If you are going to have a successful blog, you have to connect with your readers is some way. Some bloggers connect though social media, others in comments, maybe in forums, and some connect with their readers through the article itself. No matter the format, if you don’t know where your readers are hanging out, then you are probably missing out on potential traffic. As part of finding out who/where your target market is, trying to figure out where they are can be difficult.
Twitter is probably one of the first places people look for their potential readers, and while this works really well in some niches, it may not work at all in others. If you don’t know how to find your audience on Twitter, you may be spinning your wheels. When I first started on Twitter, I owned a small fence contracting business in Raleigh, NC. Some people thought I was wasting my time on Twitter because it was filled with bloggers, coders, and techies.
It didn’t take me long to prove them wrong. I found potential customers on Twitter through doing searches for my city, real estate agents, contractors, and business owners. I spent a limited amount of time with Twitter at that time because I wasn’t sure it would help me at all.
It didn’t take long before I was going to Tweet-ups and Blogger Bashes where I was able to put faces with names, and to my surprise, those people remembered meas my Twitter name (@thefencepost at the time). Eventually, emails came in from some of these people either wanting me to put a fence up for them, or referring me to someone they knew for a fence.
I networked with real estate agents (they were all over Twitter) that would also call me when a customer that was buying or selling a house needed a fence. Usually these agents became repeat customers even.
Find forums in your niche, if they exist, and get involved in them. If they don’t exist, consider starting one. I got involved in forums within DIY, contractors, and remodeling niches and there were always questions I could answer and topics I could discuss with others in these forums. Plus, I was able to leave links to my site in my signature, which helped to promote what I specialized in.
I try (but can’t always) to respond to every comment on my blog if it requires one. This shows my readers that I am accessible to them and will try to answer any questions. Even if a reader doesn’t comment, they may have the same question as another commentator and if you answer it, you might be answering more than one person and not even know it.
There are many places that your readers might be hanging out, it is up to you to find out where…
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I get the majority of my readers from comments, but a growing number are now coming from my RSS readers and Twitter. While I only have about 50 Twitter followers, I am trying hard to build great relationships -which will hopefully mean better results that having 10,000 ‘fake followers’.
.-= Tom@Free Squeeze Pages´s last blog ..Do I Need My Own Product Before I Start List Building? =-.
@Tom@Free Squeeze Pages, I have about 500 followers on my @HotBlogTips twitter account (has grown by about 100 over this week alone), and 2200+ on my personal twitter account (@kbloemendaal). I use tweetspinner to target my followers and it works great to find people within certain keywords, I love it.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..The Part Of SEO You Are Missing =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, What is tweetspinner?
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.
@Dennis Edell, It is an app you can use to target people that tweet certain terms that you think may be worth networking with. I use keywords like: social networking, blogging, blog tips, wordpress etc.. and I really like it so far. There is a free version with a few less features, but it works great.
http://tweetspinner.com
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Do-Follow Forum Just For Bloggers =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, Interesting, thanks.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.
Those are definitely very useful tips. I follow all of them on a daily basis. It is very time consuming, but I know in the end it will pay off.
.-= Brian Inman´s last blog ..Your Gaming Blog Should Be A Social Media Rockstar =-.
@Brian Inman, Thanks Brian, make sure to balance your time, I still think that the unique content is most important.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Is Your Code Validated? =-.
Thanks for the tips Keith,
I am always trying to figure out the best way to know my readers better. I try and read the same blogs, comment on them, reply to some of their questions if I can answer them. I always try and respond to the comments left on my blog. Sometimes it gets hard finding the time, with my busy schedule.
.-= element321 @ evolutionary designs´s last blog ..Daily Delicious Posts Feb 4th 2010 =-.
@element321 @ evolutionary designs, I do understand that, I am slower with my main site through winter, but it is picking up and will take more of my time over the next 6-8mos. Also I still do remodels on the side (by referral only) and just picked up a few jobs so that will eat into my blogging time as well.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..The Part Of SEO You Are Missing =-.
I’m still debating on whether or not to start using Twitter. I still need to come up with a solid list of people (groups) to target.
.-= Matt@Atlanta Georgia Real Estate´s last blog ..Details on New Tax Credit Extension =-.
@Matt@Atlanta Georgia Real Estate, Sometimes it is difficult to balance, but I know several agents that network on Twitter and are pleased with the results.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Does Your Blog Stand Out? =-.
Having comments on a blog feels good as it validates the effort and keeps that feel of talking to the wall at bay. I always always respond to all of the comments left on my blog, it really is one of the only ways to build a strong community of bloggers and to keep folks coming back.
Forums are another fantastic way to meet folks fo like minds, I am thinking about joining the Problogger.com Forum.
.-= Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur´s last blog ..Why I Welcome Being Laid Off From My Job =-.
@Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur, I try to respond to most comments on my site(s), sometimes the comment just doesn’t warrant a reply so I don’t.
I still refuse to pay to be a part of a community. there are too many free ones. We are starting a forum over at BloggerLuv for bloggers ( http://bloggerluv.com/community ) which just went up, hope to build a community of bloggers from all levels there.
@Ms. Freeman@Baby Steps of an Internet Entrepreneur, Look around for reviews, I’ve heard some very mixed.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.
Hey Keith, nice to see that you are doing your thing again.
Nice collection of tips, nothing quite beats finding an active community and becoming a real part of it for forming relationships that can (and often do) go on to be beneficial in a business capacity.
Regards,
Karl
.-= Karl Foxley´s last blog ..Who Else Wants More Traffic And Backlinks? =-.
