When is a blog not a blog?

Not everyone is a natural writer.  We all have our strengths, mine happens to be writing, but don’t ask me to tot up a column of figures, even with a calculator I can get a selection of not necessarily right answers!

If your strength isn’t writing, blogs can be a nightmare.  However, there are options if you want to ensure your website is content-rich and your reputation is shiny bright.

Get someone else to write your blogs 

Whether that’s someone in your team who is more comfortable writing or a professional copywriter as an outsourced resource, it gives you a way of maintaining your content without stressing out over it.  

My advice is that you should always review what’s been written before it’s posted, to ensure it’s congruent with your values, beliefs and voice.

Do a vlog

If writing isn’t your thing, you could always talk to the camera and post a video blog or ‘vlog’.  Today’s mobile phones are so sophisticated that you can record high quality video on them.  If you’re going to do this regularly I’d recommend getting a little tripod to keep the camera steady.  

If your computer doesn’t have video editing built in take a look at Capcut, which has the advantage of being an app that works on your phone as well as on a desktop.  Then you can clip the bits at the beginning and end where you’re faffing about looking for the on/off button!

Create a podcast

If being in front of a camera isn’t your ‘thing’, you don’t have to be visible.  People are consuming more and more audio content and a podcast-style blog means they can ‘read’ while they’re exercising, doing the housework, travelling, etc.

Keep your podcasts energetic and ensure they’re easy to digest.   People don’t want to have to keep rewinding to understand what you’re trying to say.

Build a slide video

Create a series of slides with your bullet points on (remember PowerPoint and other slide applications are VISUAL aids, not verbal aids – so images more than words).  You can then turn this into a video by clicking ‘Record’, which allows you to narrate the slides expanding on the headline information.  This can be exported as a video file and uploaded to your blog.

Create an infographic

This is easy to do using a free tool, such as Canva.  It lends itself to step-by-step processes or a collection of data around a subject.  It is created as an image, but with text included and this can be uploaded as your blog.

The options are many – be creative!

Completed your MS? Now what?

Becoming an author doesn’t stop when you’ve finished writing your manuscript.  Even if it’s been edited and is now in the hands of your publisher, you can’t rest on your laurels.

Regardless of whether you have a contract with a mainstream publisher or you’re working with an independent publisher, you will need to have a marketing plan.  This plan will have two threads – the book launch and ongoing promotion.

There are plenty of things you can do to make a splash with your book’s entry into the world!  Work needs to start at least 2 months before your publication date to get the best results.

Part 1: The book launch toolkit

This is a process that encourages potential purchasers to buy their copy of your book on launch day.  This is how it works:

• You’ll need a bonus bundle that you offer to people who register to purchase on launch day.  This can be digital documents that they can download, a place on a webinar, a bonus chapter, entry into a draw for something of value (this has included lunch with the author, a place on a valuable training programme, other books, webinars or ecourses and free consultancy services), or anything else that you can assign a monetary value to.  Ideally, this needs to be at least 10 times the cover price of the book.
• Create a hidden download page, where all your digital bonus documents and information on claiming other bonuses is located.  You’ll only send this URL to people who email you their proof of purchase.
• You’ll need an image of your book cover, preferably in 3D format.  Your publisher or graphic designer should be able to provide this.
• Next step is to create a landing page with a form that captures people’s name and email address.  This will outline the entire bonus offer with values and what they can expect if they register. 
• Ideally, set up a book@ email address for all correspondence relating to the launch campaign.  This is where your launch day purchasers will email their e-receipt to claim their bonus bundle.
• You’ll need an email campaign to encourage your existing contacts to sign up to your book launch.  Typically, this will feature 8 messages.
• You’ll also need a set of email autoresponders for those who register, thanking them and then reminding them the day before and on the day (at least three times) to make the purchase.
• A social media campaign, teasing content, promoting the book launch and offer, linked to your landing page for registration will drive more people to sign up.  This could include short videos about the book – and perhaps you opening the first box of books to generate excitement.

You may decide to run a Facebook ad and/or a Google ad to promote your book launch (or for ongoing promotion).  This will need to be created and set to go live at the appropriate time.

