Tag: blogging

Wendy Speaks

Five Ways Self Published Authors Can Improve Blog Traffic

By now you know that self-published authors must have an online presence. One of the best ways to build your online platform and promote yourself and your book is blogging. However, a blog is only useful if you are regularly attracting your target readers. Your goal is not to simply post a certain number of blogs per week but to also build an audience and increase the traffic to your blog. Here are a few ways to improve your blog traffic.

1. Study the numbers.

Most blogging programs monitor how many people visit your blog and what content they view. Often it also tells you how the readers found your blog. For instance, if someone discovered your blog by searching the key words “self published” and “children’s book author,” that is important information. You want to pay attention to what keywords are bringing in readers and what content readers are viewing. This will help you further target your audience and will tell you if you are attracting the right readers.

2. The key is new, useful content.

If you want to improve your blog traffic, you MUST regularly post new, useful content. People expect blogs to updated almost daily, and they want to read information that helps or interests them in some way. When choosing blog topics, ask yourself, “Why would my audience read this?” If your audience won’t find it helpful or interesting, don’t post it.

3. Tone down the keywords.

Yes, keywords are important because you want your blog to appear in search engine results. However, you also want your blog to sound genuine. Readers hate when blogs are crammed with keywords. They can tell when you tried to stuff as many keywords as possible into your posts. Keep the writing natural, and the keywords will happen on their own. It is also useful to use synonyms for keywords. Remember how your English teachers told you to expand your vocabulary and never use the same word multiple times in a paragraph or sentence? The same is true for blogging. Readers still expect good writing.

4. Edit! Edit! Edit!

Everything you put online represents you as an author. If you want to be taking seriously and be viewed as a professional, all of your online work must  be professional. Never post a blog without proofreading it. Remember all of the grammar and writing tips your English teachers have taught you. While there is more flexibility in online writing, readers still expect the work to be professional. If grammar and spelling are not your strengths, hire a professional to proofread your posts.

5. Share links.

The power of social media is unbelievable. Bloggers get more traffic from social media than search engine results. Always share links to your posts on your social media pages. Also encourage your followers to share your links. (Retweeting a fellow blogger’s links is a great way to earn brownie points.) However, don’t use social media solely to promote your blog. Followers like to build genuine relationships with the companies and people they follow, and they don’t use social media to constantly be sold to.

Building a great blog requires time and skills. If you aren’t able to commit to maintaining a great blog, you can hire someone to help. There are plenty of professionals who can write, edit, and manage your posts. Just because you are the author of the blog doesn’t mean you have to do all the work alone.

I’d love to know, what have you done to improve your blog traffic?

ABOUT WENDY STETINA: Wendy Stetina is a sales and marketing professional with over 30 years experience in the printing and publishing industry. Wendy works as the Director of Author Services for Outskirts Press. The Author Services Department is composed of knowledgeable customer service reps and publishing consultants; and together, they all focus on educating authors on the self-publishing process in order to help them publish the book of their dreams. Whether you are a professional looking to take your career to the next level with platform-driven non-fiction, or a novelist seeking fame, fortune, and/or personal fulfillment, Wendy Stetina can put you on the right path.
Networking, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized

5 Reasons Some Self-Publishing Authors have no Online “Street Cred”

You’re following the advice you’ve been given on self-publishing blogs such at this one. You’ve started a blog and are updating it regularly. You’ve got a small following on Twitter, Facebook, etc., but are you still feeling like no one’s really listening to you? Well, first off, it can take a while to get to the point where you have a “true following” because people are still feeling you out. They haven’t really gotten to know you, and they don’t know if you’ll be around for a day, week, month, year, etc. So, know that time can be your biggest enemy when you first get started. Once you’ve overcome the time barrier (usually after about 3 months or so), there may be another reason you aren’t getting noticed online.

Here are some of the top reasons that no one is listening to you online:

  1. Everything (or mostly everything) you post online is a request for people to buy stuff. People don’t like being sold, and that’s the quickest way to shut down interaction between you and your audience. Let them buy from you because they like you, not because that’s all you ever talk about online.
  2. You don’t provide anything of value. Have you ever heard of the acronym WIIFM? If not, it means “What’s in it for me?” By nature, humans are selfish, and if you aren’t giving them what they need/want, you’re useless and not worthy of their time — online or otherwise.
  3. You don’t play well with others. Could people feel put off by what you saying online? Are you being derogatory or insulting in any way? Make sure you are being sensitive to the issues of your audience and worse yet, don’t get into online arguments with others.
  4. You’re off when they’re on and vice versa. Are you posting at a time when your audience is actively online? Are you sleeping while they’re browsing? Unless you are scheduling your updates (which is highly recommended), you are missing your audience. You want to be most active when they are.
  5. You’re not connected with the right people. Are you missing the boat altogether? Make sure your audience knows that you’re out there. It’s fine to connect with others who may be outside of that demographic. However, you want to make sure you are reaching the people who could buy your book.

All of the above can be summed up into one simple sentence: Be where they are when they are, be nice, and give them what they’re looking for.

DISCUSSION: Have you ever missed the mark on connecting with your audience?

 

Weekly Recap:

Quick Question – What is Self-Publishing?

5 Things to Look For in a Self-Publishing Company

Bookstores Are In Trouble and What this Means to Your Self-Publishing Marketing Plan

Self-Publishing Book Review of the Week

Blogging Tips for Authors, Book Promotion, Social Media Marketing, Uncategorized

Top 5 Tips for Blogging Success and Why Blogging and Self-Publishing Go Hand in Hand

Imagine being looked to as an expert in your field. Everyone will want a copy of your book when it’s published, right? If only it were that easy…well, now it can be! As a blogger, you can potentially gain an unbelievable online following of folks in your target market who will likely be interested in buying your book. Blogging is a no-brainer when it comes to marketing your self-published book. But way more than a handful of authors are missing the boat on this highly successful tactic.

Why? Many self-publishing authors are afraid of blogging. As a matter of fact, many don’t know what a blog is. However, if you intend to be successful at the whole “book publishing thing”, you have to learn this trick to gaining exposure — especially since blogging has been called “the most important thing an author should do to promote a book“.

Think of a blog as an online journal. In it, you can share your own thoughts while getting only as personal as you feel comfortable. As an author, though, you are able to write about topics related to your book. If you are a fiction author, a blog related to fiction books is a great idea. If you have written your own self-help book, share your expertise in mini-digests on your blog. Either way, be sure to post something interesting to get readers involved.

But, won’t I feel like I’m talking to myself? That is precisely how you will feel in the beginning. Many times it can takes months (or maybe even years) for your blog to be found and gain a steady readership. This won’t last forever. The best way to approach it is to think of when you’re planning on self-publishing a book. Are you 100% sure that people will read it? Of course not, but you keep writing because you have faith in your own success. Why should your blog be any different?

Wait a minute…so how do I even sign up for a blog? That’s a great question, and it’s one that someone else answers much more easily and efficiently than I do. So, here’s a video to help you learn more:

The above video walks you through the steps of signing up for a Blogger blog. There are several other platforms, but this is the least expensive and you can even completely personalize it by purchasing your own domain for it, which I highly recommend.

Once a self-publishing author gets started blogging, there are a few rules of thumb that must be following in order to be successful (skipping either of these is NOT recommended). I’ve listed the basics out for you below, but you may learn even more on a site like Blogging Tips:

  1. Define your niche early on and stick to it. The key here is to define yourself as an expert. That cannot be done if you’re talking about everything in your life all at once. Stay focused, and you will be surprised at the results.
  2. Come up with a posting schedule early on and stick to it. Post consistently, even if you’re only posting once per week. Try to schedule all of your posts around the same time.
  3. Use the “schedule post” feature that is available in your blogging software. You may not always be available at 8:15 am, but you want to remain consistent. So, instead of publishing your post right away, schedule it for sometime it for 8:15 am the next day so that you can be sure to have content up when your reader is looking for it.
  4. Purchase your own domain for the blog. This is SUPER important (I’m having a feeling of déjà vu here — didn’t I already say this?) You have to craft your own identity online if you want to be seen as an expert. The #1 ingredient for that identity is branding (aka – your own domain name).
  5. Participate in discussions on your blog. Make sure you post follow up comments to users who comment on your blog posts. This is crucial to networking and building strong relationships with your readers.

The above advice is just the tip of the iceberg. There is quite a bit to learn about successful blogging. However, you shouldn’t feel overwhelmed because you can learn as you go. There are so many resources out there to help you, so get to blogging!

DISCUSSION: Are you an author with a blog? How has this help you build your brand and sell more books?