The Big Bad Book Blog

As an author, you’ve probably been told you should be blogging. Blogs are an excellent way to engage your audience and establish yourself as an authority figure. Still, many find the idea of blogging overwhelming and the actual process of writing blog posts almost unbearable. But with a little bit of planning, a few shortcuts, and some tips from the blogosphere, you can be posting and engaging with readers in no time. Here is our five-part series on blogging to help you get started:

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

In part four of our series, we will focus on ways to promote your blog. It’s not enough to just create a blog and upload content. All of your hard work means nothing if no one knows about it.

The best way to promote your blog is through social media. Every time you publish a new post, create aquick lead line,attach a link back to your blog,and then share it on your social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. Post them on message boards and in discussions that will interest your target audience, and use relevant hashtags on Twitter to get your post in front of people who will be interested in the topic of your blog. Do this every single time you post. You may even want to post the link 2–3 times in the same media stream in order to capture different people as they view their news feed. Just don’t get too obnoxious with posting links—even it out with plenty of valuable content and personal interaction.

Here are a few more tips to get your blog out there and in front of readers:

1. Comment on other blogs that cover your topic. When you post the comment,  share a link back to your own blog along with your comment.
2. Offer up your posts for syndication to aggregators and other outlets in your genre. Just be sure to prequalify outlets and their practices so you can keep your brand intact.
3. Promote social bookmarking through such outlets as Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, Social Poster, and more. Most blog services have a widget that will display a bookmarking toolbar for each post. If not, have your web designer embed this type of widget on your blog.

In our next and final post, we cover ways to track your blog’s progress and statistics.

As an author, you’ve probably been told you should be blogging. Blogs are an excellent way to engage your audience and establish yourself as an authority figure. Still, many find the idea of blogging overwhelming and the actual process of writing blog posts almost unbearable. But with a little bit of planning, a few shortcuts, and some tips from the blogosphere, you can be posting and engaging with readers in no time. Here is our five-part series on blogging to help you get started:

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

In part three of our series, we show you ways to manage your blog so it doesn’t manage you. If you read our original post on how to develop content for your blog, then you should already have a stockpile of posts to draw on. Next, you want to get them up into the blogosphere.

Some people enjoy blogging on a daily basis, but for most it’s too time consuming and can interfere with other important tasks. Luckily, most blog services such as Wordpress and Blogspot have the option to set a publish date and time, so you can load several posts in one sitting and have them publish automatically in the future. This way you are generating content on the recommended daily basis without the trouble of logging in and posting every day.

As I just mentioned, it is recommended that you blog daily, primarily on weekdays; regular posts positively impact search rankings in search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Still, posting a couple times a week is a good way to generate traffic on a frequent basis. The key word here is consistency. Don’t post five one week and then nothing for the next two weeks. People won’t be interested in what you have to say if they have no idea when you are going to say it. Develop a schedule and stick to it.

Another option to help you manage your blog is to either host guest bloggers or have a co-blogger. This way, the workload is divided among more than one person. Guest blogs are a great way to pull another blogger’s followers into your site (new potential readers) and to provide fresh content. Co-bloggers help take some of the burden off you, and also bring another perspective and new information to the blog. Just remember to choose cohorts who are in line with your author brand so you can keep your message on target and keep your audience engaged.

In our next post we discuss ways to draw readers into your blog.

Publishing is not a one-size fits all endeavor. Which option is best for you depends on your skills, genre, goals, project, and budget.  The questionnaire below will help you identify which publishing option to pursue:

Would you rather:

1. Not spend your own money and get paid up front
2. Pay just to print in exchange for a moderate return
3. Make a reasonable up-front investment for a higher return

Would you prefer to:

1. Let someone else handle the entire process
2. Manage the process yourself
3. Retain creative control while working with an experienced team

In terms of marketing and sales, are you more comfortable:

1. Handling your marketing, but knowing the publisher’s credibility will carry you through the distribution chain
2. Handling all of your marketing and forgoing retail distribution
3. Coordinating your marketing efforts with an organized and strategic campaign through retail and specialty distribution channels while having the option to sell directly

In terms of creating content, are you more comfortable:

1. Writing it yourself, but working with an editor to finalize it
2. Writing and editing it all yourself—I’ll hire an editor if I need one
3. Writing it yourself, but using the help of a ghost writer or an editor to organize your thoughts and save time

When it comes to design, would you rather:

1. Leave it to the pros
2. Do it yourself
3. Have creative control, but work with a skilled designer

When it comes to distribution, do you want:

1. Access to a traditional distribution chain
2. To sell them all yourself
3. A combination of traditional distribution and the ability to sell books on your own in return for the full cover price

Answer Key:

Mostly 1’s: Traditional publishing is probably the best option for you.

