Business Blogging Part 2: Building a Blog Reader Base

Now that you know blogging will benefit your site, it’s time to get to the good stuff.

One of the main purposes of a blog is to bring steady traffic to your site. What better way to do so then to build a loyal reader base that can’t live a day without hearing what you have to say?!

Sound effective? It is.

Sound simple? Well, I wouldn’t go that far. It’s not difficult either… as long as you have a good grasp on how to draw in readers.

So how do you reel them in? Check out these five laws of building a loyal readership.

1. Post often.

I would suggest posting as much as once a day (more if time permits). Readers need a reason to visit your site frequently. If you continue to offer them new material every time they return, they will have motivation to visit.

I understand that the busy life of a REALTOR does not always provide ample time to research for and write a blog post. Make time.

Write a few posts over the weekend or late at night. Store them, and post throughout the week when you are running short on time. Keep some reserves that can be used at any time, and force yourself keep them as just that, reserves. Only use those articles when you have absolutely no time to come up with something fresh.

Once you have loyal readers that know your writing, you can let the pace slow a bit. Instead of posting every single day, you can write a few articles a week and still maintain your number of readers.

Remember: If and when you do slow your pace, be sure to continue to focus on quality.

2. Be sporadic with article length.

Several of you are probably scratching your heads wondering how the heck you will ever have time to write pages and pages of quality content.

Take a step back.

Keep in mind that all of your posts don’t need to rival the length of War and Peace. Short posts are welcomed and necessary. In fact, some bloggers find that short posts stuffed full of great content bring a more consistent and loyal readership.

When I say short post, I am referring to little blurbs about something intriguing that happened during your day that sparked a thought (usually business related). Even something as simple as pointing out a site or an article that you thought might be valuable to your readers will work for a post.

The key is to mix it up.

Every once in a while offer your readers a knock-em-dead reading. Take a good chunk of time to write an exhaustive article - something that will take time to read and digest. Over that period of time, continue to post shorter, less complex articles. It allows you to keep pace with the one per day post. And shifting your focus away from the longer article will also prevent you from losing your mind.

3. Interact, interact, interact.

I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. You must interact with your readers. At the beginning, you might become discouraged because your reader base is not blossoming like you had hoped. Give it time.

While you are waiting to become famous in the blogosphere, make sure the readers you do have feel welcome every time they visit. Do not neglect them or they may vanish leaving you with no one.

Encourage comments from those visiting the site. When you do receive comments, turn it into a dialog.

People love personal attention. If you make a habit out of always responding to your readers, they will check back often to see what you have to say about their feedback.

4. Be personable.

A business blog faces the risk of quickly becoming too dry and dreary.

Offer your readers an escape from their routine. Humor and personal stories can always make their way into a business blog… as long as you monitor the number of frivolous articles that show up on a weekly basis.

Things like Monday Morning Funnies (a few real estate related jokes) to start the week off works wonders for the morale of your readers.

Every now and then offer a glimpse into your life; let the world know who you are. Even short stories about your son’s soccer game over the weekend are acceptable. Show your readers that you are not simply an extension of the technological world. You are their neighbor, friend, an everyday person. While common sense tells them you are more than a screen, they sometimes need to sense it for themselves.

These strategies will help you maintain a level of “humanness” that we often see disappear with online interaction.

5. Comment on OTHER BLOGS.

Seek out blogs focused on your niche.

As a REALTOR, you probably don’t have much use for a blog about wild animals (I know that’s up for negotiation). If you start commenting on the blogs that are pertinent to real estate, you will be surprised at the reader base you have the potential of gaining.

If you focus on real estate, the readers of blogs you comment on are already interested in your niche. You have the ability to draw their interest to your page… if you use the opportunity correctly.

Make your comments intriguing and worth reading. Things like “good post” or “nice article” don’t generally spark curiosity.

Expand on the post. Offer additional content to the conversation. Prove that you are knowledgeable and have something to offer the readers.

Chances are good that readers of the blog - and also the writer of the blog - will be interested in finding out who you are and what else you have to offer.

That interest will lead them to your site. And before you know it, you’ve gained a few loyal readers.

Think about what would happen if your site gained two or three new readers for every site on which you started commenting regularly.

Take these five suggestions and put them in a mixing bowl.

Use these tips in conjunction with one another to build your reader base. Don’t expect to gain a following overnight. It takes patience, consistency, and time.

Continue to follow the recipe. Don’t give up no matter what - you will see results.

On Monday…

Look for part three to the Business Blogging series covering blogging topics to pursue and topics to avoid.