It takes a special skill to be able to figure out ways to reap the rewards from your attention-getting ideas you come up with to promote your blog. It’s important to have a plan in place so that you don’t get caught up in a situation where the momentum passes you by.

Step 1 – Research it!
Once you’ve got the idea in your head you first need to figure out if it’s been done before. A quick look on Google can usually help you track down what you need to know. Don’t just stop there though. Do searches on YouTube as well, and other non-Google search engines like Bing, MSN and Yahoo! just to be thorough. If your idea is something that could be considered trademark-able, then you’ll want to do a quick search at the US government trademark site at the Trademark Electronic Search System, or TESS for short.

Just because it doesn’t show up in the online search doesn’t mean the idea is not protected. Consult an attorney and have them conduct a proper search, which will usually run you between $500-$3,000. There’s no sense in spending a lot of time and effort and most importantly, money, pursuing an idea that is someday going to get you in legal trouble. An attorney should also be used when you’re unsure about conducting online contests or using someone else’s name on your product or service.

Of course, just because it’s been done already doesn’t mean you can’t do it better. Competition is a great motivator, and a great starting point for imitation. Chances are that the idea wasn’t done as good as it could have been done, leaving the door open for you to take the reigns and do it even better. Learn from you competitor’s mistakes and figure out what they’re doing, or rather what they’re not doing, that you can improve your idea with.

Step 2 – Act on it!
Wayne Gretsky, probably the world’s most famous, and legendary hockey player once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” He’s right. A great idea is nothing if you don’t take action on it. Ask most every entrepreneur how they got started and you’ll often get the same answer of “I just went and did it” or “It was do or die“. Unfortunately, not everyone is born an entrepreneur and are as open to risk as they are.

Here’s an update for you reading this right now. If you don’t try, you lose. Plain and simple. You will lose. If you have an idea that you think can work, then you HAVE to give it a go. Act on it and see what happens. The downside is you never try and you never succeed. How depressing is that? Very.

Step 3 – Be Interesting!
Actually, you could put this before step 1 if you wanted to. Nobody ever remembers the middle. Human beings react to what’s different, good or bad. What are you doing that is interesting and different, good or bad, that makes people pay attention to your ideas?

For over 15-years, Jim Kukral has helped small businesses and large companies like Fedex, Sherwin Williams, Ernst & Young and Progressive Auto Insurance understand how find success on the Web. Jim is the author of the book, “Attention! This Book Will Make You Money“, as well as a professional speaker, blogger and Web business consultant. Find out more by visiting www.JimKukral.com. You can also follow Jim on Twitter @JimKukral.