Today we’ll wrap up the two part “Engaging Your Readers” series. You can find the first post HERE.

The last thing to discuss in Engaging your Reader is connecting with other bloggers. This, in my opinion, is one of the MOST important things you can do. Not only do you make some really cool friends, you get the opportunity to expose yourself and your blog to readers who might have never found you.

Elaine said, “I’ve found connecting with other bloggers has been one of the most surprising and rewarding parts of blogging.”

When I first started blogging, I had no idea of the amazing connections I would make. I wonder if all blogging niches have such a wonderful community?

So, how exactly does one go about connecting with other bloggers?

Comments

Comments are important. When I get a new commenter, I ALWAYS head over to their blog and check it out. I think that’s a nice thing to do, and I think most bloggers do that.

Caren Gittleman said, “These are all wonderful tips. Another thing I try to do to increase engagement, is to respond to as many comments as I can. You would be amazed at how many bloggers do NOT do this and nearly every “Blogging 101″ item that I read, lists that as one of the top things on their “must do” list. People like to feel as if they are appreciated and heard………on Dakota’s blog I am not nearly as good about responding (because I do not get alerts when people comment), but on Cody’s blog I am quite good about it…I am proud to say that every brand I have been (and am) aligned with, listed “engagement by ME and my readers” as being more important than actual numbers…A brand once told me, “I would rather advertise on a blog that has 50 ENGAGED readers, than one that has 5000 who are doing nothing””

Responding to comments is good too. But as you may have noticed, I don’t respond to every comment. (Once upon a time I did, back when I had a few comments per post, but some posts have a large number of comments and it’s just not feasible for me to answer every one.) What works for me (as most of you know) is my Follow-Up Friday post, where I answer questions and highlight awesome comments. I think it’s a great way to connect with my readers and share the linky love as well. If answering comments works on your blog, you should stick with it. Why fix it if it ain’t broken?

I think that’s awesome that you found a brand that feels that way about engagement.

Sand Spring Chesapeakes said, ” I have gotten so bad at replying to peoples comments on my blog, that was my new years resolution to respond more and I’ve failed at it. I blog each day and I run out of time which is a lame excuse. If someone asks me a question I answer it on their blog because really do people remember to search back to see if you answered their question? I know I don’t have time for that unless it was something I really needed a answer to. I do a blog hop each day which your right I need to switch it up as I don’t think it helps me get any more followers but it does help me with a plan for the week.”

This is more along the lines of the way I think. Unless I ask a specific question on someone’s blog, I rarely go back and look to see if they responded to my comment. Blogging is a lot of work, especially if you are posting daily and reading blogs and leaving comments. At some point, something has to give!

As for the daily blog hop, see my response to Jackie’s comment below. BUT you do have your Nothing But Norman, which is unique to your blog. 🙂

Clowie said, “When a post sparks comments from people that don’t usually comment, I try to figure out why – but I can’t say I’ve figured it out yet!”

That’s a very good point. When you have a post that gets a lot of comments, look at it and see, what is different from what I regularly post? Did I personalize it? Was it funny? Controversial? I would say if it’s vastly different from what you have been writing, then perhaps the new material is something your readers are looking for.

Blog Hops

Blog hops are a great way to connect with other bloggers.

2 Brown Dawgs said, “One thing that I would add is that if you join a hop, engage with the other hoppers. The idea of a hop is to help build readership, but if you don’t engage then others will not engage with you. Hops are great tools for people that need direction or suggestions for post topics and a great way to meet new bloggers.”

Exactly. Linda and I do our best to visit each of the blogs participating in our hop and thank them. Not only are we sharing our readers with you, you are sharing your readers with us. That’s a very valuable resource!

Jackie Bouchard said, “I guess I’m predictable since I pretty much only blog on M & W so I join Mon Mischief and Wordless Wed.!”

I wouldn’t necessarily say that Jackie. If you like it and your readers like it, that’s the whole goal.

Other ways to connect

Of course, there’s always the direct approach. Many times I reach out to other bloggers via e-mail or directly on social media, whether it be a Facebook IM or a direct tweet. 

Non-Blogging Readers

Talent Hounds said, “What is challenging to me is to reach beyond the blog groups, which have been a wonderful start, to a broader audience and engage them. ”

I think one of the keys to this is to share on Social Media. A majority of people on Social Media aren’t bloggers, if you can get your posts into their hands, I think that’s awesome.

NOW, my question for you, how do you get people to share your posts on Social Media?

This is the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog Hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog. Grab the badge and the linky code and join us!

