To blog, or not to blog?

"I can help you!"

I NO LONGER WORK AS A BOOK MARKETING COACH; I'M THE PUBLISHER AT IMAJIN BOOKS.

I've worked for over 25 years in advertising, promotions and sales, and spent nearly 2 years as a motivational speaker for a major international company. Currently a bestselling novelist and 'shameless' promoter, I've shared my experiences and techniques as a Book Marketing Coach for nearly a decade.

Whether you're published or unpublished, I can help. My last publisher called me a "marketing guru" and "whiz", although I prefer to think of what I do as teaching, or coaching.

"Dare to Dream...and Dream BIG!"

Sunday, April 5, 2009

To blog, or not to blog?

Believe it or not, I've had a lot of authors ask me if they really need a blog. "Is it that important?" they've asked.

Blogging has become part of our culture, and whether you have a blog or read them, blogs are here to stay.

So why not hook onto the blog train? Even if you only post once a week and spend an hour advertising your blog through other networks, you'll start seeing an increase in visitor traffic. More traffic means more exposure, and ultimately leads to more sales. Unless you don't need more sales...

Check out these stats:

Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project:

Blog readership is growing among all demographics
Blog readership jumped 58% in 2004 from 17% to 27% of Internet users who said they read blogs daily
27% of Internet users read blogs daily in November 2004
12% of users are aware of RSS, and 4% have knowingly used RSS

Source: Backbone Media Business Blogging Survey:

83% of corporate bloggers saw a traffic increase to their site
51% took less than 1-2 months from initial concept to launch of blog
88% saw a boost in search engine ranking within 3 months of launch
62% saw an increase in sales within 3 months of launch

Source: BlogWorldExpo.com:

Over 12 million American adults currently maintain a blog
Over 57 million Americans read blogs
1.7 million American adults list making money as one of the reasons they blog
89% of companies surveyed say they think blogs will be more important in the next five years
9% of Internet users say they have created blogs
6% of the entire US adult population has created a blog
Technorati is currently tracking over 70 million blogs
Over 120 thousand blogs are created every day
There are over 1.4 million new blog posts every day
22 of the 100 most popular websites in the world are blogs
37% of blog readers began reading blogs in 2005 of 2006
51% of blog readers shop online
Blog readers average 23 hours online each week.

To blog or not to blog? There's really only one answer that makes sense. As Nike professes, just do it!

~Cheryl Kaye Tardif

1 comment:

Marsha said...: My blog - Prairie - has a small following of thirty faithful readers ! Regardless of the small reader base, I enjoy posting. Marsha; April 9, 2009 at 6:05 AM

Endorsements

"I have been watching you for the last couple of years and you have become quite a force to be reckoned with your excellent advice and guidance. I love both of your sites. I send people to them all the time. Your author site is one of the best designs I've seen in a while and you teach very well."
--Karen Syed, Echelon Press

"Cheryl Tardif knows the publishing industry inside out. She’s that great mix of professionalism and encouragement writers need. She takes the time to teach, explain, and lay out a solid plan any writer can follow. Marketing can seem overwhelming for most “creative” types, and Cheryl demystifies it—and even makes it a fun challenge. You’ll be surprised what all you accomplish within days—or weeks of working with Cheryl."
--Carol D. O'Dell, Author of Mothering Mother

"Cheryl is not only a first-rate wordsmith, she also knows the ins-and-outs of marketing better than anyone I know. She seems to be everywhere on the Net and has shared some invaluable resources to promote my own books. She's bright, personable and extremely resourceful."
--Betty Dravis, Author/Career Journalist

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif taught me how to increase my internet presence. From the beginning of our friendship, she has advised me on how to market myself, and her experience and expertise have been invaluable in launching my career as an author. I highly recommend Cheryl to novice and veteran authors alike: she knows what she's doing."
--Beth Fehlbaum, Author of Courage in Patience

"Cheryl is an expert when it comes to virtual book tours. She not only understands and sends what her virtual book tour hosts need for a great tour stop, she shares her experiences with other authors..."
--Angela Wilson, Book Blog Editor, Reviewer, PopSyndicate.com

