Blogging is far and away the best marketing vehicle

Blogging is far and away the best marketing vehicle ever invented for nonfiction authors. Why? Let us count some of the things a blog can help you do: This information was Not written by me.

1. Establish and promote your author brand
2. Build a foundation as an authority in your field
3. Use your content to attract a targeted community
4. Get direct market feedback from readers
5. Refine your ability to write keyword-optimized copy
6. Run surveys and polls to gauge your reader’s needs
7. Create a way to grow your email list from your visitors
8. Use a structured approach to create books from your blog
9. Provide a mechanism for media who want to contact you
10. Engage your readers in a dialogue through comments
11. Forge a network with your blogging peers
12. Use your blog site as the platform for launching new books, products, or services
13. Generate income as an affiliate partner for others with products or services your readers need
14. Develop and beta test your own products and services in partnership with your readers
15. Create an active and engaged community that helps you get a contract with a traditional publisher
16. Become a thought leader in your field
17. Attract organizations looking for speakers for their events
18. Promote events in which you will be participating
19. Publish audio or video content through your blog or an associated podcast
20. Create a hub that you can refer your social media outposts to
21. Interest blog and magazine editors in running your content
22. Syndicate your blog feed throughout the social universe

Well, I could go on and on, couldn’t I? There’s only one problem: very, very few authors has what they need to do these things.