4 OF THE MOST POWERFUL WAYS TO BUILD ENGAGEMENT AND GROW YOUR AUDIENCE
This is guest post written by Tash from The Bottom Step.
Firstly, it’s an absolute honour to have the opportunity to guest post for Holly!
This is one of the first blogs I found and loved. I think she has a real talent for posting great content and ensuring her readers are part of the conversation. So thank you again, Holly!
I’m Tash and I started blogging earlier this year. Whilst I haven't been at it for long, I do think there are some key lessons I have learnt on my journey so far.
I initially started writing as a way to hold myself accountable for tasks and goals I set myself, as I often found that I would set them and rarely achieve them fully. However, within the first few weeks of having my blog I found that I was becoming 100% more productive in all aspects of my life.
As I began to share these stories I started receiving great feedback from friends and family, and soon realised I was organically building engagement. This then gave me the motivation and the inspiration to build my little corner of the internet into something greater, but the question is ... How?
I wanted to focus today specifically on engagement and how to use this to grow your social media presence and in turn your blog audience.
#1 | Be Consistent
You may have already seen this title in 100 other blogs - talking about being consistent with your amazing content and your readership will grow. However, what many of them neglect to talk about is being consistent on social media in general.
Before blogging I had never really been a big fan of Twitter; however within a few days, I soon realised its benefit and the wealth of knowledge it offers.
But it’s so hard to be on it all the time and remembering to post 3/5 times per day on a regular basis - enter Buffer!
Buffer has become my new best friend. If you haven't heard of it, it’s a scheduling tool designed specifically for use with Twitter. It allows you to pre-write 10-100’s of Tweets in advance and schedule them to go live at set times.
This completely transformed my social media reach, gaining me engaged and loyal Twitter followers EVERYDAY! Now I don't have 1000’s, but the ones I have stay! They aren't ghost followers, they are people who are following me, because I post content that is relevant to them CONSISTENTLY!
#2 | Get Connected
Since finding my new love of Twitter, I have now become a regular within blogger Twitter Chats. They are incredibly fun and some of my funniest Friday night laughs have come from #bloggersdoitbetter (my all time favourite chat). They are a chance to interact with fellow bloggers and also a way to get yourself out there.
After attending the same ones for a couple of weeks, you will soon start to recognise the same people and you form a Twitter friendship. It’s these people that will support you when you tweet your next blog post - just make sure you return the favour.
#3 | Share, Share & Share
Since being in the world of blogging, I have used so many other blogs for help. Some have been a bit of a con in order to gain subscribers, but most have provided me with invaluable information and knowledge.
Whenever I have read such an article, I have immediately added it to my Buffer schedule with the relevant tags, always tagging the original blog author. As a result, at least 85% of my tweets are sharing other peoples posts.
To some people this may seem crazy, but if you think about it, it’s impossible for you to create enough of your own content to stay relevant all the time. Also, this builds your engagement - without fail, every single one of those posts gets a couple of retweets and likes, because what person isn't going to retweet when their own blog has been championed by someone else?
I have also found that it has built up my blogger reputation as a result.
#4 | Talk All About It!
I think this is perhaps one of the hardest things to do for any blogger, but in particular when you are just starting out - talk to others about your blog. This doesn't necessarily mean everyone you meet, however you will be surprised to learn just who is interested in finding out about your blog.
Some of my most exciting and unexpected opportunities have come from mentioning my blog in general conversation, where the other person has been intrigued later asking me about possible collaborations etc.
So there you have it, just a few top tips on how to build engagement and grow your audience. Feel free to let me know how you get on, on Twitter @_thebottomstep
Have you found that social media has helped increase your engagement? Share one of your favourite things about it in the comments below!
Tash is a Performer and Personal Trainer living in London and has been blogging since the beginning of this year. She started writing as a way to record her goals and to ensure she remained accountable for them. Her blog The Bottom Step focuses on motivation, positive thinking and spreading good vibes. Tash's ultimate goal is to move to a beach side home, where she can surf by day and perform on stage every night.