Posts tagged building a blog community
How do you REALLY build a blog community? A love story.
May 5th
This is my 500th blog post.
It snuck up on me. I’m sorry that I don’t have anything particularly profound to say to commemorate this milestone, but I thought I would address a question I hear constantly — “How did you build such an awesome blog community?” Certainly this has been the most visible achievement of all this work.
As I reflect on what has happened here over the past few years, I think a few turning points stand out that might help you in your own efforts. At least these are things that have worked for me.
Early promotion — I used the old marketing maxim to go where my “customers” are as tried to introduce the blog. For example, as I was trying to gain traction, I would use links to blog posts to help answer questions in LinkedIn forums. I was an active participant in other blogs (as I still am) and also promoted the blog everywhere I would naturally have an email address. I used the blog to be authentically helpful and connect to new people. In all honesty, I had no idea what I was doing. This was a distinct advantage in some ways!
The first visitors — What a joy and surprise to find people enjoying my blog and even commenting. I made an effort to connect to them by helping to support their blogs and Twitter efforts too. Sadly, I have so many regular readers of {grow} I cannot possibly do this today. The irony of social media is the result of success is LESS engagement. I really hate that.
Asking for help — It got to a point where I was writing what I thought were really unique posts but they still were’t getting much attention. So I asked for attention. When I wrote something really great, I would send a link to some bloggers I admired and asked them for feedback. This is a euphemism for “a tweet.” People are really nice on Twitter and I never had a request turned down. Of course I only asked sparingly and only when I thought I had an extraordinary post. But it helped.
Show gratitude — There is this rumor going around (Gini Dietrich!) that I wrote personal notes thanking people for their help. This is true. That may seem like over-kill but I didn’t know any better. I was being polite! For example, early in my blogging career Jason Falls wrote a very kind post indicating that I was an up and coming blogger to watch. So I wrote him a thank you note. Why wouldn’t I? Sidenote — Since Gini started broadcasting this two weeks ago, I have received three personal hand-written notes. : )
Taking a human view — Behind every little commenter picture is a story and an awesome person. That fascinates me to no end. I am so hungry to learn more about you. I wish I could know all of you so much better. One of the things that has made a difference is treating people like people, not comments. If I sense that a commenter is struggling or suffering, I invite them to call me. I know that is seen as “taboo,” but the way I see it, we’re all in this together right? Why not help each other when we can? There is no reason we can’t be friends.
Being involved — I try to thoughtfully respond to each comment. I think that encourages people to comment, but it also is courtesy. Every day I am blown away that people spend their precious time commenting here. I think I owe them a response in return. The least I can do.
But the big community driver is … content. It seems trite, but it really is true. I know that people find the blog and stay here due to the content. When I write something great, I am rewarded with comments and tweets, meaningful social media engagement. So if you want to grow a community, be prepared to put in the hard work to settle for nothing less than consistent, compelling, relevant and entertaining content. And be human. Think about your favorite {grow} post. I bet it had something to do with me admitting a weakness or having the courage to be humble. As writers, and as leaders, there is strength in weakness.
Where do we go from here?
The growth of the community has been staggering by every measure. I’m averaging more than 50 comments per post which I was told is in the top 1 percent of all blogs. And you’re a classy bunch. I have had almost 11,000 comments on {grow} and have only deleted three for being inappropriate.
I have lots of ideas on how to grow {grow} and try some creative new ideas. The hurdle is time and resources, which I’m sure will sound familiar! I’m on a mission of continuous learning and improvement, which is what this is all about. This is a community of students, not gurus.
Yes, sometimes I get weary responding to comments at 2 a.m. I have wondered if I am on the right path. But then I catch a glimpse of an evolution of something exciting happening here. This is a REAL community. People are connecting and helping each other.
And when I finally meet folks from our community in real life … and they embrace you like a brother … and they trust you with their life story … and tell me I have impacted their life … I realize that this is becoming a movement that is leading to something bigger. I don’t know what, but it’s going to be bold and amazing.
So 500 posts is just the beginning. The community has become important to me on so many levels. And I’m going to create insanely great content and respond to all the comments I possibly can because I can’t wait to see what happens next!
The answer to today’s post headline really belongs to you. Why are you here and why do you stay? Do you have a favorite blog post that hooked you? If you have been reading for some time, why not take the leap and tweet and/or comment. Join in and let everybody know you’re here!
Thanks to all of you — whether you comment here or engage in another way — for making this a special place and an amazing experience!
Why are the “social media elite” ignoring us?
Mar 27th
I received an email this week from a reader who is struggling with a problem experienced by many social media newcomers. His question:
“How does a real unknown like me get the big name social media marketers to pay any attention to me? They won’t give me the time of day. I tweet to them and retweet their posts, talk about them on my blog, and don’t receive any acknowledgment. Am I just following the wrong people? Who would you recommend?”
