Blogging for Fun and Profit

[BWFoster78]

A lot of marketing sites tell you that blogging is important to build your exposure as an author. I’m still not a 100% convinced as to the effectiveness, but, at this point, I figure it’s better than nothing. With that in mind, I’ve jumped into the world of blogging, and I thought this forum might be a good place for us to share tips about using our blogs to increase our marketing effectiveness.

The best tip that I’ve heard so far: Good content will produce traffic. The concept is that Google is continually working to refine its search methodology, so techniques like linking to a bunch of places will only take you so far. If you provide what people want, however, eventually they’ll find you. I’m thinking long term with my blog, so this is how I plan to proceed.

Here’s what I hope will be considered Good Content:

1. Writing Tips — There are a ton of blogs out there with writing tips, so I think it’s going to be hard to stand apart from the crowd. However, I have to write what I know, and I’m the forum’s resident “rules” guy.
2. Excerpt Critiques — I’m hoping that this will attract traffic to the site. There aren’t a lot of blogs out there who accept submissions that they’ll critique for you. I can understand why. It’s time consuming.
3. Reviews — Book review blogs seem to have some degree of popularity. Both my other content categories are geared to writers. I need something for Joe Reader.
4. Announcements — Not really great content as such, but it’s how I plan to “monetize” my blog. Why else am I doing this if not to advertise my work?
5. Excerpts — When I get closer to publication, I plan to publish short sections of my work. I’m hoping this will both draw traffic and build interest for publication.
6. Exclusive Content — One article that I read said that one of the main things readers want from an author’s website is works that aren’t published anywhere else. I’m thinking of, at some point, some kind of serialized short story.

Any ideas of other content that I can provide?

Other ways that I’m trying to build traffic:

1. Visiting Like-minded Blogs — I’m posting comments on similar blogs with links to mine.
2. Linking to my Blog Anywhere I have a Web Presence — From Mythic Scribes to my Amazon Reviews to my fantasy football team pages, I’m posting links everywhere.

So far, I’ve got 13 visits from Mythic Scribes and 1 from a blog where I posted in the comments section. Any other ideas?

It is fun to watch my visitor count grow. So far, I have 66 total visits, and it’s climbing. It’s went: 2 — 14 — 9 — 37 and I’ve got 4 already today (I had no visits on either day of the weekend).

Please share your thoughts on improving blogging effectiveness.

Thanks!

 

[yachtcaptcolby]

Posting regularly also has a big effect on traffic. Go more than a week without posting something new and your numbers will drop.

When you publish a new article, post it to Facebook and Twitter. I use Timely to spread out my tweets about new articles throughout the day, and it tells me how many people have clicked on them.

I've read that inviting guest bloggers and writing guest posts for other blogs is also a great way to improve traffic, but I haven't tried it.

I'd also encourage you not to limit yourself in terms of topics. If you're interested in something to the point that you're thinking about it a lot, write about it--even if it's got nothing to do with your fiction or writing in general. That'll lead to more posts of higher quality with a diverse array of search keywords.

 

[JCFarnham]

You have the theory of blogging (and social media) down Brian. To put it simply: Provide good, findable content with a unique aspect (though that's not strictly necessary. Your writing could be considered your USP )

Aside from that your critiquing idea is fabulous and I'm jealous I didn't think of it first haha. I wish you luck!

Admittedly my blog isn't professional enough yet. Since I don't have anything to sell yet I'm using it more as a place to rant to myself than anything else. I believe in the worth of my content however, and you could see this as me building up a back catalogue until I'm ready to kick it into gear.

By the "rules" of social media marketing I'm Not Doing It Right, but as long as I don't come off badly in my posts, I'll still be building a following (in theory) by doing what I mentioned earlier:

Good, findable content (that I'm pushing to people who care aka a target audience)


EDIT: It would do well for us to figure out exactly how Google currently ranks site in searches. duplicate content certainly buries web pages, but is there anything else? SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a big thing at the moment and if I get this job I applied for I should be learning far more about it in time.

As long as we're sensible in our blogging efforts I can't see anything going wrong.

 

[BWFoster78]

Posting regularly also has a big effect on traffic. Go more than a week without posting something new and your numbers will drop.

When you publish a new article, post it to Facebook and Twitter. I use Timely to spread out my tweets about new articles throughout the day, and it tells me how many people have clicked on them.

I've read that inviting guest bloggers and writing guest posts for other blogs is also a great way to improve traffic, but I haven't tried it.

I'd also encourage you not to limit yourself in terms of topics. If you're interested in something to the point that you're thinking about it a lot, write about it--even if it's got nothing to do with your fiction or writing in general. That'll lead to more posts of higher quality with a diverse array of search keywords.

I was thinking that narrowing the focus of the blog is better to draw in people. Is becoming an expert and go to site for a small niche better than trying to attract a wider array?

I agree about the guest blogging idea. I'm hoping that posting in other people's comments sections may eventually lead to that.

Would it be a good idea to set up a "round robin" kind of thing where a bunch of us forum members guest blog for each other?