While Barks and Bytes is for everyone, we request only blog posts be linked up and as a courtesy to other hoppers, please add the code to your post or link up to Linda or I.

Sorry to be so MIA this week, I’d been helping my sister in caring for our great-aunt who was ill and she passed last Friday. Despite us expecting it, it came much quicker than we anticipated. That combined with a couple of other things has had me down in the dumps and struggling to string a post together. I’m not sure at this point what my blogging schedule will be, but hopefully will be able to sort things out pretty quickly. I do have a couple of ideas/posts/and a new product review in the pipeline, so I basically just need to get my shit together.

Last week I promised I’d get more into the Engaging your Reader topic. Since the topic is lengthy and the comments are amazing, I’m breaking this out into two posts. Next week I will tackle the rest of the topic.

I’ve included the outline I published last week, as well as relevant comments. I hope that most of these are self-explanatory, but I’m including my thoughts in parenthesis. On the chance that they aren’t clear, please, please leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. 🙂

Keep Content Relevant to Your Mission Statement

• A blog about training dogs should have posts about training dogs. (For instance you wouldn’t include a post about your local outlet mall and the Coach purse deal you got.) 🙂
• Product reviews should have relevancy to your mission statement. (Your mission statement says, The Good, the Bad and the Oh My God of Living with Dogs and you do a product review for tampons-that my friends is funny, but it’s a no-no.)

Paved by Paw Prints said, “What you said, about keeping content to your mission statement, is really good. I have a variety of dog-related posts planned but I think I might need to consider what the main focus of my blog really is.”

I think that was the hardest thing for me. Because my blog is mostly stories about my dogs, how do I define it? I still don’t know that my tagline is just right or that people who land here for the first time really know what this blog is about. I feel like, “The Good, the Bad and the Oh My God of Living with Dogs” is really a blanket statement. It might be time to narrow my focus down.

Write with authenticity

• Use words you would typically use in conversation.(For instance, I swear (A LOT) in real life. I finally stopped fighting it and use it in my posts. Does it offend some people? Perhaps, but I’m being true to me and who I am and I hope that comes across.)
• When sharing facts, link back to the source. (When you are writing about an illness/training product/supplement you want to make sure to give people the opportunity to research the topic themselves. It also shows where your source came from.)

Write about topics that instill passion in you.

• Passion shines through in your writing and people will connect with your passion. (When you are writing about something you are passionate about you choose words that express emotions. This is what helps you connect with people.)
• Editorial calendars are useful in scheduling posts and jotting down ideas for future posts. (I use an editorial plug in (WordPress Editorial Calendar) which was great when I was scheduling posts for Nashville. The drawback to the plug in is, you need to keep your eye on it, because you actually put the post in the calendar. If you are using the calendar just to store ideas, you could inadvertently schedule a blank or incomplete post. I also have a paper copy of my editorial calendar and use that for posts that might be further into the future. It also allows me to make notes, or jot down ideas and if I don’t use them I can transfer the idea to a different month.)
• Bookmark blog posts that touch your heart so you can use them in the future. (These I’ll put in a draft form in the backend of the blog. I use these sometimes when I am looking for inspiration or a topic to post about or need it as a point of reference.)

Taryn said, “One of the reasons I blog is to have some place to log my agility progress.”

Excellent Taryn! Because you love agility so much that shines through when you talk about it. Not only are you sharing your passion with others, you are documenting your progress to look back on at some point.

Taryn also said, “One of the key things that brings me back to a blog over and over again is humor. If someone can make me laugh/smile consistently, they get my vote! I try to reciprocate as much as possible.

I like to use humor in my posts. I do this for two reasons. One being if I didn’t laugh about some of the shit my dogs do, I’d be in tears all the time. Two I think people in general relate to humor. One problem I have is sometimes I write something I think is funny and people get all Sirius in the comments. But then again, my humor is sometimes unique.

Emma said, “We try to keep a basic schedule so readers know what to expect and when to expect it, but we like to use variety in our schedule.”

I think schedules are good, especially when you are producing a daily post and you are very wise to use variety with that.

And just because it’s a nice comment. 🙂

Lauren Miller said, ” I also love your blog because when I read it, it DOES feel like we’re sitting down with a cup of coffee and just talking.”

Thank you Lauren. I really want people to feel comfortable on this blog and know it is a place to feel loved and supported. 🙂

 

This is the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog Hop hosted by 2 Brown Dawgs and Heart Like a Dog. Grab the badge and the linky code and join us!

While Barks and Bytes is for everyone, we request only blog posts be linked up and as a courtesy to other hoppers, please add the code to your post or link up to Linda or I.