The social web is an enigma. While many top marketers have built their careers touting the importance of “the conversation,” they have become so popular, they no longer have time to converse!
I’ve had the great fortune to meet many of the leaders in the field. And while we certainly have our share of iconic douchebags, the vast majority of these folks are hard-working, well-meaning professionals just trying to make a living.
It’s not always about the conversation
It’s a numbers game. At some point, the workload and crush of followers that comes with celebrity exceeds any human’s ability to engage in a meaningful way, no matter how willing they may be.
Even in my own little world on {grow} I am probably not as attentive as I used to be as blog subscribers and followers multiply. What’s the option? Block people out … or slowly become less tuned-in? I am succumbing to an inexorable corrosion of engagement like everyone else. Some people probably think I’m ignoring them. One popular blogger once told me, ”When you are standing in front of a stadium full of people, you can only slap hands with the people in the front row.”
Just because somebody is busy, it doesn’t necessarily make them a snob. So my first recommendation is, don’t take it personally. I doubt most people are intentionally ignoring you. Extend them some grace.
Looking for love in all the wrong places?
My second thought on this question – maybe the attention on the social media elite is mis-placed.
Many believe if they could only get their blog post tweeted by a social media superstar then everything would change! This is a pervasive myth. At some point I have been tweeted by about every leader in the field, including Guy Kawasaki and Alyssa Milano — who have enough followers to be small countries. After a short spike in traffic (Alyssa actually crashed the server), there was no lasting impact on the blog. I’m not exaggerating. I literally mean NONE. In fact after a Kawasaki tweet my blog subscriptions went down.
There is no shortcut to building a blog community. You have to work hard and create your own movement one reader at a time. Let’s use Dave as an example. By providing personal attention to him, I may create a lifetime fan who will actively engage with me and tell others, too. One connection with a self-proclaimed “unknown” will probably mean more to building the {grow} community than a dozen tweets from Chris Brogan. That is a fact.
Start your own sphere of influence
When I started blogging, many people thought I was on a kamikaze mission by ignoring (or even challenging) the status quo. But I don’t see it that way. Why does the world need another suck-up regurgitating the same old blog topics week after week? How many social media sycophants have gone on to stand out and create distinct value for their readers?
Spending all your time trying to get the attention of the big names is probably not going to have a business pay-off. So go make your own tribe.
There was a small band of beginning bloggers who supported each other when I first started out and we’re still friends today. Srini Rao wrote about this strategy beautifully last week. If you’re a blogging ”baby,” go find some more beginners and support each other. As you learn and grow together, you’ll be your own network of A-List bloggers!
Don’t get caught up in keywords, SEO and Ad Age bloggers. Your key to lasting success is originality, and the key to orginality is having the courage to share your own wisdom.
Any way, that’s my take on it. What has your experience been? Are you successfully connecting with the social media leaders? Any impact?
Building a blog community? Don’t overlook “digital babies”
Mar 21st
By Srinivas Rao, Contributing {grow} Columnist
In the earliest days of my blogging career — well, to be honest that was just 18 months ago! — people taught me about getting my name out there by commenting on well-known blogs and guest posting at big blogs. While the guest posting strategy definitely had a strong pull for new readers, it became clear that commenting on the biggest blogs was a desperate attempt to get your voice heard in a place where there was a bunch of noise.
Today I want to suggest an alternative strategy. Instead of focusing on the A-Listers, look at emerging talent as a way to grow a loyal blog community. My fellow {grow} columnist Stanford Smith said that one of his strategies is to “kiss lots of digital babies.” I think that is a smart perspective. The blogosphere is like an unlimited NBA draft with tons of talent accessible to anyone who can shed their ego and look for an opportunity to connect.
New Bloggers Need Encouragement. When people start their blogs, it can be demoralizing when nobody is reading or commenting. How often do you look at the blogs of the people who comment on your blog? Baby bloggers become big bloggers. Can you take just a moment to see what they’re up to? Join their tribes and invite them to join yours.
New Bloggers are Looking For a Lifeline: As an established blogger you have a chance to become a lifeline for a new blogger. My friend Bernardo Ramirez recently started a personal development video blog. It was a week old and he commented on one of my posts. So, I decided to see who he was and what he was up to. I was so blown away by the quality of video blog posts that he had, that I invited him to do a guest post, initiating what I hope will be a long relationship.
New Bloggers Become New Readers: Most new bloggers are looking for additional blogs to read, while established bloggers tend to have a set reading list and occasionally add new feeds to their RSS reader. New bloggers are looking to learn from established bloggers and as a result they end up becoming loyal subscribers. I’d say the majority of people who comment on my blog these days are digital babies on the rise.
New Bloggers Can Teach Us Things We Don’t Know: The beginner’s advantage is that they have no preconceived notions of how things should be so they tend to be more open to new ideas, take more risks, and play like they have nothing to lose. When you think about it, we really need new bloggers to keep starting blogs because we need fresh ideas to keep making progress.
