This is Day 4 of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, a group project 60+ of us bloggers are doing together in an effort to help each other become better bloggers. You can read an overview here.
Today’s assignment is to look over the comments on your blog, find a commenter you don’t recognize, and send them an email. Taylor the email to their comment and include a link to your blog.
It’s an easy assignment. In fact, it’s so easy, that some of you may be tempted to blow it off and not do it. But this assignment points to a larger principle concerning blogs, one I think it’s important to address…
Blog Growth is Slow and Steady
Many of us bloggers have this dream… that we’ll start a blog and our posts will be so amazing that even though we start with a handful of readers, those readers will tell all their friends, who will all love our blog become regular readers and tell all their friends, who will all love our blog become regular readers and tell their friends, and so on, and within weeks we’ll have hundreds or even thousands of regular readers.
But the reality is growth for most blogs comes slow and steady. It comes one reader at a time.
On Day 3 we talked about promoting a blog post and how it’s important to reach out to people who have never heard of us or our blog and invite them to read a post. But it’s even more important to try to convert a one-time visitor into a regular reader. That conversion often comes by building relationships, and as we all know relationships can be hard work.
7 Little Things You Can Do to Build Relationships with Your Readers
Good relationships don’t happen overnight or with one big “event.” Relationships are developed over time with small things that demonstrate genuine interest. Here are 7 little things you can do. Some are taken from today’s lesson, others are things I do for my readers.
- Email a someone who has commented on your blog (today’s assignment)
- When someone comments on your blog, post a comment in reply.
- Go to commenter’s blogs and comment on their posts.
- Allow people who comment on your blog to include a link in their comments to their own blog. If your commenters find they are getting visitors from your blog, it’s one more incentive to become a regular reader and commenter.
- Remove the “nofollow” attribute from comment links. By default many blogging platforms add the “nofollow” attribute to links in comments. This attribute tells search engines not to “count” the link. Including the nofollow tag eliminates the incentive for spammers to post spammy comments to your blog, but it also takes away the search engine value of the links your legitimate commenters post. I think it’s worth it to remove the nofollow tag if your blogging platform allows you to do so.
- Periodically do things to thank your readers. Be creative. Give away a book or a CD. Do something for them.
- Thank people who retweet your posts on Twitter.
Discussion
- What other little things can bloggers do to build relationships with their readers?
- What little things did you ACTUALLY do today?
- Did you see any immediate results? (You may not. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t)
The Extra Mile
A few other things you can do to take your blog, other bloggers, and this project even further today…
- Reply & give other bloggers feedback on the little things they do.
- When other bloggers include a link to a new article they’ve posted today, click, read, and comment on it.
- Check previous posts in the series for new comments.
- Tweet, share, & bookmark this post. (You could win a $25 gift card!)
98 Comments
I loved the e-mail idea. I've corresponded with commenters before, but only if there was a specific reason (other than just to say, "Thanks"). I went through my recent comments and wrote to pretty much everyone, even/especially the frequent visitors.
One of them "caught" me, though, when I reposted this to my facebook page. Then I was afraid she might think I had impure motives–like just to promote myself. :blush: But I don't think she did think that, really. Anyhow, I do like the idea. It gives me another avenue to get to know the people who've been reading my blog, and that's one of the primary purposes for me–to develop relationships.
I was already doing the other stuff. Today's lesson didn't disappoint me, btw. I understand what some of the others are saying, but I like it that we get small assignments. Otherwise I may not have time to do them.
Blessings, Cindy
I loved the e-mail idea. I've corresponded with commenters before, but only if there was a specific reason (other than just to say, "Thanks"). I went through my recent comments and wrote to pretty much everyone, even/especially the frequent visitors.
One of them "caught" me, though, when I reposted this to my facebook page. Then I was afraid she might think I had impure motives–like just to promote myself. :blush: But I don't think she did think that, really. Anyhow, I do like the idea. It gives me another avenue to get to know the people who've been reading my blog, and that's one of the primary purposes for me–to develop relationships.
I was already doing the other stuff. Today's lesson didn't disappoint me, btw. I understand what some of the others are saying, but I like it that we get small assignments. Otherwise I may not have time to do them.
Blessings, Cindy
Hi Everyone,
This lesson has been an exhilarating adventure for me because I get to thank those who have left comments on my posts. While I do this anyway, it is more exciting today because of all the new followers who have found my home. It may take me a while to get to all of you, but I will be sending them out throughout the day.
Hi Everyone,
Today's assignment was somewhat redundant for me as well as I respond to every comment I receive (not to hard to do when you don't have a lot). However, I don't usually email my "thank yous". I usually just respond in a comment on their blogs.
The idea of supplying a link back to my blog is a good one I will use, even if it is cheezy. Something new I learned today, is just to post the response as a comment in my own blog because it shows your readers you are willing to carry on a conversation with them. Will be adding this.
