Neil Patel on Blogging, Bribing, Business

Neil Patel is the co-founder of Internet companies Crazy Egg , a visitor-tracking service, and KISSmetrics , a software company that helps track and improve conversion rates, cleans cookies and tracks revenue and people. Currently determined to create that $100 million company, he is dedicating all of his time to KISSmetrics, focusing on building it as a whole in ways like growing sales and boosting marketing.

Patel has assisted companies including Amazon , AOL and HP to make more money on the web. Fortunate enough to earn more than he has lost, Patel invests in things like apartment complexes, .com companies, the stock market, hedge funds, brick and mortar businesses, venture capital funds, and his parents.

So how he get this high up? Here's the timeline in a nutshell:

Ages 14-16: Began selling CDs, then legal car parts.

Age 16: Got involved with companies by blogging and speaking at conferences.

Age 21: Named one of Technorati ’s top 100 bloggers; recognized by the Wall Street Journal as one of the web’s top influencers.

Now: Continuing to build KISSmetrics; spends spare time blogging and responding to emails.

Entrepreneurship is in Patel’s blood, as he grew up watching his mother and uncle work the skill. At age 16, he began blogging about marketing tactics, analytics and lead-driving. By speaking on niches at conferences, the kid snagged clients to consult.

“Where the real money is, is being an entrepreneur. At the end of the day, over 10, 15 years, it starts rubbing off on you and you start picking up things over time.”

Especially notable is KISSmetrics’ Online Marketing and Customer Acquisition Blog . Highlighted in his interview on David Garland ’s The Rise to the Top (view below), Patel reveals his top tips for bloggers:

Blogs serve many purposes. You blog could be: your business, the method of promoting your business, the way of gaining recognition and visibility by particular markets.

Build your audience. The goal is to get more readers and bring them in as subscribers. Suggested strategy: pay people to promote your blog to their audience(s).

Keep people engaged. Provide fresh, quality content.

Develop a distinct writing style. Be conversational, talk rather than tell by referring directly to the reader as “you.” Ask questions to spur comments and encourage interaction. Also format your layout, headlines and photos.

Use a real photo of yourself. You’re not real if you portray yourself as a fake person, a cartoon, or no person at all. If you’re reading the work of a business blogger with an LOLcat avatar, you’re not going to take him or her seriously, are you? Don’t mess with personal interaction.

Blogs can make money. Monetizing your blog is a great idea if you can figure it out and are willing to commit the time and effort.

Also dropped in the interview is some marketing advice, including:

Don’t shove the product down peoples’ throats. Do not say “but this, buy that.” Instead promoting free beneficial content (for example, webinars and ebooks in the case of a software company) can lead to new clients.

Speed is everything. Get content out quickly to stand above your competitors.