I haven't set up my author Facebook page yet. I do plan to do that as early as this weekend, and I do plan to cross promote. I haven't done the Twitter thing yet. I'll put that on my to figure out list for the future.

 

[BWFoster78]

You have the theory of blogging (and social media) down Brian. To put it simply: Provide good, findable content with a unique aspect (though that's not strictly necessary. Your writing could be considered your USP )

Aside from that your critiquing idea is fabulous and I'm jealous I didn't think of it first haha. I wish you luck!

Admittedly my blog isn't professional enough yet. Since I don't have anything to sell yet I'm using it more as a place to rant to myself than anything else. I believe in the worth of my content however, and you could see this as me building up a back catalogue until I'm ready to kick it into gear.

By the "rules" of social media marketing I'm Not Doing It Right, but as long as I don't come off badly in my posts, I'll still be building a following (in theory) by doing what I mentioned earlier:

Good, findable content (that I'm pushing to people who care aka a target audience)


EDIT: It would do well for us to figure out exactly how Google currently ranks site in searches. duplicate content certainly buries web pages, but is there anything else? SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is a big thing at the moment and if I get this job I applied for I should be learning far more about it in time.

As long as we're sensible in our blogging efforts I can't see anything going wrong.

Glad you like the critique idea.

I'd be interested to know how your blog is progressing. How long have you had it? How has the page hits increased? What have you done to promote it and did you see any results?

 

[Devor]

Some of that will help you network, but the stuff that sells directly would be bestiaries, character profiles, and additional content relating directly to the book. Show off your fiction. You should consider having both kinds of content and labeling it separately.

Also, you'd do better writing a book review or some of the other content for another site and linking it back to your sales content materials.

 

[BWFoster78]

Some of that will help you network, but the stuff that sells directly would be bestiaries, character profiles, and additional content relating directly to the book. Show off your fiction. You should consider having both kinds of content and labeling it separately.

Also, you'd do better writing a book review or some of the other content for another site and linking it back to your sales content materials.

These sound like good ideas, but I'm not sure I completely understand what you're talking about. Would you mind expounding?

How would you suggest "labeling it separately?" Are you talking about running two different sites? Otherwise, where do you suggest posting the other content?

Thanks!

 

[Butterfly]

I've taken a look at your blog.

I like the colour scheme.

I think you should consider adding some images and artwork (if you have any ready). A photo of yourself for example on the home page, and a different one on your biog page, and preferably professionally taken ones. Perhaps even, cover images of the books you have reviewed. And images relating to your articles.

 

[Devor]

Material that's about your book shouldn't date, so you should post it more prominently. You could, for example, make it a standalone page and just announce updates in your blog. But there's different ways to highlight the material, and that would depend on the nature of your book and how much effort you give your blog. A low fantasy book might not support a bestiary, for example, and character profiles might be hard in some cases without including too many spoilers. So it all depends.

But in general, there's often a big gulf between the writers and bloggers you want to network with and the people who just like to read a good book. Make sure your site appeals to both.

 

[Ankari]

Devor raises a good point. Blogs need to target the audience you want to attract. The critiquing thing is a great idea, but what kind of audience does that attract? Writers, right? If you want to attract customers, Devor's ideas are right on. Bestiaries, character profiles, further discussions into the aspect of your world, exclusive short stories, histories of your world, and anything else you can think of that paints your world more vividly for the target audience.

 

[BWFoster78]

I've taken a look at your blog.

I like the colour scheme.

I think you should consider adding some images and artwork (if you have any ready). A photo of yourself for example on the home page, and a different one on your biog page, and preferably professionally taken ones. Perhaps even, cover images of the books you have reviewed. And images relating to your articles.

Yeah, I have heard that adding images is a good thing. I'll get on that eventually even though it does nothing for me.

I'm hoping to have the cover art for Power of the Mages in a couple of months. I'll definitely utilize that!

 

[BWFoster78]

Material that's about your book shouldn't date, so you should post it more prominently. You could, for example, make it a standalone page and just announce updates in your blog. But there's different ways to highlight the material, and that would depend on the nature of your book and how much effort you give your blog. A low fantasy book might not support a bestiary, for example, and character profiles might be hard in some cases without including too many spoilers. So it all depends.

But in general, there's often a big gulf between the writers and bloggers you want to network with and the people who just like to read a good book. Make sure your site appeals to both.

Gotcha. The site allows me to make stand out pages that are different from the blog posts. Eventually, I plan for the link to take people to a standing page that has a link to the blog. I think that will accomplish what you're talking about. Right now, I kinda just have the blog, though.

 

[BWFoster78]

Devor raises a good point. Blogs need to target the audience you want to attract. The critiquing thing is a great idea, but what kind of audience does that attract? Writers, right? If you want to attract customers, Devor's ideas are right on. Bestiaries, character profiles, further discussions into the aspect of your world, exclusive short stories, histories of your world, and anything else you can think of that paints your world more vividly for the target audience.

