We've spoken and written about blogging a lot recently, so I've put together a few simple, but highly effective ways to build engagement with your blog, because ultimately its success will be determined by those who consume it. Your audience is the key to your success, so their engagement will become or should already be one of your main focuses. Here are a few ways to get them interested and involved.

Writing about things your audience cares about

What’s the point of blogging if you’re not going to write about something that matters to you or to your audience? Once you know who your audience is, one of the best ways to build engagement is to create content that they are likely to consume. For instance, if you have a beauty blog then writing about skincare and the latest beauty trends would be expected as these are things that your audience would be interested in.

On the other hand, writing about the latest UFC knock-out might be something that you’re interested in but your audience might not be and unless you consistently create content about UFC, your audience might get lost when trying to figure about what your blog is all about. The key to building good engagement is to be clear and consistent in your content while being aware of what your audience cares about and how important your contribution to the conversation is.

Sharing on social media

It’s essential to share your blog on social media unless you don’t want anyone to read or watch your blog. Sharing on social media is an absolute must. Twitter, Facebook and Youtube are just a few social media platforms where you should be sharing your content in order to grow and engage your audience. Sharing on social media is also a great way to connect with other bloggers and to build relationships with the right people.

Sharing your blogs on social media is not just about showing off what great content you might have but also about engaging with other bloggers and getting involved in the conversation. Posting responses helps to boost your visibility and can also attract new readers or views to your blog.

Collaborating

I love collaborations. There is nothing better than seeing your favourite bloggers working together to create amazing content. I am a huge fan of collaborations as it’s a great opportunity to grow your audience and engage new followers. It’s one of the best ways to really get your blog out there.

If you want to make money from your blog then working in collaboration with established and up and coming businesses is a major key to growing your audience, boosting your reach and engaging new and existing followers. There are innumerable sites advertising business opportunities available to bloggers so it's worth a look if you want to make bucks from your blog. I'd check out the Bloggers programme to start off.

Clickable images that are personal and relate to the post

We have become increasingly visual in our consumption of content. In the past I’ve written about the evolution of the Facebook newsfeed from written copy to more videos and pictures. It’s the same concept when looking about blogging. People do not read as much as they used to and most hardly finish an article after a couple of seconds of reading it. Images and video content are essential to keeping your readers engaged so it is worth breaking up your blog posts with high quality images and videos. Your audience will get a better sense of who you are and what your message is. Never underestimate the importance of visual appeal.

Facebook groups and mailing lists

Building engagement doesn't always need to be a on a macro level. Facebook groups and discussion forums could do wonders for engagement with your blog. These platforms usually have very high rates of engagement however to get the most out of them, you need to be very responsive and quick with the replies!

Mailing lists and push notifications also work wonders for keeping your audience up to date with the latest news. Plus posts from your blog so it's worth getting into the habit of sending out regularly scheduled email updates.

Events

Meet and greets are perhaps one of the best ways to build engagement with your audience. It's also one of the most authentic ways to get to know your audience, by actually seeing and speaking to them face to face. Imagine being able to meet your favourite blogger, picking their brains about the latest trends in fashion or just being able to get to know them on a more personal level.

Blogging can be a lot of fun. It's one of best ways to get to know people by sharing your story. Being personable, accessible and creating content that your audience and you care about will boost engagement and contribute to the success of your blog, so give these tips a go and you'll be well on your way to blogging success.