Ten Days of Blogging FAQs
This past weekend found many booksellers attending ABA’s Winter Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah. Though I didn’t attend, I was able to follow many of the proceedings by reading the #WI4 Twitter Stream (read from oldest to most recent to get the chronology).
Much of the talk at WI4 was about blogging. More than one speaker talked about the importance of bookstore blogs. And I’ve already seen a commitment (or re-commitment) to blogging by some stores that have flirted with the idea in the past.
Over the past year, I have had many discussions with booksellers about blogging, and most booksellers have had the same questions. So I thought I’d take the opportunity to post those questions here, share my thoughts, and elicit ideas from you as well. So beginning tomorrow, I present: 10 Days of Blogging FAQs. My goal is to post one question per day, with weekends off. I do hope you will add your comments to any of the posts that strike you. I think that together we can build a great resource for independent bookstores who are thinking about blogging.
But first, some general thoughts about blogging and bookstores.
Blogging can be very powerful when it’s done with a purpose. I think that independent booksellers should look at a blog as an extension of the bookstore. It can make your customers feel more connected to you, can spotlight what you do best, and can be used to build community. I wrote a previous entry on this blog called “11 Reasons for Booksellers to Blog” and then people added several more reasons in the comments. If you’re still not sure *why* you should blog, you might want to take a look at that post.
Should every store have a blog? Though I want to say “yes,” I have to admit that there are some stores out there that should not be blogging right now. The main factor is commitment. If you start a store blog, please commit to keeping it current and updated, for at least 6 months, preferably a year. Can you make that commitment? There is nothing that leaves a more negative impression on a business than a website that is old, that has not been updated. If your store website is still showing “upcoming events” that have happened long in the past, tend to that before starting another project.
In addition, a blog has to be part of a comprehensive marketing and promotion plan. It will not succeed on its own. And while it’s easy to think about farming it out to a high school student or “intern,” realize that your blog will be *the* living representation of your store on the internet. Regardless of who writes the blog posts and sees to the day to day functionality, your blog must be managed by someone who is invested in the success of the store. A possible guideline: the person with ultimate responsibility for your blog should be someone that you would allow to speak to the press on behalf of the store.
So think up your questions (and answers, too!).
Links to each of the posts in this series:
- Day 1: Who’s going to read our blog?
- Day 2: Where do I find the time to blog?
- Day 3: I already have a newsletter, do I really need a blog?
- Day 4: What do I blog about?
- Day 5: How do I know who’s reading?
- Day 6: How do I write blog posts that people will want to read?
- Day 7: Will blogging sell books?
- Day 8: If we put our staff recommendations on our blog, won’t people buy them somewhere else?
- Day 9: How can I involve my local community?
- Day 10: How can I measure success?
Drew Goodman says:
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:41 pm
I attended Winter Institute, and you are correct, blogging was a focus. Each of the keynote speakers made mention of blogs, some to a greater extent. Bob Miller of HarperStudio was the single biggest proponent of EVERY store having a blog. (Incidentally, myself, @booksliesalibis, @RichRennicks, @vromans, and @Bookavore were all at Winter Institute and Tweeted quite extensively about it). Rich and I had a short chat with Bob after the keynote about the importance of not only blogging, but all the other social media functions that can lead back to the bookstore blog.
The four of us Tweeters also had several conversations with each other over the course of the weekend about the importance of blogging and all forms of social media for bookstores. I think we all agreed on its growing importance on our businesses and we are urging the ABA to offer educational sessions on social media at WI5.
It was actually amazing to each of how many booksellers there had a fear of using the internet, balking at simple websites not to mention blogging. To them, I would say- “Get over your fear and get online.” The social media component is what can tie you more closely to your customers and help you create what Seth Godin calls a tribe, a fan base, people who want to follow you and become marketers for your store.
I would disagree with you on one thing, Ann. If you are a bookstore owner or manager and you have a computer, get a blog. Now, having said that, I again agree that it is a matter of commitment- but, here is the important part of that commitment: consistency. Some bloggers will tell you that to have a great blog you must post at least every day or even several times a day. That’s not correct. Be consistent. If all you can do is post once a week, then pick a day and do it on the same day every week. If you can do it twice a week, then do it, but be consistent. Decide what is right for you and do it.
The second thing I would say is once you have people who read and comment on your blog, comment back. This is SOCIAL media. It is interactive. It doesn’t take that long to say something as simple as “Thanks for your interesting comments.” Be consistent in acknowledging comments. When blog readers feel a connection to you because you talk back, they are more likely to come back and read again, more likely to buy from you online, and more likely to try to come to your store.
The King's English Bookshop says:
February 4th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
hallelujah! thank you thank you THANK YOU for saying that whoever writes the blog should be someone you’d allow to talk to the press. i think this is an often overlooked point about a STORE blog (as opposed to a personal blog) — it is official marketing and publicity, and should be treated as such.
Booksellers Blog » Blogging FAQ, Day 6: How do I write blog posts that people will want to read? says:
February 11th, 2009 at 6:01 am
[...] Ten Days of Blogging FAQs [...]
Booksellers Blog » Guest Post: The Vroman’s Approach to Blogging says:
February 25th, 2009 at 8:53 am
[...] as “How should I think about staffing my store with people who get the web?” Ann has just run a series of posts right here that answer many of the questions plaguing bookstores – Should we have a blog? How can [...]
Praveen Madan says:
March 17th, 2009 at 12:38 am
Just a quick note to say – THANKS! I just read the entire 10 part series on blogging here and thought is was awesome – insightful, focused, loaded with actionable items. Thank you for doing this.
Ann Kingman says:
March 17th, 2009 at 5:51 am
Praveen, thanks so much for your feedback!
Booksellers Blog » How often should you blog? says:
July 15th, 2009 at 11:25 am
[...] months ago, I posted Frequently Asked Questions about Blogging, which ran over the course of 10 days. Since then, I’ve spoken to many booksellers about [...]