Mostly 2’s: Vanity, new technology, or self-publishing may be best for you.

Mostly 3’s: An independent/hybrid publisher is likely the best fit.

Regardless of which option you choose to pursue, it is vital that you protect yourself by doing your homework, taking the time to weigh the pros and cons, and analyzing  the option’s ability to help you meet your short and long-term goals. Publishing a book is a smart and crucial step toward building your brand. Take the time to do it right.

As an author, you’ve probably been told you should be blogging. Blogs are an excellent way to engage your audience and establish yourself as an authority figure. Still, many find the idea of blogging overwhelming and the actual process of writing blog posts almost unbearable. But with a little bit of planning, a few shortcuts, and some tips from the blogosphere, you can be posting and engaging with readers in no time. Here is our five-part series on blogging to help you get started:

Part One: To Blog or Not to Blog (why you should blog)

Part Two: A Blog Without a Cause (what to blog about)

Part Three: Taming the Blog Monster (managing your blog)

Part Four: The Blog Without a Name (promoting your blog)

Part Five: Blog Vital Signs (tracking your progress)

As Seth Godin and Tom Peters say in this video, blogging is the best marketing tool that lets you involve yourself in an actual conversation with your audience.

Now, what is a blog? I’m sure you have some idea (you are reading one now, after all), but here is another video that explains what a blog is, in simple language and with great visuals:

Now you can see why blogging is so important to your platform. It’s a free and easy way to share news, ideas, events, and other important items related to your marketing message.

Getting started

The first thing you need to do is choose a catchy, easy-to-spell, and relevant URL. Your options include:

• Purchasing a domain outright from such places as Go Daddy
• Hosting your blog on your existing website
• Using a free service such as Blogspot or WordPress

Since blogs are updated regularly, hosting your blog on your website gives you the best search engine optimization for your website, but a free site is just as good in terms of creating continuous and engaging content.

Next, you need to develop relevant content, which is covered in part two of our Best Blogging Practices series.

As an author, you’re constantly chasing down opportunities to share your book, speak to a crowd, serve as a resource, and perform other platform-building activities. People will often say no to your first request—but don’t let that discourage you or stop you from pursuing a lead after the first contact!

It takes at least six points of contact for a message to sink in—six—yet more than 75% of the time people stop pursuing leads after the first point of contact (Good Day 2009). Sometimes authors stop pursuing because they receive a no on the first try, other times it’s because the number of leads to manage is overwhelming. Cultivating relationships is crucial to your career, but it doesn’t need to take up all of your time.

The first thing you need to do is gather contact information. Every time you meet a lead or come across someone in a search, collect his or her contact information or business card right away. Enter them into a simple database such as Microsoft Outlook, Plan Plus, or Salesforce. Spreadsheets and rolodexes can be hard to manage effectively, but databases like these allow you to classify your contacts, set up reminders, add notes, and keep track of all interactions.

Next, you want to categorize your leads. Not all leads are created equal, and each group requires a different type of interaction. Here is a simple way to classify your leads:

1. Hot or “A” Leads: These are people interested in having you speak or scheduling you for some other event. These contacts are ready to go and need to receive frequent, personal contact in order for the relationship to develop into an event or opportunity. These contacts go to the top of your list.
2. Warm or “B” Leads: These are people who showed interest, but who have not yet decided whether they want to work with you. You will need to provide them with more information and work to cultivate the relationship.
3. Cold or “C” Leads: Cold leads are people with whom you have no rapport, such as those you find on the Internet or find out about through third-party sources. These contacts are usually managed through what is called “drip line marketing.” Drip line marketing consists of things like newsletters or emails you send out to a distribution list on an infrequent basis. You may need to send an introductory email and then a reminder a few months later or add them to an informational newsletter until they opt out or say they are not interested.

Sorting your leads into these categories will help you better identify and manage opportunities as they come. Don’t forget to provide value first, and remember that your leads are people. Treat them with respect, consideration, and always show your appreciation for their time.