HOW TO ATTRACT GENUINE READERS / DRIVE TRAFFIC TO YOUR BLOG & MAKE THEM STAY (BLOGGING FOR SUCCESS PART 7)

I shared the traffic the Moj In Touch blog attracted 9 days after I attended the creators event at the Google HQ on Facebook and someone left me a comment asking how did I do that? I replied to this person saying I would write a blog in my help for bloggers / blogging for success series and here it is….

As you can tell from the title, this is blogging for success part 7. I have written other blogging for success, so check the blog for parts 1 to 6. I will link some of them as I go along in this post.

How to Attract Genuine Readers to Your Blog

Let me tell you a story…….

When I first started blogging, I was doing one of the worst mistakes ever. What was I doing? I was depending on people I consider “friends” &  “family” to support me and help grow my blog. This is the worst mistake ever. While I have friends who truly support me and love me for what I do, I also have friends and family who are not just interested in all this “online thing”. WHY?

1,  A lot of them do not understand why anyone would take a picture of their clothes and talk about it.

2, A lot of them do not understand social entrepreneurship or are not social savvy.

3, A lot of them are also busy trying to find their own way in life.

4, A lot of them would rather spend time on “well established” blogs or on gossip blogs. I am being cheeky here but being true 🙂

Now, I do not create contents for my “friends” and “family” or even church members anymore. I create contents genuine readers wants to read.  Having said that a lot of friends and family still read and support the good works.

Tip Number One ::: Know Your Audience

One the reasons WHY some of your favourite clothing stores e.g. Primark makes tonnes of money every year is that they know their customers. Primark is one of the biggest money maker in fashion at the moment. Although I hardly shop in there, I am currently linked to them somehow. I will tell you more about this in the near future.

Know your audience: What do they want? What are they looking for? What do they read? These are some of the questions to ask and answer yourself.

How do you know what they want? 

1, By your Algorithm:

Check your site analytics and see what people are looking for

2, How did they get to your site?

From Facebook? From Instagram? From Twitter? or From Pinterest? or through organic search?

Organic search:This means did they search Google looking for www.mojintouch.com?

You don’t have to bother your head with this but if you pay attention to your blog analytics, you can tell where your audience is viewing from and with what device they use to view your blog. This is not magic, upload a widget that can help you achieve this on your blog and you will be able to see all that.

Those are some of the ways to know who your audience are. For example, I now know who my audience are and that is WHY I write what they are looking for:

1, I write fashion, create look books and styling tips:

This was what I set out to do when I started this blog. As I continued on the journey, I started exploring other areas. This to me is growth. For example, Iman was known as a successful fashion model. Today, she does not own a clothing line, she owns one of the biggest make up line ever. She also has a home wares collection.

Do not be afraid to trust your journey and your heart. 

2, I write beauty and share beauty tips:

A lot of women need help in this area. And I have loads of experience in skin care and beauty. Why waste it?

3, I write motivation:

a, I now have people who considers me an influence to them and so I have to cater for them and be an encourager to them and more so it is my way of using my gift of encouragement.

b, Some people enjoy reading my motivation and

4,  I write blogging for Success / Help for Bloggers

I started writing help of bloggers / blogging for success because of the request I get daily on blogging.

I repeat, know your audience and write what they want to read

The four genres I covered are my strength. They are things I truly love and are passionate about. Write what you love BUT most importantly what your audience want to read.

This is also like cooking for your husband (if you are married). You will notice that your husband would eat up his favourite meal if you make it for him. However, if you cook what they don’t like, they may not complain but won’t eat it.

Write what your audience wants to read. You are not blogging for you. You are blogging for them.

Tip Number Two ::: Don’t Focus on the Numbers Yet

One of the challenges I am facing is that I do not have tonnes and tonnes of people leaving me comments here on the blog. That does not mean they are not reading. They are but because a lot of people are not social savvy, they do not know how to draft a comment here on the blog and some are just too lazy to do so, also some people claim they do not like to comment on blogs. Some leave their comments on Facebook, some on Instagram and a lot in my inbox. While I do appreciate all those comments every where else, I would love them here on the blog. Having said that, I am grateful to everyone who reads.