"Cheryl has given me numerous valuable advice on how to market fiction to readers worldwide using the internet. I found her tips and advice very helpful and useful, and her knowledge of marketing strategies for this particular market up-to-date."
--Ivana Hruba, Author of A Decent Ransom

"I was the General Manger at Indigo Books and Music for 5 years...Cheryl was a pleasure to work with professionally...She takes her job as an entrepreneur, writer, and sales rep very seriously and she stands out in many ways from most of the authors I had the opportunity to work with. She looks the part, and is consistently prepared for signings...I found working with Cheryl Tardif a great inspiration."
--Alexia Melnychuk, Former General Manager, Indigo Books and Music #290, and now Singer, Songwriter and Music Artist

"Cheryl Tardif is one of the best book marketing promoters that I know. She helped me in my marketing efforts with three of my novels: Paradise Acres, (released 2005 and a best seller for 5 weeks) Lost Paradise (2007) and the last of the trilogy, Return to Paradise (2008). All three books were Governor General Literary Award nominees. Chery set-up the Authors' Row where authors were invited to market their books to thousands of women attending...I highly recommend her as a top notch marketing consultant."
--Molly Anne Warring, Author

"She's an expert in her field and delivers her material with spontaniety and passion. It's a pleasure working with her."
--Lillian Cauldwell, CEO/President, Passionate Internet Voices Talk Radio

"Cheryl Tardif knows the intricacies of online marketing as well as anyone, how to blog, how to promote and get significant press releases, how to orchestrate book tours. Her expertise can help the budding or already established author focus their efforts in what can otherwise be a confusing and overwhelming array of choices."
--Peter Clenott, author of Hunting the King

"Cheryl Kaye Tardif is professional as an author and in working with other authors...I have also found Cheryl professional and timely when I contacted her as a PR Coordinator...Cheryl is hard working, self-motivated, dependable, friendly, creative."
--Christina Francine Whitcher, Independent Writer of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Book Reviews, and Interviews

"As a debut author, I was new to the book promotion scene in every way. Cheryl shared her creative insights on how, and more importantly, why, to organize a successful virtual blog tour. She is a model of what savvy authors should do to promote themselves."
--Karen Harrington, Author of Janeology

"Cheryl's a doll! I give her total credit for my website and blog design. I knew nothing about such things until she stepped in to help. I highly recommend her to anyone looking to improve their cyberspace presence."
--Eileen Schuh, Author

Meet 'Shameless Promoter'

I picked up the nickname 'Shameless Promoter' a few years ago. I don't recall who called me that first, but I do know that the name stuck and spread. Even bookstore managers have called me that, and most of my author friends.

I started using the expression freely because I am a 'Shameless Promoter'. As a novelist competing with hundreds of thousands of other novelists, I must find creative ways to promote myself and my books that are not the ordinary, run-of-the-mill methods. Frankly, an author in today's world has to be bold, persistent and definitely shameless.

I'm not talking about beating potential readers over the head with your book, or stalking them through a bookstore. I'm talking about being a creative marketer by taking advantage of certain situations and finding other ways--better ways--to market your books.

I don't profess to be the world's #1 book promoter, but I can tell you this: I have learned some creative ways to market books and I am quite happy to share this knowledge.

Books don't sell themselves! It's up to every author to take an active role in marketing.

I'm the bestselling author of 4 novels: Whale Song (2003), Divine Intervention, The River, and Whale Song (2007), which is now in negotiations with a respected US film producer/director for a feature film and a possible 3rd print edition.

I speak regularly at writers' conferences on the topics of book signings, online marketing, promotional ideas and using social networks to promote books--the 'write' way. My articles on book promotion have appeared in various magazines and online writers' resources. I've been interviewed and profiled on TV and radio stations, and in newspapers and magazines.

To read more about me, check out my official site:
http://www.cherylktardif.com/

~Shameless Promoter
aka Cheryl Tardif, bestselling author

Shameless Promoter - Book Marketing Coach

"I can help you!"

Pages

Sunday, April 5, 2009

To blog, or not to blog?

1 comment: