Get To Know Your Readers

Engaging your readers in your blog won't work very well if you don't know your readers. Think of this in terms of daily conversations. Conversations with people you don't know very well are usually very brief. Conversations with old friends whom you know very well tend to run much longer and are often followed up later with more information about your discussion. Your blog is an excellent platform to develop relationships with and really get to know your customers. Invite reader interaction with calls to action. The more you interact with readers the more you will get to know them and be able to provide information that they are looking for.

Respond promptly to all questions in your blog comments. If one of your readers is brave enough to ask a question there are likely many others who have the same question. By answering the question to that person you are sending the message that you are accessible. You are also cultivating further conversation about the topic not only with the individual questioner but also with others who have further questions about your answer to the original question. Every time I read a blog and find that my questions have already been answered via the comments section I am appreciative of both the questioner and the blogger who has responded. As a result, I am much more inclined to read that particular blog in the future.

You may also want to get some technical information about your readers by accessing analytic information. Through Google Analytics you can find out where your readers are coming from whether it be direct traffic, email links or links from other website. Once you know where they are coming from you can cater to those platforms in order to create a greater convenience for them. This is important because the less effort they have to exert to find you the more inclined they will be to actually read your blog.

It is important to better understand your reader and adjust your information accordingly because they want to know that the relationship you are creating is beneficial to them. Ultimately they need to know that the time they are investing in reading your blog is time well spent. Keep in mind that your readers are people who have needs and wants. If they aren't getting what they are looking for in your blog they will go elsewhere to find it. Share your examples of inviting interaction and learning about your readers in the comments below.


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The original post can be found at http://www.mymark.com/blog/blog/2010/07/08/get-to-know-your-readers/