Many people see blogging as a hobby which people use to pass the time: something that is less about engaging with an audience than it is an online diary. However, for many serious bloggers, blogging can actually generate a decent income on the side, and creating content which readers actually enjoy and want to engage with is crucial for maintaining the monetisationof their site.
Whether or not you are someone who blogs regularly for the money, or if you’re a part-timer who just enjoys rolling out a causal article every now and again, it is still important that you create content which will engage your target audience; so here are some simple ideas which will help you to achieve just that.
Find your niche
It is important that you find a niche which sits right for you. This should include topics that you enjoy, and that will keep your audience engaged. Don’t just follow the path well travelled, as there are so many different blogs out there that can do the exact same thing as you. Instead, consider what makes you unique, and utilisethat in your content. Getting your personality across is vital in a blog, as people enjoy getting to know you as an individual, rather than just seeing the same copy-and-paste titles that they have read a hundred times.
Don’t compete
There are so many different topics out there for bloggers nowthat it can become a little overwhelming trying to compete with all of the existing and well establishedblogs. That is why it is important that you don’t see blogging as a competition: each person’s blog is unique, so as long as you’re sticking to topics which you understand and enjoy writing about, your unique voice is what will get you the readership you are looking for.
Understand your audience
It often helps engagement if you are providing some kind of service to your readers. If you can provide them with solutions to a problem they have having, they are more likely to return to you for more advice in the future. For example, if you have created a blog that is a source of information for people in business, you could try providing links to services which would be useful to those in that industry, such as a way to compare commercial electricity prices, or the best brands for printing business cards. These may seem like simple ideas, but if you are providing information that is actually well-researched and useful to your audience, they will be more likely to engage with your content on a regular basis.
Directly ask your readers
When all else fails, sometimes the simplest approach is the most effective. If you want to know what your audience is looking for, why not ask them? If you have a social media following which includes your reader demographic, then why not put out a tweet looking for feedback and ideas from them, or simply ask some simple engaging questions on your next Instagram post?
