The
Internet has made it possible for writers to be their own one-made shop. You
can write your book, publish it, sell it, and market it all on your own. You
reap all the profits, and you can former closer relationships with your
readers.
Blogging
is one of the best marketing tools available to writers. You can use it to
promote your work and to connect directly with your fans. You can reveal
insights into your process, share news about upcoming publications or sales,
and participate in a direct conversation with your readers.
However,
blogging may not be like the writing you're used to doing. You need to take a
special approach in order to make your blogging successful (and, therefore, a
useful tool in marketing yourself). Here are a few tips:
Be Yourself
In
their quest to put on a professional, public face in their blogs, many writers
lose their own voice and fail to connect with readers. It is important to be
yourself when you write -- just like you would in your professional writing.
Being yourself will help you to stand out and will help readers to feel a
connection with you, which will encourage them to read your blog and your
published writing.
Offer Value
Blogging
is a great tool to promote yourself and your work, but if all you ever do is
promote yourself, you'll alienate your audience. You must offer your readers
something of value in order to keep them coming back to your site (where they
can learn more about you and your work). You can offer value by sharing useful
information (perhaps some writing tips or some information about the publishing
industry) or by writing entertaining content. Strive to create a healthy mix of
promotional content and content that creates value for your readers.
Adapt to the Format
Every
type of writing has a very specific format. So does blogging. Some guidelines
include:
·
Short sentences.
·
Short paragraphs of only 2-3 sentences each.
·
Bulleted points.
·
Bold headers and other elements to break up the page and improve
readability.
If
you're a novelist, it may be hard to break up your long paragraphs, and if
you're a poet, it may be difficult to pare back the descriptions. Be aware of
your format, and adapt as necessary.
Use SEO
One
of the best ways to get your blog noticed is to optimize it for search engine
results. That way, when someone searches for something in your niche, they are
more likely to find your blog. SEO incorporates a large number of elements, but
the key strategies involve identifying the right keywords for your blog and
then using them in your content, headers, and other page elements Other basic
strategies include link building, increasing page loading times and optimizing
your design.
Get Social
Social
media is a great compliment to your blog. You should be sharing all your blog
posts on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, and should be striving
to expand the conversation with followers there. Social networking can help you
to reach a larger audience and can increase the page rank for your blog
(getting you more exposure and more traffic).
Blogging
is a great way for writers to promote themselves and to build relationships
with their readers. If you are new to blogging, or if you aren't seeing the
results you would like from blogging, consider these tips for success to start
reaching your goals.
Are
you blogging to promote your work? Share your best tips for success in the
comments!
Bio:
Chloe
Trogden is a researcher focusing on school grants who writes on specific opportunities
such as grants for nursing students. Her leisure activities
include camping, swimming and playing her guitar.