Another way to increase sales is to get key contacts to promote your book to their lists too – acting as affiliates.  Possibly, they may want to contribute to the bonus bundle with their own free items of value too.  The ‘carrot’ for these is that they will get access to the list of registrations and also potential leads if they add their own bonus offers.

You might need to provide them with emails to send to their list to encourage registrations.

Bring it to life

On launch day it’s important to have someone monitoring your book@ email to ensure people get a prompt response with the download link for their bonus bundle.  It’s also a good idea to monitor Amazon on launch day to see how your book is doing in your chosen categories.  With good planning and a little luck you should be able to apply that ‘Amazon Best Seller’ flash to your book.

If you’re doing a draw, doing it live on social media is another way to generate interest, although this would not happen on launch day – typically a few days after that.

Part 2: Ongoing promotion

Once the excitement of the launch has passed, it’s easy to forget that there are still people out there who have not yet purchased your book – and would find it of value.  These are ways to increase sales:

• Have an official ‘launch’ at a bookshop, exhibition, conference or other event and invite people to help you celebrate
• Ongoing reminders to your list in your regular newsletter
• Social media posts featuring tips/quotes from the book
• Feature your book in networking presentations
• Have the book available back-of-room when you speak at events
• Ask your local bookshop if they would be interested in you doing a book signing
• Ask your local Chamber of Commerce, FSB if they’d be interested in you doing a presentation about the book (you may need to be a member for them to consider this)
• Talk to local companies about a joint venture where they sponsor X copies in exchange for having their branding added to the book.

If you do some of these ongoing activities you’ll give your book a long life.

5 ways to stop people reading your website

A strong message and attractive graphics are not enough to keep the visitor on your website engaged.  They’re both really important, but if you commit any of these errors, they aren’t enough.

1: Whizzy graphics

Scrolling marquees, banners that refresh every 3-4 seconds, graphics that move around are all attention grabbers.  BUT if they don’t stop moving, they’re also a distraction when your visitor is trying to read about what you’re offering.

Every time something moves it draws their eye away from the rest of your message.  Frustrating for the reader – and often dislodges them from your website, sending them to look elsewhere.

2: Sexy black backgrounds

White body text on a black background challenges the brain to process it.  In fact, this applies to any light body text on a darker background.  Bold headlines aren’t a problem as each letter has a shape with two sides and ‘floats’ on the darker background, but normal body text is thin lines that cut up the background and create a ‘dazzle’ effect. 

This means your eye/brain connection is occupied with deciphering the letters and comprehension takes a dive!

3: No CTAs

Every page – and every section – needs a call to action (CTA).  If you don’t tell people what to do next they tend to wander off with a vague thought that ‘that was interesting’.  

A strong call to action, tells people what to do next AND includes the means to make that easy.  So if you want them to phone you, put your phone number in the instruction ‘Phone us now on 01234 567890’.  If you want them to email their enquiry include a link that launches your enquiry form.

4: ‘Services’ is not a headline

Most web designers will create a headline that is the page title.  They will tell you that the H1 tag (the most important headline, as far as search engines are concerned) needs to be the page name.  That’s true, but it doesn’t work for the human visitor.

A good web page has a headline that engages the visitor, makes them want to know more, stimulates their curiosity or addresses their pain.  So now you’ll be in dispute with your web designer!

There is a solution.  There is no rule that says the H1 tag has to have the biggest font size on the page.  It can be 10 point and still be tagged as H1.  That satisfied the search engine.  Meanwhile, the H2 tag (second most important headline) can be 20 point and be the first thing the human visitor sees and reads.

5: Make it hard to contact you

Most of us expect to find contact information on the ‘Contact’ page.  However, I have found websites that don’t appear to have this on their main navigation.  I’ve found it buried in a submenu on more than one occasion.

Even expecting people to go to your ‘Contact’ page is unnecessary.  The most effective way to help people to get in touch is to put your contact information right at the top of the page in your banner (usually to the right).

This allows people who just want to contact you to get instant gratification – and you get more enquiries.  Win-win!