Do you use blog marketing to sell books? Do you wonder how you will come up with 1-2 blog posts a week that will please your audience?
You want your book and business to be noticed by the thousands of potential readers who are online and in the top three social media groups. Your readers want new, original information that they can use and related stories they know are part of your book. These blogs attract your target audience to you, and with a variety of blog formats, you’ll inspire and attract more book buyers who constantly want more details each week. Remember, your audience won’t buy directly from you in Social Media groups. Your blog or URL posted in your Facebook fan page, your 2 tweets a day for twitter, and posting in the “Discussions” of 10 or 20 LinkedIn Groups. If you post a blog in 20 related groups of 2500 each, you will be seen by 50,000 eyes of your target market. Your book and blogs shared in Social Media is a marketing marriage made in heaven.
AND, you will have a much better chance of being read when you choose blogs with an angle, and that solve a concern, challenge, or problem for your audience.
One. Write a how-to-article.
Information hungry people want this one! First, open with a hook-something that will entice your reader to keep reading. Ask a question about where they are now in their life or business that concerns them. Then, write a short introduction on the background of the problem and the need for your solutions. Follow with numbered solutions in a new paragraph. Your readers appreciate easy to read and numbered points do this.
Don’t worry about giving away the store. Readers will judge you by your concise style and content, and will be attracted to see what else you offer.
Make a list of blog topics that relate to your book. Take one at a time and write a short piece on it.
Two. Solve a problem or concern.
First, make your title into a question. For example, “Would you Rather Have a Root Canal Than Market your Book? Do you hate promoting because you are shy or introverted? If possible, include some key word phrases that relate to your title. Keep keyword lists by your computer as I do to make this easy for you. See my keywords in the title above “Blog Marketing”
For solutions to the problem, give information and resources that will assist your audience. Here’s some sample article titles from my book coaching clients: Five Ways to Procrastinate to Your Heart’s Desires; How to Create Employees Who Can Hardly Wait to Get to Work Each Day; and Promote your Coaching and Speaking Business Through Blogs.
Three. Write a Tip.
This kind of blog article takes the shortest time to write, is the easiest format to write, and is the best received from the media, other publishers, and your social media audiences. Even if you think you can’t write, you can write a tip.
Always include a hook, an introduction, and your thesis-the point you want to prove, or the problem you are about to solve. Usually one or two sentences are enough. At the end of your article, include a one or two sentence conclusion in which you add one more punchy way to stimulate your reader to act
Six Steps to Write a Tip:
1. Title your blog something like “Seven Tips to Get Free Targeted Traffic to your Blog.”
2. Hook the reader in the first sentences.
Establish rapport-asking a few questions that recognize your reader’s concern. Example: Is your website lonely for visitors?
3. Start with a command such as “Do this” in the how to part of the tip.
Use any command verb and start all of your tips this way to be consistent. Example: Join LinkedIn groups that relate to your book to bring quality traffic to your site.
4. Follow that by naming the benefits of implementing the tip or consequences of not following the tip.
Example: If you don’t join these groups, you won’t be able to comment or ask questions that give you a chance to develop relationships that lead to sales. Example: If you do join these groups, you will stand out from the crowd as a valuable resource for your book’s audience.
5. Show examples or resources to solve a problem and put the tip into action.
To solve your concerns, check out LinkedIn free teleseminars, read a book on Linked Marketing. Or, if you want to short cut mistakes, get a coach for a phone and LI session to choose your best groups.
6. Conclude your blog article with a summary, more benefits that come from following your advice, or even some new information.
Write a blog title with three, five, seven, or ten tips in it. It’s best to give a complete tip as listed above rather than just a list. Readers stop paying attention after ten.
Article examples from Coaching Clients: “Seven Mistakes People Make When they Create a Web Site” or “10 Ways to Organize your Online Office.”
Four. Write a myth and solutions article.
This kind of article is one of my favorites because myths abound in book publishing and online promotion. These myths keep authors from expressing their brilliance. Emerging authors think that traditional publishers will actually promote their book, when in reality, new authors must either pay or do the promotion themselves.
In one myth article about book back covers accepted by a big publishing ezine sent to over 29,000 subscribers, your book coach shared how to correct the myths to make their back covers sell more books.
Five. Write an interview.
Choose a credible expert or dynamic online personality to interview you, or you interview him or her. Offer not only how-to-solutions, but allow the public to see your personal side. Just send specific questions that will spark dramatic answers. When I participated in several of these, I transformed it into a blog with an introduction and conclusion that included my site URL to my free subscription and free ebook. Subtle marketing to be sure. If your audience likes your blog, they will likely sign up for your free website subscription or ezine.
Writing and submitting blog posts is a great way to be seen by thousands of people online who, if they like it, will rush to your site where they can experience more of you.
Get immediate help on LinkedIn & blogging now!
Judy Cullins
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