Engaged blogging communities scream, “Party!” to new readers.
Engaged blogging communities scream, “Party!” to new readers.
Think about it; why do you visit a blog? Hip and happening, vibrant communities make readers feel like:
- They belong
- They’re being listened to
- They’re part of something special
Motivating your blog readers to comment builds social proof, inspires trust in your brand and makes blogging a bunch more fun.
Trust is the #1 blogging currency. Casual readers become engaged readers if they trust your blog. Engaged readers become brand advocates, or clients, or customers if you build a chatty community through each of your blog posts.
Ask for Comments Explicitly
Ask for comments at least twice in your posts. Asking for comments goads your readers to comment. Most people won’t share their thoughts unless they’re asked.
Many readers assume that if you don’t ask for comments as a blogger you’re not interested in receiving comments.
Being explicit and clear in crafting your comments call to action increases your blog engagement quickly.
Ask for comments. Do so by concluding your post with 1 or 2 questions.
Relevancy Counts
Ask relevant questions to boost blog engagement. I’ve read some blogs where bloggers punctuate each post with the same generic questions.
“What do you think?”
“What tips can you add?”
Asking generic questions elicits either generic comments or no comments. Put care into your questions.
For example, if I wrote a post about how to use twitter to drive blog traffic I’d ask questions like:
“What specific strategies can you share for driving blog traffic through Twitter?”…or…..
“What sweet tweeting tips can you add to this list?”
Asking specific, relevant questions inspires your readers to comment. Inspired commentators build your blogging community pronto.
Please Don’t Fall Asleep at the Wheel
Unless you’re Richard Branson or Bill Gates, respond to each comment on your blog. Readers need to see that you:
- Are listening
- Care
- Want to grow a community
Think of the average conversation; the chat continues if both sides engage. If one person ceases to chat, the engagement dies, and if this occurs frequently enough the relationship dies.
Respond to all comments on your blog within 24 hours. Chat. Engage. Gain trust.
Be a live body. Prove to your readers that you’re listening to their problems, hopes and dreams to build strong long term relationships with your community.
Return the Kind Act
Try this little tip to build an engaging blog community: click on a few of your blog commentator’s links to read their latest posts.
Post a thoughtful, in-depth comment on their latest post. More often than not many of these commentators will return to comment on your next post. Some folks may not be regular readers or subscribers but they’ll return every time after you comment on their latest post.
This is not so much a “1 for 1” strategy as it’s a token of your appreciation as well as a powerful community building strategy.
Put simply, becoming friends by supporting one another through commenting helps each party build their blogging communities. Give what you wish to receive.
Feature a Commentator
If you really want to build an engaging blog community feature one of your top commentators. Skilled commentators who are blogging authorities in their own right may even warrant a guest post invitation.
Feature a top commentator. Write a post detailing their blog, their products and their successes.
Shine a bright spotlight on engagers to boost blog engagement.
Your Turn
How do you build an engaged blog community?
What do you do to increase the number of comments on your blog?
