Running a successful blog is reliant on many things, not least of all having a passion for writing about the topic you’re centring your blog around and making it relatable for your intended audience. As if that wasn’t challenge enough, there is always the need to keep your content and approach fresh with the regular inclusion of varied audience engagement methods.
Well before you resort to racking your brain in front of your laptop screen into the early hours of the morning trying to fathom new ideas to add some life and variety to your blog, why don’t you try some of our tried and tested philosophies?
Hold open polls for readers
Despite what some of more negative media coverage of social media platforms may imply, not all modern day online users are keyboard warriors. Some simply won’t have the confidence to speak out in the comments section. But this doesn’t mean they don’t have an opinion. Featuring open polls for users to vote against a topic of your choosing is a great way to inspire that softer interaction type.
The poll results themselves become future content and could steer the direction of your concepts. Having played a part in the outcome many readers are compelled to stick close to the subjects to see the outcome. Depending on your set up, very simple to add plugins for WordPress and other platforms are widely available without a fee.
Gamification for engagement
No we’re not talking about asking all of your readers to sign up to Farmville and donate you a free chicken in the process. We’re talking about taking a typically non-game orientated environment and adding game like elements. It can be done with almost anything but works particularly well in blogging, dependant on your audience and tone of voice.
A simple example from recent memory is a fashion blog that had challenged its readers to produce and upload photos of their ideal summer festival outfits, the winners of which would receive some retail vouchers. The blog issued the challenge with examples and across a series of weeks highlighted top contenders before composing a list of finalists from which the wider readership would vote in a winner.
User engagement on a whole new level which has the power to truly immerse those readers in your world. Not to mention provide base content for multiple posts in the process. Gamification will require some degree of creativity and is particularly challenging within B2B environments but it’s certainly worth giving some thought.
Guest bloggers for variety
Nothing diversifies your content and shows the scale and depth of your blog quite like the inclusion of guest bloggers. Simply reach out to admired or respected industry authorities or other bloggers to suggest they feature as a guest.
Appearing in guest blogs is for many a strategy for driving awareness of the author themselves or their own blogs, as such the opportunity to extent their reach to your audience is very welcome. Just be sure to direct them in terms of topic etc so that they don’t stray too far away from the values and themes you have built.
If you don’t feel you have time to write your blogs then our expert team are able to assist you with blog writing. Email us now for a quote: [email protected]
