What should I do with my industry-specific blog now that I want to create different content?

I second Carlos' idea of Funnelholic+ And you could update the listings beneath your logo on the blog or create a new tagline. Look at it this way - all business is a funnel. As in everything a business does leads to some outcome with steps along the way. Just turn the concept of "funnel" into business strategy + process = X and you'll be free to evolve what you write about.

Maybe you should do your own exercise and draw your version of a business funnel.

Bottom Line - Stay.

Oh gosh well, no one else has said, so why not: Funnelholics Anonymous?

Downside - you're still tethered to the funnel. But do we ever really recover from funnelholism?

Upside - large (and growing) potential audience. Possible 501(c)(3) tax status with cash flows easily hidden from IRS view.

:-)

Craig,
You will always be the Funnelholic to me.

Maybe do like we did for our new blogs- we kept B2B Marketing as a channel, while adding two more channels.

I like Dennis's idea- but maybe it could be...
CRMholic
SaaSholic
Socialholic

I kinda thought you had multiple personalities anyway- so multiple blog channels makes sense ;-)

Craig, I think you should keep the blog and brand, and simply evolve your writing as your career and interests change.

Diane

I second all the advice from my esteemed colleagues, above. You've spent years building it and coalescing a community. That's hard work. Preserve it if you can.

I wanted to respond to this question, though: Do just started diversifying my blog posts?

I think the reason Funnelholic is so good and interesting is that it has personality and a point-of-view. To the extent that you can maintain your voice and your passion and write about other topics (VOIP solutions?), go for it. Otherwise, the people who are attracted to the experience of the blog will slowly turn their attention elsewhere. And it won't be fun for you anymore, either.

Dear Funnelholic,

After all the great posts above, I feel like I'm late to the stage in the "Funnelholic Roast". I agree with everyone who's said that Funnelholic is a "brand" and I suggest building upon it, rather than shutting it down.

So let's say you want to branch out into BI, CRM and SaaS (just an example). You can potentially create new sites (or perhaps sections of your existing site) that are called:

Funnelholic BI
Funnelholic CRM
Funnelholic SaaS

Seem familiar? It's what Sir Richard Branson did with Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records, Virgin (Everything). And last but not least, do more interviews with yourself, I loved that.

Keep it and let it evolve. You must - 2011 is the year of personal brands according to Chris Koch at ITSMA. He explains on his personal B2B Marketing Blog in this post:

http://www.christopherakoch.com/2011/01/2011-the-year-of-personal-brands/

Chris uses Jeremiah Owyang, Augie Ray, Forrester Research and Altimeter Group to make his point.

I agree with the comments above and like Carlos' idea of The Funnelholic+

When I speak with others about you, about half the time they don't know who Craig is, but they know The Funnelholic.

I say it stays. Long live The Funnelholic:)

Perhaps outsource? You may watch it continue to grow on autopilot while keeping the content to a minimum, then come back to it, and bam! goldmine.

:)

Stay...stay...stay... Love the Funnelholic. Take it where you want and we will follow!

We all know that you have too much free time on your hands, Craig - and if you gave up the Funnelholic your idle time would be out of control :-) It's either keep the Funnelholic, or start selling Data as a Service solutions for me. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it."

I say keep it going.

You've got to stay! There's no reason why The Funnelholic's content can't broaden. Take Jay-Z as an example. Shawn Carter is better known to the world as Jay-Z, right? Hip-hop entrepreneur and founder of Roc-A-Fella records. However, hip-hop is now just a portion of what he's known for. He's got his own clothing line (Rocawear), his own nightclub (40/40 Club), and he's part owner of the New Jersey Nets. On top of that, he's an author. The thing is, though, that he's known as Jay-Z throughout each venture.

Just because you want to diversify your blog articles doesn't mean you need to ditch the brand. Keep The Funnelholic blog alive!

Craig we read the blog for you, not the name.

Whatever you call it, your audience will follow you.

Hi Craig,

I know I already weighed in, but I wanted to reiterate that I don't think your "brand" is holding you back at all. The funnel isn't just about leads and sales, it's really about how that all comes to be and nurturing it. That includes marketing, content, anything really.

Your audience doesn't care about just one thing, so you're not tethered to it!

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do!
Abby

Hi Craig,

Well, it looks like I'm late to the game this time and by the looks of it, you got the answer you're looking for. I completely agree-- keep the name and evolve it as you see fit. After all, people read blogs for the personalities behind them, not just expert content. That's what Focus is for.

Feel free to stir the pot in other areas too ;-)