For many B2B business owners, there is a real slow down during the summer months, but once school gets back into session, all heck breaks loose. There is another lull around the winter holidays, but once those New Year’s resolutions are made there is another mad dash to make changes in business and life!

Look back in your books and see where your seasons fit in, then go ahead and create mini marketing plans for such- including blog posts. Whether you go by summer, winter, fall or spring, you capitalize on the sports seasons, or if you are all about the holidays, you can group ideas accordingly.

Ask yourself:

• What happens during your busy seasons?
• What are your clients looking for from you?
• How do you add value to your product or services through your blog posts?

Consider whether back to school tips for parents, seasonal recipes, stress reducing strategies or weight loss plans would be helpful. Since you already know who your audience is, it should be fairly easy to drum up several ideas for posts. You may even be able to recycle some old ones if they still apply and were helpful to your readers last year about this time.

For readers unfamiliar with the term, launch fatigue is what marketers experience when they’ve gone through multiple product launches and promotions in a row. Boo friggin’ hoo!

One of the biggest problems with complaining about launch fatigue is that people often do it in a public forum. On Twitter. On their blogs. To the very people that they’ve been marketing to. “Oh hey guys, you know that $2,000 course I pretty much bludgeoned you to death with for the past few weeks? I’m soooooo tired of counting my commissions from it. I’m wiped out!” Then a few weeks later, there they are again – pushing the next incredible, must-have product.

Part of the issue with this is people don’t just get launch fatigue from creating and promoting their own products. Usually, they’re also involved with other marketers. You scratch my back, I’ll sell the shit out of your e-course. Seems pretty win-win, until you realize that the people you’ve aligned yourself with push out a new product every other month. You can’t exactly get off the train once these people have made your own launches a success, especially if you want them back on your train next time you create a product.

Launch fatigue is different from typical work gripes. Usually, when people complain about their jobs, it’s about some aspect they can’t control:

“A customer stiffed me.”

“My boss is making me work overtime – again.”

“The server went down and now I need to process 200 credit card charges by hand.”

These are complaints that anyone can get behind. Complaining about doing 2 weeks’ worth of promotional work to earn 5 figures (or more) isn’t. That’s like whining because your private jet needs to go in for repairs, or because it rained on your private island.

Not only is it lousy to complain about your good fortune to the people who made it possible, you’re also complaining about something you do by choice. If you don’t like doing something, don’t do it. No one’s chaining you to being an Internet marketer. You participate in those launches because you want to earn the money. You don’t get to take the money and then bitch about the work you had to do to earn it.

If you’re in the position to suffer from launch fatigue, it’s because you deserve it. You’re capable of creating products that people want to buy, and are willing to put their own reputations on the line for. This is a good thing. Suck it up.

I encourage people to guest blog as a way to:

• Gain credibility with colleagues
• Seek new audiences for a fresh perspective
• Fulfill personal or professional goals

Before saying yes, however, please take a little time to consider what is being asked of you. Are they looking for you to become a regular writer? Are they looking for a one- time contribution to capitalize on a hot topic-one that you are quite clearly an expert? Is there any money involved?

Now consider further the impact that this company or organization can have on your reputation.

• Is it a reputable site with quality writers/posts?
• Does it fit into your online marketing plan?
• Is the focus of the site in line with your products and services?

It is most certainly ok to decline the invitation if writing on someone else’s blog doesn’t fit into your big picture goals, if the person asking you to contribute expects more than you are comfortable giving or if you simply don’t have the time right now to commit to a regular gig.

Spending time blogging is an investment and sometimes it is more important to stay focused on populating your own site with content than contributing to others. So the next time you are asked to guest blog- unless you are facing a once in a lifetime chance- take a few minutes or even a day to contemplate the whole thing and make a good decision. If you need help making that determination or would like some feedback on your  own blog contact me and I will be happy to talk it through with you.

Read any book or blog post about starting a blog that people want to interact with, and you’ll inevitably keep seeing the same things listed.

Set up an RSS feed!

Respond to comments!

Another item that’s always included is creating an informative “About Me” page. This is partially for nosy people like me, but mostly to help bring a human element to your blog. When I land on a blog for the first time, I want to know who it belongs to. When I read a really great post, I want to find out more about the person who wrote it. I’m sure I’m not the only nosy person in the world – the analytics data from my blog’s about page alone would prove that. So why do so many people neglect their about pages?

Some blogs don’t have them at all. I’ve seen a few where it just says welcome and contains a few links to random posts within the blog. Some use a canned reply like “We at (insert blog name here) are very glad you’re visiting us! Please join our RSS feed and come back soon!” From reading the blog, I can see that it’s run by one person – so who’s we? Is that the royal we? Seriously?!

