One of the most powerful tools for promoting your book and improving your profile is blogs. Before you get started with blogs, find people in your community. For instance, you can use search engines such as Technorati to find blogs that cover your area of expertise. After finding the blogs that are compelling in your area, make your mark by joining in the conversation. Comment on blog posts and include additional information that is useful to readers. Once you have made your mark, create links to your own blog if you have written posts that are relevant to the conversation. People will follow you if you prove that you have something to offer them.

Start writing a blog

As long as you are passionate about your subject and can write about it regularly, you should definitely create a blog. This is a free and fantastic way to start building your audience for your work and you as a person. One of the best places to go if you are just starting is Blogger, which is free and easy to set up. Open an account and give your blog a name that is short and easily remembered. The best thing is to use your name so that the blog can survive beyond your current book.

Once the blog is set up, create your first post; include pictures and add links if relevant. When you finish writing and formatting the post, preview and publish it.

Observing blogging best practices

One of the things to do when you have a blog is to update it regularly. At a minimum, you should update the blog three times a week. Make a schedule to create and publish blog posts and stick to it.

Every blog post should be short and concise. When you are drafting a post, know that people have much shorter attention spans while on the Internet than they do when offline. Therefore, make sure that the blog is easily digestible by finding the perfect compromise between length and information. The sweet spot is usually between 300 and 500 words.

Make your blog compelling and engaging at the same time. Involve your readers by asking questions and making them think about the information being provided. Every blog should also have a personality.

Target your audience and build upon it

Once your blog has been up and running for a few weeks, tell your colleagues, friends, and other contacts about it and ask them to spread the word. Send emails or newsletters to your contacts to introduce them to the blog. Use your sphere of influence to attract people to your blog. Look for blogs related to yours and participate in the blogs by commenting and posting to them. People will start following your personal blog afterwards.

Optimizing your blog

Use search engine optimization to make your blog easier to find. Tags and keywords make it easier for search engines to place your blog. Always remember to link like crazy but only to relevant and high quality websites.