Many bloggers feel that the longer they sit at their computers, the more popular their sites will become. I can tell you from experience that this is not true, as I have stared at a monitor for hours and accomplished nothing. (No, I wasn’t watching videos of Star Wars Kittens on StumbleUpon.) Oftentimes, the less time I spend at my computer, the more progress I make on my blog. This is, primarily, due to two things:

1. Planning

When I plan out the steps I am going to take to improve my blog, I get more done and save myself hours of staring at a blank screen. For each post, I figure out who I’m targeting and how I’m going to get them to subscribe to my blog. But, you all want to go to the mall right now, so check out how to plan your post topicslater.

2. Getting Out of a Rut

Spending a ton of time in front of my computer means one of two things. One, I’m working feverishly on a brand new idea that will change the internet, or two, that I am experiencing some kind of writer’s block. Let me tell you, friends – it’s almost always the second one.

Taking a trip to the mall is a great way to find new things to blog about and an awesome technique for giving that brain of yours a major kickstart.

What do consumers do when they go to the mall?

Browse.

What do retailers want to get these consumers to do?

Pull a classic “shut up and take my money.”

Isn’t this exactly what you’re doing with your blog? The product that you’re marketing is your content, and the product that you’re selling could be any number of things.

The action that you want readers to take, whatever that may be, is the product that you need to market on your “mall” – your blog.

How Will Going To The Mall Help Me Market My Content?

Learning new content marketing techniqueshas never been this easy – you don’t need to do anything other than observe.

Go to your favorite store (Victoria’s Secret is not your favorite store, gentlemen. Stop staring at the wall posters and go to RadioShack.) Now, observe two things.

1. Product Packaging

The majority of products have some kind of packaging that’s meant to get you to buy it. Take a look at what it says and how it looks. Does it catch your eye? Does it provide important details about the product in a way that make it appealing? The answer to both of those is probably yes if it’s a well-designed piece of packaging.

You need transfer this idea to whatever action you want visitors to take on your website. For example, if you want people to subscribe to your email list, you’ll need to alter your web form. It needs to be eye catching, and it needs to tell people why they should subscribe. Take some techniques from products that you find on your trip to the mall and apply them to the online world!

2. Salesman / Customer Interactions

The majority of mall stores have some sort of sales representative. And, in many cases, customers will go to this representative for help, more information, or to file complaints. Observe some of these reactions, and while trying as hard as possible not to look like a stalker, jot down a couple of notes. Which techniques worked well? Which techniques made the customer upset?

The readers of your blog are your customers, and you need to be sure that you are an exceptional salesperson. Deal with complaints appropriately, help readers out in any way you can, and always be prepared to talk about your site and answer questions! Draw from the techniques that you observed at your favorite store!

Your brain cannot function at a high level all day. That’s why they invented Reddit and gave office computers internet capability! (It’s not slacking, it’s regeneration .) Writing content can really drain you mentally. Sometimes, the best way to solve a problem is to take your mind off of it and come back to it later.

In addition, your trip to the mall can also help spark new article ideas! I know that some of my most popular post ideas have come from times when I’m NOT sitting at the computer, banging my head against the desk trying to bubble up some good leads. (In fact, I can only think of one or two popular posts that came about while I was sitting at my desk!)

More often than not, what you think may be counterproductive is actually saving you a lot of frustration. If it’s not working, put it aside and get out of the house for a couple of hours. I guarantee you that you’ll go back to your computer feeling refreshed and ready to churn out some quality content!

Chances are, your niche has something to do with products. Blog about beauty? Find some of the latest lotions and potions at your mall’s makeup store! Write about mobile technology? Head on over to Verizon or AT&T and look at the shiny new gadgets!

Story Time!

Here’s a great example of a time that a trip to the mall rocked my blog. One of my most popular posts was a quick article about Brookstone’s Cloud Force RC Helicopter, and I have a few hypotheses as to why it was such a traffic magnet. I found out about the toy while I was at my local mall looking around in the Brookstone store.

Let me tell you a secret: if you have a hard time finding a product on the internet, then that could be an opening for you to create a popular post. A ton of my most viewed posts have been about cool products that I saw at brick and mortar stores or in newly published magazines, like Popular Science ! If you found your topic online, then you know for sure that it’s everywhere on the internet, and that the competition is going to crowd you out.

Let’s go back to the example of a “tech geek,” since I am one myself. If I’m interested in mobile technology, and I head over to the AT&T store, that’s great. What would be even better is if I put one of the representatives on the spot with a video post and asked him some questions.

Video posts are becoming more and more popular, and your readers would probably find it more interesting than reading yet another chunk of paragraphs. (Like you’re doing now.) Add a bit of flavor to your site – even if you don’t want to interview anyone, use the mall as a lively setting for a talking head video! Change it up, and readers will appreciate your efforts!

Your local mall, unless you live in the middle of nowhere, is stuffed with people. Think of these people not as a mass of meat standing in the way of you getting a Cinnabon, but as potential customers! Imagine if every one of those people were to become loyal readers of your site!

Obviously, that’s not going to happen. You don’t have time to meet all of those people, and many of them aren’t in your target demographic. How do you overcome this obstacle in order to get some serious offline networking done?

Here’s the thing: you’re going to need a lot of business cards.

I would start with the sales representatives at stores that fit your niche. These people are obviously interested in the same thing you are, since they work with this topic all day, and would be a great launch point for today’s offline networking endeavors.

After you’ve handed out a couple of business cards to these workers, try to approach a few customers! (As “not-awkwardly” as possible. But, hey – if you want these people to come to your site, you’re going to need to talk to them. )

Finally, since you have a ton of business cards left, and you’re tired of talking to people, you should pull the old “accidentally left some business cards at a table” move. Go to the McDonald’s, get a coffee, and then leave a couple of business cards! (If you’re adventurous, you can even sneak around to the other tables and dump some there.) Chances are, people will find them!

This guest post was written by Jack Kieffer, who owns Cool Gizmo Toys, a blog with geeky lists for your eyes to feast on! Check out his article on mustache Tumblr