Blogging is a form of social media and for social media to be successful you
need interaction. A non-interactive neglected blog will simply die out and
become oblivious to the cyber world.
Blogging became popular in the late 1990s and is one of the most effective
ways of social networking. Although blogging started out more as an online
personal diary, the importance of blogs today for all businesses is
significant.
Below are some ideas for you to help make your blog more interactive so it
can reach its full potential.
1. Ask for Comments - At the end of your posts, ask readers to share their
ideas, suggestions and opinions on the post. You will be surprised at how
big a difference this little detail can make.
2. Make Leaving Comments Easy - Don't ask visitors for their life history
just to leave a comment. Just have them leave their name, email and website
URL. You also might want to consider not having a captcha or word
verification. These can cause problems and end with the person leaving and
not coming back.
3. Allow Signatures - If your visitors are allowed to leave a small
signature with their URL, it might be the deciding factor in whether or not
they will take the time to leave a comment. It is a way of repaying them for
their time and participation.
4. Social Media - Be sure to link to all your social media sites and also
allow your visitors to share your blog with their followers and fans. You
can do this with free social media plug-ins.
5. Subscribe to Comments - Be sure to find a plugin that will allow your
visitors to subscribe to comments on particular posts. This way when anyone
comments or replies to their comment they will be notified and will probably
come back to add to the conversation.
6. Respond to Comments - Don't forget to participate in the conversations
yourself. Respond to people's comments. Let them know you appreciate their
participation and thank them for their feedback.
7. Participate in Other Blogs - Be sure to always participate in other
quality blogs. By doing this, you can easily attract people to your blog for
more interaction.
8. Watch Competitor Blogs - Always keep on your competition. Study their
blogs and see what makes them tick.
9. Moderate Comments - Do not let spammers post on your blog. You do not
want your blog looking like a junk pile of comments. Approve only serious
and helpful comments.
10. Links and Resources - Provide helpful, quality links, resources and
information. Make your blog the go to blog for answers.
11. Update Content - Blogs need regular and consistent updating. People will
lose interest if they see the same posts every time they visit. Try to
update on a schedule.
12. Freebies - Everyone loves a good freebie so offer them periodically to
people who leave comments.
13. RSS Feed - Be sure to add a form for people to sign up for notifications
of your postings. Put a simple form on all your pages and posts.
14. Polls - Post polls and ask people for their opinions. Offer a free gift
to everyone who participates. People are genuinely interested in public
opinions and polls.
15. Contests and Competitions - Try trivia games, scavenger hunts, and other
contests to give your blog a little more excitement. People love competing
and winning prizes.
16. Event Calendar - Add an event calendar to your site so people can see
all the activity your blog has to offer. This will add to their reasons for
coming back to your blog.
17. Blog Comment Policy - Add a blog comment policy so people know exactly
what to expect when commenting or reading other posts. Things like no
profanity, no negative comments, no flaming, etc., can add to your blog's
credibility. Let people know you welcome a wide array of opinions and value
all comments.
18. Build Trust and Credibility - Open up to your visitors and let them get
to know you. Don't try to keep hidden because people will not trust you if
they feel you don't want them to know you.
There are many more ways to encourage interaction on your blog so start
implementing some of the above ideas and always be on the lookout for new
innovative ways to pump up the activity on your blog.
Regards Gerald Crawford
Webcraft.ws Stellenbosch
PO BOX 12216 Die Boord 7613 Stellenbosch South Africa
Telephone: +27-021-8833027 (office)
Cell: +27-0720390184 (mobile)
SMS: 0796343545
Skype: webcraft.guru
Fax: 0865657300
After Hours: 0881242372
Website: http://www.webcraft.ws
E-mail: gerald@webcraft.ws
Yahoo: webcraftguru@yahoo.co.za
Blog: http://webcraftws.blogspot.com/
Twitter: WebcraftGuru
Facebook: Webcraft Guru
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