I can see that. Kinda.

I guess I'm just thinking about getting any exposure at all. The critiquing is a draw, at least, as there are a lot of people out there seeking that service. I struggle with: why would anyone come to my site to read about my upcoming book unless they already know about the book and want to know more about it?

I do think that adding the stuff that you and Devor advocate is a good idea. I also think it is a good idea to keep it separate from the blog. I'll work on it at some point. Right now, I want to build the blog a little more.

It's already hard to focus on both writing and the blog (not to mention, you know, life) at the same time. I'm finding myself wanting to throw myself into the blog and let the writing slide. My goal for my writing is, each week, to edit a chapter and write 2000 words in my short story. When a chapter (17 for example) takes me over two weeks to finish, it gets awfully tempting to do blog posts instead. Fortunately, 18 is going better

 

[JCFarnham]

Glad you like the critique idea.

I'd be interested to know how your blog is progressing. How long have you had it? How has the page hits increased? What have you done to promote it and did you see any results?

I've had my blog since the day NaNoWriMo 2011 finished (1st December 2011).

My page hits where slow at first, but have been steadily increasing (in line, it seems, with my activity and the amount of incentive I give people to visit). I now get somewhere between 1-4 a day (or whenever I look) with admittedly only five confirmed followers. You can't expect this number to increase very dramatically in the first year I've been told, but after that when you have a track record, who knows. Hits usually peak when I post something new, and lag inbetween. Obviously. Though some of these hits can be ascribed to bots, I presume. (I know I haven't put a link on any russian websites )

Never the less, all hits are good since I've never been spammed (touch wood).

I've done very little in a serious way to promote it, but that's only because I don't have many avenues to pursue at present. I've been engaging with my followers where possible (or when they blog, which for some isn't often...) As you might know I've got my link here, and I've tried to create interactivity where possible. (Offering a review for a review service, for example. Though I'm not a speedy reader I promise to do this for people eventually.)

I've heard people like ad campaigns, and people always suggest guest blogging. So far I don't know how effective these are. Certainly networking with other similar bloggers works. That's how I got the followers I have (even if they don't check).

 

[Devor]

When I was taking marketing in school, I did a report saying that Quiznos should emphasize their steak in all their ads even though it wasn't their best seller because people would associate their brand with the cravings and quality people associate with steaks. The team I was working with called it dumb and took it out. IRL, a few years later, Quiznos did it - well, they also introed the Prime Rib sandwich, which isn't any better than their Black Angus - and their sales boomed even with non-steak orders.

Why do I tell that story? Because I want you to hear me. I don't say this lightly, but I think you're making a mistake. I think that critiques that focus on language and prose look petty, and you should instead talk about your book and the elements of story construction. Be positive, be glowy, review books with a lens of what-could-be. Fairly or not, most people hate critics.

 

[Steerpike]

On the other hand, if you really know what you're talking about, blog services that rip things apart seem to work for Query Shark:

Query Shark

That blog gets a lot of hits and I see it mentioned on numerous other sites. The "query shark" is good at it. I think the hardest thing about focusing on fiction critique in the same way is that the level of subjectivity goes way up. With a query, you can be closer to objective about what makes a good query letter and how an agent or editor might view one. With fiction, if the critiques are perceived as being largely subjective and dependent on the reviewers idiosyncracies, I could see the blog being of lesser value to people as a whole. Because so much more of it is subjective, it is not unreasonable for a person to wonder what makes your critique different from another critique they could receive on any number of writing forums. Again Query Shark differs again, because you have an individual with credentials in the industry.

I do think it is worth a shot, though. If you can build up a reputation as a fair and objective critiquer (to the extent possible) I think that reputation can spread by word of mouth and drive traffic to the site.

 

[Devor]

That's true, too, Steerpike. You could also look at some of the things they do well and emulate them with your own style. I think you'd have to be careful, though, because it's a fine line to walk. Looking at Query Shark, I don't personally mind their style at all.

 

[Steerpike]

That's true, too, Steerpike. You could also look at some of the things they do well and emulate them with your own style. I think you'd have to be careful, though, because it's a fine line to walk. Looking at Query Shark, I don't personally mind their style at all.

Yeah, I don't mind it either. And I do think it is important that there is so much more objectivity here. Dealing with something that is basically a business document, and a short one at that (a query), is pretty easy. Dealing with the actual art of fiction brings in a whole new level of personal preference, and I think that would make it more difficult to establish yourself as the go-to critiquer.

 

[Ankari]

The question still remains: who is Query Shark's audience? He doesn't seem to be selling anything. Brian will, eventually. Also, if Query Shark does change his philosophy and sell something, I'm willing to be it's a "How to Create a Rejection-Proof Query Letter" book. His target audience for his blog would be the same as his book.

 

[Devor]

It looks like QueryShark is an actual agent rather than an author. But these critiques also go well beyond prose. When he does talk about prose, he talks about language patterns and does line edits instead of the commonly seen harping about this phrase or that one. It's professional and well done.