Blogs, their content, and the activity of their writers can yield a wealth of information and entertaining conversation. In fact, blogging can be a valuable tool to strengthen your online presence, drive your brand, and build your social media following. If you are looking for ways to translate your blogging success into growing the number of followers you have on social media, you may find these six strategies to be helpful in achieving your goal.
- Be Active
Being an active contributor in other related online communities allows you the chance to gain visibility and demonstrate your expertise in specific subjects. In turn, people who see your comments may jump over to your own platform and become a loyal subscriber. For example, if you have a blog about cooking, be active on other cooking platforms. Be a conversationalist and share valuable input and information with other readers. Because your readers are probably hanging out in these same places and reading your input, they can find your content easier than they would otherwise be able to.
- Be Informative
Your blog is an excellent place to answer the questions your readers may have. Select topics that could be repetitive inquiries or ones that you feel could be valuable to your audience. Being aware of what your readers are interested in learning about is a direct result of monitoring feedback and commentary on your posts. Generally, when one or more reader is interested in learning about a specific topic, it is safe to assume a majority of your audience will benefit from the same type of information. When your audience can regularly find answers to their questions, their interest in returning over and over again is increased.
- Be Empathetic
A big challenge of blogging centers around responding to the often vastly different opinions of your readers. There will be times when your “comments” section may be riddled with negative opinions. The best action you can take is to be aware of how your audience feels and gracefully respond to their criticisms with poise and professionalism. By remaining classy and empathetic at the same time, you can strengthen relationships and build new ones because your readers will see that you are genuine and committed to making their experience positive. As a result, you can gain new subscribers who find your compassionate and thoughtful response to be refreshing.
- Be Consistent
Blogging has to be consistent to be successful. Achieving a balance in regards to the kind of content you post, when you post, and the approach you take to responding to inquiries is crucial to building trust with your audience. Readers don’t like to be promised one thing and delivered another. By striving for consistency, you are able to show your audience that they can count on you and that they will always know what to expect. Before anyone subscribes to your blog, they want to see that your content reflects your claims.
- Be Authentic
Showcasing your authenticity and the characteristics that make you and your little online space unique is largely accomplished in the type of content you post. First, focus on creating material that is compelling and informative. Second, keep every post authentic and write in a way that offers true value to your readers. Go into depth about why you feel a certain way or why a product really made a difference in your life. Third, write about stuff that no one has written about. Think outside of the box and offer your readers information that they won’t find anywhere else. This approach to writing is a sure way to gain subscribers.
- Be Driven
As you begin seeing the success of your blog and experience the growth of your platform, continue to set goals for your development. In fact, share these goals and ambitions with your readers so they can share in your excitement and celebration once you have achieved them. Staying driven allows you to remain motivated which translates into the quality of your content and the number of people who become loyal subscribers.
Blogging is your opportunity to tell people why they could benefit from connecting with you on social media. This is your place to provide information and answers to interested readers. Leveraging it the right way by delivering to your audience what they want, can make a world of difference in gaining subscribers who become lifelong members of your online community.
