Want to Grow Your Blog's Community?
Do you want to have people talking about your blog and sharing it with their friends? Do you want to grow a group of fans that are on fire for what you post and ready to share it at will? Well, strap in kids, because we’re going for a ride!
In this guide I’ll show you how to grow your blog’s community no matter how much traffic you get or don’t get with plenty of resources to help you tackle each step.
There are 3 things you’ve got to do in order to grow your blog’s community; get serious about your blog, optimize your blog, and connect with people outside of your blog.
So, let’s get started!
Get Serious About Your Blog
Remember, even if you’ve got a brick-and-mortar store, your blog becomes your digital storefront open to the public 24/7. It can be your most powerful marketing, engagement, and sales tool if you want it to be . . . but you have to take it seriously.
People want to be a part of something great, something that creates value, and enhances their lives. They can’t get that if your blog hasn’t been updated in weeks, is sorely lacking in the “looks” department, or is just plain boring. Here are a few tips that’ll help you get a bit serious about your blogging;
- Get on a schedule and blog consistently – I’ll be preaching this message till I die; consistency breeds community. The more you stay on schedule the easier it is for people to anticipate your posts, show up when you’re ready for them to engage with it, and share it with their friends. Here’s a 17 minute video that’ll show you How to Create an Editorial Calendar for Your Blog. This will help you get on a schedule and plan out your blog posts.
- Produce quality posts not a high quantity of posts – If you consistently put out crap then you’re not going to grow your community. No body wants to read your random thoughts, incomplete articles, or poorly thought-out blog topics. Take your time and write something you want the entire world to read. Something worthy of a reader’s time and attention.
- Respond to as many comments as possible – If you already built a small community on your blog and your posts are being commented on and shared . . . engage with your community! Don’t think that just because you’ve built it, they came, and commented means you can go home. Get in your own comments section and respond.
- Invest in a great theme – Think of your blog’s theme as what you would wear to a professional networking event. Are you going to wear those sloppy clothes you used to wear back in high school or the professional and clean threads you got for Christmas? People love to visit a great looking blog. It’s a fact. I’ve visited blogs that didn’t get a single read from me because I left after punishing my eyes with their design. A great theme gives the eyes room to play and to interact with what’s on the screen. If you’re going to get serious about growing your blog’s community then you need to invest in a theme that looks great and can grow with it.Shameless Promotion (affiliate link to follow): I invested in a WooThemes template that’s been really good at capturing my reader attention’s. What’s great about WooThemes is there commitment to quality and building each theme from the ground up. Each theme also comes with different color templates and are highly customizable. Give the boys at WooThemes a try for yourself!
Optimize Your Blog for Community Growth
I use a self-hosted copy of Wordpress for my blog. I love the fact that with plug-ins you can turn your simple blog into whatever kind of website you want. (Case in point here are 11 Non-Traditional Uses of WordPress) Here is a list of plug-ins you can use to grow your blog’s community;
- Disqus – This is what I use for my commenting system here at The Success Center. What I love about the plug-in is #1 – It makes commenting super easy and the ability to comment using your Facebook, Twitter, or even Yahoo account. #2 – There’s a great tool within the Disqus software that lets you display your top commenters, posts, and recent comments. This is great for highlighting your community and showing a little love for what they contribute on your blog. Speaking of love . . .
- Comment Luv – This is a great plug-in that let’s people share their latest blog post when they comment on your site. Another fantastic way to grow loyalty and really get people in the spirit of commenting on your blog. Note: I don’t run this plug-in because it isn’t compatible with Disqus, but if I could I would!
- Comment Relish – Remember, ever new comment your blog receives is an opportunity to grow your community. Why not send your new commenters an email and thank them for commenting? This is exactly what this great plug-in does.
- Google Friend Connect – Let people officially “join” your community and show them off with this free widget from Google. Not only does it allow you to track the blogs your friends (or visitors) join but allows you to send newsletters amongst a slew of other features it has.
- BBPress – Remember joining a forum back in the early 2000’s? Surprisingly, they’re still a popular way to connect with like-minded individuals, share ideas, and information. If you don’t mind moderating, kicking spammers to the curve, and keeping it alive then this may be a good choice for your blog’s community. BBPress is forum software made by the same great folks who created Wordpress. Give it a try.
Connect with People Outside of Your Blog
An empire doesn’t grow within it’s own borders . . . it goes outside of it’s four walls and spreads dynamically. You have to do the same if you want to grow a community that is active and valuable to your blog. Here are a few suggestions on how to do just that;
- Twitter – I love Twitter for the connections it creates and the conversations that are started there. I use it to run polls and then use the answers in blog posts. This is a great way to get your social network community to become a part of your blogging community. Try using Twitter PollDaddy for your next poll and see how easy it is!
- Facebook – If you’re not deepening relationships on Facebook then you’re sorely missing the point of maximizing it for your business. One way to do this is to connect your blog with your Facebook account by using the Networked Blogs app. Once you’ve got your account set-up people will receive your latest posts, be able to comment, and share it with their Facebook friends.Another great tool for growing your community outside of your blog is to start a Facebook fan page. Consider this as a “mini-site” for your brand or blog. You can stuff them full of exclusive content like videos, notes, or photos just for your fans. My fan page isn’t maximized like I would like it to be, but someone who does this extremely well is my friend, Naomi Trower. She creates videos and other exclusive content just for her fans. Follow her lead!
- Youtube – Everyone is watching videos on Youtube, of course, by now you know that. Try creating video countdowns of your top articles for the week, bi-weekly, or monthly and sharing it their. This is a great way to get people involved in your blog before they even visit it!
Conclusion
Remember, the three keys to growing you blog’s community are to get serious about your blog, optimize your blog, and connect with people outside of your blog. If you follow the information here you should be well on your way to attracting new followers, visitors, and readers of your blog.
Best of all, you will have done it by not spending a dime . . . just a little bit of your time. What would you add to this guide? How are you cultivating relationships and community on your blog? Share your best advice, tips, and resources in the comments below.
For more advice on being successful with your blog check out, “5 Keys to Blogging Success”
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About the Author
Rod
