I recently wrote an article entitled “The Secret to Successful Blogging” which inspired a number of comments. One of these in particular got me to thinking about the post and in turn why people read the blogs that they do. What motivates them to read those blogs.

The premise of the article was that you need to be a good “salesman” in order to convince people to read your blog. One commenter disagreed with this theory which honestly surprised me. It makes perfect sense in my mind but maybe I am missing something in my thought process.

I think most of us would agree that a “successful” blog is one that has a readership. You may not be interested in making any money online or selling anything to anyone but nearly all of us hope that we can build traffic and inspire people to return to see what we have to say each day.

Why People Read Blogs

If you subscribe to Maslows’ Hierarchy of Needs then you understand that people have a number of needs in their life. In a way I think you could argue that for some, blogging fills a need. It fills a need for information, for entertainment, for a sense of belonging, a sense of achievement, or any number of things.

Regardless of the “need” that is being filled it is safe to say that people read blogs for a reason. They are in search of something and have decided to turn to the blogosphere to fulfill it.

Information – In the Make Money Online niche this is the most common kind of reader. They turn to blogs to seek out information on how to make money online. If your site provides this type of information or you have a track record of being able to make money online then chances are you will attract repeat visitors.

This type of readership is typically in search of something. They tend to hope that a “secret” formula exists and if they can only find it then they too will make thousands of dollars online without lifting a finger. They are often both gullible and desperate enough to pay money to find this secret, which plays right into the hands of unscrupulous Internet marketers.

Entertainment – These readers simply read blog for the entertainment they find. Rather than sticking to one niche they may cross many boundaries and have a very eclectic taste in blogs. They aren’t seeking any answers necessarily but rather are using blogs to network, socialize or simply entertain themselves.

Readers Have Choices

As a reader you have literally “millions” of blogs to fulfill your needs hierarchy. It is safe to say that whatever the niche, you are not lacking in choices but you are definitely limited in how much time you have to devote to reading blogs each day.

As a blogger you need to understand that your blog is one of thousands in your niche that a reader could choose to read. Why would they come back to you? What separates you from the herd?

You have one chance to make a first impression. If you impress then they may come back, if you don’t then you may never, ever see that reader again.

What do you do?

Sell Yourself

Just like readers have choices, so do bloggers. You can cross your fingers and hope for the best or you can actively market yourself and your content to potential readers.

If you’ve ever been shopping in a major city then you are familiar with the concept of “window shopping.” Stores will highlight the latest and greatest products that they have for sale in the window, hoping that they can lure these people strolling by into the store.

Your blog is no different. You have people strolling by who might have come across you via stumble, entrecard, google or even a link from another site that caught their attention. They haven’t been there before and whether they return again will depend on their experience while on your site.

“Selling” Your Blog

Some of the things that you can do to sell a return visit on your site are listed below.

Branding – Differentiate your site from the other ten thousand in your niche by its appearance. Use a unique theme or logo that will help people distinguish your site from the rest. You may not be a fan of the cartoon character that I use but you get the idea. Be different. Purple Cows Make Better Bloggers.

Content – Obviously a readers first impression of your site will either them to either read an article or click right back out. If you do get them to read your posts then make sure they offer a value.

• What need do they fill?
• Who is your reader?
• You can find out if you “Listen” to them.
• Pay attention in your comment section.
• What are they after?
• What problem can you solve?

Mission – What is the mission of your blog? If you have been paying attention then you know that readers have needs and your goal is to fill one or some of these needs. Once you determine that then make sure you stick to it. If you wander all over the place then you will only confuse your readers and you are unlikely to develop a loyal following.

Market Yourself – If you don’t market yourself then nobody else is going to do it. Highlight your best content and get it in front of as many people as you can. There is no shame in self promotion.

• Highlight your best content. I use a Most Popular Post plugin to showcase the posts that have received the most pageviews of all time on my blog. I put it front and center right at the top of my blog. You don’t need to imitate that unless you choose to but make sure it’s on your site somewhere.
• Use a Related Posts plugin at the end of every post. If a reader enjoyed the post they just read then put a few more titles right in front of them to check out. This can increase their time on site dramatically as well as increase your pageviews and likely RSS subscribers.
• Highlight your Feed. Offer a Feed link at the end of every post. The easier you make it to subscribe then the more likely they are to take advantage of it.
• Social Media – Partake in as many social media outlets as you can find the time to engage in. StumbleUpon and Digg are my two favorites. Either of these two sites can bring hordes of visitors to your site in minutes.

Network – The easiest way to network with your readers is to be active in the comment section. You can really develop some relationships there and encourage readers to return. Make sure you are as active as you can stand in your comments and make it entertaining for everyone.

Conclusion

I have used a lot of words here to simply say that if you don’t toot your own horn then nobody else will do it for you. If your end goal is to build a blog with some decent traffic then you have the responsibility with every post to “sell” yourself to your readers.

Some people will call it marketing, some will call it branding and really you can call it whatever you want, as long as you do it. Promote your best content, pay attention to the basic needs of your readers. They are here for a reason and if you can tap into that need and satisfy it then you are virtually guaranteed to have repeat visitors.