Banking on Your Blogging

Getting blog comments on your site is always a good indication that the blog reader is involved in what it is you are posting about. Good, bad or indifferent, this is a good barometer that your blog posting is not a wasted effort. The interactivity of your readers is even more important if you are running a home business blog.

Through their comments you can get valuable feedback to help you become one of the most popular blogs in your selected niche.

Now that we have established the importance of the participation of any site visitors to your blog, just how do we go about increasing this needed and wanted interactivity?

Here are 7 suggestions to keep in mind to help increase the number of comments you get on your blog.

Spice Up Your Blog Entries

Don’t be afraid to stir up your readers with a controversial blog entry. Postings like this stimulate both the intellect and the emotions so you should expect plenty of reactions. Remember the more interactive your site becomes the more traffic it tends to attract.

You Don’t Ask You Don’t Get

Always remember to ask for feedback or suggestions from your readers. Actively invite or encourage them to participate. In this way you are simply reminding them to leave comments and that it is OK. Try to make this a habit.

Acknowledge Comments

If the comment warrants a response always reply and don’t take criticism personally since it is only going to help you improve upon your blogging.

At the least be sure to thank people for their comments.

Personalize Your Responses

When replying to comments remember to use the commentators name to create more of a sense on familiarity with them. You now seem more like you are speaking directly to them, which by the way you are.

Post Consistently

It stands to reason that the more you post on your site the more reactions you are going to initiate from your blog readers. Maintaining a consistent blog posting schedule is important for keeping people returning, and of course commenting as well.

Monitor and Respond Regularly

Do your best at monitoring and responding to comments in a timely fashion whenever possible.

A Simple Thank You

As we mentioned above if nothing more thank your readers for their comments and let them know you appreciate each and every one. This type of positive reinforcement will encourage them to leave more.

Receiving blog comments not only indicate how well you have stimulated your blog reader but also gives you the opportunity to receive valuable feedback. Any comments responding to your blog posting by site visitors will usually indicate their satisfaction or lack thereof. Their reactions or preferences are especially critical if you operate a home business blog since it is now tied to your income. By incorporating the 7 suggestions we discussed above on a consistent basis your site should eventually become one of the more popular blogs in your niche. What is your ‘take’ on this?

Developing a popular blog takes time and patience. Of course when creating a blog it is always a good idea to establish your objectives. What is it you are going to write about and how will you deliver this information to the blog reader? Looking around online there are many popular blogs that serve different purposes and utilize varying styles of content delivery. Here are 5 of the most popular blogging styles found on the internet today.

Resource Blogs

Some blogs are designed with the intention to serve as a platform for information to help others locate various resources that are relative to a particular or custom niche. Now the blogger is usually not the one who created these resources but simply located them. The site itself is use to dispense the location of theses resources to the blog reader.

Authority Blogs

These sites are built upon the expertise and/or research efforts of the blogger that focuses on a particular field or subject. The content found here is normally extensive and the site is usually considered a reliable source for this type information. Creating a blog like this it is always best to be very well informed about the subject matter or very passionate about researching it. These sites are often used to make money blogging!

Social ‘Butterfly’ Blogs

The blogger with a site like this is able to maintain a presence at several online communities within a given niche. Although they may not be the top expert in their field they probably know the person who is and how to contact them. These type bloggers are very high profile and are normally very active within the community both on and offline. They are usually great facilitators for bringing together JV partners between and amongst various business blogs!

Media Blogs

A blog like this routinely utilizes different multi-media tools ranging from audio, video and text to present their content. If there is a new media ‘tool’ to be found it will likely be found at a site like this first.

Braking News Blogs

Depending upon the niche, blogs dedicated to delivering breaking news to the blog reader depend upon timeliness. Their ability to stay ‘connected’ is what sets them apart from the rest. Being able to be the first to consistently deliver accurate and timely news in any niche will almost certainly make yours one of the most popular blogs within that niche.

For anyone interested in developing a popular blog the first step is to always establish what your objectives are going to be. Determination of the niche is a beginning but you must also establish what your intentions are within the niche you select. At this point you are now considering the blog reader and how they would best like to view the content you produce. Most of the popular blogs online have adopted certain styles which have helped gain them their popularity with the blog reader. The 5 styles we reviewed above may differ greatly in their intent and delivery but all 5 are very well received by readers. This list serves as suggestions from which you may choose to alter and utilize for your own particular needs and purposes. By placing the stamp of your personality upon any of these styles you are now creating a blog that is uniquely you!

Popular blogs get that way for a reason and looking around on the internet it appears this popularity stems from a particular style of blog posting. Now I am not referring to the frequency of their blog entries but actually something more subtle than that. Most every successful blog displays an ability to communicate effectively with their readers.

Of course it is always a good start to strive towards making sure that any blog entries posted to your site contains some type of interesting or useful information. This is a great way to attract readers but it is just a start! The way you ‘deliver’ your information is what compels the blog reader to RETURN!

Here are 3 ‘ingredients’ that only you as an individual can add to your blog posting that will make it stand out and attract a ‘hungry’ mob looking for more.

Communicate Your Thoughts

Being able to convey your thoughts in a clear manner is critical. You do not want your readers misunderstanding you or worse NOT understanding you at all. The last thing you want to do is to make readers struggle just to try and understand what it is you are saying. If you manage a business blog you want to be especially sure you communicate clearly since your income is at stake as well!

Any successful blog presents its content in a way that is more like a casual conversation. Using short sentences and paragraphs without the use of an extensive vocabulary is highly effective at ‘easily’ communicating your thoughts. This is a practice you should strive to follow whether you run a business blog or are just pursuing a passion. In either case you want to be understood!

Insight

Your blog posting should also include any opinions or experience you can share with the reader on the topic. Yes readers are interested in your point of view so share it with them when the opportunity presents itself.

When you stop to consider it, many of our opinions are formed by the opinions of others, so let yours be known. If the blog reader has an opinion they can ‘fire’ back at you by leaving a comment.

Make Points Quickly

Most blog entries are relatively short in length and therefore (usually) get to the point of their post quickly. Do not post blog entries that read like suspense novels by leaving readers ‘hanging’ until the end. Let people know where you are going with the topic as early on in the content as possible.

Most of the popular blogs you see all display an ability to communicate even the most ‘generic’ news in a way that appeals to the blog reader. It is not always WHAT they say in their blog entries but HOW they say it that makes them so popular! The 3 ‘ingredients’ we spoke of above are something that can ONLY be supplied by the individual blogger, and this is what makes the site so unique. Paying more attention to ‘how’ you deliver your messages and ‘adding’ a little more of the ‘element of you’ will help to keep readers returning.