How to increase your blog followers?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tiffani Mugurussa on March 27, 2012 at 10:26pm

It has taken me a year to get almost 400 followers.  i've done a few giveaways that required people to follow me in order to enter.  I'd like to know how you have so many Facebook fans.  I have very few.

Permalink Reply by Deborah Alter-Rasche on March 28, 2012 at 5:04am

Thanks Tiffani.

I don't really have anything to giveaway, lol.

When i started my fb page I went around and "liked" a whole lot of other fb pages of similar content/demographic/interests. eg education, kids activities, learning with play, early years stuff. Etc.

I liked them (under my fb page name), introduced myself and on some of them I mentioned my blog and invited them to stop by.

The people all followed from there. Some pages reposted some of my activities which got heaps of likers and the rest have just continued to steadily build in dribs and drabs from other friends and recommendations and the like (i presume, lol).

 

I will just continue with it and assume my blog followers will come in time.

 

Cheers :)

Permalink Reply by Candy Lawrence on March 28, 2012 at 3:28am

Look, honestly, great content is the best place to start- but you also need a niche. Differentiate yourself from the other people blogging about similar things- this includes being original/quirky/topical in your post titles so people click to start with, and then recognise that your content is good so they hook up. (Mind you, a lot of people prefer to link through FB simply because working out how to follow on Blogger if you don't have a blog yourself can be a bit of a PIA!)

My personal opinion is that there are two types of educational blogs, the commercial and the community service. Mine is in the second category and I would never do giveaways on my blog because I am not out to attract that audience; a brief look at yours suggests that yours is the same style. I work more on topical titles and contacts. But I know some activity-based blogs do a lot of giveaways too- it depends what message you're trying to give.

You have a LOT of competition in the 'learning activity' field, and so contacts are very important. My best contacts have come about through reading other quality blogs and making lots of on-topic comments, and ONLY posting a blog link of my own in the comments if it is COMPLETELY ON TOPIC and I've pointed out the relevance in my comment. If you do this, you will usually not p*ss people off and the original blogger may start to follow you as well as some of the audience of that blog (I only post my BEST posts on others' blogs!). It's about relationships. Followers tend to be other bloggers. Make relationships with other bloggers.

I also do a LOT of reading of others' blogs- this gives me a leg-up by inspiring me to put my own slant on popular topics (and believe me, hot topics with a catchy title are a great boost).

Joining Networked Blogs and BlogFrog will also boost your numbers.

Hope this is helpful! You have way more FB followers than me, but I have way more blog followers than you!

Permalink Reply by Deborah Alter-Rasche on March 28, 2012 at 5:11am

Thanks Candy,

 

mine is definitely the community type blog. Not sure how I even feel about advertising on my blog, etc, I'd rather keep it about what's intended. A way to share my ideas and hopefully help out some people along the way.

 

Your point about it being bloggers that follow on the blog is very valid. As is your point about the interaction. I think I just need to find the time!

I spend so long writing the posts, keeping up with the fb page, actually looking after my preschooler and baby and doing the activities, trying to update the blog to make it look better... that I have very little time left for actually getting out there and reading other people's blog.

However, obviously I can't expect people to read and join my blog if I'm not doing the same... so good point.

 

In the past I have tried to steer away from posting about activities that everyone else is doing because I like to be original (although...is there even as original idea left anywhere? lol)....but, I am starting to learn which are the more popular posts and which garner people's attention.

 

According to the traffic report on my blog, i'm still getting a lot of people over there (must be through facebook) so maybe i should be less concerned with the number on the blog and more concerned with just keeping it up with good content.

 

Thanks for taking the time to respond, and in such detail. :)

Debs

Permalink Reply by Miss L on March 28, 2012 at 12:45pm

Deborah,

I don't have many blog followers either, but I find that I get A LOT of traffic from pinterest when I am able to link up to there. When you have images on your blog try adding them to pinterest and people can link back toyour blog. Maybe that could assist in getting some more followers?

Permalink Reply by Deborah Alter-Rasche on March 30, 2012 at 12:19am

Thanks miss L. As it turns out, from going a little pin crazy yesterday, just in 1 night I had over 500 views of my page! (That's a lot for me)

Looks like pinterest could be a winner haha

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Wilhelm on March 29, 2012 at 7:19pm

I have read all of these comments and would like to add something many Bloggers overlook, MANY.  When you post pictures most Bloggers are losing a big opportunity in not adding KEYWORDS to the PICTURES.  You can increase your SEO (search engine optimization or ability to be found online) by completely filling out the picture text areas.  On Blogger, you can help yourself so much by adding a picture and then clicking on PROPERTIES (not yelling, emphasizing) and filling out the two text areas there, and add keywords.  On WordPress it is a little different but it also works on WP.  Your pictures should have words appear when you hover over them with the cursor on published posts, really, and if you are doing the pictures right many more people will follow you.  When people say most of their hits are from Pinterest, I know they are not filling out the text areas for their pictures.  Your number one referrer should be search engines due to all the keywords you have.  They should be in the post, pictures, and some in the title.  Then you will get more blog followers because many people aren't doing that and aren't being found online.  My 2 cents!  Carolyn

Permalink Reply by Tonya Dirksen on March 29, 2012 at 8:41pm

Good advice Carolyn.  I didn't know about the properties on the pictures.  I will have to do that.  Thank you!

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Wilhelm on March 29, 2012 at 9:00pm

It shows up under the picture when you click on the picture to the right on that blue line under the photo.  I have to remember to do that, too. Carolyn

Permalink Reply by Tonya Dirksen on March 29, 2012 at 11:57pm

I had no idea!  Thank you so much.  I have gone back and added properties to all my pictures.  Hopefully it will help with the search engines and I'll get more traffic that way.  Are search engines your number one traffic source?

Tonya

Permalink Reply by Deborah Alter-Rasche on March 30, 2012 at 12:23am

My main traffic sources are FB and then Pinterest. Tonya. Still having loads of views on my blog but not lots of ppl actually signing up to follow. That's where i have to start following and commenting on lots of bloggers posts I think.

Would love to see Google as a traffic source! haha. Maybe the picture thing will help us all there.

Permalink Reply by Carolyn Wilhelm on March 30, 2012 at 2:23pm

It will, I am not kidding!  Really!  

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