When Joan Torres’ advertising and marketing job relocated him from Barcelona to Dubai, he couldn’t have imagined how the subsequent few years would play out. He took benefit of his new location as a base from which to journey to lesser-visited locations. Nonetheless, he discovered himself pissed off by the lack of expertise out there on these nations.
So, he got down to treatment that by beginning his personal journey weblog: Towards the Compass.
His weblog did so effectively that he determined to department out and begin providing organized excursions to “locations your mum wouldn’t be joyful about.” At the moment his weblog is bringing in $5k+ monthly, and his excursions are incomes significantly extra.
Maintain studying to seek out out:
- The place he began touring to
- How he ready to stop his job
- How he realized about journey running a blog
- How a lot his weblog earns
- How a lot his excursions earn
- Which associates have the most effective payout
- How he approaches branding
- How he launched his journey firm
- His ideas about hyperlink constructing
- How he manages his e-mail checklist
- How usually he works on his enterprise
- His greatest problem
- His predominant accomplishment
- His best mistake
- The recommendation he would give different entrepreneurs
Meet Joan Torres
My identify is Joan, I’m 35 years outdated. I even have a 20-month-old son. We’re at the moment primarily based in Barcelona Metropolis, however we journey loads.
In 2014, the corporate I used to be working for in Barcelona despatched me to their workplace in Dubai, the place I lived and labored for the next 3 years, working in 2 completely different European-based worldwide corporations.
I stop my Dubai job in 2016, and I’ve been touring and working a web based enterprise ever since.
My skilled background is only advertising and marketing and model administration.
Why He Created Towards the Compass
Basically, Towards the Compass is a journey weblog that focuses on offering helpful data, journey suggestions, and actionable recommendation for barely visited locations resembling Yemen, Syria, Mauritania, and Pakistan.
I launched it in October 2016 after which, 5 years later, in 2021, I created a journey firm to supply excursions to a few of these distinctive locations.
As for the “why,” I’ve all the time had a way for journey, so throughout my keep in Dubai, I used to take lots of brief journeys to comparatively close by locations resembling Lebanon, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Iran.
I used to examine lots of journey blogs as effectively for all my travels, however I used to be stunned that, at the moment, there wasn’t any on-line content material on these barely visited nations.
In the meantime, I realized that many journey bloggers had been making an precise dwelling from it, so someday, I made a decision to stop my job and begin a journey weblog named Towards the Compass, whose predominant purpose was masking that vacant area of interest.
As for the “how,” it’s vital to focus on that after I stop my job, I had saved $40k. As a funds backpacker, that was greater than sufficient for touring for 2 full years at the very least, shopping for correct digital camera gear, and allocating a couple of thousand to create a journey web site.
It’s additionally vital to focus on that I didn’t simply purchase a website and begin writing articles straight away. A few months earlier than quitting my job, I began to construct a advertising and marketing plan with the ultimate goal of turning into the weblog of reference for off-the-beaten-track locations.
The weblog wasn’t formally launched, however I had been engaged on it 5 or 6 months earlier than I stop my job.
The weblog identify didn’t come in a single day however was the results of quite a lot of weeks of brainstorming, looking for that identify that impressed journey in a transparent however dynamic manner.
I signed up for a journey running a blog course (it doesn’t exist anymore) which was extraordinarily useful in exhibiting you the precise steps to take from the start and getting primary data about WordPress, search engine optimization, and journey writing.
I additionally realized that for those who ever need to change into profitable within the running a blog enterprise, you could provide one thing helpful to your readers, one thing your readers can’t dwell with out, and one thing your readers will need to bookmark.
How A lot Joan is Incomes from Running a blog
When speaking about revenue, it’s vital to distinguish between running a blog and working excursions.
At the moment, my running a blog revenue is lower than what it was earlier than, and the reason being that I switched my focus from running a blog to working excursions.
Operating excursions are a way more worthwhile enterprise, not solely by way of income but additionally as a result of that is one thing you’ll be able to maintain doing in the long term.
In January 2020, my weblog was getting 240k web page views a month, and I used to be making as much as €7500 a month, relying on the month, however I’d say that €5000 was the common over the last months earlier than the pandemic began.
As much as after I began working excursions in November 2021, all my earnings got here completely from running a blog, together with issues like:
- Internet affiliate marketing (40%)
- Adverts (35%)
- Hyperlink promoting (10%)
- Freelance writing (10%)
- Promoting ebooks (5%)
In the course of the pandemic, from March 2020 till June 2021, affiliate income was little or no, however I nonetheless made a good quantity on advertisements. Plus I started to get into freelance writing, particularly for Lonely Planet.
