Mistakes Authors Make: #35 - Lack of a Blog
There seems to be an ongoing debate out there as to whether blogging is really beneficial for authors in today’s social media marketing world. Let’s cut right to the chase—if you’re an author you need to be blogging.
Why? Here are four major reasons you need to be blogging:
#1 Your blog is a great way to drive traffic to your website
#2 Adding fresh content to your blog can dramatically improve your search engine optimization
#3 Your blog related to the subject of your book positions you as a leading authority
#4 Your blog is a fantastic way to develop deeper reader (or prospective reader) relationships
Driving Traffic
Your blog provides you an opportunity to create relevant content for your potential readers. Use this as a marketing tactic to drive traffic back to your primary website. Many recommend that your blog be the focal point for all of your social media platforms.
Yes, you’re still going to have your Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Google Plus presences. Use all of them to post-relevant visuals of your blog articles. Give your social media followers a reason to click through to your website. Be sure to post inbound links directly in your blog articles in order to drive traffic to specific landing pages within your website.
Search Engine Optimization
Fresh content is still king in beating out your competitors in the search engine results page. By using appropriate keywords in your articles you can dramatically improve your search engine optimization. Take some time to list out the keywords, topics and categories you’d want people to use to find your blog. Be sure to use these words and related expressions when writing your blog posts.
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“Fresh content on your blog is important
for obtaining better search engine results”
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Keywords and keyword phrases on your website are a significant way in which Google (and other search engines) find your site for these searched words.
Become a Leading Authority
Well-written articles position you as an authority in your niche. By posting articles which resonate with your potential readership you show the market your knowledge and strengthen your position as someone to which people should pay attention.
You’re building trust. The more you can show that you’re well-versed on your topic, the more likely your potential readers will hand on your every word and likely purchase your book and recommend you to their friends and colleagues.
Developing Deeper Reader Relationships
Blogs provide another means to deepen the connection with your readers. By connecting directly via your website, your readers are able to get to know you better and you greatly improve that all important know, like and trust factor. You build trust by being a source of information. Readers like to be informed, and appreciate that you are the one teaching them.
Additionally, just as you would on your various social sites, respond to comments and interact with your followers. If they have questions about your topic or the book you are writing, respond to them directly on your blog. Unlike many social media sites, your blog is generally searchable on your site for quite some time. Your website comments last far longer than any Twitter response or Facebook post. Other potential readers will see your interactions too.
There are some additional benefits from regular blogging that many people don’t consider. First, it’s a great way to become a better writer. The only way you become a better writer is to write, and the regular posting of articles to your blog forces you to write regularly. The more you blog, the more you write, the better writer you become.
And, if you’re a first time author, you need to remember that the publishing business has changed drastically over the last few years. If you’re hoping to get noticed by a publisher they’re far more likely to pay attention to you if you have a built-in audience of readers. And that’s where your blog comes into play. So blogging is not just a great way to become a better writer, it may be your quickest route to becoming a published author.
Blogging is also a great way to get quick feedback on an idea you may want to develop further. While traditional authors may have to wait months between finishing a book and reading the reviews, a blogger gets to read their readers’ comments the same day that make a blog post. Having additional outside perspectives and the occasional constructive criticism can be invaluable.
Bloggers usually spend the majority of their time-sharing their insights and ideas with their readers. But, if you’re willing to listen, you’ll find that your readers share a lot with you too. Knowledge of your audience is invaluable. Achievement of this type of insight is a natural result of your day-to-day routine as a blogger.
There’s no question that becoming a regular blogger requires a commitment of time. But you’ve got to remember that blog posts can be pre-scheduled, so it’s okay to write things in advance and schedule them for release at a later date. We highly encourage you to do this. Take a day or two and focus dedicated effort to the pre-writing of your blog posts for the next year. Stay ahead of the game as much as possible so you don’t have that dreaded “I’ve got to write another post” hanging over your head day after day after day.
How often should you post to your blog? Some advocate doing a daily post, but in our opinion two to three per week is plenty. At a minimum, be sure to post some new content weekly. And, if your content well seems to be running dry and you’re struggling with what to write a blog post about, check out John Kremer’s excellent blog post titled “Book Promotion Tip: 101 Ways to Blog as a Book Author” on his site at blog.bookmarket.com
Blogging is still very important for authors. So be sure to commit yourself to being a blogger to help you increase your platform.
Editor's Note; This article is excerpted from the Amazon bestseller "Mistakes Authors Make" by Rick Frishman, Bret Ridgway and Bryan Hane. Can't wait to get it a chapter at a time? Pick up your own copy today at your favorite online bookstore.