So when a lot of people starts blogging, they focus on the numbers. They want 10,000 views in a day BUT truly, blogging doesn’t work that way. You must do the work, gradually build an audience and make them stay. How do I make them stay? I said one above, write what they want to read. 

Tip Number Three ::: One Blog is Not Enough

I have blogger friends who blog everyday and I have blogger friends who blog once or twice a week. I personally blog 3-4 times a week depending on different factors. My work schedule for the week, photographs and so on and on………..

If you want an attractive audience, you can’t just blog once a month and want the same amount of audience a “hardworking blogger” has. It doesn’t work that way. You must do the work. You do not have to blog everyday, find and stick what works for you.

Do you want audience who would come back to your blog? Do the work. See there are millions of blogs around, if your audience come here once and there is nothing new, they come back again and their is nothing new, you will be lucky if they come back the third time. Nobody has time for checking on a blog with no contents.

People who visit your blog are there for something: read what you have written, check out where your look is from (if you are a fashion blogger) and learn something from you. If they keep coming and their is nothing new to read, sorry, you will loose them.

If you want a genuine audience, put in the work. 

Tip Number Four ::: Bank on your Social Media / Use What You Have

I personally do not have a “large” social media following BUT I bank on the social media and strategies that are working for me. For example one of my most responsive social media is Facebook. I bank on that. I share, share and share on my Facebook like my life depends on it.

Sincerely, this is it: if you are truly putting in the work and nobody is reading / viewing or paying attention, you will burn out, feel discouraged and maybe give up but if you have a vision of where you want your blog to go or what you want to achieve from your blog, you will not give up trust me. Be patient BUT in the meantime, bank on your social media that works while you gradually build on the ones that are not working yet.

For example, when I wrote Use What You Have, the book, I banked on my social media to help me sell it to best seller on Amazon. I didn’t use any ads or any other means, I banked on my social media. I am grateful to everyone who dipped their hands in their pockets to buy the book, it means so much to me. I am even more delighted for the great change the book is causing in the lives of people.

You can also use your social media to inform your followers of what to expect from you on the next day, in the following weeks or weeks or month. This way, they know what to expect from you. For example, I announced this post on my Facebook on Saturday.

Listen, to be a successful blogger or to blog for success you must be flexible and planning should be an A in your vocabulary. 

Tip Number Five ::: You Are on Your Own

So I see some bloggers who feel it is their right for other bloggers to visit their blogs while they do not step out. Sorry, you are on your own. I believe these are the bloggers who call some bloggers “small bloggers”. Well, I hate that word, nobody in my opinion is a small blogger. In fact, I love to support the ones people call small bloggers. For example, 3 of my girls have launched their blogs! Don’t be surprised, I do help a lot of woman who ask for my help. 3 of them have started their blogs. I am proud of them. I visit their blogs, read, leave them comments, encourage them and support them. That is all we need. We all need that network of supporters be if from friends or family or people who truly care about us.

To gain audience, you have to step out. Visit other blogs. Support people. Network. Sell or showcase yourself and do it genuinely. Don’t go to people’s blogs and leave them comments saying; I have supported you, come and support me or I have subscribed to you, come and subscribe to me. They will look at you like a desperate piece of mess who wants attention. If you go and visit someone’s blog, read their blog and leave them genuine feedback like, I love the recipe of that chicken, thank you for sharing or I love your styling, awesome, will keep in touch etc.

Something good. Something Genuine. Have that in mind.

Don’t go and spam people and don’t consider anyone small. That person you call small today may be big tomorrow. In the blogosphere, people “get lucky”. A cousin of an Aunt who has a large PR company in the south side of Chicago may put them on the top of their list. What this means is that they get all the good ads while you the big girl keep hustling like any other person. Having said that, don’t stop working and believing in yourself.

Let your goal of blogging not be to just be popular or receive many likes on Social Media but to Progress / Grow your brand.  Popularity does not guarantee money in your purse or bank. Be a wise Blogger who knows what they are doing.

Tip Number Six ::: Those Comments

The reason why I shared the traffic the Moj In Touch blog generated was not to rub it in anybody’s face. It  was to give kudos to myself for always paying the price. I make scarifies and deny myself a lot of times because I know what I want. They day I went to that Google event, there was a big party in town but I choose that Google event…… Having said that, go to parties if you want. I do too provided it does not clash with what will improve me.

