LIGHTS, CAMERA. . . BLOG EXPOSURE

We blog because we want people to invest in us. We want the loyal reader to come back time and time again. We all have different reasons to blog. Do you want readers, other authors, or both? Either way, without exposure you won't have either.

Last week we talked about how to gain more subscribers, but how are you going to get those subscribers if you don't have the exposure?

Are you ready to generate blog interest?

1) FACEBOOK and TWITTER
Are you rolling your eyes at me?? DON'T! These two social medias are wonderful ways to drive traffic to your blog. Do you belong to groups on Facebook that allow you to promote your blog? I'm on at least ten of these, and every time a new blog is posted, I get on those Facebook groups and add a brief description of the blog along with the URL. Not only is it easy to click on, but it gives a little detail to what the blog is about. You have to be sure to give back as well. Make sure you check out other authors in those groups and visit their blogs too.

Twitter is great to reach that niche using hashtags. These hashtags link you to the target market you want to reach. You can also continue to drive traffic to your blog by using a reoccurring service like SOCIALOMPH.COM to schedule updates of your tweets. Every time I write a new blog, I make a tweet that will reoccur daily for two weeks.


2) NETWORK
There are several Facebook or on-line groups that have tweet teams, or blog teams that will help spread the word about your blog. Remember that you should always give back even when some of those members don't always do it. It's all about networking!

OR you can exchange blog tweets with a group of authors that you might be close to. Kindle Boards have a great thread called HAVE YOU POSTED TO YOUR BLOG LATELY. That is a wonderful place to put your post and find other great blogs to follow.

I'm on two tweet teams and I also exchange tweets about blogs/books with other authors. I also pick out a couple tweets I love from others or blogs that I came across and schedule those through my SOCIALOOMPH account to reoccur. Most of the time I never let the author know I'm tweeting or Facebook or putting a link in my blog.  Always give back and don't expect anything in return. It's good KARMA!

3) HEADLINES THAT POP
Try to come up with something catchy for the title of your blog. It's almost as important as the title of your novel. I have to admit that I'm not the best at coming up with names, but I never give up.

4) LABELS/ SEO
Be sure to add labels to tag your posts. You simply list main words that your blog is about in the label area. This helps get those labels out in the blog sphere and when someone Googles a certain topic, your blog will pop up somewhere in that list. Why are SEO so important? Great blog to check out because I'm really NOT good a explaining it.

The labels I generally use: social media, marketing and promoting, tonya kappes, writer tip, writer blog, inspiration, networking etc....


5) LINK TO OTHER POSTS
If you talk about another author or blog or give information written by someone else, you should always link back. Or if you talk about a blog you previous wrote, make sure you link back to that post.
Have you noticed all the red words in my posts? Those are link backs to different things. It could be a previous post, another blog by someone else, links to book, etc....
This makes it easy for the reader to click and be exactly where they need to be instead of going through the hassle of trying to figure out what you were trying to say. One click and they are done. This makes your blog reader friendly.

How do you get blog exposure? There are so many ways to discover new readers!

Let Your Subscriber Count Soar

I have over 200 subscribers to my site and I know I can do more. This blog has been up for six month and 200 isn't bad. Now the hits the blog gets a day average between 500-700 a day. The higher of the number is on days a new post goes live, which is Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The 500-600 range is on Tuesday and Thursday.

I wish all of those people did subscribe to the blog, but at least it's reaching a lot of writers/readers which makes me grateful beyond belief. But don't we just love seeing that number of subscribers go up? It's something about numbers that writers love. And blog statistics are no different.

Unfortunately, getting people to your blog is the easy part. The hard part is where they commit to receiving all of your updates by subscribing. You have to make sure that once you have the people visit your blog, that you have the stuff that keeps them there.

Here are the steps that got me there:

1) Design

You've heard that the first impression is the most important, it is no different with blogging. Yes, I have light colors, whirly twirlies, a bird or two, but it's not overpowering with bright colors and jumbled up.

Your blog should be easy to navigate, clear and concise.

2) Unique

There were over 164 million blogs, according to invesp.com.

As you can see, readers are eating the blog world up. They are using more mobile devices and tablets more than ever.

This is great if your blog is UNIQUE enough to stand out. You have something different to offer! It's up to you to figure that out and stick with it. Your blog numbers will grow if you stick to what makes you unique in the blog world.

3) User Friendly


Your blog has to have the right buttons. Is your Facebook, Twitter, SUBSCRIBE button easy to see and easy to use?

There are so many cute buttons out there, but does it get the job done? Is it clear that you take subscribers?

4) Content


This is MOST important....


All the points above make it easy for the reader to join and to enjoy your blog, but the ultimate aspect that will cause them to join is what you are blogging about.

Your content has to be geared toward your reader, NOT YOU! It's great that you want to showcase your novels. I do that, but not in a BUY MY BOOK way (you can here if you want....just joking...um...not really!)

If you tell a story that you feel is necessary, your story should inspire or help your reader in some way.  That is what this blog was built on. This blog content is about helping other authors to stay positive on their career path of writing no matter what stage of the game you are in, as well as how to effectively market your novels.

If you have too many stories that don't give back or you post your scenes from your novel (which I don't think you should EVER do), you are going to loose your audience. They come to a blog to get something from it. Know your audience, give them what they want.

Strategies:


* Create author swag, like business cards, that have your blog URL that you can hand out at conferences. Conferences are always asking for authors to send swag in for their conference bags. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!!

* Offer to guest post on other sites. In order to ask the site owner if you can do this, you should visit the site regularly and leave comments. Let the blog owner see that you do come there and participate in their blog.

