One of the most important aspects of successful blogging is developing a community within your blog. Much of blogging is about creating discussion between engaged and thoughtful individuals about the specific topic at hand. By creating an atmosphere within your blog that is welcoming, you will receive more readers and a broader audience. All too often, bloggers enter the blogosphere thinking that merely writing posts and publishing them will suffice to create a blog that attracts a large audience and keeps readers coming back. In order to create a blog that truly stands out among the dozens upon dozens alongside it, a blogger must strive to create a blog that lives and breathes on its own. Truly successful (and profitable) blogs exist because they have created a blogging community within their blog that invites thought, discussion, and interest. Try these three tips to help create a community in your blog that will boost your readership and encourage new hits to return.
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Respond and Encourage Comments
Paying special attention to the comments section of your blog is an essential part of building an active community within your blog. Use the comment section of your posts to encourage and engage in conversation with your readers. At a very a very basic level, this will keep your readers coming back to your blog because they will want to read your comments about the post or see your response to their comments. However, moreover, creating discussion within your comment section will create a positive blogging atmosphere within your blog. Readers will appreciate your interest in their opinions about your blog and the things that you have to say. By allowing your readers to participate in your blog, they will feel a more direct connection with you and your material. Check and respond to comments regularly. If there is little discussion on one of your posts that you are particularly interested, try sparking the conversation yourself.
Use Guest Posting
Allowing guest bloggers to post within your blog can also help create a welcoming and diverse blogging community. Guest posters have a lot to offer a blog. They can add expertise and variety to your blog and can make the writing load a little bit lighter for you. Furthermore, by incorporating a variety of voices into your blog, you encourage a variety of visitors to read your blog. Building a strong relationship with other bloggers writing within the same niche can help you market your blog to a larger audience and learn the ins and outs of your specific niche with the help of experienced friends. Consider allowing guest bloggers to post on your blog and possible writing a few guest posts yourself. This can help bring in the readers of the blog you are guest posting for to your blog in the future.
Ask Your Audience
Another great approach for getting people involved with your blog, is talking to your readers about what they would like you to write about. This allows your readers to become part of your blog and encourages a positive relationship with your audience. If you find yourself stuck and unable to come up with an idea for a post, try asking your readers what topics they would be interested in reading from you. This gets a valuable conversation started within your blog that enables you to determine what you audience is interested in and what they think your strengths are. Try to include your readers in as much of your blogging process as possible. By creating an environment where your readers feel valued and included, you are ensured to build a wider audience base and gain more regular visitors.
