Wouldn’t you know it, my last post, Profitable Blogging Blueprint has still be swirling around in my brain.
I should be on to another topic, another post.
But of course I thought of some things I should have included. Dagnabit!
Also the fact that my latest round of commenting has made me notice what others are doing, or more importantly, not doing.
So there will now be a part 2. Lucky you, huh?
Okay, here’s a couple things I missed in the last post…
Right off the bat I feel I should re-enter the topic of visitor engagement.
Not to beat a dead horse, but because of reading several blogs lately, I was surprised how many bloggers don’t encourage comments or discussion.
Post after post just ends. they just end.
I don’t want it to seem like I am some expert blogger. No guru here, and don’t want to be.
But as a reader, it’s easy to see when content ends with no questions or no call to action (as in trying to get visitors to engage with the content).
Some bloggers that do encourage interaction will end a post with something like, “Over to you” or “Do you have anything to add?”.
Simple stuff really. Another sentence or two that could drive up comments and get your readers, consuming your content.
Along the same lines…
Engage with Your Comments
Most bloggers I’ve seen do a great job with this, but there are a rare few that don’t.
When people take the time to comment on your posts, you should be taking the same time to reply to their comments.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I see bloggers who don’t reply to their comments, it almost “seems” like they don’t really care about their commenters.
It could be the farthest thing from the truth, but it does seem to leave the impression.
And if you leave comments but the blogger doesn’t rely, will you be more likely or less likely to leave future comments?
Another thought on Traffic…
Guest Posting
I touched on this in part one, but wanted to put a little more emphasis on it.
While it might be intimidating for just about anyone, guest posting has brought around amazing results for those that embrace it.
If it’s a new concept to you, or your not sure what I am talking about, it’s simple. Just like it sounds.
Some blog owner allow and even encourage other bloggers to write up a blog post and they will post it on their blog.
I am not going to go into the details and I am sure not an expert.
Just wanted to throw it out there.
The power is that you will get traffic from that blog, increases your credibility and expertness, and could open the doors to other opportunities.
Post Titles
I REALLY should have mentioned this in part one because it is SO important.
Did I say SO important?
Don’t know why it skipped my mind, and actually I was only reminded from reading a blog post about that exact subject.
Anyways… If there was one thing that was the most important when it comes to blogging, it has to be the title you put in for your post.
It’s just like creating sales copy, if your visitors don’t get hooked by your title (headline in copywriting) and want to read more, what happens?
They are gone… ~POOF~
They don’t consume your content.
They don’t check out links you’ve posted.
They don’t click on your promotional links.
They don’t sign up for your mailing list.
They don’t leave a comments.
Think you get the point.
Here’s a way you can track and improve your titles:
Plugin let’s you split test your post titles. This not only helps you to find the best ones, it can give you feedback for future titles.
Okay, I’ve probably forgotten something here in Part 2 as well. So if you have something to add, by all means leave a comment below.
Maybe this will be the never-ending blogging blueprint series.
Yes, it’s a hodge-podge, but it’s all you get right now 🙂