* Visit blogs that are similar to yours. Comment, comment, comment and use your blog URL when you fill out the form while leaving a comment. The other commenters will see your value in your comment and click on your name that will take them directly to your blog.

* Host bloggers that have similar blogs to yours. You will be attracting their readers. More time than not, once you have a new reader on your site, the reader will click around and read some of your post. Hopefully you have done your job and hooked them.

Ultimately it's up to you to try strategies to get that subscriber count up. Some will work, some will not. Try, try again, don't give up, and watch your count grow.

I'm going to give away a copy of THE TRICKED OUT TOOLBOX~PROMOTION AND MARKETING TOOLS EVERY WRITER NEEDS to one lucky commenter. I want everyone to succeed in their efforts to market their career.

What tips and tricks do you use to help drive traffic to your blog?

The 411 On Author Websites

(If you haven't checked out Will Write For chocolate by Inkygirl, you should! Love her comics!)

      Last week we discussed whether or not you should have a website. This week we are going to look at what your website should and what your website should have on it. 

I've had a wordpress website, but I've found that blogger really does have everything I need. 

You have your end goal in mind; you’re a professional writer and you’re presenting yourself to the writing community at large.

Now let’s take a closer look at the most important elements of a website:

·         Creating a brand.

·         Simplicity. A website must be easy to navigate. Make it crystal clear what type of book you’re promoting. 

·         Fresh Content

·         The front page of your website creates a first impression. Does it tell readers what you are about and what they can expect from your books? Are the colors, tone, language, graphics, and overall visuals in line with your style of writing?  They should be.

·         Your website should reflect the tone of your intentions. It should have the same voice. Your book, your website, your brand, and your tagline are all parts of the same puzzle. They must complement each other.

Take a few minutes to look at these other author sites: Laura Weisberger (www.laurenweisberger.com), Lisa Kleypas (www.lisakleypas.com), and Allison Brennan (www.allisonbrennan.com).

They are all miles apart from each other with branding, tone, color, and style, but they all have one thing in common. They have structural simplicity with ease of navigation. They are not cluttered. They do not overwhelm. They flow, neatly direct visitors to wherever they want to go, and they are easy on the eye.

If you want your website to be a destination, be creative with your content and think of ways to set yourself apart from the crowd.

Depending upon your personality profile and your strengths, the commitment of creating fresh website content may not work for you.

The purpose of a website is to keep your name in your audience’s mind.

Great go-to sites on website advice:

Freelancefolder.com

Writer's Digest

Book Wise

Author Nathan Bransford

Wednesday we are going to be discussing platform.

Do you have a website? What do you have on yours to make yours unique?

WoMen's Literary Cafe~UNITING A LITERARY COMMUNITY

Starting next week, I'm going to become a part of The WoMen's Literary Cafe (WLC) elite blog team!
This isn't the same old blog or even just a writer's blog, like my grog I co-founded The Writer's Guide To EPublishing.
This is a different blog, in fact it's a website. There is NOTHING like it out there. It's a website to UNITED THE LITERARY COMMUNITY!!
What do I mean by that?
As you know, I'm published with a small publisher and self published. I love to pay it forward and help any author no matter what publication journey they are on. I'm a true believer in doing it all. That includes being a part of a community of authors, writers, bloggers, editors, agents, publication companies, format professionals, cover designers, and more!
The more the merrier in my book.

WLC is a site where author will learn to cross promote with other authors, like the PR Buddy system I've talked about at WG2E and in my co-authored promotional and marketing book with Misa Ramirez, THE TRICKED OUT TOOLBOX~PROMOTIONAL AND MARKETING TOOLS EVERY WRITER NEEDS.

We are not only promoting authors, we are promoting bloggers, readers, and more. WLC is going to focus on blog tours, author spot lights, ongoing promotions, and how to live in this ever changing publishing industry.
Our author forums provide an opportunity for authors to hang out and share tips/tricks, and an opportunity to connect with readers.

For authors, there is free promotion that includes facebooking, tweeting, and blogging. It costs nothing! You just have to visit and fill the form out.
If you review books, we want to send you some!
Be sure to stop by and check out the site!!

If you want to check out the elite blog team, you have to click the blog tab! The blog is not the focus of the site, it's only there to pay it forward and help you!
Here is the blog schedule:

Monday - Maureen will be doing interviews w/WLC authors and Desiree is our resident Book Club Specialist

Tuesday - Carrie will be focusing on PR while Tonya will touch on  publishing and writing, 

Wed - Beth is talking about marketing and publishing, Johanna is hosting fun stuff for readers

Thurs - Stacy is going to tackle POV interviews w/WLC authors, Sirra  is talking editing

Fri - Eliz Cassidy, Humor as it pertains to life along with Maureen who has more interviews w/WLC authors

Sat - Dominique continues our week on editing, 

Sun -  Chris Morgan discusses the techy stuff that we really do need to figure out! Stacy will be back with more on  POV.

This is an amazing line-up! I hope you join us!

"Writing is not a competitive sport, neither is blogging or reviewing. There is room for everyone to succeed and now there is a venue to bring us all together." ~WLC founder, Melissa Foster

To learn more about WoMen’s Literary Café (hosting both men and women), please visit:

www.womenslitcafe.com

AUTHOR Promotions: http://womensliterarycafe.com/content/winter-events-authors

READER Events: http://womensliterarycafe.com/content/winter-events-readers

JOIN OUR TEAM: http://womensliterarycafe.com/content/support-wlc-authors