If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or you can leave me a message HERE. Don't forget to leave a comment. I allow Do Follow so you get a link back. Thanks for visiting!

Hitting the Blogging wall is just like writer’s block, it happens. I am going to give you a few tips to move past the slump and increase your productivity.

1. Take a break. No, seriously, step away from the computer and do something that has nothing to do with your blog. I suggest at least 2 days away from your site and social networks. Humans have a terrible tendency to get tunnel vision while doing the same thing repeatedly. In order to free your mind and allow your thoughts and passion to build up again, you have to step away. I know that it’s hard to let your email go for a day or two, but honestly, if the world is going to end, you will hear about it before you get to your email.

2. Remind yourself why you started blogging in the first place. I started blogging about marketing and the ideas that surround it because I love to problem solve, and I also love to think outside the box. When I approach a problem, I like to look into what is really happening and see if there is a better way to go about it. I have no problems completely scrapping something and moving on if the idea is flawed to begin with. For whatever reasons you started blogging, go back and examine those reasons and see if you simply aren’t just off course. When we get in the habit of doing things we don’t love to do, we subconsciously find ways to sabotage them.

3. Set goals. Goals are a great way to give yourself focus and challenge you to accomplish things you would normally consider out of reach. I love goals and use them all the time to keep me on track (see. Goals are a great marketing tool). The way my brain works, it doesn’t take long before I am off in la la land wondering how I got there. Goals keep me grounded. I post goals for getting out of debt, benchmarks for our blogs, weight, trips, money, moving and just about anything else. Ty’s Blog recently did a post about goals and I couldn’t agree more. I am the number one advocate of goals when it comes to getting things done.

4. Don’t forget your notebook. I just ran a post about the uses and advantage of a notebook, here. I can’t say enough how handy all of those random thoughts and scribbles come when you are stuck for writing. I know all I have to do is open up that notebook and I could make a dozen blog posts from its contents. One of my favorite things my girlfriend Lindsay and I do is while driving we brainstorm blog ideas and topics. Last weekend when we went backpacking, we probably came up with 15 or so different blog posts to work on. When it comes time to sit down and write posts, they are practically done. All you have to do is find pictures and fill in the blanks like ad Libs.

5. Read other blogs. I use Google Reader and probably subscribe to 30 different blogs. Although not all of the blogs are in my niche, I care a lot about them. When I am stumped or feel like I just don’t know what to talk about, I can see the trends others are doing and follow suit. I will rarely blog about the same product or service others are talking about, but I will look at the marketing mechanism behind it and talk about that.

6. Build your network. I am sure I don’t have to tell you about the advantages of networking your blog, but just in case, I will. If there were a blogging 10 Commandments, number 1 would be networking. I am not saying to go out and pick up every new social networking site and widget that comes your way, but use the ones you are already a part of. I was a member of Digg and StumbleUpon long before I started blogging. Make sure you are well rounded in your networking approach such as being a member of forums, blogs you admire, Entrecard or the like. If there are people involved, that is where you need to be.

7. Build your relationships. This is a lot like building your network but with a twist. Networks like Digg and Stumbleupon are pretty impersonal and apart from throwing some love back and forward, they don’t really do much else. Instead, establish relationships with others that are like minded. Max from Zedomax.com gave me some great advice. He told me to visit a number of blogs consistently and participate on those blogs. I bookmarked about 50 blogs that I frequent about every other day. In just a couple days, I gained RSS subscribers, comments, traffic and started building lasting relationships. Now things are getting to the point where guest posts, sharing traffic, promoting, comments and even taking care of others blogs while on vacation are becoming the norm.

8. Listen to music or a motivational speaker. I love techno music and use it to energize me to action. I even wrote a post about it. Listening to techno music isn’t the only way to get motivated. Each person knows what one type of thing really gets the juices flowing, causing a new surge in productivity. For you, this might be a motivational speaker, a book, movie, play, sunny weather or something else. Tap into that power and motivate yourself to action.

9. Bring yourself into your posts. Believe it or not, people really like to get to know the author of what they are reading. This is why we love stories of triumph and conquest so much, because we can identify with the person. Don’t hesitate to talk about yourself and your experiences. People like knowing that there is a human being behind the blog and like to put themselves in his or her shoes. Share a little bit of yourself in each post. You won’t regret it.

