I’m not an expert blogger, but I do spend a good majority of my day reading and commenting on blogs.  A lot goes into writing a blog, even if it doesn’t seem that way on the surface.  Wondering how to get started? Here’s my take on the top 3 things you should keep in mind.

Content, Content, Content

It may be all about the Benjamin’s in your world, but it’s all about the content in mine.  Make your blog interesting and I’ll keep coming back. I don’t want to read a million posts talking about how fabulous you are, but I do want to read a million posts about your creative process, the work that goes into marketing your work, inspiration you find throughout your daily life, or other artists you’ve been digging lately.

Blog posts don’t have to be epic tomes! Length isn’t necessarily an important factor here. It’s more about the point you’re trying to get across – a good story will keep me reading far longer than the shorter version of the same story that lacks substance.

Looks Are Important

I may not know what you look like on stage, but I do know what you look on the Internets.  Your blog can be pink, purple, orange, green or blue – just make it easy to navigate and I’ll keep coming back.  If you’re wondering if your site looks like to an outsider, ask someone that has never visited before and see what they say they like or dislike.

Highlight what you want your reader to pay attention to first. If it’s your content and your videos, make sure you give them equal real estate.  There was a big discussion about sidebars on the last #blogchat, and it seemed like the overwhelming conclusion was that your sidebar has to be useful. If you’re active on other sites, provide an easy way for people to find you there. If your posts leave a lot of room for follow-up, or if you just want people to email you and make you feel loved, make sure a link is prominently featured.  You figure out what’s useful by first figuring out your goals.  If you think your sidebar is getting too long, try creating new pages on your website to hold some of that content. A site shouldn’t be overwhelming to a new visitor!

Know Your Audience

There are a ton of ways to figure out what your readers enjoy.  I use Google Analytics to see which posts get the most traffic, and Google Webmaster to figure out how people end up on the site.  I keep an eye on which posts get Tweeted the most, and see who likes or comments on my posts that are shared on Facebook.

When all else fails – ask people what they want to read.  Ask them what questions they have for you and see what they say!

Want more? Check out Pro Blogger for some GREAT blogging tips. Also, don’t be afraid to emulate – if you like a blog, watch and see how they do things. See if you can adopt their practices for yours!

Do you have tips to share? Any lessons you’ve learned along the way? Share them in the comments!

Otherwise known as HOLY STATISTICS!

These summary stats were pulled from the Socialnomics site, so go there for the full statistical breakdown in written form. These are just the highlights!

1. By 2010 Gen Y will outnumber Baby Boomers….96% of them have joined a social network
2. Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web
3. 1 out of 8 couples married in the U.S. last year met via social media
4. Years to Reach 50 millions Users:  Radio (38 Years), TV (13 Years), Internet (4 Years), iPod (3 Years)…Facebook added 100 million users in less than 9 months…iPhone applications hit 1 billion in 9 months.
5. 80% of Twitter usage is outside of Twitter…people update anywhere, anytime…imagine what that means for bad customer experiences?
6. Generation Y and Z consider e-mail passé…In 2009 Boston College stopped distributing e-mail addresses to incoming freshmen
7. The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube
8. 54% = Number of bloggers who post content or tweet daily
9. 25% of search results for the World’s Top 20 largest brands are links to user-generated content
10. 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations
11. Only 14% trust advertisements
12. 25% of Americans in the past month said they watched a short video…on their phone
13. 24 of the 25 largest newspapers are experiencing record declines in circulation because we no longer search for the news, the news finds us.
14. More than 1.5 million pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) are shared on Facebook…daily.

Makes you think, doesn’t it?

I could apologize for not posting in a few weeks. But I won’t.

Instead, i’m going to share some things I’ve learned, some over the last month, and some way before.

When I started this blog I wrote so that I didn’t bother my friends with my ramblings and thoughts about music and marketing. Quite frankly, it had gotten to the point of annoying.

As it happens, around the time that Christmas hit, I hit a blogging rut. So, instead of writing, I started thinking. Here’s what I came up with.

• Blog posts don’t have to be master essays. They can be, but there’s nothing wrong with a short blog post.
• I’m not great at writing when I’m not inspired. I’m absolutely certain that I’d rather write less, but write when I feel I actually have something to say.
• My new job is wonderful. This includes being wonderfully busy. Interestingly enough it’s given me lots of ideas for posts I’d like to write, as a lot of what I do is applicable to the music business.
• Video is cool. I like video. Expect to see more of it here soon, including an interview with Juakali and a short clip of Walt Riberio, talking about his newest project, For Orchestra.
• I don’t want to cover the news. As much as I love knowing what’s going on, I don’t want this blog to become just another blog covering information you can easily find elsewhere.

Above all, I’ve learned that this outlet is a great way for me to express longer form thoughts, which I miss doing.

So no, I’m not apoloizing. It’s OK to take a step back and it’s OK to re-evaluate. Some would even say it’s necessary.

For those that don’t know, I’ve been a big fan of electronic music since my teenage years.  My tastes have evolved over the years, starting with trance but quickly migrating to the “darker” side of things including drum n bass and dubstep.

Through the years I’ve been fortunate to meet some amazing people involved in the music business.

A not-so-recent conversation with Headhunter, a dubstep producer and DJ visiting from the UK, has remained in my mind for over a year. The conversation happened in the parking garage of a Charlotte Uptown establishment, en route to a gig after leaving a social media meetup.

The group at the meetup had been talking about the usual suspects – Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, WordPress and how “MySpace is dying”.  Throughout the conversation, Headhunter remained fairly silent, seemingly content with watching the game on TV and chatting with those around him as most were doing.

When we left to go to the car, we got into a conversation about “What is social media?”.

BINGO. A lightbulb went off.

To many electronic artists, the things they do to market themselves are just that, “just what I do”. It’s not about a new hot term, or this new thing. It’s how things have been done for years – way before big business started getting the picture.

If you’re into electronic music, check out your favorite artist and see how active they are.

I’ll use Headhunter as my example, not only because I’ve already mentioned him, but also because he’s a very talented producer and DJ and I’m always happy to point people in the direction of his music. Really, I am.

He blogs

He has a page on MySpace

He’s on Facebook

He’s on YouTube

He shares his music

He posts on message boards

He gets social media. He knows the norms, he interacts with his fans, and he maintains his presence in the social web throughout his travels.

To people in the social media world, this is a case study. It’s something to be explored, dissected, and asked “So, what’s the ROI?”.

To DJ’s, producers, and others involved in the electronic music scene, it’s the way they market themselves. It’s how they get their gigs, and it’s how they make their living. What’s the ROI? Their life is the ROI.

“It’s just what I do.”