Building Readership by Building Relationships

By on January 3, 2007 in Blog Coach with 16 Comments

It’s probably the second most often asked question I get, right behind "What’s a blog?"

"Where will I get readers?" or "How will new people find my blog?"

I had one business owner tell me he ‘blasted’ his 500-member email list, but only three people opened the email (which tells us more about email blasts than blogging)

Want to know how to build a solid readership?  One at a time. Just like personal relationships

"Wait a minute," says you. "Who will I write to while I’m building this readership?"

Future readers who find your posts via search.  Remember, a blog is a living document and search engines index web pages. Each post you write is indexed individually (a permalink)

Still haven’t answered the question though. How do we build readership?

Before we get to the steps, just want to make sure we’re understanding the same thing here…there is not so much difference between the online world and the offline world as folks think. Introduce yourself.

  • Make comments on other blogs: Find search terms that are important to your business (your perspective or your customers, either is fine). Then do a search on that phrase in Google Blog Search or Technorati. Really, this is a combination of our 2007 Habit # 3 and Habit # 4. Key thought: In your comment, add to the current conversation. Don’t be an advertisement.
  • Generous Outbound Links: Blog Posting Mantra # 4 not only proves you as a valuable resource, but it’s another way to introduce yourself. Be relevant and generous – you’ll attract those who do likewise.
  • Use Community Tools. MyBlogLog and TheGoodBlogs have become two tools I won’t do without. Both have built relationships and readership in different ways – and there is a lot of crossover traffic. Both generate curiosity. Both track traffic data. Both build readership and relationships.
  • Post Often. A lot of folks know my love affair with Panera Bread. Some Iowans now me as "Brother Bread." When I walk in, I stroll the dining room greeting old friends and new customers – and no, I don’t work there. I’m tellin’ you, it’s like Norm walking into Cheers.  Know why? Because I go there a lot (what’s more than ‘a lot’?). Posting often will build your readership – and your findability.

If a new blogger only did these four things to build traffic – they would see it in short manner.

There are other ways to build traffic to be sure. And I’m hoping you share some of your own steps in a comment – or better yet, a post on your blog.

Follow on Twitter or Facebook or on Google+

Find Your Social Media ROI

I hear it from a lot of business owners: “Where is the ROI with all this Social Media?“ If this is a question you ask yourself, maybe we should work together a bit more. We can work together solo, or via a professional learning community. Find and increase your ROI. There is a “there” there.

About Mike Sansone:

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  • http://www.blogopreneur.com Kian Ann

    Your post inspired me! Thanks! Its not the number of subscribers you have in your email list. Its not even the “open rates”. What use is there when you have a 500 member list but not only 3 get through?
    Blogs on the other hand is “pull” traffic – people come to your site to read, and the best part is, when its good, they recommend! They Digg! :) Thanks Mike.

  • http://www.pbell.com Peter Bell

    Great posting. Thanks! Two other simple pointers: good headlines and good content. The first draws people in and the second keeps them coming back for more. Without these, nothing else will work.
    The headlines must be attention grabbing enough to be of interest – tie perennial topics into current events – whether it is Somalia or Windows Vista. But avoid regular flamebait – not worth the grief. The second is why many blogs fail. You don’t need to be a professional writer, your grammar can be rudimentary and your style folksy (and yes, your spelling can suck), but if you don’t have anything interesting to say, nobody is going to listen. Blogging is for the raconteur and it is for the “shy but thoughtful” person. It is not for people who haven’t yet found their voices – at least in private. If you have an interesting opinion, people will read. If not, you’re just the dull guy/gal talking to people who can’t escape in the corner of the room.
    If you REALLY don’t have an interesting opinion but want to still blog, start a list or clipping service on your blog that will help to expose interesting content to your demographic. The world needs good editors even more than it needs passionate writers.
    FYI, I started blogging in June and in six months hit 190,000 page views (http://www.pbell.com/stats.cfm). And I write highly technical information for Object Oriented ColdFusion developers which is not exactly the biggest demographic out there(!), so in my own little space I’d consider myself to be successful (others opinions on that might vary :->).
    Again, great resource – and great posting. Thanks.

  • http://expressionsinsolitude.blogspot.com Seshu Karthick

    One addition to your list is to provide trackbacks. A reference to a post(say ‘X’) written by another blogger will get your blogpost listed as a trackback for that post(‘X’). As a result, interested readers of the post(‘X’) are likely to read your post too.

