ProBlogger: In a Blog Slump? Here’s What to Do

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In a Blog Slump? Here’s What to Do Posted: 28 Apr 2014 08:23 AM PDT Image via Flickr user Toni Birrer "Do you ever want to chuck blogging in sometimes?" came the question at the end of an email recently. "Yep", I answered. "At least twice, pretty seriously." It's a situation I think many of us find ourselves in at some point in our blogging journey: we're not quite sure, but we think we might want to throw in the towel. We've given it our best shot, but we're just not feeling it any more. Time to hang up our keyboards and call it a day. Right? Maybe. But then again, maybe not. As I've chatted to other bloggers over the years, it's become apparent that almost everyone goes through a bit of a slump. Some of us bow out quietly, having enjoyed the fun while it lasted. Others leave blogs to stagnate, not knowing what to do so they don't do anything at all. The rest of us find our groove again somewhere further down the line and are grateful we didn't quite hit that "delete" button, tempting as it was. You can read how fellow blogger Naomi found herself at a crossroads at the ProBlogger conference last year and how it helped her inspiration again. There are several reasons I believe bloggers feel like it's time to move on – do any of these resonate with you? You've tried to monetize, but it hasn't happened as fast as you'd hoped. In fact – you feel like you're not really getting anywhere with it. You've run out of things to write about. You've spent a ton of time on other people's sites, commenting and being involved, and the bloggers have never responded.They don't come to read your blog either, like you'd hoped. You don't feel as though you're a very good writer. You feel as though everyone else is succeeding but you. You can't fit it in around all the other family, work, and life obligations that you have – especially if you're not getting paid to blog. Linky parties and participating in memes never really earned you any legitimate readers. You don't take very good photographs. Brands and PR people don't seem to be noticing you, or you have found it hard to get on their radar. You don't really want to have to be everywhere on all social media channels just so people will read your blog. You think anything you could possibly say has already been said by someone else – and they’ve said it better. You've spent a lot of time and energy and love on your blog, but you're just not seeing the traffic you hoped you would after a while. It's not as much fun as you thought it would be. You've realised how much work it actually is. I don't know about you, but in my four-plus years of blogging, there have been times when I've felt a bit "blah" about it all, and times when I've felt I can really make it if I just work hard, be kind to people, and make the most of opportunities as they arise. There was a time after about a year and a half that I genuinely believed I'd enjoyed blogging, but I was done. That I could walk away from all I had created with nary a backward glance. While I don't think now I would ever give it up (especially since I now do it full-time), I certainly do still feel those periods of low motivation – where my mojo up and walks out, flies to Mexico and does some tequila shots. I have slumps where I feel like I should be further than where I am, that it shouldn't be so hard to find advertising, that it takes more effort than I have to give, and that other people are funnier, cuter, and have better blogs than I do. I don't have the time to be and do all that I need to be and do to be successful. But rather than quit, I coast along knowing that my mojo will eventually return, slightly drunk and suntanned, and I'll have ideas coming out my ears and words coming out my fingertips again. And so I say: Go with the flow. Get in that slump when it arrives. Roll around there for a bit. Recognize you're not bursting with blogger buzz, and accept that. For what goes down must come up – and you WILL blog again! Especially if you: Rest. A creative mind craves downtime in order to fully function. Don't force it. Breaks are totally necessary to avoid blogger burnout and to ensure you're in tip-top shape. If you're worried about a dip in traffic, you might like to have a look at my other post about taking a blog break without losing momentum. But don't write just to fill space. As Tsh Oxenreider said recently: you’ve got to actually be out there living life in order to write about it. Read. Read something for fun, read a newspaper, finally have a crack at War and Peace. I guarantee that at some point you will read something that will spark that love of writing again, and wild horses couldn't hold you back. Be inspired. Without judgement or vanity, read the blogs you sincerely love as a reader. Not as a blogger. Don't overthink it, just read and feel the good feelings you have when you consume for no other reason than you enjoy it. Your inspiration for your own creation will return. Forget about your competition. If the "why aren't I… ?"s getting you down, then it's time to turf them. If you're no longer being motivated by the success of others and instead, you're starting to feel disappointed and left out, it's time to turn inwards. Take a break to regroup and come back with an eye on your own prize. Don't compare yourself to others: aim for your own goals and give yourself a pat on the back when you reach them. But for now, try and let comparison go. Do what you love. Blogging can get very old very quickly if you're not writing about the things that light a fire inside you. If you've pared back "your" voice in the hopes of being more marketable to brands, then you're going to sound like a shopping catalogue, not a unique snowflake. And dammit, you are a unique snowflake! People read blogs for the human connection, for the quirky you who writes it. Be yourself and write what you love. It's hard to be bored with that. There's plenty of advice around to whip you out of writer's block, and what to do when a blog slump hits. You can kick your apathy to the kerb here, and we even have an entire week devoted to the best ways of creating content here. But none of the tips are going to be very useful if you're not coming at them from the perspective of someone who loves what they do and aren't afraid to blog their way. Have you ever been tempted to chuck it all in? Stacey Roberts is the Managing Editor at ProBlogger.net, and the blogger behind Veggie Mama. Can be found writing, making play-dough, reading The Cat in the Hat for the eleventh time, and avoiding the laundry. See evidence on Instagram here, on Facebook here, and twitter @veggie_mama. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger In a Blog Slump? Here’s What to Do

