How to Build an Active Blog Readership Using Social Media

Having their blog read by a large audience is a many-a-bloggers dream. But just writing and publishing the blog isn’t enough. With so many new blogs popping up each day, it becomes easy for our work to get lost in a sea of words.

The US blogging site Blogger has over 46 million visitors per month. A recent research conducted by HubSpot revealed that more than 43% of readers just skim through most blogs without actually perusing their content. This means that your blog might be reaching only half of your intended reader base.

These are statistics of people who actively seek out blog posts. There are millions of other people who don’t regularly read blogs and who can be your potential audience. Finding ways to connect with them is the most important thing that bloggers need to do, to increase their readership.

Having a high readership will help you in multiple ways. Company websites that are linked to blogs generate up to 67% more leads than companies that don’t use blogs. Aspiring writers who wish to gain professional recognition have a 70% higher chance of getting scouted via their blog posts than through any other medium. All these happen when your blog has greater visibility. So, what can you do to build an active readership for your blog?

Keeping Your Blog in the Limelight

Identify your target audience

Your target audience will depend on the type of blog posts you publish. A product review is ideal for any reader. However, a scientific blog might just serve a small group of researchers. Identifying a segment of readers will help you shape your content strategy to find ways to connect with them.

Each type of reader uses various platforms to find information. Understanding who your target audience is and knowing where to find them can help you build an active readership for your blog.

Using software and content management tools will help you in your efforts to reach a wider audience. There are many tools available online which bloggers can use, such as:

WordPress Sharing

WordPress is probably one of the easiest to use. By using the Jetpack for WordPress plugin you can now share all your blog posts on any social media platform you want.

DrumUp

DrumUp’s social media management module allows bloggers to share blogs across multiple social media accounts in one go. It also lets you create content libraries for your blogs and set them up on an elaborate and continuous promotion cycle, effortlessly.

Dlvr.it

This tool allows you to share up to five feeds per day on three social media platforms. You can also share four other complementary blogs or social media visuals via Dlvr.it. You can get this tool in a free version.

Promote your blog post on social media

Social media management is key to building an active readership. Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn are ideal places to share your content. Leveraging the power of social media can help you in the long run.

It’s easy to share articles and blog posts across various social platforms. By either posting your blog directly on the platform or by sharing a link to your blog, you can generate the clicks necessary. You can even join communities and groups on social media platforms and share your articles on these groups.

Repost old content on various platforms

Republishing old posts is as important as writing new content. Your old blog posts may have been different from what you are currently publishing. Additionally, some of your old posts might be more politically or socially relevant now. Sharing these posts on various platforms will help increase the visibility of your blog.

By using automation tools such as WordPress plugins and DrumUp, you can even change the titles of your old blogs and share them as fresh content on your various social media profiles.

Make the best use of buttons, links and hashtags

Active readers often tend to share articles which they really enjoyed on their social media accounts. By adding social media sharing buttons to your blog posts will allow these readers to share your articles with others. From social media visuals such as infographics to journalistic articles, everything can be shared through the use of buttons and links. You can even use Buffer to schedule regular sharing of snippets from your articles.

Another thing you could do is identify popular hashtags that are relevant to your blog post and use them while blogging. Anyone who then uses your hashtag will have access to your blog posts. RiteTag is an app that you can use to find trending hashtags and analyze their performance online.

Join an online community of bloggers and writers

Despite sharing your posts on your social media profile, you may not get the readership you want. Joining online communities can help you gain the exposure you need. Viral Content Bee is a crowd-funded platform that helps writers get exposure for content. The platform helps you get Facebook likes and tweets from popular accounts, which will help increase the visibility of your blog.

Social media management is the way forward. Bloggers can now better engage with readers by being dynamic and responsive to the changes in the way content is being consumed online. Following these steps will help bloggers gain the active blog readership they seek.

Disha Dinesh is a content writer at Godot Media, a leading content agency. Her interests include social media and content marketing. When she’s not writing, she’s on the hunt for social media trends and inspiration.