10. Ask for input. This is probably one of the most overlooked things in the blogging world. If you are not sure what to do or what angle to take on a certain subject, feel free to ask readers. This accomplishes many things, including establishing a relationship with your readers, opening your eyes to different points of view (yes, people think differently), helping you solve problems or questions and making everyone get involved. Even if your readers aren’t getting involved in an open discussion, they are participating mentally, which will probably lead them to enjoy your blog more.

With all of that said, what would you like to see more of on the Unconventional Marketing Blog?

Blowing away monthly stats.

What a quick week it has been. Things continue to go really well, including stats for this page. I have reached my goal of 30,000 unique visitors for the month of March, with 9 days to spare. That is an average of 1,400 unique visitors a day. When I posted those stats on my site and told everyone of my goal, I had no idea if I was going to make it or not. I did know that I was going to try and do what I could to reach my goal. It is very important to have goals. Making them public is always a great motivation factor as well.

Here is the link to my stats. February’s traffic was pretty small compared to this month. I officially started this blog on Feb. 19, meaning I only had a couple of days to market it that month. In March, I have spent a total of $30 towards advertising on my site. I have more time than money at this point, so most of the advertising was accomplished with a lot of time invested. I am aiming to flip this around ;). Now only a couple more people to go for my goal of 100 RSS subscribers. Not bad for one month.

Going backpacking.

Lindsay, Ace (our mutt) and I are taking a trip to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota. By the time you are reading this we should be on the road. We have made it a tradition to go backpacking over Easter weekend to a different park. Each year it is an adventure. Last year we lasted one night in 1-degree weather. Brrr. The year before we ran out of water and borrowed some from somebody’s hose faucet (they were not home). Who knows what adventures lay ahead for us this weekend. I will be sure to share photos and memories when I get back.

Podcast and Video Logs.

I am still working on and planning to share podcast and video logs for the readers of The Unconventional Marketing Blog. I have the process all figured out and will probably get some out by this week. Maybe there will be a backpacking special. I don’t know, we’ll have to see.

Contests.

It seems like a lot of contests are showing up all over, and I can’t blame people. I love winning free things and like participating in different contests. Tyblog.com is starting a new contest and it is shaping up to be a whopper of one at that. If you are interested in contributing to the contest or want more information about what he needs, go here.

I like music. I am not a musician by any means and don’t know how to play any instruments, but I enjoy listening to music very much. Often times I use music as a form of motivation. In particular, I listen to techno, or more specifically, trance music. I find that listening to this music at a reasonable level increases my productivity.

Many studies have shown that listening to music does a number of different things, mostly contributing to the emotional state you are in. If you settle down to a nice dinner with your loved one and put on a soft melody, you will probably feel a lot more intimate than say listening to Metallica. As a matter of fact, there is a whole industry built around using music to build emotion. Just look at any blockbuster movie. When I find myself drifting into that afternoon haze, I will put together a nice little playlist to pep up my productivity. Here is a video of one favorite artist.

That video shows DJ Tiesto cut called Power Mix. With closed to 14,000,000 views on YouTube, there seems to be quite a large following. I haven’t seen him in concert, but I have seen similar.

I number one reason I prefer this genre of music over others while working is the lack of words. Instead of words, the primary focus is on the beat. Most trance music has an upbeat tempo that more or less energizes me. In college I would make the journey to the library to work on finals and papers. I would put together my list and away I would go. The funny thing about studying to music is the condition called same state learning, where you remember things the best in the same state of mind you learned them in. While writing an in-class final, I would constantly hear the techno beat playing in my head that I was listening to while studying. I often wondered if I would have done better on tests if I could have listened to music while taking them.

In the end, I am sure most people do choose their favorite music as a form of motivation. In Fargo, even the marathon won’t let you listen to music if you want to qualify for say the Boston marathon. I believe the race organizer’s reasoning is the disadvantage to others without the music motivation. Techno music is one of my productivity tools and if you haven’t used music as a form of motivation, I would highly recommend it.