How to Gain a Blog Following

Your website showcases your business. Your blog, however, showcases you. It’s where you connect with your customers on a personal level. But what do you do if you’ve got a blog with outstanding content, stunning visuals, eye-catching and an easy-to-read design and no one’s coming to see you? Take a look at some of our tips below—we’ve got some insights on how you can attract those highly sought-after readers!

Create a blog you would want to read.

Your blog is built around your business and your passion for it, so, naturally, your readers and target audience will be those who share your interests and passions. Therefore, you’ll want to be sure the written and visual content you share is something that piques your interest—not only because that’s most likely what your readers will want, but also because it’s something you’re excited to write about. There is definitely a tone in writing. Let your audience hear the “excited and happy to share my knowledge” you.

Create blog posts your target audience isn’t already reading about.

Your blog may have amazing content and striking visuals, but if you’re essentially writing about what everyone else is writing about, there’s no real incentive for readers. Ask yourself, “What new, distinctive angle can I take on this topic?” Focus on what makes your business or brand unique and share knowledge that makes you stand out from the crowd.

Cater to your target audience and readers by being aware of their needs and wants.

Get involved in the social media conversations surrounding your business and listen to what the community is saying. What are they looking for? What do they need help with? What knowledge do they wish they had? How are you and your business uniquely qualified to give that information to them? Blog about it!

Give them the knowledge and/or experience only you can give them.

Remember, your blog is the place to showcase what you’re are all about. Educate your readers about the business and community, but don’t try to sell to them on your blog. As a membership site, you’ve got all the products behind your gates, so use your blog as a helpful, friendly place where readers come for your knowledge and to connect with you. Eventually they’ll want to purchase a membership to get even more.

So how do you keep readers coming back for more? Or visit you initially? Here are a few technical tips for growing your reader list:

• Share your posts on your social media channels. There is no rule that says you can only share them once! In fact, social media and blog expertise sites state that sharing more than once can help increase traffic to your blog. Share once when you publish it in the morning and again later that day to catch afternoon readers. Later in the week, post an #ICYMI (in case you missed it) and remind readers that the post is there, waiting to be read. You can even share a few weeks or months down the road, as long as the content is evergreen—always relevant and applicable and doesn’t expire at a certain time.
• Interact with your readers and followers. Social media is a two-way street. When a reader comments, they expect a response. If someone’s taking the time to read your post, especially if they take the time to comment, a no-response is the same as being ignored. And nobody likes to be ignored! Readers who engage directly with you on your blog or through a social media channel need to hear back from you: a response to a comment, a thanks for a share, or a nod to any insights they may share.
• Connect with influencers and colleagues. Sharing links to experts’ or colleagues’ sites in your blog posts is a great way to show you support others in the industry. Share their posts on your social media accounts as well. You gain followers by being knowledgeable in the business, so what better way than to share information your readers are interested in? You can also ask influencers to guest blog on your site, but keep in mind that you may have to pay them. In some cases you can offer them free services or products from your business or to post their site on every article they write for you. But if a large number of their followers visits your blog, you’ve exponentially expanded your audience, which is worth the investment.
• Be SEO and keyword savvy when crafting your posts and headlines. Not sure how to do that? Check out this guide to becoming SEO-knowledgeable, as well as Google’s Keyword Planner to determine which words your target audience would use in a keyword search.
• Be creative with your content. Consider giving away some of that great content you’ve created as a gift to your readers—a whole week’s worth of low-carb recipes when they follow your blog, a free software download when they sign up for your newsletter, etc. Also, you can—and should!—repurpose your content. Compile a series of blog posts into an ebook or make your newsletter a collection of your most popular posts.
• Use your analytics. Make it a point to review your analytics for insight on where your readers are coming from—your website, Facebook, Twitter, or other sources. You can make a blogging game plan from the data you gather, determining the best places to hang out online.

What have you done to gain blog followers? What tips can you share with us on how you’ve increased your number of readers? Please let us know in the comments below!

Lindsay Flanagan

Lindsay Flanagan is a senior editor and project and social media manager. She earned her Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing and spent over a decade working in higher education before joining the Eschler team. She and her husband are the proud parents of two brilliant daughters and make their home in Heber, Utah.

Ver biografía completa