As a new feature here at Contentrix, we’re posting the (currently monthly) newsletter for All Custom Content.

Subscribers get monthly tips and a special offer on our services. You can sign up as well, plus get a free outsourcing content guide right here.

This month’s topic is all about coming up with plenty of blog post ideas.

Argh…What to Blog About?

It’s the middle of summer – at least in the Northern Hemisphere – so you may be busier out having fun and enjoying the weather, rather than worrying about what to blog about.

We don’t blame you!

But coming up with blogging ideas doesn’t have to be complicated. If you develop the habit of being ready for content anytime, you can be armed with plenty of ideas at a moment’s notice.

To help you out, here are 4 pretty simple ways to come up with ongoing blog post ideas:

* Keep a notebook or another device that record ideas handy. Whether it’s a digital recorder or notes function on your phone, be ready to make a note of ideas as they come to you.

* Subscribe to other blogs in your market. They’re great for generating ideas and keeping your finger on the pulse of what’s happening in your niche. No, don’t read them day in and day out – but beware of what’s happening and read some.

* Ask your readers. Ask them what they want to know and pay attention to the questions they ask. Do your research and you’ll find out exactly what they’re looking for.

* Keyword research. It’s great for creating fresh content to bring in new readers through search engines. Write content around keywords that are highly targeted for your ideal audience.

But what if you don’t want to come up with the ideas? You’re in luck because we have, perhaps, what might be the easiest way to generate ideas.

We’ll Come up with a Month’s Worth of Ideas for $30

From now until August 14, 2010, we’ll come up with a month’s worth of ideas for you. That’s 30 ideas for $30.

And if you don’t feel like writing the blog posts either, you know we’ll happily give you a hand with that too. We’re here to serve!

To get 30 ideas for $30, complete the submission form here and make note of the “All Custom Content Blog Post Idea Special” in the comments section.

If You Want to Continue Come up with Your Own Ideas

30 ideas done for you can put you ahead of the game for a while, so now you can develop your own habits for having plenty of ideas to draw from. To help you get ahead, try these ideas:

• Set aside time each month or each week just for coming up with ideas. Whether it’s an hour or two, just dedicate yourself to idea generation. Save the writing until later…all you need is ideas right now. Make it a habit.

• Think outside the box. Content doesn’t have to just be text blog posts. Create audio recordings, take a picture, conduct an interview, make a video. Just have fun.

Related Posts:

• Content Brainstorming – Anywhere…Anytime
• Creating Content Quickly – No Matter Where You Are
• Don’t Know What to Write About? Here’s Some Help
• 7 Ways to Use All That Content Hiding on Your Hard Drive
• The Benefits of Seasonal Content

The funny thing about blogging, or writing in general, is the more you write, the more you have to write about. So if you’re feeling stuck just start writing. Sooner or later you’ll have lots of content.

SEO Blogging

It’s important to do your keyword research. While you might consider keyword research dry and boring consider the fact that keywords are just statistics from search engines – they are the words that real people sit down and type INTO the search engines to find what you are looking for.

Blogging For People

If you already have somewhat of a blog readership these are your ‘people’. Your readers are the target market you’ve grown to know and love. As a blogger you will have a general instinct of what they will want to hear from you. If you’ve been blogging for any period of time you’ll also have your blog history to guide you towards what gets the most response.

Of course it’s best when you get a good mix of blogging for both the search engines and the audience you’ve already built. You want to keep your current readers engaged and you also want to attract new readers.

The best teacher is experience. I say just go for it. Get out there. Do it. Test. Find out what works for you. Study it. Repeat and keep on moving forward.

All the best in your blogging adventures.

• Showcase your expertise.
• Help you build your list quickly.
• Are easy to share on social networking sites.
• Allow you to connect with other like-minded entrepreneurs.
• Create closer relationships with your readers and customers.
• Can help you get media publicity.

In short, they can be an incredibly valuable piece of virtual real estate. Problem is, a blog is also hard work. To reap any of the benefits, you have to publish with some regularity and as a business owner, you have more important things to do with your time than write all day.

How to Fit Blogging into Your Work Week:

• Plan your content ahead of time (Use Annette’s Editorial Calendar Tips)
• Make sure your content has purpose, so you get the most out of your time.
• Make a schedule you can handle – don’t over commit yourself. You’re running a business and blog simply complements that.

Or You Can Get Someone Else To Do the Writing

Alice & Annette wanted me to share an opportunity for you to get your blog posts written and some of them for free! For the whole month of March, All Custom Content is offering 2 free blog posts for every order of 10.

Important Note: This offer is good only for requests made in the month of March 2010. Just fill out the request form and let the ladies know you heard about the 2 free blog posts deal.

Some people will have noticed that I haven’t blogged here since December 2, 2009 and that post was simply an announcement about a new PLR bundle. Certainly nothing to write home about. And while some people may have wished I wrote more, overall, business has not suffered by my laziness. Traffic is steady, sales are up and I’ve enjoyed my couch potato time.

If you’re facing content writing burnout and are looking for a way out, I’ve got news for you. Actually, a few pieces of good news:

• A blog doesn’t die because you can’t post every day or at regular intervals. A blog thrives when you or your writers have something interesting to say.

• YOU don’t have to do all the writing. The more your business becomes about YOU, the more you’re on the hook for personally keeping your audience entertained and educated. Take this blog, for example. I haven’t blogged for almost 2 months, but there’s been plenty of great advice and perspective to be found. In fact, all my business ventures are a combined effort – relieving pressure on me and increasing profit potential by tapping into a variety of skills and assets.