  • http://www.servantofchaos.com Gavin Heaton

    Mike … great short list! I had someone ask me how to build a community around their blog, and all I had to do was point here … afterall, when you want to start or join a conversation, just turn on the ConverStation ;)

  • http://casualkeystrokes.com Char

    I don’t know about you, but some of my best business and personal relationships were not built overnight. They take time to build, but are worth the wait.
    I just started using MyBlogLog and have been enjoying this new tool.

  • http://andybeard.eu/ Andy Beard

    Can I add one more to the list?
    Submit articles
    It is great suggesting to post more often, but if one of those posts could be turned into an article every week, and submitted to 100s of article directories, you would probably find that the articles bring you more traffic than the blog posts until such time as you have 1000+ subscribers.

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    >Kian – you’re right, and I think most folks prefer the pull over push…when I get pushed, I push delete. Nice subtle reference on the Digg:-)
    >Peter – Fantastic additions here. The headlines are so very important, but the list and compiling of info found elsewhere is another great idea – especially with a short on why each item is a compelling read. Thanks for adding.
    >Seshu, Trackbacks are another important, yet quick way to build readership. Thanks for adding that (and covering my omission:-))
    >Gavin – Your comment made my year…can I use that in collateral pieces?:-) Thanks buddy.
    > Char – Right…great relationships aren’t usually a likkety-split – and neither is a solid readership.
    > Andy, super addition here. I’ve used ezine articles in the past…is there one or two you’d recommend so folks can get started?

  • http://brainbasedbiz.blogspot.com Robyn McMaster

    Hi Mike, I’ve seen your picture on several other blogs so you really do get around. When I asked Gavin, at Servant of Chaos, what he’d recommend as far as building community, he directed me to your blog with a link. We are a heartfelt community and I’m seeing how much bloggers do for each other and those in the world beyond.
    Mike, do you blog from Panera Bread as you share these conversations? Just wondering!

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    Hi Robyn, it’s truly amazing how much the community crosses paths and generously shares with each other…we are smarter – and better – because of this practice.
    I often blog with coffee nearby, mostly at Panera – though at this moment, at a Caribou. Sometimes, I do fine with Tom Vander Well’s Coffee Time Links at QAQnA.
    Thanks for engaging, I look forward to doing more of it around the b’sphere

  • http://www.thedigeratilife.com The Digerati Life

    Excellent piece. I’m just realizing that this is how to truly build readership. Thanks for confirming what I’ve grow to learn only after 6 months!

  • http://customersrock.wordpress.com Becky Carroll

    Thanks for this thought-provoking piece, Mike! As someone who is relatively new to the blogosphere, I will put your ideas into play immediately as part of my 2007 blogging goals.
    This also got me thinking about businesses; it is so much easier to build your business by building relationships rather than by trying to build “market share”. This goes along with Gavin’s comment, and I hope in 2007 more companies will begin to take this to heart, with the help of great bloggers like you!
    Thanks again.

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    >TDL – There’s always room for relationship geeks. Silicon Valley or anywhere – because the reach is now global. Here’s to a prosperous new year on your projects
    >Becky, thanks for the kind words – and I hope you stay contagious with your voice. When companies and customers click, the relationship rocks!

  • http://ryanhealy.typepad.com/copywriting/2007/01/why_blog.html On Copywriting

    Why Blog?

    A few readers over the past month have asked me, Why blog? Does it really help generate business? Personally, I blog for a few reasons: It builds credibility. When somebody hears about me, they often Google my name to see

  • http://rayedwards.com Ray Edwards

    Just found you via Ryan at http://oncopywriting.com — love your blog. Added you to my RSS reader. Great work!

  • http://www.converstations.com Mike Sansone

    Hi Ray. Thanks for dropping by and letting me know how you found us. Ryan’s work is great. And thanks for taking on the Squidoo Z-List lens. Good stuff!

  • http://andybeard.eu/ Andy Beard

    Mike
    The number one is EzineArticle.com without any doubt.
    The next option is either concentrate on specialist directories within your niche, or a method to mass submit.
    There are a number of software programs, most of which work very well to suit all budgets, and also a number of services.
    I am an active affiliate for a number of options, but based on my strong belief in the 80:20 rule, I tend to stick to the services of sites like Article Marketer more than using software. It just serves my needs better.
    Submitting by had will always do a better job, and submitting by software is often better than using a service because you can define categories better.
    Then again, what is the point in spending 30 minutes writing an article, or $10 for someone else to write one for you freelance, and then spending 2 hour or more submitting it.

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