The Future Buzz

Adam Singer is responsible for all of the content found on The Future Buzz, a blog about web marketing, PR strategies, and spreading buzz in the blogosphere. He is extremely passionate about computers, technology, and anything new that allows people to connect and communicate better in this globalized society.  In fact, he has been a heavy contributor to the internet for more than 12 years and was around to see the very start of the social web. By day he works as an account manager at TopRank Online Marketing, company based in Minneapolis, providing social media, SEO and digital marketing strategy for clients. By night he composes electronic music and maintains The Future Buzz, sharing all he knows about building a social media and online marketing empire. Between work and play, Adam lives and breathes the internet. Bloggers, marketers, freelance writers, entrepreneurs, artists, and many other professionals could all benefit from the expert content he provides.

Your goal with The Future Buzz is to inspire readers and help them become successful in spreading buzz on the web, whatever they’re hyping. With all the forms of digital media available, why did you choose blogging as the way to spread your message?

Blogging is easy, it’s fast and it’s effective.  You can be successful with just your ideas and a few free moments each day.  It’s essentially a blank slate to share your thoughts in a way that scales to grow as big as you want.  With that said, it’s more than a megaphone:  blogs are social by nature, and my blog has let me organically form a group of creative people who are open to discussing just about anything – related to marketing, PR, media or even just inspirational thoughts.

Your readership is pretty high, 10,000 to 60,000 people per month with 5,000 subscribers. What would be the best advice you would offer to a new blogger to set them on the road to that sort of viewership? What’s your favorite method to bring readers to your blog?

My best advice would be to stick with it, be consistent and put your passion and yourself into it.  Don’t try to be anything you’re not and you’ll naturally form a community that resonates with your content.  Personal blogs are not at all about promotion and are all about ideas.  Also don’t get hung up on numbers and create the same quality whether you have 5 or 500 readers.

If I had a favorite promotion method for someone it would be this:  form close relationships with 5-10 people who are already established.  Do this by guest posting for them frequently, promoting them consistently or just reaching out.  A lot of people make the mistake in community building to spread their efforts too thin and flirt with lots of different groups.  Instead, focus your efforts on getting the right people to put your content in front of their audience consistently over longer periods.  Rinse, repeat and you’ll grow.

For more ideas, visit the blogging section of The Future Buzz.

Blogging isn’t always easy, but with the readership you have, the pressure is on to create a steady stream of unique, new content. What is your trick to consistently creating new posts?

If you write about something you’re passionate about – like your industry – it shouldn’t be hard. If it’s that difficult, you picked the wrong subject.  If the industry you’re in isn’t your passion, it’s time to find a new job.

I happen to think if you’re truly passionate about your work, you’ll have enough ideas about how to make things better, enough creative promotions you don’t have the type of projects or clients to work on, and enough random thoughts that your blog can be the “catch all” of your mental surplus.

Also don’t think of blogging as a “chore” or something you “have to do.”  Rather, consider yourself lucky to live in a world you can have a voice.

What other blogs do you enjoy reading and why? Who are your favorite local Twin Cities bloggers?

Some of my favorite blogs:

Techdirt
Shooting At Bubbles
Louis Gray
Dosh Dosh
Flowing Data
Marketing.FM
ViperChill

Minneapolis bloggers:

Lee Odden
Arik Hanson
Rick Mahn

According to your bio, you’ve only lived in Minneapolis since the Summer of 2009, and before that, you lived in Florida. With 3-feet of snow on the ground, you and many other Minnesotans are probably pining for Fort Lauderdale right now. Despite the weather, what do you love about living in the Twin Cities so far?

Actually, after living in Florida for 26 years the snow is a nice change of pace.  I’ve never experienced a real winter so it’s interesting to me.  I’d say the best part about living here is the people, they are – for the most part – quite a bit nicer than Floridians (we’re a bit rough around the edges).  Although as someone who spends most of their time blogging and writing music (check out my music site if you’re into electronic music) I could live just about anywhere that has electricity and be happy.

What is your biggest non-blog related goal for 2010?

To speak at 5 marketing, PR or technology conferences/events this year.

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