should try to add all kinds of content in your bag. Using different platforms allows you to get more visibility.
What platform to choose?
This is a big question, and frankly, it’s one that I don’t know how to answer. The platform you should choose depends on multiple factors.
Factors for choosing a platform:
- Your personality and what you are comfortable with
- How the content fits into different forms of media
- What type of content the audience wants
- Where the audience is
Factor #1: Your personality
Your personality is, in my opinion, the biggest factor in choosing a platform. Somebody who just isn’t comfortable being in front of the camera probably shouldn’t start a YouTube channel. The same goes for podcasts and so on.
I’m not saying someone shouldn’t start making videos because they are shy. I believe that anyone can do whatever they put their mind into. But I do encourage you to play to your strengths. That’s why I’m writing instead of speaking right now.
I recommend starting with something you are good at or have a passion for.
So for all great photographers, Pinterest is a good starting point. For the future reality star, I recommend YouTube. And for a skillful penman, I recommend starting your own blog.
For all, I still recommend having your own website. It allows you to gather all of your content and display it the way you want. It also offers better ways to monetize your content later. Whether it be in the form of affiliates, selling courses, or even products. Having your website helps with all that.
Factor #2: Content format
Some type of content just works better on video than on text. The same goes for podcasts and photos. You need to understand which format fits your content best.
If you are making some educational content, it might be best to put it in writing to allow easy revision. Decide carefully how you want to present your content.
Factor #3: What the audience wants
Right now videos and podcasts are the hottest things online. They are easy to digest and fit well in our busy modern lives.
So, find out what your audience wants and start doing it!
Factor #4: Where your audience is
This should be pretty easy to understand. If you want to make videos then you should probably publish them on YouTube.
But this is only the beginning. Quality target audience research should go further. Try to find other websites, creators, or forums related to your niche. Make yourself part of the circle by posting good comments and posts on other platforms.
After you become a familiar member of the group, you can start promoting your own content. This doesn’t mean spamming. Nobody likes spammers. Try to help others, and they will respect you or help you back. It’s a win either way.
Next steps
First, think of what you want to create content about. Try to look up a niche where there isn’t that much competition, but still enough traffic to make it worth it. You can use different tools for this like Google’s Keyword Planner and Google auto-suggests.
Next up you should create your own website. This sounds more difficult than it actually is. It’s one of those things you just have to start, and after that it’s easy. You can check out my post about creating a website to have a starting point.
Third, start making content. You should focus on making content from the very beginning. A common mistake is focusing too much on the visuals and not enough on the sheer volume of content.
Focusing on volume doesn’t mean you should publish bad content. Try to make “good enough” content so that it’s helpful, but you don’t have to spend three weeks perfecting it.
Now, you are making content and you are starting to get tired. What’s next? Well, there isn’t really much I can help you with. You just have to grind it out. Try adding more social media to the mix to get some feedback on your work.
Getting criticism is scary, but it’s also super helpful. Connecting with your audience also makes the “job” way more rewarding.
How I’m starting my online empire
This website is my beginning. It’s where I start my journey. I’m going to play into my strengths and try to be a blogger.
This blog is going to focus on how I try to become successful and how you can do it alongside me. I plan on launching other sites with more of a focus on specific subjects. This site is more personal, focusing on different ideas and subjects I’m interested in.
Creating a website was one of my goals for this year. Check out this post to find more about my other goals.
I also started using Twitter to grow my audience. I’m posting daily, so if you are interested, go follow me from the link below.
Hope you enjoyed the text. Leave a comment below, and see you all next time!
