My Future in Blogging - Nailing down my Niche

For those of my readers who don't know, I have another blog:

Metropolitan Mama is a blog geared to moms in their 20's and 30's who are pregnant or who have little ones under age three (although all moms are welcome!). I blog about fitness, fashion, freebies, and general information to help moms navigate the challenges and wonders of early motherhood.

Metropolitan Mama is quickly picking up speed and I'm averaging over 200 hits per week - close to 1000 per month! I attribute my growing readership to many things, but, first and foremost, to the "niche factor." The blog has a very clear and defined audience - and thus the blog has a magnetic affect in drawing readers from my targeted demographic.

I'm having a lot of fun with my MM blog because motherhood is a topic I'm particularly passionate about. I've made some great connections and built some wonderful relationships with other moms from around the country and around the world (Thanks especially to my many readers in Canada and Australia).

I'm thinking about starting yet another "niche" blog (more details later...) - and possibly closing up shop here at Adventures of SS. I'll keep you posted as my plans unfold.

How to Market Your Product/Service on Blogs (and why it works)

Some innovative companies are starting to investigate blog marketing - and for good reason!

In July 2006, the Pew Internet and American Life Project estimated that the "US blog population has grown to about 12 million adults." That was in 2006. And just in America. And that was in estimate.

Blogging is a huge cultural phenomenon and I see it as another form of word-of-mouth advertising because blogging is all about connections and relationships. Blog advertising is more like a friend-to-friend conversation ("Guess what I bought yesterday?") than an air-brushed commercial. It's more authentic and real (at least it seems that way).

That's why it works.

When I want to buy a specific product, I usually (A) read the reviews on Amazon.com and (B) do a Google search on the Internet (in that order). If blogs come up in the Google search results, I might read them (but usually without much interest). Blog marketing doesn't work like that.

Remember, blogging is all about building relationships and being a part of a community. Yes, people blog to give and receive knowledge, but that's really a secondary purpose.

Marketing in the blogosphere is more about finding influential people in your target market/demographic and getting them to genuinely like your product...and then talk about it. If you can do that, you're well on your way to success.

We know from research that people buy products and services that are recommended by friends and individuals in their social circles. They buy in response to other people more than in response to magazine ads and TV commercials.

Case in point: me. There have been countless times that I've decided to purchase (or investigate) a product based on a blog post (of a blogger "friend," mind you). For example, I read about Johnson's bath time products at Ode to Umbrella Moments and proceeded to put them on my "buy-at-Target" shopping list.

If you are interested in marketing your product/service via blog marketing, start by taking these 3 steps:

A. Find influential bloggers in your niche market. How? Ask people in your "real" life if they blog and then ask them for their address. Visit their site and visit their commenters' sites. You'll soon be able to discover which blogs get a lot of traffic and why.

B. Offer to give a free product to an influential blogger in exchange for a review and a link back to your site.

C. Start a blog yourself (Need help? Read Penelope Trunk's The Easiest Instructions for How to Start a Blog) and enter the "community." Be sure that your blog is helpful, personal, and meaningful - rather than just an ad for your product. Ads don't work in the blogosphere. Authenticity does.

You can find bloggers of all ages and "stages," but you're especially in luck if your product is geared to moms because the "momosphere" within the blogosphere is huge. Or if your product is geared to people in the 25-45 year old demographic - again, lots of bloggers in that age range.

Welcome to the blog world! It's a great avenue for connecting - which is really what marketing is all about.

Why I Only Read 8 Blogs a Day

About a week ago, I did a "productivity analysis." Essentially, I looked at the number of "awake" hours that I have available in my day (7 a.m. to 11 p.m. - that's 16 hours per day, 112 hours per week) and then proceeded to outline all of the things that I do within those hours.

My time fell into the following 13 categories:
1. Spending time with my husband
2. Playing with my daughter
3. Reflection/Prayer/Personal Growth
4. Exercise
5. Work
6. Writing
7. Grocery Shopping & Meals
8. Kindness/Gratitude/Service
9. Cleaning
10. E-mails
11. Blogging
12. News articles
13. "Me" Time

I then broke down my day in hour-by-hour segments to create a "Master Schedule" (thanks to Melissa Garrett, a fellow blogger and writer, for giving me this idea).

This exercise allowed me to look into my life from an outsider's perspective. I decided that I spend too much time on blogging - and that I need to increase my productivity in this area.