It doesn’t take a whole lot to create a successful about page. You talk about who you are, your blog’s topic, and where the two intersect. Talk about your experience and credentials, and also why you’re so passionate about the topic that you’re willing to talk about it a few times per week.

It’s not a bad idea to talk about some other defining things about you – your spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for plate spinning or the fact that you’d sell your first born child for golf clubs would be good examples. Like anything else involved in the voodoo witchcraft that is “social media,” it’s really not that difficult and just relies on you being human. Shocking, huh?

Maybe I’m just creepy and nosy, but I’m a lot more likely to read a blog that’s got a little personality. You don’t have to be the Queen to get my attention. Be human, be unique and interesting. I can get free information anywhere, give me a reason to read yours.

I have written many times about how we have to make changes in order to get the motor running all cylinders sometimes, and over the past couple of months I have had to re-evaluate how my online businesses were doing, and make appropriate changes.

The good news is, I am now able to go back to doing what I really like: using/creating blogs to be used as a business tool. That is not to say I don’t enjoy blogging, I recently created a blog as a hobby site because it is on a topic I really enjoy writing/talking about. But, in order to keep me sane, I had to make changes to my business model or I was not going to make it (sanity).

I know I have helped some of you either through my articles, eBooks, or even Skype chats. I know some of you are working towards solid goals with your websites. Goals sometimes change with changing times. Mine just did.

Whether you are blogging about blogging, social media, home improvement, investments or whatever we have to keep assessing what is working and what isn’t. Otherwise, you may end up blogging for 12-18mos and get absolutely no where.

I am seeing plenty of changes in this niche (blog tips) recently. Nathan Hangen switched from using WordPress altogether and moved to Square Space, hell he even quit blogging so he can make “art”. Jordan Cooper completely changed his site around so that the opt in is the most prominent part of his homepage.

The days of creating a blog, writing some articles, launching a product then watch the money roll in are over people (hell I don’t think it ever existed like that). People are starting to be more creative so they stand out from every other blogger out there. Can you keep up?

As I stated, I come from a different background of blogging. I use blogging to create sites that offer real products/services (as opposed to informational or digital). The reason I got into blogging was to promote a new business I was starting. It worked! In this economy, you better have a solid product/service, that people “need” as opposed to a product/service you need to convince the customer they need. That is how I see informational products anymore, they are not really needed, but wanted. Most of them just say the same crap anyway, just using different words.

I read articles, PDF’s and eBooks because I enjoy reading. I don’t always get anything out of them, sometimes I don’t read past the first page or two because I can tell it is just regurgitated BS. The same thing goes for blog posts, most everything I see these days is just rewritten material that has already been put out by someone else. Same Action: Same Result….

Well- because I committed to writing on Tuesdays and since I couldn’t come up with anything earlier, I am here now struggling to get something of value down on paper (ok- not on paper) for tomorrow’s post. I bet my fellow bloggers can relate to this situation. Here are my excuses so far:

• I just got back from a mini vacation and am still catching up with my emails.
• I want to come up with something unique.
• I don’t want to repeat myself.
• My kids are distracting me.

So is it better to get something posted that may not be your best work or is it better to just skip a week and get back on track the following week? I am going to say that either would be ok – partially because I am doing the first option as we speak. However, it is absolutely acceptable to take a short hiatus from writing if you find that you are being ineffective at writing as a means to attain your marketing goals with a blog. Perhaps this means a new direction is in order. Perhaps it means that you need to find someone to take over this part of your marketing. Or perhaps it just means that you need to refuel your imagination by taking a break.

Of course, in my case I just need to get a grip and get it done! Oh- I did get it done:) Sometimes being creative is just plain difficult. If you find yourself in this situation, don’t be too hard on yourself. Just weigh your options and make a decision. The earth won’t stop turning if you don’t write a blog post today. Tomorrow might be a better day or even next week.

That’s all she wrote on that subject!

Usually the blogs I see people complaining about really shouldn’t be making any money. They aren’t well-designed, content-rich repositories of knowledge. There’s no SEO, no compelling copy, no attention-getting images. They’re slapped together and thin on content, but loaded up with every membership trackback and badge imaginable. There are blogrolls longer than the archive list, ill-fitting header images and screwed up links. I’m not saying your blog has to be sleek and fancy to earn you money, but it certainly can’t hurt.

I won’t even go into the inefficiency of signing up for every link exchange and mandatory participation community on the Internet. The fact that these communities are filled with blogs you’d never want to visit should be an indication that they’re not the ticket to financial success.

What makes you think you can just show up online and make boatloads of money? News flash: the “Internet lifestyle” you’ve been promised is the result of months, or years, of hard work. How can you pout on blogs and forums around the web about not making any money, when you’re not willing to put in the bare minimum amount of learning on how to create a blog? You obviously have time on your hands and Internet access, there’s no reason you can’t do a little research.

Building a profitable blog takes more than just installing WordPress and watching the bucks roll in. Take the time to learn about how it’s done. Soak up every bit of information you can find on blogging, as well as related subjects like persuasive writing and advertising. Learn, test, tweak – and absolutely ask questions, but also consider the value of seeking out answers on your own. Understanding how and why something works (or doesn’t) will help future answers fall into place. It’ll still take more than 2 weeks to make a sustainable income with your blog, but you’ll get there eventually if you’re willing to do the work.

Here’s a free hint to get you started: choose bird feeders OR Corvettes. You can’t have both in the same place and still make money.

New Editor:

Jillian McCoy writes a weekly post here called Fed Up Friday’s, if you haven’t yet, you should check out those posts because they are simply awesome! I have been talking with her about taking on more responsibilities here and acting as the Chief Editor for Hot Blog Tips.

Over the coming weeks I will be transitioning her into that position. What does that mean you ask? Well, it simply means she will take on more of an active role in editing posts, adding images, tags, etc… the stuff I usually would do for the weekly posts we get from guest writers. Jillian will also be adding more posts as she sees fit in the blog tips category (and anything else she wants to write about).

What Will Keith Do?

Trust me, I won’t run out of things to do! I will still oversee Hot Blog Tips, but will take a back seat to let Jillian do her thing and work her magic here. Those of you that know me know that I have other projects I do that take up much of my time. I plan to concentrate more on some of those things. I am also partnering with a new group in the medical flight industry to do all there web work, so I am very excited about that too.

I will still be around, on Twitter, Facebook, on this site and others. So, you will still get to hear my rantings on occasion. I will also shoot a live show every now and then just to keep in touch with you all.

Yesterday was my 39th birthday, and I have so much I want to do, including get off this computer sometimes to see what happens outside (yeah, outside! it really does exist!)

Passion:

I have a lot of passion for building blogs and using them as a business tool. I am running out of passion for the “blog tips” niche and I feel like you, the reader, deserve better. When I took over this site in January I had big plans to take over the blogging tips niche and rule the world! Well, maybe not quite all that, but I was very ambitious, and I wanted to make a difference. I still do. It hasn’t worked out the way I wanted it to, but I still think there are plenty of topics to cover here on HBT.

So, I am not completely walking away from HBT, but am just taking on less responsibility. Please welcome Jillian, and as always you can contact me via Twitter or the contact page if you have any questions.

There is a fairly simple way to think about this concept. Consider the last time you went to a seminar. Did the speaker talk at you the whole time? Or did he/she engage you with an open format for questions and answers throughout? Did she illustrate her point with examples? Well, if she was any good at speaking she sure did.

Well, the next time you sit down to write a blog post, imagine yourself having to do a presentation in front of your readership. If you were really putting together a presentation.  (Unless you have done an incredibly poor job marketing, you should have a fairly good idea about the demographic of the intended audience.) So, why is blogging any different?

• What is the point of the post?
• Who is my audience?
• What are some examples of situations, problems or for which they can relate? (Think about some personal examples of what happens in your everyday life as a business owner or even things that happen to your clients in this demographic.)

Here’s an example: If you are addressing mompreneurs (you know- moms who are also entrepreneurs), acknowledge the challenges they face and offer some realistic tips that can be implemented around the kids being underfoot and interrupting at the most inconvenient times. If you are trying to establish an instant connection with them, throw in some pictures or language that illustrate the point and to which they will say— oh yeah, that’s me!

When I think about this topic around moms in particular I laugh out loud actually. This is why.

There is a special gift that children have…. It does not matter if the kids are watching a movie, playing nicely or eating quietly at the table. As soon as mommy gets on the phone- all heck breaks loose. For some reason, they need your attention like never before. Fighting breaks out, they are now starving or they have to go to the bathroom with your assistance. LOL! Picture this: The phone rings and it is an important client that you cannot just blow off. So, you start having a conversation…and the heck breaks out. Instead of excusing yourself from the conversation or rescheduling, you find yourself walking from room to room to get away from the kids. You are waving them off at every turn, giving them the shhhh signal, giving them “the look”, and covering the phone with your hand so the client can’t hear all of this going on. Ha ha ha- can you relate to that scenario? Well, then I have done a good job illustrating my point.

Show me- don’t tell me.

The next time you are trying to write and effective post or marketing piece, consider how you would do a presentation in front of a group as opposed to writing to what seems like a black home of an audience. If you were doing a presentation, what kind of visuals would you use, what questions would you ask, and what do you want them to walk away having learned?

That’s it for today my friends!