Is Blog Engagement More Important Than Stats?
I’ve noticed recently, there seem to be a lot of interesting articles about what it is to be a blogger, or the new form that blogging has taken in the last few years.
We’re now “influencers”.
The blogging world has moved from an online-diary-style chat platform, to a glossy, perfected magazine. It’s overtaking physical magazines on the shelves and brands are cashing in on the online world. Creators are cropping up all over the place and the importance of wonderful wording, immaculate photography and top notch coding, SEO and web design has become even more evident.
But I don’t mind.
After all, the increased online engagement has opened up space for sassy, incredible, determined business ladies (and men of course) to find a space for themselves, to be their own bosses and get out there and hustle. So why shouldn’t they?! If you have the ability to set yourself up as a self employed blogger or vlogger, and make enough to support yourself and live the kind of life you want, then go for it. After all, blogging is brilliant fun. You are part of a community of like-minded, driven and interesting people all shouting about the things they are currently loving, or thinking about.
The very reason I started a blog was because I read so many of them already, and enjoyed what all these brilliant people had to say, I figured, maybe I could contribute too?!
So I do. I write posts, and try and put my thoughts and discoveries and ideas and hobbies into one space, using a range of categories from my favourite things in life. Then I also try and engage with those I find most interesting. I go to events locally, I organise blogger brunches, I chat on twitter with those further afield, I join in conversations and retweet and like on Instagram. I comment on posts I’ve read.
This is a big one.
I find blog engagement really tells a lot about someone. Some of the biggest influencers I follow still reply to every comment, send something back to every tweet, reply to each email. Now I’m sure there gets a point where this is impossible, but having that engagement with your followers is surely so important? If you’ve taken the time out to read their post, tell them! Even if you disagreed with what they were saying, spark a conversation about it, show them you’re listening!
This is what I wish brands focused on more when they’re advertising campaigns. Yes, you might have a DA score of 5869384 because your blog is 10 years old and you’ve spammed a load of links all over the web (or have actually worked really hard at increasing it, I get that too), but do you actively engage with your readers, and those you’re reading? You may have tens of thousands of Twitter followers, but when was the last good chat you got yourself involved in?
I love it when a post I’ve written gets lots of comments, and not just for reasons you’d immediately think. Yes, it gives you an idea that people have read and enjoyed it. But it also strikes up new conversations, swaps experiences and adds more information or depth to what you’re saying. If I’ve made the effort to read a post, I’ll make the effort to engage with it, through comments or shares on social media. The same applies if someone has engaged with my posts. I have replied to every single comment that someone has written and I’m proud of that fact! We need to build a blogging culture of supporting each other, letting others know that you’ve loved something they’ve done, and adding positivity to this community we’re all part of online.
So if you are sat there worrying about your low stats compared to the big time bloggers, just remember that brands, readers and bloggers also massively take blog engagement into account and numbers really aren’t everything!
On a separate note, if you’re loving the beautiful ipad case in this post’s image, I personalised it on Imagise! My wonderful mumma is a very talented artist so I’ve chosen some of her collages to decorate the case with, but you can choose any image you like for both the front and back! (If you’re really clever, you may have also noticed that it’s not that dissimilar to my blog logo which was painted by the very same!) I was kindly gifted mine, but to win your own, enter the giveaway below!
