My Personal Blog

Welcome to  

TAG! You're It! - Tuesday, 

where I ask the questions and my guests answers them.  

But that's not all, my guest also gets to tag my next victim. 

This week, Rachelle Christensen has been tagged . . . by last week's Joyce DiPastena.

 

 

My Question:

Rachelle, you are the Queen of blog tours and contests. I've seen it with my own eyes and experienced the rush of comments and new followers while being a part of the frenzy created by your book launch. So, what I want to know is . . . for someone out there who may be new to blogging and networking, what advice would you give them to increase their traffic or create a buzz about a debut novel they may be getting ready to release? Also, is there anything you've done that hasn't worked for you that they should steer clear of? 

Rachelle's Answer:

I thought you said this question would be easy! It’s hard to encapsulate everything I’ve learned into a simple answer because something that works for me and my blog, may not work for someone else and vice versa. I’m still learning and I think that’s the way it will always be with internet marketing and technology. I’m happy to share a few things that I think might be useful.

The most important thing to ask is, “What is the purpose of your blog?” You need to be authentic and enjoy blogging. It can’t be all about the marketing or no one will want to come visit you, Bo-ring!

Rely on others to help you spread the word. People are more likely to take your advice when they hear it from several of their friends as well. Partner up with someone. Christine, you have some wonderful ideas that you’ve done on your blog that have made it fun for people and so they want to stick around. That’s the key. You have to be yourself. There are tons of blogs out there that are successful and have a zillion followers, you can’t try to duplicate their content/ideas in an effort to gain followers. That’s like trying to dress exactly like the popular kid in school to get friends. Pull out your comfy jeans and wear them—own those babies—and don’t be afraid to wear them in public. Just remember that not everyone wears the same style of jeans and they might not like yours. It’s okay, there are plenty of people that will like you for you.

Post regularly and it doesn’t have to be every day. I’m still trying to perfect this tip, but life keeps getting in the way. To help with this, I schedule most of my blogs, which means I write them in advance and pre-post them so they show up at a certain date and time. Your readers will come back to visit you, but if you’re never there they will quit coming.

One thing I’ve learned is that people want to enter a contest with minimal effort. That doesn’t always work for the type of promotions I run, so I offer a variety of ways to enter. But it’s important to keep things simple. Recognize your number one goal, whether that is driving traffic to a website, getting comments, or followers, then focus in on your goal for your promotion.

Be a good blogging buddy. When someone visits your blog, there are lots of things you can do: reply to comments, visit other’s blogs, email individuals, gauge interest and write a follow-up post, etc. But, listen up here, do the things that you want to do because you’re a buddy, not a marketer. People can spot a fake, and they don’t want to be constantly solicited. I think blogging should be enjoyable. This is just my opinion, but that’s the thing I love most about blogging. I get to share my opinions and ideas and by doing so find other people who have similar interests. I’ve made so many great friends through blogging. 

Thanks, Christine, for letting me visit your blog today!

About Rachelle:

Rachelle J. Christensen is an author who enjoys blogging and learning new marketing strategies. She organizes blog tours for a multi-million dollar worldwide company and has developed secrets for low-cost internet marketing. 

She loves spending time with her family, running, singing, playing the piano, reading, and writing every minute she can. Rachelle’s published books include a suspense novel, Wrong Number, which was selected as a Whitney Finalist and a nonfiction book, Lost Children: Coping with Miscarriage for Latter-day Saints.

You can stop by Rachelle’s blog at www.rachellewrites.blogspot.com or visit her website: www.rachellechristensen.com. 

Thanks Rachelle!!  I knew you were the right person to answer my question.

And now it's time for Rachelle to TAG a friend.  

Jordan McCollum,

TAG!  You're It!

Come back next Tuesday to see if Jordan accepts the challenge and to see if you've been tagged.