A blog community helps in building a loyal reader base for the blog. There are numerous ways to get a large number of hits for the blog but these methodologies do not ensure that the readers will return to read new posts. The quality of the content does matter but there is more that can be done for the purpose.
A blog community works as an effective tool for the purpose. Building a community on your blog requires effort from your end. People who comment on a post are often seen interacting and taking their point forward. As a blogger you can do more to encourage people to comment and interact in the form of a community to help you gain from it in the form of a regular reader base with more hits coming in through organic search results. Building a blog community requires a methodical approach involving planning and subsequent implementation. Here is how you can take it forward.
1. Be real -:
Understand that people find it easier to relate to a real person than a virtual entity churning out stories. Let people know who you are and what interests you. Post your picture in your blog profile. Share your experiences and give a personal touch to your posts. This helps people relate to the content and the person behind it.
2. Make feedback a priority -:
Encourage people to come up with their own stories in relation to the experiences you have had or the topics that you cover in your posts. Mention at the end of each post that you look forward to feedback from readers.
3. Talk to your readers -:
Address people in your posts. Make it come across as a communication with your audience rather than a post that addresses no one and only mentions the facts and statistics. Connect with people through your posts by talking about issues that anyone is likely to face in relation to a topic.
4. Give information that can prove helpful -:
Humor and stories win over people but informative content is important too. The previously mentioned aspects can be incorporated in an informative piece as well. Web is the primary source of information for people. Serve that purpose through your blog to let readers come back for more knowing that they stand to gain from it.
5. Invite guest posts -:
Let those who comment on your blog regularly gain from their effort. It is quite likely that they happen to be bloggers themselves. Give them an opportunity to write guest posts for your blog. This gives them a feeling of having been rewarded for their efforts which in turn strengthens the blog community.
6. Launch a blog forum -:
Go beyond the blog posts. Take up people’s queries through a discussion forum on your blog. As members of your blog community respond to queries, the community size increases gradually.
7. Encourage people to participate in blog chat sessions -:
This is another mode of interaction between you and your readers, beyond the comments section of your blog. Fixing a particular day and time for a chat session every week ensures that there is consistency in your effort and people do not lose out on a chance to interact with you. This increases interaction and familiarity leading to a strong blog community.
8. Reply to comments -:
As people comment on blogs encouraged by your request for the same, it is important that you engage with them. This is only your first step but a significant one indeed towards building a blog community.
9. Join other blog communities -:
Comment on blogs of your regular readers. Interact with other people who comment on those blogs. This helps you in getting more people to become a part of your blog community.
10. Focus on credibility -:
Make sure you do not write paid reviews or sponsored posts unless you believe in the product and would have written exactly the same even if you were not paid for it. An unethical act of yours can invite backlash from your blog community.
There are a large number of blogs that are competing for attention of readers. Even if a single post is appreciated by readers, the next day it could be another blog that garners appreciation. Loyalty of readers requires more than good content. Interaction serves the purpose. Give your readers a reason to frequent your blog. Compelling content needs its set of readers for it to be shared on social networking platforms and for comments to come in. This is where your blog community comes into the picture. Put in effort to reap rich dividends in the form of loyal readers who comment regularly and give you feedback.
Diana Maria is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on technology. Beside this she is fond of Gadgets. These days she is busy writing articles for bornrich.com