Case Study👉 How YOU Can Make $31K a Month Via a Personal Finance Blog

The Scott Max Newsletter

In Partnership with The Neuron

Hi 👋, this is the Scott Max newsletter. The daily newsletter bringing you one step closer to your own thriving online business. 

We analyze a wonderful, small, online business each week with a full breakdown of how it makes money, why it makes money, and its opportunities to grow. Below that, we give you the action steps to build a business like this to create freedom for yourself.

This is the best way to learn the tactics, skillset, and nuance of making money online.

Let’s get to the good stuff you'll see in this email:

• A thriving online business making a steady income.

• Unique techniques enable this business to stand out in its niche and achieve success.

• A step-by-step guide to setting up a business like this one for yourself!

But first, let me introduce our partner for this email,

What does this online business do? 🚀

In this edition, we will be analyzing a Finance blog that has simplified practical steps on how to make, save and budget money.

This blog has employed a modern take on how to stay on track with personal finances and debt.

I am sure this newsletter will be of great use to all readers, entrepreneurs and employees, young and old across different backgrounds.

In it we will reveal unique features of the website, how it generates 5 figures and sort through data with the help of Ahrefs.

Let’s talk finances.

How does this online business make money? 💻

Before we dive into how the blog makes a 5 figure income, I must disclaim that the blog is managed on a part-time schedule.

Even though the blog managers dedicate a certain amount of time to the blog the numbers are very impressive for such a blog.

Its Affiliate marketing program has contributed to much of the total income on a quarterly term.

More than 90% of the total income comes from the blog’s functional affiliate program.

The blog has noted $30K in affiliate revenue. It has a philosophy that the best affiliate partnerships are products/services you resonate with and believe in.

That is the secret weapon to earning big through affiliate marketing.

Visible across the website are display advertisements.

The blog has trusted Mediavine as an advertising network for a long time to earn through advertising.

This finance blog has relied on Mediavine to make an income through the number of times it appears( impressions) and the number of clicks from blog readers.

High volumes of consistent traffic are a key ingredient to earning a reasonable amount of money on  

Other streams of revenue include Sponsored content, Digital Products and services.

What has this business done well?🔥 

Here we will point out the positives that make this blog a success in its own right.

It is helpful content in relation to its targeted audience.

According to its lead generation strategy, the blog aims to appeal to a specific demographic of young adults from the ages of 24-28 years old

Several articles (within categories) are useful to young adults who are looking to manage their funds proactively.

By arranging blog posts in topical categories that are simple to understand and attract the reader’s attention.

Organising content in categories and structuring all website material makes the website user-friendly.

All online businesses should pay close attention to the overall structure, this could be the make or break of a website.

Website structure can affect the traffic numbers in a negative way.

According to Ahrefs metrics, the blog has managed to attract a high volume of website visitors amounting to 61.6k.

An indication that the website's structure is very functional and user-friendly.

Having various streams of income that earn the blog a steady income and provide a service to website visitors

As mentioned in the How section, the blog has monetized its services and products.

This includes Affiliate marketing which is a prominent income source, then follows display ads, sponsored posts and Digital products.

Whenever website visitors come in contact with the blog he/she is exposed to multiple ways to access helpful content on demand.

By serving the intent and needs of the website visitor the blog generates an income.

This income can be used to hire extra help to manage the blog, run ads with a set budget, improve the website functionality or for personal use.

Above is a short list of ways bloggers earn through blogging.

You’re welcome!

What this business could improve?🔥🔥🔥

Social Media driving traffic:

Quite shockingly, this financial blog has a relatively weak social media presence.

In some niche markets having an impactful social media presence is not necessary, and is sometimes optional.

However, in this case, the blog would witness much better results if it had invested a little more time and energy into its Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest accounts, to name a few.

The main reason for having a social media profile is to promote your brand and engage with your targeted audience.

Above we notice how ineffective the blog’s Instagram profile has been, with no feed and a small group of followers.

Next is an expression of the different traffic sources that drive new readers on a monthly basis.

According to the blog, a large portion of its traffic comes from Organic methods, which may involve optimizing content to rank high on search engines.

We also notice that a very small percentage of the overall traffic comes from the blog’s social media campaigns and accounts.

Sign-up opt-in form for email subscriptions

Throughout the website are valuable tips and hacks to maximize funds, however, there is no trace of a single sign-up for an email newsletter.

Having an email pop-up prompting readers to sign up for a newsletter or mini course is a proven strategy that profitable online businesses use.

Email subscription pop-ups should briefly clarify why the website visitor should give you their email, and a direct CTA (call-to-action) button.

By capturing emails within the first 10 seconds a new reader comes across your website and can grow your email list.

Email marketing is a very interactive type of marketing.

Through various campaigns, one can promote new content, advertising products, give helpful information on a specific topic and/or send monthly updates on upcoming

The Reveal, check this online business out for yourself 👀

Here we will reveal the finance blog discussed in this detailed newsletter.

Help me introduce The Money Ninja, dedicated to providing helpful material on how to better manage personal finance.

It has displayed a decent website with a lot of content relevant to finance and beneficial to readers who are experienced and beginners.

The founder is none other than John Pham, who started the blog during his graduate studies to help his family and family maximize their funds.

Today his reputation in finance and business management are but a few contributing facts to the success of this finance blog.

The Takeaway, What We Learned 🎓 

• Pay close attention to your blog posts in terms of relevance to your targeted audience. Make a list of specific demographics and characteristics of your ideal reader.

• Social media is a very important player in driving new readers to your website. Make use of popular social media giants like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to promote your brand and engage with your audience.

• Organize blog posts in categories to make your website user-friendly and functional. This grouping technique can almost instantly be the difference between a cluttered blog and an easy-to-navigate blog.
   

• Intentionally look for affiliate marketing programs that are related to your niche.
  

Action Steps if you’d like to start a business like this… 👩‍💻

If you’re already up and running with an online business, keep with it and try to implement some of the lessons you might have found in this email.

If not, I very highly recommend our free course in digital marketing & business at Max Business School.

You’ll learn all the fundamental skills to build an online income like the one we did a case study on in this email.

Here’s what to expect:

Week 1 - Fundamentals

In this week, you will establish a solid digital marketing foundation. The focus will be on personal branding, but the concepts apply to other business models as well. You will explore:

• WordPress Website Development: Learn to create a professional and user-friendly website using WordPress, a powerful and widely used platform for various online businesses.

• SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Understand the basics of SEO to increase online visibility and attract organic traffic to their websites.

• Web Analytics: Discover how to analyze website data using tools like Google Analytics to gain valuable insights into user behaviour and make data-driven decisions.

Week 2 - How to start a business

In this week you will delve into expanding the online presence and driving traffic to your website. You will get to learn about:

• Email Marketing: Understand the importance of building an email list and learn effective email marketing strategies to nurture leads and convert them into customers.

• Search Engine Marketing (SEM): Dive into the world of paid advertising and explore techniques to run successful ad campaigns on search engines like Google.

Week 3 - How to grow a business

The final week will focus on harnessing the power of social media platforms for business growth. You will discover:

• Social Media Marketing: Discover how to develop and implement social media strategies to engage with the target audience and build brand loyalty.

• Facebook and Instagram Ads: Explore advanced advertising techniques on these popular platforms to reach a wider audience and generate leads.

Get started now 

Before You Go 👋

Take a moment to check out our newsletter's sponsor:

Thank you for reading.

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Remember to check out the classroom tab (top left corner) for all of our free courses teaching you all you need to succeed online.

Bye for now,

Scott Max