Blogging and Communication are Two-Way Streets

A blog is often described as having the platform or microphone; an opportunity for you to voice your opinion or share knowledge. Your moment in the sun.

In my 25 years of working in news, public relations and communications, I have always found that no one likes to be ignored. We love a captive audience to express ourselves.  

Like any form of communication, your blog is a two-way street. You may initiate the dialogue with a post, but it’s important to invite others to participate and be engaged.

Here are 5 tips that will help you gain loyal followers and increase your visibility. 

1. Bring people into your writing. Asking questions and stirring the mind through your writing is powerful. It builds rapport with people, which means they are thinking, feeling, reacting  and involved.  This will shift your dialogue away from yourself and onto the reader or viewer (if it’s a video blog).  Use expressions like: How about you?, If you’re like me, or Consider this. 

2. Answer back. When someone comments on your post, respond back to them to build that connection.  The door has been pried open; keep the dialogue moving forward. 

3. Agree to disagree. If someone writes a negative comment, you have two options. The first is don’t answer, as silence is much more powerful than words.  Your second choice is to politely and briefly respond with words that state your position in a friendly and casual style. Remember, not everything requires a response. This is true in Social Media and face-to-face communication. 

4. Comment on other people’s blogs. Follow posts written by leaders in your field and your competition. Getting involved with conversations on other sites, blogs, RSS feeds and chats will increase your visibility and credibility. This can help bring traffic to your site and blog as well. Become a player. It works both ways. 

5.  Use other people’s links in your posts. When you link keywords, don’t just self-promote to your own previous blog posts and website. Link to a few outside articles, websites or resources that are well-known and draw a lot of traffic. Others will appreciate you “widening the circle” and bringing them value. 

Your blog is a powerful marketing and sales tool that can be used to draw people into your pipeline. It’s okay to share the microphone with others. After all, one way streets can get boring.