As you think about how to grow your tribe and build your network over the next couple of months give some thought to what emerging talent you may be neglecting. Then, start reading their blogs and providing a lifeline to them. Do you have examples where you are using your influence to pay it forward?
Srinivas Rao is a contributing writer to {grow}. You can read more of his original writing at The Skool of Life blog or listen to his podcast at BlogcastFM. Follow him on Twitter at @skooloflife
Welcome to {grow}
You’re in marketing for one reason: Grow.
Grow your company, reputation, customers, impact, profits. Grow yourself. This is a community that will help. It will stretch your mind, connect you to fascinating people, and provide some fun along the way. I am so glad you’re here.
-Mark SchaeferFollow Mark
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The Five Surprising Impacts of Blog Comments
Apr 11th
121 comments
This week I received the 10,000th comment on my blog. That’s a big deal! And while this lucky commenter (who will be named at the end of the post), will receive a $500 prize package (for real!) I’d like to humbly explain why I have completely changed my mind about the importance of blog comments.
When I started blogging, I was disheartened by the unfulfilled expectation of blog comments. Where was the ballyhooed social media “conversation?” This felt more like a string of random observations by strangers.
But then a funny thing happened on the way to my forum … a community bloomed.
By most blog measures, {grow} receives a lot of comments. In 2011, the average is 53 comments per post (many of them mine of course!). Let’s look beyond the numbers to something fascinating and vital occurring with the comments on {grow}.
1) Comments can create REAL community.
Some things are happening that are making {grow} feel like a REAL community, not just a string of observations.
Caring. Creating. Collaborating. This is not just a string of comments — {grow} is creating powerful human interactions.
2) Comments create economic value.
Why comment on a blog? Do it for the money! {grow} has been an economic engine for people who care enough to become involved and contribute. People who get to know me and others through the blog comments have received employment, paid freelance assignments, hardware and software to help their careers, free advice on their business, sales leads, guest posts, brand awareness, donations to charitable causes, book contributions, help in research and more. New economic value has been created through blog comments.
3) Comments create strong ties that result in influence.
I haven’t seen any academic research on the topic yet, but there is certainly a lot of anecdotal evidence that the weak ties on Twitter do not necessarily lead to influence. However, I contend the strong ties that develop in blog communities absolutely lead to influence. A number of people have told me I have impacted their lives through the blog. That probably isn’t going to happen on 140 characters or a status update.
4) Comments are an incubator of new content.
Every month, dozens of people write entire blog posts based on their comments on {grow}. Similarly, about 25% of my blog posts are based on comments made by readers. Comment sections are content engines.
5) Comments drive intellectual growth.
I think I am most proud of the intellectual diversity and debate on {grow}.
An impromptu experiment confirmed that {grow} folks are not a bunch of sycophants. Awhile back Mitch Joel and I had wildly different views of whether you should be an elitist with your Twitter followers. We both wrote posts with opposite views in the same week. In a subsequent podcast, Mitch half-jokingly said, “Isn’t it funny that all of your readers agreed with you and all of my readers agreed with me?”
Could that be true? Are the readers of {grow} a bunch of sheep?
I went back and categorized the comments. The results from both blogs were almost identical: more than one-third were in disagreement with the author of the blog, about 15% were neutral and the rest agreed with the author. I think this represents a healthy swath of dissent and confirmed that there is meaningful debate on {grow}. But you probably already knew that.
This is powerful stuff.
I can only speak for my experience, but the comment section on my blog provides more psychological, economic, intellectual, and emotional benefits of any social media activity … by far.
Watch how this works. When I was nearing comment number 10,000, I sent out a tweet about it and asked folks what I should do. Elizabeth Bushey provided a list of suggestions, including a certificate from a favorite company, VistaPrint. Just so happens Jeff Esposito, Vistaprint’s Manager for PR & Social Media, is a regular around {grow} and I met him for the first time at SXSW. I asked him what he thought about helping us celebrate and he said, “SURE!”
And the winner is …
I’m happy to award a $500 VistaPrint credit to commenter number 10,000 – Davina Brewer of Three Hats Marketing. Davina has been an amazing contributor to {grow} for many months now, so this is quite fitting.
So now it’s time for the commenters to comment on commenting, How is it looking from your perspective?
Disclosure: I have no affiliation with Vistaprint other than my blog connection with Jeff. But since they have been so nice to help mark this milestone, I’d like to tell you a little about them: Vistaprint empowers more than 9 million small businesses and consumers annually with affordable, professional printed and web-based products that make an impression. With a unique business model supported by proprietary technologies, high-volume production facilities, and direct marketing expertise, Vistaprint offers a wide variety of products and services that fuel business growth. A global company, Vistaprint employs over 2,700 people, operates 24 localized websites,and ships to more than 120 countries around the world. Products include business cards, website design, postcards, banners and many other essential business communicaiton products.