@Karl Foxley, Thanks Karl, I am really liking this new site, finally done with most of the tweaking (other than a new logo being made right now) and I like the “cleanness” of it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi keith,
First right thing you did to find your potential readers is twitter. You apply techniques to search your readers from your city, real estate agents, contractors, and business owners. Another good place to find the potential readers is the blog comments . Building the community via blog comments on other blogs is also a good source of traffic to your site.
@data recovery software, I agree 100 percent on that one! However, networking on Twitter gives you the chance to “announce” your existence and the existence of your blog to people that have never visited your site.
This works well on other sites, LinkedIn is great for local businesses to network.
I’ve always said that the best way to connect with your readers is through your own sections. The fact that some people fail to do this makes it all the better for those that do.
I used to be more active in forums but I’ve had to let that slide of late due to time constraints. I’m starting to like Twitter more and more because it’s simple and the short tweets makes it so much more efficient.
.-= Sire´s last blog ..How Twitter Can Actually Earn You Some Cash =-.
@Sire, Glad to see you getting benefits from Twitter, it has it’s downsides but can actually be a great tool if used properly.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..SEO Factors To Consider =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, It took me awhile to appreciate it Keith, but I persisted and it’s slowly coming together.
.-= Sire@WassupBlog´s last blog ..How Twitter Can Actually Earn You Some Cash =-.
My readers are generally from search engines and basically it doesn’t require me much effort to actually jump from one blog to another and leave a comment because I know that people will find my site for my content. However, I still try to reach out to the right guys on the web to develop friendships or connection and build a community within my blog.
I know it takes a lot of work but at least having a steady stream of traffic is definitely an accomplishment. Sometimes, it also makes sense to be realistic. You may not be able to please every blogger/reader in the world but your good content will keep them coming back and linking to your posts no matter what
.-= Mathdelane @Software Critics´s last blog ..Take the PowerPivot Excel-erator Quiz and Win a Dell ST2310 =-.
@Mathdelane @Software Critics, Great content is definitely the key, and getting search traffic is what we are all after, which unfortunately takes to most time to build up.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Contest: Win a Dell ST2310 23-inch Flat Monitor =-.
I’ll be honest, I’m still coming to grips with Twitter in many ways. Starting to have conversations on there, but most of the time I’m at a loss lol.
I’m curious though; what’s your view on Facebook Traffic?
@Heather, I don’t get a lot of facebook traffic yet, but I haven’t tried to concentrate on building a following there until recently. It is actually the most used social networking site with 350 million ACTIVE users, so I see it as a great potential.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..SEO Factors To Consider =-.
@Keith Bloemendaal, I’m still debating whether I want to go down the route of having a ‘Page’ rather than just using my own profile; hence the reason for the question!
Maybe post about it once you’ve had some time to look into it/see what its like?
.-= Heather´s last blog ..The New Direction: Mission Plan =-.
@Heather, I actually have several “pages” 2 for my sites, and another for the Blogger Luv site I am a part of.
I think if you are using it for promotion, the “page” is the way to go. You can become a fan of your own page and setup your site to feed RSS to the fan page, which will automatically show on your profile, along with everyone’s profile that follows you and your page.
I did write an article on setting up feeds on Facebook pages on my other site that I am closing, since you asked about fan pages, I will move it over here and post it today
@Keith Bloemendaal, Thanks Keith – that’d be really helpful.
I’ll probably set mine up in the next week or so then inbetween my other plans.
Cheers!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..The New Direction: Mission Plan =-.
@Heather, Ask and ye shall receive: http://hotblogtips.com/add-feeds-to-your-facebook-fan-page
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..SEO Factors To Consider =-.
@Heather, Thanks again Keith – I’ll check it out now
.-= Heather´s last blog ..The New Direction: Mission Plan =-.
No way you will be able to keep up with comments once you hit a certain point. EJ does a pretty good job, but he’s extreme after all.
At some point, you may end up having to choose between writing quality articles, and full engagement with people who comment. You won’t be able to do both. In a sense, it’s a high quality problem. It gets easier with practice.
Also, when you get in a bind, don’t worry about implicit quid pro quo. You won’t be able to keep up. What I do:
1. Very careful with explicit quid pro quo (as in, hardly ever)
2. Pay it forward. If you can’t return eveyrone’s comments, go ahead and comment on a few new blogs here and there. Help others get started.
3. Batch everything. I’ve got 3000-4000 unread in RSS at the moment. I’ll try get through them this weekend. Maybe.
.-= Dave Doolin´s last blog ..Saturday Morning Surfing: Jerry the Plumber and His Bad Day =-.
@Dave Doolin, You can get through as many comments as you need to if you make it part of your schedule daily. It gets quicker the more you do it.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.
I setup a couple clients on Twitter and it’s a great asset for local business. The same with Facebook.
.-= Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog ..What Does It Take To Get A Million Twitter Followers? =-.
@Brian D. Hawkins, I have done the same Brian, some business owners are just scared to try something different.
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..Do-Follow Forum Just For Bloggers =-.
My very first foray into the marketing scene was forums. Man is it addictive, but I made some excellent friends/connections.
I respond to all comments needing one and do plenty of commenting of my own, not just to the owner but replying to other commenters comments on other blogs.
.-= Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Here We Go! Theme Construction Part 1 – Your Participation Is Wanted-Needed! =-.
Thanks for this post. I always thought my reader would find me. I have been blogging actively for well over on year now and they still haven’t found me. With your advice taken I will actively go searching for them now. Thanks
.-= Consolata@marriage,relationships,love,parenting,ramblings´s last blog ..Celebrating Women (4) =-.
@John Sullivan, Using NFF, set to go do-follow after 3 comments, trying to avoid one timers just for a link…
.-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..The Part Of SEO You Are Missing =-.