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Post by claire on Nov 11, 2014 19:19:14 GMT
Since today is all about community, I thought it would be a great time to ask about how to turn random views and lone comments into regular readers -and not just readers, but people who want to participate. Bloggy friends.
I blog about travel, and I know to some extent people will look at my posts and think "that's neat, I'll try to remember that if I ever go there" and then move on. I've been at it for nearly two years now, and only have about a handful of regular readers. In the last few weeks I've been trying to participate in more Link Ups, and I get views and comments, but then never hear from them again! I try to leave thoughtful comments on other blogs (although I follow many through RSS, so I don't know if they can see I'm following them.), respond to questions on facebook, etc
Of course, there's not going to be one magic trick that gets readers flocking to and engaged in your site, but can anyone think of how they began to grow their community? Were there one or two posts that really got people hooked? Or maybe I am doing something that turns people away? Maybe I just don't know how to find the right people?
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Post by zonemom on Nov 11, 2014 20:05:57 GMT
Do you have an email newsletter? I've found that focusing on growing that has helped me pinpoint my loyal readers and keep them coming back. I'd also say blogger communities were at the heart of my personal community growth as a blogger. I used to spend lots of time in forums and groups and built a following that way as well. Unfortunately, I don't do that as much any more. I've also gone past commenting and actually emailed bloggers that I thought were like minded and that has led to some neat relationships. Blog conferences help with that too.
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Post by Tracie on Nov 11, 2014 20:20:39 GMT
claire I just took a peek at your blog, and I love it! Also, I need more castle exploring in my life. I don't think there is anything you are doing wrong, or that is turning people away. Your pictures are lovely, your writing is good, your site is clean. I know you have a lot of categories and specific places linked on your sidebar, but it would be great to have a menu at the top with some basic navigation offerings - just because that is where people are most used to looking. I would love to read more about YOU. Your travel posts are awesome, and I feel like you have packed a lot of great information into them, which is awesome. What wold be great is a second post giving me more insight into you - what did you feel in the Borghese Gardens? what childhood memory did the gardens bring to the front of your mind? what romantic moment did you observe while you were hiding behind a bush? Those are the kind of posts that will bring in return visitors, because they want to read not just about travel, but about you. Readers come back for that personal connection. Link those personal posts and travel posts together to aid in pageviews.
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Post by glamistahome on Nov 11, 2014 20:49:36 GMT
Great tips ladies, I have started blogging in April and have gained some regulars on my blog, but I would really love a big following of women. I have created a few guest posts, share links of other bloggers on Twitter or G+, comment on other blogs and participate in a number of link ups. I post every day of the week and have started a sign up for my newsletter. So far I have only a few people who have expressed interest in my email newsletter. I would love to grow this blog of mine, but seem to hit a wall recently. Any tips for bloggers who have recently started? I feel like there is something I might be missing and a tweak here and there could provide the push to grow my website.
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Post by slapdashmom on Nov 11, 2014 20:57:43 GMT
I'm not sure why my loyal followers are loyal. Most of them came from giveaways, years ago, so you'd think they would've moved on by now but they haven't. I know when I shared my daughter's story about bullying, a lot of my readers really connected with me - I shared the joy and pain throughout, so I think being very transparent has helped my followers become friends.
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Post by glamistahome on Nov 11, 2014 21:10:56 GMT
Interesting, that's another feedback that comments about being more personal and writing about the things that move you directly. I get how readers are connecting with that as well.
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Post by claire on Nov 11, 2014 21:32:00 GMT
I'm super hesitant about starting a newsletter - I just don't know what to include! Do you just summarize your month and include links to your posts? Most of the blogs I subscribe to via newsletter are more business-y, but I don't have any sales, product sneak peaks or announcements like that.
It sounds like I should also include a bit more personal stuff, I know I love peaking into other blogger's lives! How do you balance being personable and keeping your privacy?
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Post by Tameka on Nov 11, 2014 21:36:49 GMT
My blog is all about me and my favorite things. I only blog about things that are of interest to me, or things that I am passionate about. I have gotten several offers to do sponsored posts, but I haven't done any yet. I must know that I will remain true to myself before I can accept an offer. I also would live more readers and pageviews. I participate in link parties, giveaways and blog communities. I also do guest posts sometimes.
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Post by susanf on Nov 11, 2014 22:14:22 GMT
I think the biggest way that I have gained readers is by reading and commenting on other blogs and forming relationships with bloggers. It is extremely time consuming, but I have learned a lot by reading other blogs.
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Post by zonemom on Nov 11, 2014 22:25:25 GMT
I'm super hesitant about starting a newsletter - I just don't know what to include! Do you just summarize your month and include links to your posts? Most of the blogs I subscribe to via newsletter are more business-y, but I don't have any sales, product sneak peaks or announcements like that. It sounds like I should also include a bit more personal stuff, I know I love peaking into other blogger's lives! How do you balance being personable and keeping your privacy? claire Your newsletter can include whatever you want. Start with something and see how readers respond, and then tweak from there. I don't do one every week like I'd originally planned, but when I do, I create an announcement that highlights something new and then point them toward a post I really want them to see. There's an rss feed in the email sidebar with links to the most recent posts.
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Post by girlonthemove on Nov 12, 2014 0:02:00 GMT
I'm super hesitant about starting a newsletter - I just don't know what to include! Do you just summarize your month and include links to your posts? Most of the blogs I subscribe to via newsletter are more business-y, but I don't have any sales, product sneak peaks or announcements like that. It sounds like I should also include a bit more personal stuff, I know I love peaking into other blogger's lives! How do you balance being personable and keeping your privacy? Claire~ I'd also recommend looking at the newsletters you receive from blogs you follow and see what you like and don't like...that can be a great place to start figuring out what you want to include in your newsletter!
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Post by dailydiylife on Nov 14, 2014 1:07:58 GMT
I have a newsletter but only 20 followers. Sometimes I think it is a waste of time, but I ve been trying very hard to stick with it weekly. I do my commenting and responding as much as I can. Especially through linky parties. I just haven't noticed a jump in readers tho. I can get them there but they don't sign up for newsletter and seldom wander to other pages. It's a little frustrating.
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