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Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

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10 Marketing Tips to Learn From Mad Men Posted: 28 Apr 2014 07:11 AM PDT The AMC show Mad Men is still the craze, and this PR Executive – Ronn Torossian - said they get some things right – but also many wrong. Here's a list of ten things to learn from Mad Men: 1. Do What Sells. Creativity might win awards, but it doesn't always sell. That campaign you created might have the catchiest jingle, the most innovative storyboard, or the best animation, but if it doesn't produce sales, it's a failure. Remember to always think like your prospect, about what keeps him awake at night, what he needs help with, what are his pain points, and you'll craft compelling copy that creates sales. 2. Be Unique. "Success comes from standing out, not fitting in," says Don Draper in Season Two. Don got this one right. Make sure your Unique Selling Position (USP) is truly unique, not a carbon copy of a competitors. And make sure it meets the needs of your target prospects. A USP that is targeted towards your niche market is the most effective way of generating sales. 3. There's No "I" in Team. Don't pull a Draper and go renegade on pitches. Don has a habit of disregarding his associates' ideas and efforts during a pitch and coming up with an idea from left field. This alienates your team, causing bad feelings. You want your team to be a solid front, united and willing to do whatever it takes to exceed your clients' expectations. Once you exceed their expectations, clients will be more loyal. 4. Research is the Way. Speaking of expectations, Don Draper goes the extra mile for his clients. Rather than relying on his client for background information, Don digs and digs until he can think like his clients' customers. Only then can he come up with the USP that rocks their world. Research is key to any marketing campaign, and you should spare no expense and leave no stone unturned in digging up those golden nuggets that can make or break a slogan/pitch. 5. Change the Story. Don's advice to a client: "If the story is making your brand look bad, change the story." Being able to see around corners is great, but most of us have to react to negative press after it happens. If your brand is getting hammered in the media, turn the tables and make it a positive, Draper-style. Look for ways to make your brand the hero in the situation rather than the infamous. This is where creative geniuses are made. 6. Don't Put All Your Eggs in One Basket. Unlike the Draper method of print or television advertising only, spread your marketing dollars around to a variety of mediums. Diversifying will help you target your niche market and makes for much more cost-effective advertising. You need to be where your customers are, so make sure you know the different platforms where your customers hang out. 7. Image is King. Image is important to a brand. Everyone recognizes the golden arches of McDonalds, and you know exactly what to expect when you walk through the front doors. Be consistent in your branding messages across all platforms. As consistent as the suits and ties on Mad Men. Be consistent with your words, your offers, your sales strategies, even your color schemes. Make sure people can recognize your brand anywhere. 8. Learn to Love Spreadsheets. While Don Draper is a creative genius, marketing persons today need to be more analytical. Measure everything you do. Use those analytical tools that capture the essence of internet marketing. You will be happy you did. Not only can you make informed decisions based on analytics, you'll know where your money is being spent and the return on investment. 9. Test, Test, and Retest. Test your methods to see which ones are most effective. If you can, use focus groups like they do on Mad Men. Focus groups will help you pinpoint exactly what is and isn't working in your current marketing mix. There's nothing quite as effective as a focus group to get down to the essence of what your customers think and feel about your product or service. Don't ever assume you know. 10. Don't Try This in the Real World. Only on Mad Men can you drink heavily and pass out on the couch in your office. Golden nuggets gleaned from Mad Men & Don Draper. Use them wisely. Looking for an SEO service that won’t get you banned?

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