When I shared that stats, someone asked me how I did that or how I achieved that. While I am not one who hides what I know to myself only, it will be unwise of me to respond to their request outside of my blog. However, I replied that I would write a blog to cover what I have done and this is it. It is now left for them to read it or not.

When people ask you questions outside of your blog be it on Facebook or Instagram, if it is just a kind comment, respond with an answer, if it is “big question” that would take your time, energy and could gain your an audience, write a blog on it. Every time I get a request for “something major” outside of the blog, I write a blog post on it not just for the one who asked but for everyone who may be looking for or “Googling” the same information…..that person may be in England, they may also be in Kenya, have that in mind. This is another way to get people to read your blog!

For example, a lady asked me about hydration of the skin on Facebook, I wrote a blog on Would Lack of Moisture Dry out My Skin? I shared it on Facebook. They came to the blog to read it and they said thank you. Yes, you want to build an audience BUT you are the one doing the job, they can pay the little price of visiting the blog too. Am I wrong? Comment below.

One of the Strategies I learnt on my programme at the Google event is to always connect, respond or reply to audience and make them feel like you care. This is so simple but a lot of bloggers fail to do it. I know it is hard to respond to comments especially when you have so many but if you are trying to attract audience who care, you MUST make time to respond to them or attend to their needs.  It is as simple as that.

Click HERE to Read Blogging Character to Have & HERE for Why You Must Know Your Right as a Blogger

Tip Number Seven ::: Photos Tell Good Stories

I work with a photographer. I can simply say, God sent her to me. I am grateful for her. See in the blogging world, no matter what you write about, you need images.

Why do you think advertisers use photos or videos? It is because they want us to get the message. No matter what you write about, use photos to tell your stories. For example, even when I write motivation, I use images to tell the story. I frame my picture on a canvass to tell the story of what I am talking about and then use text to back it up.

For example, I decided that the picture below is the perfect one for my blogging for success series. Why? It is because it tells a story of someone who is in “trouble”, don’t have a clue, needs help or needs a hand. As you can see, I have my hands placed almost on my head like I need help or like someone who is going to pull her hair out. Although we didn’t plan for the picture to turn out this way, it works for my help for bloggers series. Until we capture another one that can tell the story of what we hope to achieve, this is it 🙂

What am I saying is use pictures to tell your story so it can capture the attention of your target audience.

No, you do not have to have a professional photographer. Just use someone who understands your vision. One you can talk to and help you on your journey. And when the time is right to pay a photographer, hire one and pay them. You get what you give in life! I shared more photo TIPS on Use What You Have. You can get your copy HERE

Another example of using a picture to tell a story is the one below: 

If you click on the image, it takes you to that blog. Try it and see…..

You can try size 1280 by 720 for perfect blog picture, this will fit well with Facebook recommendations for blogs and size 1080 by 1080 for Instagram

Those are some of the ways to attract audience to your blog and make them stay. Although there are more, try those tips for now and see how you get on.

Tip Number 8 ::: Build a Mailing List

Another way to ensure people get what you are sharing is for you to send them directly in their inbox. While this is not a guaranteed measure for people to read. If the people on your list knows you send good stuff, they look forward to reading from you. This is easy, get your readers to subscribe to your blog. Remember, for them to subscribe to you, you have to get them to the blog. How? Write what they want to read. I do not have a large list but I have an EFFECTIVE ONE.

Listen, I am in no way a “PRO”, I read, grow and I make trial and errors sometimes and stick with what works. I also have surrounded myself with people who truly care. The latter is LIT…..boom!

Finally, remember, you have not being sent to everyone. There was this meme trending at some point and it says; no matter how beautiful your picture looks, some people will not like it because it is you. So I say again, you can’t serve everyone because you have not being sent to everyone. Do you boo!

This was me at the Google HQ Round Table Event

Every time you have an opportunity to learn, go for it

I want to thank you so much for stopping by today and for reading. I hope you found that helpful. Have any questions, please ASK below. Do have any helpful TIPS, please share below.

Much Love, Mojisola

Want more out of life? Propel your life forward, find, live and fulfill your purpose and maximise the potential of your gifts? My Self Help Amazon Bestselling book, “Use What You Have” would help you do so. Get yours HERE (US) & HERE (UK)

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