Come to Me, My Pretties (Part II)
Before diving into the great unknown that is marketing, consider exactly what it is that you’re trying to promote and how much time and effort you’re willing to contribute. This sounds elementary, but there are so many people with websites who clearly don’t get the obvious, that it’s worth re-stating. If the goal is to promote yourself as an author, first and foremost the focus should be on the work. I’ve seen sites for Romance authors who blog about their family life, Gothic Horror writers with photo montages devoted to their cats… are they kidding? If you’re picking up a book with Fabio daring you to ogle his half-naked body, the last thing you want to think about is your family life. Romance is an escape: you’re selling a fantasy. Dirty diapers and trips to Chuck E. Cheese are no one’s fantasy. Gothic Horror is all about ambiance: if those kittens aren’t demon ninjas, they have no place in Gothic anything. Know your audience, people!
Okay, so you’ve defined the tone of your website as a whole, now let’s take it apart. We’ll start with your blog. You have one, don’t you? No…? Madness, I say! You will blog. And you will like it.
Sorry, I must’ve been channeling Joan Crawford there. Whew. Where was I?
For those of you with no desire to blog, allow me to entice you back into the fold. I think one of the biggest myths ever floated in the blogosphere is that a blog needs new posts daily. There is a tiny, microscopic bit of truth to that, but not enough that it should put you off the idea. On the one hand, search engines won’t like your blog if it isn’t constantly updated (it won’t be considered valuable), but that’s old school thinking and you are a progressive author of the new millennium. Unless you are relying specifically on your blog to make money, traffic won’t really matter. Your goal is to develop a fan base of loyal readers who will stay with you. Now pay attention because there’s a trick to this.
In theory, it makes sense to post daily, if not multiple times a day to draw in new readers because people always seem to be attracted to the shiny and new. The more people who stop by for a look-see, the greater the opportunity for upping your readership. But… and this is a J-Lo sized but… there is danger here. Excessive posting creates clutter and clutter creates problems with over-saturation, content quality and personal resentment.
With so many blogs in competition, new readers will come and go like water; your loyal fans are the ones who deserve your attention. The more material you post, the more time you ask your readers to give. This could be a turn-off, and in fact, might even chase some people away. It’s not worth it guys, really. These people are your advocates: respect the relationship. Your blog might be wonderful, but it’s not so wonderful that people will make sacrifices for it. If you’re not convinced, think about your own free time. Do you feel inspired to write every single day? Are you creative on command? Do you need any more pressure to write than you already have with your current book? What about your family and friends, don’t you want to enjoy their company or do you prefer to hear them whining about how you never have time to do anything anymore?
Why do that to yourself? At some point we’ve all visited a site where the author was clearly phoning it in: employing excessive quotes from other websites or articles, posting a question and leaving the readers to comment amongst themselves with no contribution from the author- I mean, why bother? Your blog is a direct representation of you, the author: shouldn’t it be insightful and have meaning? Shouldn’t you look forward to writing a post as opposed to making excuses as to why you can’t? Writing is supposed to be fun, for reader and author both- when it’s not, you’re doing something wrong. You know yourself best: write clearly and concisely, but most important, do it on your own terms. Your blog is your friend.
