John Cow had a post yesterday claiming that nice bloggers have fewer readers. While I agree that a little controversy could be a great way to generate some buzz about your post, I don't believe that rule is a hard fact truth. Instead, I think blogs that have nothing to offer their readers are the ones that get fewer visitors. Blogs that are controversial in nature offer their readers a form of entertainment. Similarly, other blogs might offer their readers valuable advice, a good laugh, or a momentary escape from reality. The point is, if you want your readers to keep coming back, you need to make sure your blog is offering something of value to them.
What does your blog offer readers? This is an important thing to keep in mind when writing blog posts. My goal for this blog is to offer assistance. My Weekly Buzz feature gives bloggers a weekly reward to help promote their blog. I try to keep my articles informative and helpful (without being too boring....I hope). I am also very accessible to my readers. I don't mind lending a helping hand whenever I can. Whether its answering some questions in an email or helping to spread a little "buzz", my actions are consistent with the goals of my blog. I am not claiming to always know the answer, but if I can help, I will.
To demonstrate this, I thought a few recent questions from some readers would be a good topic for this weeks Community Buzz. Hopefully some others will find my responses helpful. In addition, hopefully the BuzzMyBlog Community can expand on my answers and provide some further thoughts.
Bryan from GrandMasterB.com wrote me and asked:
What's your opinion of letting people advertise on EntreCard that do not have the widget on their site? I'm inclined to not let the guy advertise, but it is worth 58ec?
Here was my response:
I don't think it would bother me. I barely spend any time at all reviewing the people who want to advertise on my EC widget. I usually just click "Approve" whenever there is an ad pending. Like you said, its credits in your pocket. Who cares if their blog sucks, they are paying you. I spend much more time worrying about where I want to put MY ad. I search around and find good looking blogs that get lots of visitors and have the EntreCard widget in a good location. I try to pick blogs to advertise on that will get the most click-throughs to my blog. Its all about getting the most out of the credits you spend.
Alex from The Commentator 3.0 asked:
My question is simple but yet could never get an answer from it: I've tried everything on my blog to try and get traffic up to decent levels 100+ (I arbitrarily selected this number) for a couple of years. I've managed only modest returns (45 per day) and a sack full of moral victories in terms of compliments. It's left me perplexed. I never set out to "make money" from it and I doubt I ever will but I feel my blog is unique. It's an eclectic blog but there is consistency there in terms of original and well written content. I love to write. I love to explore ideas and to transmit. In this way, more traffic would be welcomed. I recognize my blog isn't "specialized" but I prefer the opinion angle. What am I doing wrong? Or do I just have to be realistic and say this is what it is for what I offer?
I responded with:
I'd be glad to offer a few suggestions. The whole point of my blog is to help other bloggers, so I am happy to help.
There are actually a lot of things you can do to increase your traffic. I am not claiming to know all of them, or even a large percentage of them. However, here is a quick list of the things that have helped me so far. I will rank them in the order I think help the most.
1. Guest Post - this is probably the best way to earn new traffic. If you can come up with a really great post that is funny, interesting, or thought provoking, plenty of high profile blogs out there will be happy to post it as a guest post. This gives you exposure to thousands of new people. I had a guest post on JohnCow.com and it caused my traffic to jump from under 50 per day to over 300 a day. The important thing is to make sure you follow the guest post up with great content on your own site. The guest post will bring you a lot of new traffic, but then its up to you to hook them and keep them returning as regular readers.
2. Network with other bloggers - Some will argue that this is the most important activity for your blog. It won't give you immediate results, but the long term results probably outweigh anything else you can do. It is important to get your name out there so people know who you are and how to find you. Comment on as many blogs as you can (make them sincere, not just something like "nice post"). This will create more links to your site. The more you participate in other blogs, the more other bloggers will get to know you. Write about other blogs on your blog. Once other bloggers get to know you because you have left some good comments, and wrote about their blog, they will usually return the favor and write about you. This can drive a good deal of traffic. Plus, you'll probably make some good friends. Blog allies are a good thing to have.
3. Utilize StumbleUpon and Digg - These two have the potential to really keep you jazzed about blogging. When you have a great post and you know you really just "nailed it", Digg and StumbleUpon have the potential to make it go "viral". Using your allies from #2, you can ask for a Digg or a Stumble. All you need is one to set it off. If your post is that good, thousands and thousands of bloggers will see it. The more that like it, the more will see it. Exposure can then occur exponentially. It is really exciting to see huge spikes in your traffic stats when a good post goes viral.
4. Join Entrecard - This service is great for bloggers who are just starting out. If gives you a way to get in front of many other bloggers. Plus it provides a way to advertise without spending money (if you want to spend money...there are tons of way to get traffic!). EntreCard does require a little time to get the most out of it. The more cards you drop, the more people will drop on your site. Some will argue about the quality of the traffic that comes from EntreCard. Many of the visitors just drop their card and go. However, some of my regular readers have found me through EntreCard.
One last thing....when you say your blog is "an eclectic blog but there is consistency there in terms of original and well written content. I love to write. I love to explore ideas and to transmit". That is probably the BEST thing any blog could possibly have. Stick with it. If you follow some of the tips I mentioned, I am sure you'll get many more followers if your content is good.
The Friday "Community Buzz" posts are meant to encourage everyone to participate and comment with their thoughts. Do you have any more advice for Bryan or Alex? Do you have any questions yourself? Are you making sure that your blog is offering something of value to your readers?
Have a great weekend.
Jeff
