Talk about a fast week… here it is Friday already! Armchair BEA has been a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed blogging about the topics for the week. I’ve really enjoyed having a blogging schedule to follow! Today’s topic is about how we keep our blogs going and strategies to stay fresh.

With all that we have going on at Author Marketing Experts: client campaigns, our twice-monthly Book Marketing Expert newsletter, the Publishing Insiders show on Blog Talk Radio, our Facebook Page, Twitter feeds, blog… no one is bored! Since the blog is one piece of what we do it’s important to stay focused so we can provide useful content without becoming overwhelmed.

* Finding content

The first issue is: what to use on the blog? Our CEO Penny Sansevieri is a blogger for the Huffington Post so those pieces make great content for our blog, too. What we’ve found is that the Huffington Post column, our blog and our newsletter may share readers but they also branch out into completely different audiences. We can’t guarantee that all of our readers can benefit from an article if it appears in just one forum.

Ideas for blog posts are everywhere. We subscribe to a lot of blogs on book marketing, publishing and writing. Those can offer some great ideas. Twitter and Facebook also offer great ideas, whether suggestions/questions from followers or content based on particular posts.

Regular features also help keep the blog full of content. Every Friday we do a roundup of some of the best book marketing tips we’ve found on Twitter. A lot of readers enjoy having several good ideas rolled into one blog post. Our Publishing Insiders show is on Tuesdays twice a month and the following day we run a wrap-up on our blog. That wrap-up is extremely popular and helps promote the show, too!

* Finding time to write

This is always a challenge given how busy we are. We find scheduling blog posts works well. If we have the content ready, scheduling it means it’s one less thing to worry about. Once you have a blog going, the last thing you want to do is build readership and then leave them hanging because you haven’t posted in a few days.

Guest posts are also quite useful and we welcome articles from anyone who has advice for authors. Sometimes we see a good post on someone else’s blog and ask for reprint permission, or we invite someone to write for us and share their expertise.

* Using social networking

Sharing blog posts via Tweet or Facebook post ensure more people see the blog. We also promote our blog in our newsletter. The key is to keep spreading the word so our regulars don’t forget about us and new friends, followers and subscribers realize we have a blog and stop by.

As far as events go, Penny speaks at events all year long, from writers conferences to blogger conventions and always finds them educational and rewarding. I’ll be back at BlogHer this summer; last year was rejuvenating. I highly recommend attending conferences where you can meet, network and learn … it’s an incredible shot in the arm that will keep you motivated. Happy blogging!