Blogging has been beneficial for me - I've received job offers, free products to review, and, more importantly, I've made valuable connections and relationships. Those things said, I think other things in my life yield greater return for my time so I need to be careful how much of my time is spent blogging and reading other people's blogs.

So I cut down my blogroll drastically and now have 8 blogs* that I read every day:
1. Brazen Careerist
2. 5 Minutes for Mom
3. Ode to Umbrella Moments
4. Growing a Life
5. Baby Cheapskate
6. Melissa Garrett
7. Absurdly Cool Freebie Finder
8. Writer Mama

*Note: My list of blog favorites seems to be constantly changing so I really should say these are my top picks of the month.

I also have another list of blogs that I read weekly - every Wednesday, but I'll save that list for another day.

What blogs do you read every day? How do you ensure that you don't spend too much time in the blogosphere? Write a post on your blog and leave a link in the comments. Or just post your thoughts here.

(Photo by: paulworthington)

Weigh In on...Getting Paid to Blog

Lately, I've been investigating several websites that claim to bring companies and bloggers together. Essentially, bloggers sign up and can choose products and/or websites to review on their blogs and get paid for it.

Here are just a few of the companies out there that offer this type of arrangement:
www.bloggerwave.com
www.reviewme.com
www.smorty.com
www.shespeaks.com

On one hand, it seems like an exciting and viable option. I'd happily write reviews of products in exchange for monetary compensation or even the product itself. IF the item up for review is relevant to my blog's purpose and my passions.

On the other hand, it seems like this arrangement might bring down the quality and credibility of blogs everywhere. I've been to my fair share of blogs that feature WAY too much advertising - both explicit (banner ads) and barely subtle (in posts themselves). The last thing I want is for my blog (or for the blogosphere, in general) to become just one big advertisement.

What's your take on these companies? Weigh in!

Values and Priorities and Blog Specializations

I've been trying to decide what this blog should be about. Right now it's really a personal blog, which is great, but unlikely to draw a sizable audience or following. After all, there are literally millions of personal blogs out there.

I want my blog to POP - to stand out - to make people say "wow!"

Three of my top values are: family, education, and health. Perhaps I should blog in one of those categories. But even those "categories" are too broad.

How did you pick your specialization? Did you just wake up one day and say, "this is it!" or were there some practical steps that you took to discover it?

(Photo by: MontanaRaven)

I Like Nice People('s blogs)

Last week I blogged about why I read people's blogs.

To re-cap: I read blogs that have thoughtful, solid, well-written content.

I also read blogs that are written by nice people. I read blogs that are written by people that I would go out to lunch with or have over to my house.

Of course, I can't say for sure if they are really nice or if they're just putting up a nice facade, but there are general rules that help me decide. Most of the people on my "must-read" blog list have a positive outlook on life - they rarely complain (unless its constructive) and they see the sunshine behind the clouds. They don't say "bad words" and they have good manners. They value things like family, health, and education. It's actually easier to ascertain "niceness" than you might presume.

So, I read blogs of people who are nice...

...AND who update their blogs regularly (go a week without updating and - poof - you will probably disappear from my blog roster). Even if you're nice.

What blogs do you read?

How to Be a Better Blogger (and writer)

I just read several excellent articles about - you guessed it - blogging (and writing).

The first one is entitled "The easiest instructions for how to start a blog," written by Penelope Trunk.

The second article, written by Marci Alboher, appeared in the New York Times: "Tools and Tips to Create Buzz Around Your Ideas."

Marci A. also wrote an excellent piece about getting published in the print world: "Getting your first byline."

Since I am on a perpetual quest to be both a better writer and a better blogger, I thoroughly enjoyed the tips and tidbits shared in all three of these articles.

(Photo by: Lost in Scotland)

Reasons Why I Read Your Blog (or why I don't)

I've been thinking about what attracts me to the blogs that I frequent.

I read blogs that:
(1) have solid, well-written, thoughtful content.
(2) are written by people I know personally.
(3) are written by authors, leaders, politicians, or journalists who I admire.
(4) are written by bloggers who frequent my blog and contribute.
(5) provide links to new research, interesting websites, or current events.

Note: If the blog fails to deliver #1 (solid, well-written, thoughtful content), I quickly move on regardless of #2-5.

I don't read blogs that:
(1) have too much advertising.
(2) have too many "buttons" and "blogger awards" on the side columns.
(3) are too long.
(4) are too negative or too sarcastic.
(5) are too personal without any broader relevance or message.

I'll end my post now for fear of losing readers for reason #3 (too long).

Why do you read blogs?

(Photo by: heather)