• If you’re not doing the writing, there are plenty of options:
  • You can have guest bloggers or regular authors on your website.
  • You can accept one-time and sporadic submissions from writers.
  • You can hire a ghostwriter.
  • You can use private label content. PLR can be published as is or used for inspiration for more original content.
  • You can pose questions and allow your readers to generate the content in the form of contents.

• Despite the fact that a blog is a powerful way to connect with your audience, in most online businesses, it’s not going to be your biggest sales driver (but IS very useful for driving TRAFFIC). Even in 2010, the so-called age of social media, email is still the heart of all your marketing. It is your direct contact with your target market and customers. Here’s a few reasons why:
  • Email is still the most important method of online communication for a huge number of people.
  • While social media has replaced a lot of friend-to-friend communication (i.e. Sally can log into Facebook to say hi to Jane instead of sending her an email), this may result in people having less overwhelming email inboxes, meaning your email may just get more attention than it might have received previously.
  • People are busy and will forget about your business. An email can pull them back to you – over and over again.
  • A pitch is often expected through email. While you can also pitch through a blog, it is often more subtle. You can hit them much harder with an email.

If you’ve got limited time or you’re in that “just don’t feel like it” mood, choose your writing focus wisely. Do you really need a blog post or would a few more messages to your autoresponder do the trick? Then leverage the resources and skills of other to round out your blogging and content marketing.

Sound familiar? Maybe you should take a look at Blog Energizer. It’s a membership site that provides lots of great resources that can help you breathe new life into your blog. It’s run by Contentrix’s own web developer, Lynette Chandler, and she provided me with a free premium membership to check out. Highlights include:

• Monthly topic ideas – Each month, members get a whopping 90 topic ideas – 30 business topics, 30 health topics, and 30 home and family topics. But that’s not all. There’s also a topic calendar published each month that includes holidays, observances and conferences that provide inspiration for many more topics.
• Buzz topics – Want topics that are hot right now? Take a look at the Buzz Topics section. It contains keywords that are all over the latest news, blog posts and social sites, and it’s updated in real time. You’ll never have to write about yesterday’s news again.
• Guest bloggers – A fresh perspective can work wonders for your blog, and the easiest way to get it is to find a good guest blogger. Blog Energizer members can visit the Guest Bloggers section and find fellow bloggers who are looking for guest blogging opportunities. They can also submit offers to write for other blogs if they’re looking for a way to expand their audience.
• Freebies and special offers – Everybody loves free stuff, and your blog readers are no exception. Members get access to lots of freebies and other special offers that they can share with their readers, as well as products that fellow business owners are willing to provide for them to review.
• Bonuses – Members get access to exclusive discounts, free reports and other great bonuses.

The premium membership offers all of these great features and more. There’s no doubt that it’s a real bargain at only $10 a month! But you don’t even have to pay that much to try it out. You can join for free and try out some of the features for as long as you like before you buy.

If you have a blog that needs some TLC, Blog Energizer is for you. Check it out and see for yourself!

The answer is NO (but don’t stop reading yet).

If you want to earn a living online, there is no one thing you NEED.

• Some people don’t have their own website (but that’s not really a business, but that’s another story…)
• Some people don’t have their own mailing list (crazy… I know!)
• Many have blogs and many don’t.
• Plenty use sales letters and many don’t.
• Some people sell information products. Some people don’t.

All in all these are just tools and you need to choose the right tools for your business. What tools you use will depend on:

• Your business goals (this post has info showing you some of the benefits of blogging).
• How much time you can invest.
• Budget (but thankfully, in the case of blogging, in its simplest form, personal blogging is cheap).
• Your personal style and preference.

Now, just because you don’t feel like blogging, don’t swear it off as a tool for your business just yet. Here are some benefits to consider about blogging.

A blog allows you to:

• Get more personal with your readers. You can speak directly, offer glimpses into your life.
• Give your readers and customers more opportunity to communicate with you directly through commenting.
• Create linkable “content”. Most people won’t willingly link to a sales page, but they will readily share an entertaining, thought-provoking or informative blog post.
• Easily post updates about your company or products.
• Sell while informing. Your blog can be a center of information that leads your reader to buy your products.

What if you can’t blog regularly?

Many people worry about starting a blog if they aren’t sure they can post regularly. Now, you don’t necessarily need to post every day or even several times per week, but having some kind of regularity will help you gain a following for your blog.

Consider these tips for less frequent blogging:

• Remove the dates from your post. A blog with an old post date may appear abandoned.
• Try for a weekly or bi-weekly update. If your readers know you post on Wednesdays, for example, you can (in effect) train them to look forward to your posts.
• Plan your topics in advance. Knowing what you plan to write about makes it easier to put your posts together. You can even write several at once and publish them ahead of time.
• Invite guest authors to post on your blog.

But also consider… a blog is not just a blog.

When we think of blogging, we often think of a public diary/online journal of sorts, but a blogging platform offers you a convenient and relatively simple way to share information and updates, even if you don’t do the blogging yourself.

Here are some alternative uses to the blog platform:

• Blog as a CMS: Use a Wordpress set up as a content management system (CMS) where you post general articles. You might employ ghostwriters or use PLR.

• Blog as a media centre: Post your press releases and brief company updates. Your VA can do these updates for you.

So once again, a blog isn’t a necessity, but comes with many benefits and uses. Whether you become an avid blogger, post occasional update or use your blog as a CMS, blogging will likely become part of your online business.