Between talks on interview techniques, getting book deals and crafting the perfect query letter, the 2011 American Society of Journalists and Authors writer’s conference had sessions on blogging – lots of them.
Freelancers heard expert after expert expound on the importance of having a blog to launch or promote a book or establish themselves as an expert on the subjects they write about.
But you don’t need to be a professional writer to take the experts’ blogging advice to heart. Anyone who’s serious about improving their blogging efforts – including bloggers in the 2011 WordCount Blogathon – can benefit from their knowledge.
Here is some of the blogging advice I picked up at the ASJA conference:
1. If you’re not on social networks, you’re behind. If you’ve got a blog, you need to be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. Advice from writer/digital media marketing consultant and conference presenter Carmina Perez (@mogulette):
- On Twitter, make sure tweets are newsy and write from your particular angle.
- Tweet often but don’t overdo it – more than 20 a day looks spammy.
- Focus on one thing “so they know you’re the go-to person for that subject.”
- Pay attention to your profile: use keywords to describe yourself and always include the URL for your website.
From marketer Sam Horn (@samhorn_dot_com): Use the 30-30-30 rule: devote one third of your tweets each to pragmatic info about what you do, promoting your work, providing information your network will find interesting.
2. Mobilize your blog. Because so many people use smartphones to read blogs, make sure yours is mobile ready. That doesn’t mean building a different site, just tweaking what you’ve already got, says Fauzia S. Burke (@fauziaburke), an internet marketing consultant. Other tips:
- Add new content every day, either new posts or through a widget that displays your Twitter or Facebook feed on your blog.
- Don’t use Flash – it won’t show up on iPhones or iPads.
- Put navigation links at the top of the site where they’re easy to see on a phone.
- Add social sharing buttons or “your site will look dated.” Make it personal “so anyone who comes to your site feels connected to you.”
3. The future is video. At the conference, speaker after speaker stressed how big video has become on social networks, and how much bigger it’s going to be. What should bloggers do about it?
- Get comfortable making and posting video to your website or blog.
- Create your own YouTube channel, post videos there and link them back to your blog.
- Register the “.tv” versions of any domain names you use. If you’re promoting a book, use your own site to practice talking in sound bites so you’re ready when The Today Show calls.
4. Everybody’s turning a blog into a book, or even a TV show. Numerous writer-bloggers at the ASJA conference talked about turning a blog into a book deal. Beth Feldman (@rolemommy), founder of a mommy blogger network called RoleMommy says approach a blog as part of a PR campaign for a book (or other project). Her other tips:
- Hire a professional to design your blog.
- If you’re a blogging beginner and want practice, blog “where the big fish are” on sites like Huffington Post but write on your own blog too.
I’ll be sharing other writing and writing business tips I picked up at the 2011 ASJA writer’s conference in future posts.
Thank you for the tips, Michelle. I trust you enjoyed the conference?
I did enjoy it. As I wrote elsewhere (in last week’s issue of the Freelance Success newsletter to be specific):
I went, I listened, I learned a lot.
I joined ASJA last fall after being asked to moderate a blogging workshop at their 2011 writer’s conference in New York City. As a result, I attended last week’s writers’ fest as both a new member and moderator. Between going to sessions, prepping for my own, trying to meet as many writers as possible and squeezing in work on the side, I didn’t sleep much. But I came home with a laptop’s worth of notes and a purse full of business cards. I’m not sure about the official headcount, but I overheard someone say close to 700 where there on Saturday, with smaller numbers on members-only day Friday and on Sunday. The conference took place at the Roosevelt Hotel is adjacent to Grand Central Station, making for great access to the subway, and also close enough to walk to Central Park, Time Square and surrounding neighborhoods. If I go again next year and it’s in the same place, I’d definitely stay there again.
The hands-on blogging workshop I moderated along with website designer/freelance writer Ron Doyle (@rondoylewrites) and social media marketing expert Tricia Lawrence (@realbrilliant) rocked, if I do say so myself. Of the approximately 15 people who attended, we had 5 or 6 absolute beginners up on their on self-hosted WordPress blogs and writing their first post by the end of our three-hour session. Other writers left with a concept for a blog launch or relaunch along with working titles and taglines, a list of possible posts and names of blogs on similar subjects they could buddy up with. Everyone there also got professional analysis of their current social media strategy. If you’re an ASJA member, please let the organization know that this is something you’re interested in doing so they’ll invite us back next year.
Michelle
Just catching up on some reading, and wanted to tell you I really found this post useful. I’ve been thinking and talking with people a great deal lately about videos, and am attempting forays into that world. It’s not difficult, but it is a bit of a skill to master. Blogging was/is the same.
I also liked the idea of blogging with the ‘big fish’, so to speak. That would be great fun, I think, and an interesting challenge.
My only concern is with Twitter, YouTube, and even my own blog at times is that I’m becoming part of the noise. I often feel overwhelmed with information of all types: high quality, low quality, and everything in-between. And sometimes it feels like just so much buzzing in my brain. How do you avoid that? Or can you? Maybe my noise is someone else’s high quality information?
Joan,
one way I’ve worked on this to connect with and write content that serves a really targeted audience, and to maintain that focus across what I do. I also tend (and I’m thinking about going further with this) to post and tweet less frequently than some do .
Michelle, I’ll be interested to hear you thoughts on Joan’s question. Maybe even in a post?
One way to rise about the noise is to have something original to say and say it in a way that only you can, based on your experience, perspective and access.
I’ll save some other thoughts on the subject for a future post.
Michelle
Michelle, thank you for this. Your account of ASJA2011 is wonderful for those of us who weren’t there. Your follow-up commentary in answer to Marvin’s comment tells us more. I
have been very impressed that you did the hands- on blogging workshop with Ron Doyle – a continent away from where you live – at the same time you were getting the WordCount 2011 Blogathon organized. Not only that, you also had a guest post on Carol Tice’s Make a Living Writing blog, (7 Secrets Every Writer Needs to Know) from your point of view as an editor. You seem to have endless energy.
Thanks Barbara – I have to admit there were a couple weeks leading up to May 1 where I got about 4 hours of a sleep a night and wrote 1,000 or more words a day – or at least it felt like it. It’s amazing what you can do if you’re up against a deadline.
Michelle