My approach to blog marketing is to create multiple blogs that revolve around a common subject.   I’ve listed below some of the factors I consider when deciding what to blog about. They should guide you in developing a market-oriented and sustainable blog in the long run.

Topics of interest

Perhaps the most important factor you should consider when choosing a niche topic is your field of interest. Though the interests of others, demand for a particular piece of information and profitability of a blog subject are important as well, chances are you will find yourself running out of fresh content for your blog if it is about something that doesn’t interest you at all.

Before you start a blog, ask yourself, “Can I work on this topic for the next 12 months?”. If you can’t, look for other topic rather than waste time on writing a blog with a short lifespan. Creating a popular blog doesn’t happen overnight, so be sure that you can sustain your momentum during the early stage of your blog.

Lack of interest in your topic will inevitably manifest through the quality of your content. Readers can sense whether a blog is written out of passion or not. Your audience will drop your blog if you give them the impression that you yourself is not interested in what you are writing about.

Popularity of topic

As important as the blogger’s interest is the popularity of topic. You should select a topic that interests others as well. Just like in other market, the Law of Supply and Demand also applies to blogging.  You don’t market ideas only because you like them, but because others like them as well. Unless there are people who are interested in what you are saying, building a high-traffic blog is impossible.

But keep in mind that the Internet population has diverse demographics. What interests one segment may not appeal to others. Your blog should be viable as long as it falls in the field of interest of any sizable group.

Look for the trends

Of course not all popular topics remain to be so in the long run. As a blogger, you should assess the lifespan of a particular trend and know what direction it is heading to. Does the topic poise to become more popular or will it wane in the next few months? Predicting what will be the talk of the town in the next six months will prove to be profitable for your blog.

Make it a habit to look out for what people are interested about. Ask yourself ‘what are the things the public will search in the Internet?’ Keenly observe current events and pay attention to what the TV, magazines, newspapers and even the people around you are saying.

How tough is the competition

The importance of avoiding cut-throat competition could not be emphasized more in blog marketing. One of the common mistakes of bloggers is to pick a popular topic without thinking how they can stand out from the competition once the topic spreads across the blogsphere. Keep in mind that the demand always affects the supply. The greater the demand for a piece of information, the tighter will be the competition among bloggers.

As the amount of information available in the Internet continues to grow, it is increasingly becoming more difficult for bloggers to discover an unserviced niche. The key is to shift your attention from mainstream topics to specialized niches. The less popular a topic is, the less likely you will encounter competition.

I know a blogger who saw his income rising after shifting from mainstream topic to a more specialized one. Who would imagine that blogging about lawnmowers is more profitable than blogging about gadgets. What’s more surprising was the short time frame for making the lawnmower blog profitable.

Creating a sub-niche

Another way to find a profitable blog subject is to determine what well-established bloggers are lacking. You can capitalize on the shortcomings of your competitors by growing the unserviced area of their market into a sub-niche.

How can I constantly update my blog?

Regular updating of contents determines the long-term success of a blog. Readers do not visit the same blog just to read what was posted in their last visit.

Ask yourself, “Do I have something to post in my blog in the long run?”. This is in line with what was previously discussed regarding your interest in a particular topic.

There are a number of online resources that can help you update your content, such as Yahoo! News, Google News, Topix, Technorati, Taglines and Blog Pulse.

Profitability of a blog subject

Profit-oriented blogs should be aimed at topics that attract advertising revenues. Choosing what topic to blog about is like making an investment. A profitable topic is one that attracts market segments that are being targeted by your sponsors or advertisers. Blog topics are not equally profitable. For instance, contextual ad programs like AdSense and YPN barely generate advertising revenues for some blogs, but bring thousands of dollars to blogs on other topics.

The type of income stream also affects the profitability of blogs. Affiliate marketing is effective in certain blogs, so are impression-based ads.

After considering the above factors, you should be able to decide on what topic to blog about.  Though it is hard to find the ideal blog subject that meets all of the above criteria, you should get over it and start blogging.  Knowing the weaknesses of the topic of your choice should be enough to guide you in improving your blog.

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