Not too long ago, I was driving out near Lake Travis (west of Austin), and I was cresting a hill when I noticed a very small sign that was illegible at highway speed.  Since there aren’t any homes there, the little sign was clearly advertising some land, perhaps land with a sweeping view of the lake and the surrounding scenery.  Unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine anyone calling to find out more, since they would have to risk life and limb to read the number.

Let’s face it – a property like that deserves a billboard, or at the very least something that can be spotted at a distance, right?

Consider this for a moment: What if the owner or agent had a large, interesting, eye-catching sign on that highway, maybe one with a message that changed every day or so?  What if your friends were hanging out there on weekends having a party?

What if throughout the city, you couldn’t go anywhere without someone mentioning it, or seeing another, smaller version of the amazing sign?  Everywhere you turn, you hear about this place.  You’d have to at least go see it for yourself, wouldn’t you?

That large sign is your blog.

It should be your goal to have content that is intriguing.  Your efforts as a new media marketer really do stem from this.  The other, smaller signs I alluded to in the analogy above are your profiles elsewhere online, along with all of the stuff you generate there.  Your conversations, connections, photos, and friendships.  Try to keep in mind that you want people to always be aware of where you are headquartered.  As such, it’s part of your job to give them directions on how to find this place, or at least leave some bread crumbs along the path you’re blazing.

I’ve seen blogs that start out like a house afire, then flame out far too quickly.  The vast majority of people will simply give up before they gain any sincere traction or following.  I’m probably not one to judge, since I’m not the world’s best when it comes to planning, either.  I’m more headstrong and anxious to experiment.  Give me a random topic or business idea and I’m off and running, at least in my mind.  I am also an eternal optimist, much like sitcom kids circa “Growing Pains” – “It’s so crazy, it just might work!”  I’ve been self-employed since I was 25 years old, and I keep an open mind about new ideas and fledgling (occasionally half-formed) projects.

This actually works for me.  It may or may not work for you.

Either way, try to keep in mind that you really can drive a good deal of traffic to your site if you mention it when you’re “out and about” online.  This, of course, assuming that you have some measure of passion about what you’re doing.  People can sense that, believe me.

When it comes to your marketing efforts, give some thought to not allowing your blog to become like that sad little sign on the side of a very busy road.  After all, you and your creativity deserve better.  Make them stop and take note of you.  It’s a great place to start.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stuckincustoms/4126733279/