7 Simple Ways to Build a Devoted Audience for Your Blog

build a devoted audience for your blog

Building a devoted audience for your blog is absolutely essential for a couple reasons:

It allows you to scale traffic growth because your visitors will keep coming back to see what you have to say. Lots of blogs have a really high number of one-and-done visitors, and that’s something you don’t want.

A devoted audience is also much more likely to convert into a lead or customer. Not only that, but they will be repeat buyers.

The benefits are clear, but most people don’t know how to make it happen. They think it’s either too complicated, or something only thought leaders can do because they already have an existing following.

Fortunately, this is actually something anyone can accomplish. Simply follow the tips in this post and you’ll have a loyal blog following in no time.

Be Yourself

Being true to your brand and what you represent is one of the best ways to build a following. If you’re not original and don’t put your personal stamp on everything you create for your blog, why would anyone want to come back?

This might sound a little like a cheesy soul-searching exercise, but it’s really just a necessity.

Start by taking some time to write out what you stand for and what makes you unique.

Once you have that figured out, look at your existing and future blog content through that lens. Always look to see how you can put your own personal spin on a topic that has likely been covered before (most have at this point).

Don’t fall into the trap of creating what you think people want from you or mimic the style of a popular blogger.

Even if you’re operating within a saturated niche, providing your own take can help you develop a loyal audience that will be the backbone of your growth.

Provide a Consistent Brand Experience

A consistent brand experience is another great way to make sure you anchor yourself in the minds of your blog visitors.

First of all, make sure everything regarding the design is consistent and high-quality. Come up with a solid color scheme and font you want to utilize across your blog and social media profiles.

Even if your blog is going to feature a lot of white space, you want what color you do use to be clean and consistent.

Even more important is presenting a consistent voice and tone within your blog content. This will likely come naturally if you follow our previous recommendation about being yourself.

If you’re unsure where to begin, do some research and write out a few samples to get the ball rolling.

Deliver Immense Value

When creating any content on your blog you should have this phrase etched into your mind. Your goal above all else is to provide value to the people who visit your site, simple as that.

If a new visitor isn’t impressed when they find their way to your site, do you think they’re going to come back? Absolutely not.

The only way to sustain consistent growth is to provide value on a regular basis. Not just every once in a while. Every single time you hit publish!

Look at your content and think about what’s in it for them (the reader). If it’s not clear to you it definitely won’t be clear to them.

If you’re giving advice or information, make it actionable. If you’re simply providing entertainment, make sure it’s your best stuff.

Doing this well is how you earn a devoted audience of repeat visitors who can’t wait to see what you create next.

Quality over Quantity

There’s no room on the web for mediocre content. This means if you’re not planning on creating something worthwhile you’re better off not creating it at all.

Low quality content not only will fail to drive significant traffic to your site, but it will cripple your ability to grow an engaged audience.

All of the best blogs heavily prioritize quality over quantity, and you should too.

This means instead of cranking out multiple average 700 word posts per week, use that time to make one in-depth 2,500 word post.

Not only will it rank higher in search engines but it will get more engagement on social networks.

More importantly it will leave a great impression on whoever views your content.

If a new visitor finds your site and every post is extremely high quality, the chances of them coming back are extremely high.

Internet users have higher expectations than they used to when it comes to content. If you aren’t meeting these expectations they will not hesitate to spend their time on another site.

But A Combo of Both Is Great

We just went over how you should never sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity when it comes to blog content.

However, if you can increase the frequency of your high-quality posts you will definitely benefit.

Assuming there’s a purpose and need for what you’re creating (some keyword research can help you with this) the more you can put out into the world the better.

This means more content driving new visitors to your website, and more opportunities to build a devoted audience.

Finding this balance is a different process for everyone and depends on available time and resources.

If you’re committed to growing your blog audience, see what you can do to increase your output of quality content.

You’ll accelerate your overall growth significantly.

Master the Headline

Headline writing is one of the most powerful but overlooked skills when it comes to growing a blog. Sure, people know it’s important.

But they never spend as much time on it as they should.

Your headline is what dictates your ability to actually take advantage of the content you created.

If your headline is underwhelming, no one is going to make it to the rest of your content because they will never click through in the first place.

There are plenty of great resources out there to help you learn how to write a great headline and get you up to speed.

However, the most important thing to remember is that this process is something you never stop learning or testing.

If you have a headline you like, it’s worth running an A/B test to see if there’s another that performs even better. This can be incredibly powerful when paired with title tag optimization for SEO benefits.

A well-optimized headline that drives a higher CTR in SERPs means better rankings, simple as that.

Engage With Your Readers

Creating a sense of community is absolutely essential if you want your blog audience to be invested and always coming back for more.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by engaging with them on the channels they consume your content.

Social media is obviously a great way to interact with your audience, but the comments section on your blog can be even more powerful.

That’s where a dedicated discussion around the content you’ve created can naturally occur and you don’t want to ignore it.

Take the time to respond to every comment and contribute to the discussion.

When this becomes commonplace it not only encourages more engagement from your visitors, but it will keep them coming back again and again.

It’s Time to Get Started

You now have the core principles you need to build a devoted audience for your blog. They aren’t complicated, but are extremely effective when done together.

Don’t forget to look at your old content through this new lens as well. There are likely many opportunities to make some quick improvements and give your blog a big boost.

Do things the right way, put these principles into practice, and you’ll definitely see the benefits.

3 Comments

  1. MakeWebbetter September 11, 2018
    • Mike L September 12, 2018
      • MakeWebbetter September 12, 2018

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