The more I delve into the Blogosphere, the more I realize how important blogging is to any solid Internet Marketing plan. Anyone who has been paying attention knows they need to get on the Blogosphere bandwagon sooner than later.
I work with speakers, authors, coaches and consultants who are always on the lookout for effective ways to reach their market, gain visibility and establish credibility. One would be hard pressed to find something as easy and simple as blogging to achieve these outcomes.
Blogging can be fun or it can be a tedious process. Most people start off with a bang and then the sparkle will quickly sizzle as they get caught up in other activities.

As with any aspect of an effective marketing plan, you must carve out time for your blogging efforts. I’m happy to say, I have been very consistent with my blogging efforts for some time. In the beginning of my blogging efforts I found myself blogging sporadically. Although I was getting a post up here and there, I wasn’t optimizing my blogging efforts.
Knowing how essential blogging is to my Internet presences, not long ago I made the commitment that at least 3 – 5 days a week I would begin my day by blogging. That’s right. Before I do any other work in my office, blogging comes first. That’s exactly how this post is being written. First thing in my workday morning. I have gotten into the habit of taking the first 60 minutes of my day aside to get my blog posting written and posted and then move on to other important tasks. It’s amazing how simple this has become.
And when I say before anything else, I mean it. I don’t look at emails, I don’t listen to voice mail, I don’t work on my To Do list (that is done at end of my word day), I don’t read other blog postings. Nope, I do my blog posting and get it done and over with.
I learned this strategy from Alex Mandossian. The first time I heard him say this was on a CD I was listening to. The second time was at a conference in Los Angeles this past October. Having given this strategy a half hearted effort the first time around, after the conference I decided to go full out with it. Basically what Alex said is to utilize the first hour of your workday with something that will monetize your business.
Blogging is definitely a part of the monetization of my business. Not that I make money directly from my blogs, but I do get opt-in subscribers as a result of my blog postings. Some of those subscribers do purchase my products and services.
I have made the Alex recommendation to many people. Amazingly, only 2 – 3% actually implement it. There are a few reasons. I believe the primary one is that most people are so accustomed to reading emails first thing in the morning that it is a difficult habit for them to break. And yet, if they knew how productive they could actually be they would change their habit in a heart beat.
Okay, so let’s say you do implement the blogging strategy first thing in the morning. The next challenge is likely to be getting fresh ideas for your posts. Writer’s block happens to even very seasoned and skilled bloggers. As I was researching blogging ideas I came across an excellent article by seasoned blogger, Pat Doyle. I can assure you, when you read this you won’t be stuck for ideas.
23 Great Ideas for Blogging
by Pat Doyle
After you have been blogging for a while, sometimes you run out of inspiration. Here are some ideas to get you going again.
Write a book review.
Read a good book about your topic and write a review on it. As a bonus, you can link to the book on Amazon.com and get some commissions for selling the book.
Review a product.
Pick a product that people in your niche will be interested in. Make sure it is something you use yourself. There are a lot of products you can link to on Amazon.com, or look for another affiliate program.
Review a popular blog or website about your topic.
If your readers are not familiar with your subject, or if they are new to the web, they may not know about all the resources that are available. They will be happy that you told them about it.
Make a list of available resources.
Find a lot of good, helpful sites about your topic. Make a list of them with a short description of each, and of course link to each one. This is the type of post that people like to bookmark or link to.
Explain something about your subject that might be confusing to newbies.
This is the type of information that people could be searching for, and they just might find your site when they do the search.
If you liked those ideas, you will love the remaining 18. Click here to read the rest of Pat Doyle’s outstanding ides.
Happy blogging,
Kathleen Gage
The Street Smarts Marketer
www.streetsmartsmarketing.com