Here’s How to Build a Wildly Engaged Following

Why is it so hard to get people interested in what you’re doing? Seriously. So many other companies and bloggers make it look so easy.

But it’s not. Even for them.

Building an engaged following takes much time and effort. You have to make sure you’re giving a distinct value that others are not giving.

The tips given in this post will help you build a strong following who is excited about your brand.

How to Get Blog Followers Who Are Truly Engaged

Give Them the Content They Want

You’ve probably heard it a million times. Content is king. There’s a reason why this cliche is so popular.

Because it’s true.

Content is the most important element of your online marketing efforts. It’s what attracts people to your website. It’s also what keeps them there.

Through your content, you can influence thousands, even millions of people, if you have a message that resonates with them. Content is the vehicle that you will use to reach the audience you want to attract and get more followers.

But, you have to create content worth consuming. You need to give people a reason to listen to what you’re saying.

This is where I would normally tell you to make sure your content is useful. I’d normally tell you to create content that benefits your reader. And it’s true. You have to create content that gives a benefit to your reader.

But what’s more important is your message. What do you really want your readers to know? How do you want your readers to be better after consuming your content?

Yes, you need to write high-quality content. But everyone creates high-quality content, right? You need to distinguish yourself. You need to give them something that your competition doesn’t.

So what do you have that your competition doesn’t?

You have yourself. You have your own personality. You have your own viewpoint. You have your own voice.

It’s tempting to just write content that sounds corporate. But nobody wants to read that. They want someone they can connect with. It’s not enough to create high-quality content; you need to create content that gives your reader something to connect to.

I have found that the most important component of content marketing is you. You are unique. You are different. If you’re going to be successful, you need to express your personality more effectively than the others.

So what does this mean?

It means that you should not be afraid to express your opinion. You should not be afraid to talk about your shortcomings. You should not be afraid to show your audience who you really are.

Nobody is going to connect with a corporate machine. But they will connect with you.

How to Get Found Online

I’ve said it many times. There’s no point to creating great content if nobody ever reads it. If you’re going to build an online presence, you have to make sure that people can find your website.

There are many ways to do this.

But, the best long-term solution is search engine optimization (SEO). Yes, I know it’s not the sexiest subject in the world. But search engine optimization is important.

If you have an important message to share, you need to make it as easy as possible for people to find it. You need to remove as many obstacles as you can.

But there is good news. Great content can help you rank better in search engines. If you look online, you will find tons of tips that can help you improve your SEO. But none of those tips matter if you’re not creating awesome content.

Here are some of the main elements of building an effective SEO strategy:

• Build high-quality backlinks.
• Optimize your content.
• Focus on your on-page SEO.

These are all important. You need to make sure your on-page SEO is on point. You must include the right keywords when you’re writing content. That’s the easy part.

Here’s the thing: focusing on your content will address each of these points. If you’re smart — and I know you are — your content will build your SEO efforts with little effort.

The hardest part is building backlinks. Building backlinks is essential. You need other sites to link to the content you create. The best way to get people to link to your site is to create content worth linking to.

Think about it. When was the last time you included an unhelpful link in a blog post? Exactly. Building backlinks isn’t easy, but if you’re creating great content, people will link to it.

Give Them a Reason to Follow You

Building an audience means giving people a reason to continue to engage with your brand. They need a reason to become loyal to you.

One of the best ways to do this is by offering them something of value in exchange for a small commitment on their part. Some might call this an “ethical bribe.” An ethical bribe is something that you offer to your visitors in exchange for a commitment on their part. Usually it’s a piece of content. It makes them more willing to become a regular followers.

An ethical bribe can come in several different forms:

• Ebook
• A handy checklist
• White paper
• Instructional video

These are all forms of content that you can offer for free in exchange for your visitor’s contact information. It’s one of the best ways to get more followers.

When you have created the type of content you wish to offer to your visitors, you need to build an effective landing page that will entice them to subscribe. Here is one caveat: you need to make sure you’re creating the right type of ethical bribe for your visitors. Make sure the content you write directly addresses a need your visitors have. The last thing you want to do is waste time building content that won’t get people to subscribe.

Conclusion

One of the most important things to remember is that building a following takes time. It won’t happen overnight. You must be diligent in creating high-quality content and interacting with the people you wish to reach. If you’re not getting instant results, don’t give up. That’s normal. Keep at it and over time, you will see your audience grow.

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This article, "Here’s How to Build a Wildly Engaged Following" was first published on Small Business Trends