I wrote a number of on-line articles for them and 5 chapters of considered one of their guidebooks, for which I earned €5400.
At the moment, I ended accepting sponsored content material and promoting hyperlinks and ebooks, and I don’t do any freelance writing anymore. Now, I simply give attention to selling my prime 3 high-performing associates: IATI Insurance coverage, Reserving.com, and ExpressVPN.
search engine optimization continues to be an vital a part of my each day job since lots of my clients discover me on Google, so I nonetheless work on growing site visitors, which additionally interprets into extra earnings from Mediavine, the advert community I exploit.
In March 2023, I made round €4000 solely from advertisements, IATI Insurance coverage, and reserving.com.
How A lot Joan is Incomes from Excursions
That is too personal. I’d slightly not say, however clearly, rather more than with running a blog, and the way in which it really works is that normally, you add a further % to the price per individual, however you additionally have to have in mind your private bills and taxes.
In 2022, I ran 18 group excursions (averaging 12 individuals in every), plus dozens of personal excursions.
In 2023, as of April, I’ve already run 12 excursions solely within the first 4 months of the 12 months.
Whereas it depends upon the precise tour after I set up them, it normally consists of:
- Lodging
- Native guides
- Transportation
- Major meal
- Visa help, LOIs, and so forth.
- Airport transfers
They will final from 6 to 14 days.
It’s very time-consuming the primary time you set up one, however then it’s simple. You additionally want the assistance of an area individual to make all of the bookings.
His High Advertising and marketing Methods
In a phrase: branding.
Engaged on constructing and shaping the Towards the Compass model has been my #1 advertising and marketing technique, and that’s one thing not many individuals do.
Manufacturers are like individuals; they’ve personalities and feelings and create relationships with different individuals. Folks have opinions on manufacturers and like or dislike them primarily based on their private preferences.
I’m assured that right this moment, Towards the Compass is a well-established model adopted by adventurous and accountable vacationers keen to get out of their consolation zones to journey to probably the most off-the-beaten-track locations.
There are lots of individuals who really feel recognized with ATC.
The model identify suggests touring to unknown locations, and readers belief the data discovered on the web site as a result of we’ve additionally labored actually, actually laborious on EAT by offering extraordinarily detailed and up to date trustworthy recommendation about lots of distinctive locations, masking a journey area of interest that had all the time been fairly empty.
That is the rationale why Towards the Compass Expeditions has been fairly profitable since we launched it in 2021.
We launched a journey firm connected to a model that was already established, a model with important authority inside that particular journey area of interest. The rationale why all our excursions offered out is as a result of individuals already knew and trusted that model.
It’s additionally vital to focus on that regardless of being a journey weblog, I’ve by no means been the principle protagonist however slightly the locations and the model, and this has been extraordinarily useful for working excursions.
Lots of our clients joined my excursions due to Towards the Compass, not due to Joan Torres, and that’s invaluable and completely priceless due to 2 issues:
- I can delegate this job (main excursions) to different model representatives, which is what I at the moment do
- Sooner or later, it will likely be a lot simpler to promote the corporate, one thing which is already in my plans, however not inside the subsequent few years
Key phrase Analysis and Hyperlink Constructing
To be trustworthy, I don’t assume I’m doing something actually distinctive right here apart from spending hours in search of key phrases by a software named KeySearch.
Hyperlink constructing has all the time been a necessary a part of my search engine optimization.
Within the preliminary levels of running a blog, I was fairly energetic in journey running a blog FB teams. These teams had been significantly helpful for hyperlink exchanging and taking part in collaboration posts.
I used to do lots of visitor posting for high-authority journey blogs, too. This was helpful not just for getting some hyperlink juice but additionally for networking.
Nevertheless, I additionally consider that for those who solely get hyperlinks from inside the journey blogosphere, you’ll by no means get very far, so right this moment I modified my focus to getting extra hyperlinks from web sites outdoors the journey area of interest, which is what I’m doing as I reply this interview.
This 2023, I bought very helpful hyperlinks from media retailers like The Guardian and France24, hyperlinks pointing to my Syria content material, my best-selling tour.
They simply reached out or linked naturally, however after I get approached by a journalist, I make it #1 precedence. I consider there aren’t many web sites/blogs/journey corporations engaged on these locations, which means that for those who provide one thing completely different, hyperlinks will come naturally
My short-term objective for 2023 is to rent a link-building skilled to do some correct media outreach to get extra hyperlinks.
