How to Get Readers Coming Back to Your Blog

First, I’d like to say “THANK YOU!” to all of the readers who’ve been coming back to this blog over the past few weeks. I’ve really been surprised and happy with the results so far and have been developing relationships with my readers through this blog and Twitter.

Building a Sense of Community Around Your Blog

Developing a Community of Bloggers

Over the weekend, I went to several of your blogs and read your posts and left comments, and I was really inspired by Alexis Grant’s post “The challenge: build community around your blog.” Please take a minute to go read the post; you’ll come away with some really great information on how to develop a readership for your blog. Alexis talks about getting readers back to your blog by building a community around it, and I completely agree with that.

The part that grabs my attention most is reading and then linking to other blogs. Not only is it a sign of respect, it’s also an essential part of growing as a blogger. Visiting someone else’s blog can often inspire you, and when it does, recognize it and mention it in your post. More than likely, (as Alexis mentions in her post) the author of the post you’ve linked to will take notice and come by your blog to comment, or mention you at some point in one of their posts.

Special Tips for Business Bloggers

Businesses (real estate agents, service providers, manufacturers, etc.) who are bringing their product online through a blog have slightly different challenges. However, you will still need to build a community of interested readers if you want your blog to remain relevant to them.

Exclusive Promotions

Try announcing promotions, discounts or specials solely through the blog and tell your readers that the promotions are specifically for them. If you make this a regular habit, it won’t be long before viral marketing picks up and more and more readers start coming to the blog looking for promotions. You will want to make sure that you capture your readers’ information  - names and email addresses – via an opt-in form prominently displayed, to encourage them to become part of the community.

Check out Netflix’s great blog to get a sense of how established companies can use a blog for promotions.

Feature Clients or Customers

You are probably very used to featuring products, as you should be if you’re trying to sell something! But you should also try featuring clients or customers. If you are a real estate agent, reserve a spot in your sidebar specifically for featuring a different client every month. Don’t call it Client of the Month – that’s a little cheesy. Instead, look for unique ways to showcase your relationship with that client. Are they new and currently going through the buying or selling process with you? Is their specific real estate situation very unique or challenging? Are they a local celebrity? Show your blog readers that you are interested in THEM, not just yourself. This is a great way to do that.

Paddywax Candle Company created a Fan page just to show off their celebrity clientèle. This might take more time upfront, but in the end, it’s worth it. Show your readers that their business is important to you, even long after they have made a purchase. You can make your readers feel like celebrities in your own blog community!

Your Turn

Take a minute to think about a step you can take toward building a community around your blog. Use the comment box below to talk about what you plan to do, or even showcase something you’ve done. I’ll be sure to circle your blog and talk about it here! Also, if you have a unique blog focus and need help thinking of ways to build community, let me know. I’d love to help you and make a case study of that, and showcase you blog here.