Running out of inspiration is not a question if it will happen, but when. Don’t worry even the best of us experience it.

The daily grind of digging for a topic tends to wear thin, particularly when there are other things in life that are screaming out for attention.

Each individual treats blogger’s block differently.  Some decide to give it up and come back later, sort of a R & R from blogging.

Others just give up completely, leaving all the hard earned efforts to melt away in cyber space.

Tips for filling the well

Record Your Thoughts in a Journal

To keep the inspiration flowing, carry a journal with you.  When an interesting topic crosses your path, don’t trust your memory, write it down.  Continue to record your topics in an organized list so you can visit it when you need a new topic.

This practices works great for developing a series, i.e. Top 10 Reasons to Move or my insane project 100 Denver Real Estate and Relocation Tips in 100 Days!

Look to the Masters

Following in the footsteps of masters is a great way to find inspiration.  Much has been written about real estate blogging and fortunately it is published on the web.  Teresa Boardman author and creator of the St. Paul Real Estate Blog wrote a post on the Real Estate Tomato several years ago.  She took the time to list 101 Real Estate Blog Topics. It’s good, very, very good and I dare anyone deep in the throes of bloggers block to visit.  I guarantee they will come away with enough inspiration to light their creative fire.

When Blog Flodder Runs Dry is a post from: Kristalks

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Herd mentality is the norm.  We all know it and experience it every day.  What is it about the herd that is so appealing? Is it about competition, getting there first or is it simply the fact we love being among the human race?

Seldom does herd mentality get us exclusive privileges.  Instead we get to pay higher prices, wait in longer lines and generally compete at a much higher cost.  Is it really worth the effort?

I guess only you can answer that, but consider this first…

When it comes to business it is always best to not have to compete. Niches have become famous for this very simple reason.  Becoming a rock star in your niche means traveling the road less traveled, but having greater reward for doing so.

Therein is the secret of successful blogging.  Find yourself a niche, work it.

Don’t follow the herd and get lost and trampled in the crowd. Be unique, when you see the herd forming, smile, wish them well but turn and follow your own path.

If it’s to be, it’s up to thee.

Do You Hang with the Herd? is a post from: Kristalks

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Blogging has become a popular way of expressing one self.  For many business people it is a way to expand the online reach, connecting with potential customers for now and in the future.

In many ways our blog topics are critical as they will either attract or repell. The blogs are getting indexed by the search engines.  By this I mean what we say is being stored for future reference to the world. Considering the millions and millions of pages on the web, is this really important?

You bet it is.

Blogging may feel like play at times, but in reality we are opening our minds and exposing our thoughts to the digital world. As our consumers begin to research us they are looking for reasons why they should work with us or not.

All this just adds to the importance of building a strong body of work that reflects well on the blogger.

My preference has always been to deliver benefits and add value.  When blogging about real estate, I enjoy showing off my state by presenting pictures of places and things that happen here.  I also find great blog topics in the questions routinely asked of me from my current clients. Reflecting back upon a conversation with a client, I can always pull a blog topic out of my memory!

Here’s an easy formula for blog topics: (If you are not a real estate blogger replace that term with your focus market.)

• Present a real estate problem and solve it
• Feature a focused topic on real estate (in your town)
• respond to comments
• look to trigger thought, support or suggestions
• stimulate real estate discussion

Finding your very own personal voice that will be heard in the blogging community and beyond is important. Realizing what we do today will impact what happens tomorrow is exciting and frightening at the same time.

Outstanding Resources to Study:

• Is Writing Great Content Enough to Build a Successful Blog?
• How to Find Your blogging Voice
• 4-Steps to Finding Your Voice

Are you having trouble finding your voice? Get your feet wet by commenting on blogs first.  Do a few a day (start here if you like!) after awhile you will gain more confidence, posting a blog will become second nature to you!

Add Value by Creating Content for the Future is a post from: Kristalks

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Let’s talk about the Wall of Words.

How often do you visit a blog or a website only to find nothing but a ton of words. How appealing is that?  I guess ultimately it depends on your motivation.  If you really want/need the information you may read it.  If you are like me you may just skip it or better yet skim it.

Skim it?

Yes, that’s what I said. Most readers don’t read, they skim over the words, to see if they want to read it. So this being the case, let’s format our wall of words for the skimmer.

Give them Headings and word breaks.

Isn’t this easier to read when the copy is broken up into smaller parts?  Each header should be relevant or at least catchy to keep the reader’s interest. Keep pulling the reader’s eye down your copy, giving them the “gist” of the content in each header as you write.

How do you format headers?

Using HTML it is easy to format a header.  It looks like this (only omit the spaces after the < )

< h1>This is the largest header</h1 >

There should only be one <h1> tag on a page.  Obviously it would come first.  After the <h1> tag comes a series of 4 more tags, each getting progressively smaller.

< h2>This is the next smaller size< /h2>

< h3>This is smaller yet< /h3>

< h4>How small do we need to go?< /h4>

By now you get the general idea. Use the H tags to help the reader skim the copy and give  visual appeal to your content.

Don’t want to try HTML?

OK, HTML can be a bit scary at first, if you are timid at this point, never fear. Most blogs offer the same result in the editor.  Just look at the Bar Above when you are in “Visual” or “WYSIWYG” (what you see is what you get) mode.  Here there is a drop down box that will provide <h1> tags for you.

Here’s how it works:

1. Highlight the text you want as a Header or heading.
2. Click the Format or Paragraph drop down box
3. Select the <H> tag you like
4. You are done. No step 4!

Be Nice to Your Readers is a post from: Kristalks

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