Joan’s Content material Creation Course of
That is easy: I journey to a brand new place and write journey guides about it, primarily based on what individuals seek for on the web.
This might be something from journey tricks to a sure vacation spot to “finest resorts in X.”
I don’t journey to a spot primarily based on what individuals search. I journey the place I need to, after which I write primarily based on what individuals seek for or no matter content material is beneficial.
I don’t have a objective of publishing a specific amount of content material; my solely technique is to have all content material absolutely up to date.
His E-mail Listing
I’ve an e-mail checklist of just about 8500 subscribers. Whereas this may not appear to be loads for sure on-line entrepreneurs, I do have an engaged e-mail checklist with a median open charge of 63% and a click-through charge of 8.41%
As a rule, a few of my excursions promote out with one single e-mail, which signifies that a couple of emails could make me hundreds of euros.
I used to have a a lot bigger e-mail checklist, however I’ve been trimming it over time, eradicating unengaged subscribers, and the outcomes have been passable.
Now I get round 500 subscribers a month, and this 2023, I need to enhance it to 1000 a month. I’m engaged on that as we converse.
To handle my checklist, I exploit ConvertKit and kinds throughout the web site with lead magnets, resembling downloadable itineraries not discovered on my web site.
How A lot He Works on His Enterprise
It’s very random.
After I’m touring, which is round 6 months a 12 months, I work 1 hour per day, simply to reply emails and comply with up with excursions, however I don’t do any running a blog or technique.
Nevertheless, after I’m touring with my household, we’ll cease in a sure location each X days for two or 3 days, so I can get some extra work achieved, however I don’t comply with any sample.
After I’m in Barcelona, there are specific weeks after I work not more than 20 hours and weeks after I work greater than 60. It simply depends upon my motivation and particular plans for that specific week.
Joan’s Favourite Assets and Instruments
I don’t use any particular assets these days, however after I was very a lot into running a blog, Digital Nomad Wannabe was a wonderful supply of knowledge for me.
As for instruments, I exploit ConvertKit for e-mail advertising and marketing, KeySearch for locating key phrases, and Google Analytics for website site visitors and demographics.
His Largest Problem
My greatest problem was taking the large step of being a blogger who spent his time posting journey suggestions on the web to organizing precise journeys the place a few of these readers might be a part of.
It was one of many scariest issues ever, that sort of concern you have got, like when you want to current or give a chat in entrance of a whole lot of strangers, however manner worse.
Happily, the whole lot went effectively, and 6 out of 8 individuals from that first tour joined me on different expeditions.
Joan’s Major Accomplishment
My best accomplishment is with the ability to have freedom.
I’ve been informed by many individuals that working a enterprise on the one factor you like probably the most have to be extraordinarily rewarding.
It’s true that touring is my no 1 passion, and consider me, I really like what I do, however on the finish of the day, running a blog, writing articles, answering emails, and working excursions is simply work. Like everybody else, I’d slightly be touring world wide with out a laptop computer.
Nevertheless, I don’t work lots of hours, I work every time I really feel prefer it, I take a number of months a 12 months of holidays, and I’m location impartial, and people are probably the most helpful issues for me.
What He Needs He Knew When He Began
Nicely, I’ve had an e-mail checklist from the start, but it surely’s solely lately, round 2021, that I started making use of a correct technique.
I want I had achieved this from the very starting! My checklist of subscribers could be enormous by now!
His Largest Mistake
The most important mistake I’ve ever made was not giving sufficient significance to social media.
Whereas I strongly consider that relying solely on social media is the most important mistake one could make as a web based entrepreneur, we will’t ignore the facility of social media as a software for speaking your model and, most significantly, as a software to achieve a totally new viewers and get extra publicity.
My excursions promote out due to a correct search engine optimization technique and an engaged e-mail checklist. Nonetheless, I barely make any gross sales from Instagram or Fb, not solely as a result of I don’t have an enormous checklist of followers but additionally as a result of I’m not in keeping with it, and this can be a huge mistake.
His Recommendation for Different Entrepreneurs
Do have a correct advertising and marketing technique and, when you’ve got a great promoting concept however have zero advertising and marketing data, do spend money on hiring a great advertising and marketing advisor that can assist you outline your model, goal, and technique.
Until you discover a very distinctive, comparatively empty area of interest, most markets are oversaturated and, until you create an interesting voice that sure shoppers might determine with, constructing a enterprise will be robust.
In fact, a great advertising and marketing technique gained’t be very helpful until you provide a great services or products, work laborious, and are constant.
Add Comment