3 SIMPLE WAYS TO WOW YOUR READERS
I LOVE connecting with my readers. I love helping you on a one-to-one basis and providing you with content that’s going to help you get to where you want to be. Sure, it can be tough job (and it’s a job I’ve chosen to do). But I don’t want my readers to just feel like they’re here to read my blog, just like everyone else. I want them to feel like they’re the most important reader in the world. Yep, now I’m picturing a motivational GIF in my head. 👊
There are some simple yet effective ways to perfect your reader experience, to go the extra mile and blow their mind in a really good way. Let’s get into them!
MAKE YOUR WHOLE WEBSITE SUPER EASY TO NAVIGATE
Get off on the right foot early and set a high standard from the start by making your website clear, appealing and easy to navigate. I used to be on Blogger and paid for a template on there, but I soon realised that there wasn’t much room for customisation and as my blog got bigger, this annoyed me even more (*insert frustrated emoji here*).
Taking a look at other options and host providers, I quickly decided that Squarespace was the one.
As well as being amazingly easy to use (which I’ve rambled on about before), Squarespace has some great customising features - you can create your whole website yourself. Honestly, it’s amazing. It means you can create your site in a way that’s unique, but that you know your readers will appreciate. And if you can get feedback from your community in advice, it’s a total win:win situation!
GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO YOUR READERS
Who doesn’t love a bit of kindness these days?
Just a little bit of gratefulness goes such a long way with readers. Spending the time to come up with new ideas of how you can give back to your readers for their ongoing support will really show them that you value what they do and why they’re here.
For bloggers, there are loads of different ways you can thank your readers. You can host a giveaway, run a competition where they win something or, if you sell products, you can offer them a discount for a limited amount of time.
On the other hand, I offer my readers the opportunity to guest post for me a few times throughout the year. I always look for guest posters, and who better to reach out to than the people who actually read my content? This gives them thanks by me allowing them to get their content out there in front of a brand new audience, plus, we get to interact via email and on social media, which means we’re building a relationship too.
I’m also planning on saying thank you to my guest posters in an even more special way this time around. If you’re interested, feel free to tweet me!
ALWAYS GO THE EXTRA MILE
I’ve talked about this in a previous post, but the best process you can follow is to underpromise and overdeliver. I always go above and beyond what my readers might expect from me and my blog. This could mean anything from putting even more value into a blog post, to offering to help one of your readers who has a query.
They are spending their precious time reading your content or interacting with you online - so make it worthwhile for them and make it an entertaining experience!
This is a list of some ideas you can try to go the extra mile with your readers:
- Provide them with a free download (worksheet/checklist/graphic) alongside your blog post
- Answer their questions on social media without them having to ask directly
- Send a personal email to your most loyal readers thanking them for their support
- Check in with your readers often in comments or on social media to see what else they’d like to see from you or what else they need help with
- If possible, host a meet-up where you can get to know them better
- If they ever guest post on your blog, send them a personalised card at Christmas!
What do you do to make your readers feel like a VIP? Share your thoughts in the comments!