Without readers, your blog is nothing more than a dog barking at the moon. That said, just because 5 people (including your mother) read your troubled account of the public transport system last month, doesn’t mean to say that they will suffer through this months’ instalment; an equally egregious rant detailing the current state of the department of home affairs.
What is the Actual Purpose of Your Blog?
Unfortunately you can’t assume that every blog has a purpose, but this purpose holds the key to the creation of a successful blog or website. Everything you post on your blog needs to reaffirm this purpose in fresh, snappy and unique way. No pressure.
The Soap Box
In an ideal world people think twice before they step up onto their soap boxes and blurt out their vacuous opinions. But if that were the case, there would be no such thing as the Kardashian’s or Jersey Shore. Hmmm, sounds like utopia to me actually. That said, all business and no play is equally off-putting.
The Perfect Blend
If there’s more to a blog than flagrant waffle, people will be more likely to return because they can find value in the content. By teaching your readers something whilst entertaining them, you are more likely to keep them engaged.
Bill Nye probably wrote the book on balancing education and entertainment. He knows just how to convey ideas in an informative yet conversational tone. The outcome – he comes across as authentic and people don’t only engage momentarily, they also want to engage regularly. Hence his longstanding career as ‘the Science Guy’, TV personality, scientist, engineer, comedian, author and inventor.
Active or Passive
Even if your blog solely hosts your obscure album reviews, the reader needs to get something out of the interaction. More than the exchange of information, the interaction is not a passive process. The reader actively reads, downloads and comments. TV, now that is a passive interaction, with all that popular opinion just washing over you.
What’s in it or the Readers?
Let’s assume that the reader is engaging with your blog for a reason, if they don’t find something of value, they bounce and they never come back. The antithesis of bouncing however, is that if they like what they see, they will read further, watch the video, download the PDF or comment on the blog (of course it helps if you have such a wide variety of content to begin with).
Acknowledge the Little People
If you would like them to drop by again, it’s probably a good idea to respond to their comments on your blog. By simply responding to the comments on your blog you are one step closer to making friends and influencing people – that’s the whole point right? Ultimately? If you have no friends/readers you’re just a dog barking at the moon again.
So now that you have people looking at your blog or website and regularly engaging, are you going to sell them the 3D plans to print guns or are you going to tell them what to wear this season? Maybe just keep working on that call to action.
