How do you build a rocking blog community? A whole lot of blogs are published each year and many die a sad cyber death with not a soul to morning their passing. The community you build with your blog can make or break you pretty quickly. Unless you build a following or community what's the point? You're just taking up cyber space and unless your just publish for your own pleasure. Which is cool of that's what you enjoy. But if you want to build a blog that readers visit, read, then I'll share my favorite secrets to building a thriving blog community that I've learned over the years.
How to Build a Thriving Blog Community
Use Your Voice
You hear people say "find your voice" or use your voice. Do you really understand what that means? Just write to people like you talk to people.That's it? Yes, it really is all that means. Let people see you. That's really how you build community. Let them see the real YOU and let them see "YOU" in your work! One of my favorite clients is an amazing lady. I love her and her story! But she has yet to show her blog readers who she is! She has a pretty popular blog. But just you wait until she puts "HERSELF" in the mix. She will be one of the top blogger in this World! I'm telling you! The first time she let's loose I'm going to send you to her blog. Then you can watch her skyrocket to the top of her industry and the blogosphere. I kid you not. (Don't get scare. I'm not going to say your name and out you..yet
TO Be Trusted You Must Trust
I'm trying to decide how to brand my business or rather rebranding it. You know what the number one thing I don't do is? Show my face. I hate looking at my own face. Kinda strange I know but I do. I look in the mirror and brush my teeth, fix my hair, and put on my makeup every day. But I don't like to look at my own picture.
I tell people all the time put your face out there and tell people about YOU! Well I don't do that myself! LOL I'll tell you anything you ask me but "YIKES" I don't want to come to my site and see my own face. Well every branding expert I know says, "ahhhem.. where's your picture?" Okay I'm getting branding done and will have my FACE on my header! That's what branding is. Letting people have a way to identify you and your business no matter where you are. As a blogger and and internet marketer than means showing your FACE! You want people to know and trust you? Let them see your face and see the real you! I will play with a design and show it to my husband who looks at Facebook and that's about it online. He will say you need to put your face at the top of your site? I'll say why? If I do that then that pushes the important stuff below the fold! ( he has no idea what I mean by below the fold but if you want to know the honest truth about anything just ask my husband) He said to me I don't know but I like to see who a author is or who I'm buying from. I ask why? He says I don't know but If they don't show their face it make me wonder what they are hiding and if I can't find it a lot of times I'll leave the site! WOW! I never told him all strategist say that and have told me over and over to put my FACE on my site. I knew it was a good idea but LEAVE that never crossed my mind. Well now I've been told by an average consumer if I don't see your face I'll leave your site before I read it. I don't know about you but that's a powerful reason to put a face in your blog or website.
Try Every Time To Produce good Content.
Each time you publish a blog post it should make you proud. OUCH! You remember all my ugly-I'll never-show-you-in-a-million-years-blogs I have? ERR I'm not proud of a thing on them. Yeah, I'm never telling where they are and I'm sure not putting my face on them. Why? Because they were slung up to market and that was it. They were not to bring readers but to drive people to the next thing and fast! LOL Don't just publish to say "hey I did it! I posted something."Take some time and add a little about you in the equation. Many people can write a great tutorial or an eye popping ad but it’s the personal things that adds value to your readers and makes them want to return. It also makes the content unique. All my ugly blogs were not unique. A Dozen other marketers has dull ugly sites out there too. I just knew some SEO magic that made them work at the time. That don't cut it anymore. You have to have good content every time. No slinging crappy stuff up just to say hey look fresh content! Make yourself proud to put your face next to it like planting a flag! Declare this is mine and I want you all to know it belongs to me!
Talk to Your Readers
Bloggers have an amazing gift! As a blogger you get to talk to your readers. "Bam" as soon as you post you can know just how people feel about your post. When write to readers and build a community the can't wait to see what you have to say next. I have done a terrible job lately responding to my readers. I was on vacation at Disney for a week and hurt my back so bad that I could hardly sit in my desk chair. When I took pain medicine for relief I couldn't see straight and or was in a coma. Now that I finally got the right combination of meds and exercise i can get to that ton of e-mails and blog comments! I can't wait now that I feel better to talk to my faithful followers and readers. F when you have someone that will comment on your blog, treat them like a treasure! They are ya know? Not everyone can get them! Always respond to their comments! They are the what make your blog a community. Never ever let them down if you can help it!
Connect with your Peers
Great content and a smart looking site will only get you so far. You need to build friendships and make connections with other bloggers. Don't give up of you are the belle of the ball over night. You never know where these connections will go from guest blogging invitations to mutual beneficial business deals. I remember when a very influential blogger and social media specialist messaged me out of the blue and asked me to set up a meeting with her. I could have fainted. lol I felt like she was the Wizard of Oz and I was Toto! Why in the world would SHE want to talk to me? I'm so glad she did. We are now the best of friends and she has sent business my way and hired ME to do work for her! She reached out to me in a personal way. Not to sell anything but just to say "hey, I like you and tell me more about yourself!" It's been a great relationship and we've bet awesome people through our friendship. She values my opinion and I treasure hers. I reached out to another powerful wizard and asked her opinion. I'm rather certain she saved me from the witched witch hee hee just joking but she did help me make one of the best business decision of my life. That's how it works! Connect with bloggers in your niche or any niche for that matter. You may meet the best friend you've ever had or make the deal of a life time!
Allow yourself to Grow
You and your blog are getting older every day. People change and business changes. Things that I thought were set in stone have changed in past year and not much looks the same as it did when I started marketing 10 years ago. It's okay to say, "Hey, I know I always say this is best but "looky" "looky" here's what's happening now!" My favorite subject is SEO and sweetie, if you don't grow and change with it you are going to be at the bottom instead of the top of search! I promise you I'm always looking to see what's up with SEO. I live and breathe it! What was the best practice last year may be the kiss of death this year! I'm not going to stick by what's not true any more just because I said once it was a must! I promise you if I know difference; I'll say different! I want us to win and my ego will never be too big to say hey folks I was wrong or that's just not the case any longer! Nothing gets me more pumped than to have a client or a reader say hey I did that thing you told me to do and look what happened! I can't lie to ya I cried with a client about how well she's doing last week! It gives me a rush! (SEO is my drug! Yeap, I'm that kinda dork!)
Let go and just speak to those that are here to learn and grow with you! Never be afraid to say how you really feel. if some people never return because they don't like what you share that's okay. In the end it's the people that want to hear what you say or teach that matter. No showboating to keep a huge crowd that are just there for the tricks. No screaming headlines that don't have the content to back it up.You will make them leave empty and not like to return. Give to your followers what they need and want from you. These are the ones that will help you build a rocking blog community. They will show up to read, comment, and share your content because they believe in you and trust what you have to say! Let the clowns be clowns with their silly faces! You give your readers a piece of your heart and it will return 10 fold. Just try it and see if I'm right!
Now it's your turn – Tell me what helped you build a great blog community? Do you have a question about building a community? Leave a comment and I promise I'll get to it! I'm finally so much better!
