There’s no doubt in the current blogosphere market, most bloggers yearn to have the best, most read and shared content with high impressions and engagements. This is while fully aware of the market surge. Recently I saw a new blogger ask about how she can create conversations online by getting more than likes on a post.
Her intrigue was purely on the number of shares, and replies and creating real conversations in the comments section of a post on both social media and the blogs. This is not easy, especially for a new blog. We recently shared a blog post on monetization which the approach is in close ties with post engagements.
Getting your preferred engagement needs time, commitment and dedication. In the initial stage of blogging, you hardly have followers for the content you are producing however pretty and presentable it is. In the previous article, we highlighted that, depending on the bloggers’ dedication, getting website traffic can take up to a period of six or more months except for a few who waited up to two years.
In comparison, it is a little bit easier to get social media engagements than traffic because of the huge social media users one might have. This makes it easier to attract followers on social media than a blog.
Post promotion/boosting is one of the sure ways most content creators use to attract traffic to their blogs and get their audience engaged to the posts. Whilst this is still not a 100 per cent guarantee that you will reap your target. It enables you to reach a larger audience.
Big Commerce illustrates a number of practices we can use to successfully engage users to go beyond likes. “For instance, Posting daily keeps your on top of the newsfeed compared to other blogs that are not posted often. If your content is good enough it will attract more engagements and will increase as time goes by.
Two or three posts a day would do as over posting also sends a threat to users who could easily spam you.
while posting, let your content sell out. Make it more of a real experience than just a post. Having users hooked to a post will make them more interested in reading and even commenting on your posts.
Secondly, use images on your posts. For instance something like Instagram, without an image or a video your post is as meaningless. Images speak volumes and spark more attention compared to a witty post.
According to a Hubspot 2018 study “ it noted that people are likely to remember only 10 per cent of the information three days after coming across it if it doesn’t have images while remembering 65 per cent of the same information if a visual object was attached to it.
Thirdly, listen to followers. At times they make comments that are brand building and going through them one by one and appreciating them, brings them closer to your brand.
Also, Offer value to your followers, besides responding to their tweets and retweeting and sharing their comments, they deserve more than just that.
In the corporate its mostly known as CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). This doesn’t necessarily have to result in you going and drilling a borehole to supply them with water all year.
In most cases, these followers are people you don’t know. Inviting them for a cocktail or giving them templates and guidelines to do a business of their own will be adding more value to their lives.
Moreover, there are other ways like holding contests and giveaways which can increase interest in your brand but it doesn’t necessarily mean engagements can convert into sales.
Engagements shouldn’t by any means be viewed in a vacuum but should be balanced with content. You won’t earn them unless your content is at par and doesn’t attract negative publicity for your blog that is yet to stabilize.