On that note, here's the link to today's post:
http://openmyearslord.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-5-…
Thank you, all, for stopping by for a visit here where I try to reveal my heart, present what the Lord has been showing me, and encourage all who stop by for inspiration. Your comments encourage me.
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis
Hi Everyone,
This lesson has been an exhilarating adventure for me because I get to thank those who have left comments on my posts. While I do this anyway, it is more exciting today because of all the new followers who have found my home. It may take me a while to get to all of you, but I will be sending them out throughout the day.
Hi Everyone,
Today's assignment was somewhat redundant for me as well as I respond to every comment I receive (not to hard to do when you don't have a lot). However, I don't usually email my "thank yous". I usually just respond in a comment on their blogs.
The idea of supplying a link back to my blog is a good one I will use, even if it is cheezy. Something new I learned today, is just to post the response as a comment in my own blog because it shows your readers you are willing to carry on a conversation with them. Will be adding this.
On that note, here's the link to today's post:
http://openmyearslord.blogspot.com/2010/05/day-5-…
Thank you, all, for stopping by for a visit here where I try to reveal my heart, present what the Lord has been showing me, and encourage all who stop by for inspiration. Your comments encourage me.
From My Heart to Yours,
Janis
Hey everyone. I know I am late to the party today but I have been in a conference all day and then I had other duties like cutting the grass to tend to.
I have tried to make it a practice to respond to all posts to my blog even if it is something short. I also am trying to get in the habit of thanking for Retweets. I think e-mailing someone that comments on your blog is a great idea. It is personal and probably will be unexpected for most people that leave a comment.
Here is today's post: http://larrywestfall.com/six-ways-to-brighten-you…
Hope everyone has a great weekend and a great time of worship on Sunday. God Bless!
Hey everyone. I know I am late to the party today but I have been in a conference all day and then I had other duties like cutting the grass to tend to.
I have tried to make it a practice to respond to all posts to my blog even if it is something short. I also am trying to get in the habit of thanking for Retweets. I think e-mailing someone that comments on your blog is a great idea. It is personal and probably will be unexpected for most people that leave a comment.
Here is today's post: http://larrywestfall.com/six-ways-to-brighten-you…
Hope everyone has a great weekend and a great time of worship on Sunday. God Bless!
Hey everyone. I know I am late to the party today but I have been in a conference all day and then I had other duties like cutting the grass to tend to.
I have tried to make it a practice to respond to all posts to my blog even if it is something short. I also am trying to get in the habit of thanking for Retweets. I think e-mailing someone that comments on your blog is a great idea. It is personal and probably will be unexpected for most people that leave a comment.
Here is today's post: http://larrywestfall.com/six-ways-to-brighten-you…
Hope everyone has a great weekend and a great time of worship on Sunday. God Bless!
I went to my comments multiple times today and never ended up emailing someone because I felt like I had commented back what I would have said in an email. There was one person who I know on Twitter who I would like to build a relationship with, but they have not commented on my blog, so I went to her blog and wrote some comments. She actually lives close enough that we could do a face-to-face networking get together, but I felt that until I was ready to set that up, I didn't want to email her about it.
I haven't posted anything on my blog about 31DBBB today, but I do have two new posts. One is about the photos that I organized today during my own blog's challenge to organize 10 photos a day:http://knowyourstory.net/2010/05/07/day-7-of-my-o…
And the other post is about how I uploaded many of the photos that I've been organizing during my challenge up to Flickr. I am hoping to build some relationships in groups on Flickr:http://knowyourstory.net/2010/05/07/my-old-family…
In general, I feel that I've had a really busy day with networking via Twitter and I started a Facebook page today. I am totally confused about how to use the FB page when it has my personal name on the profile page. I don't know if when I like someone else's page or comment, if it's coming from my name or Blog's name/page. And I don't understand why my friends are showing up on my profile page and not on my Blog's page, the "official page" that I'm going for.
This has been a busy week! It's been great. Looking forward to Monday and continuing on with 31DBBB!
I e-mailed a new blog reader/commenter today. I have been reading and commenting on other people's blogs all week. I am seeing them return the favor, and I also am seeing some visits as other people click on the link in the comments I leave on other blogs! This tip really works!
I had two blog posts today:http://wp.me/pG2Wu-d8 andhttp://wp.me/pG2Wu-dj
Have a great weekend!
~Jennifer
I e-mailed a new blog reader/commenter today. I have been reading and commenting on other people's blogs all week. I am seeing them return the favor, and I also am seeing some visits as other people click on the link in the comments I leave on other blogs! This tip really works!
I had two blog posts today:http://wp.me/pG2Wu-d8 andhttp://wp.me/pG2Wu-dj
Have a great weekend!
~Jennifer