Apr
28
As a blogger, you probably read a lot about the need to develop a strong network in order to grow your blog. If you already have a solid network of other bloggers you know how valuable it can be, and if you’re new to blogging you may wonder why it’s so important to have contacts and connections with other bloggers. Here are 10 reasons for you to make networking a priority.
1 – More Readers
Other bloggers that you have a relationship with are very likely to also be readers and subscribers of you’re blog. I know that personally, many of the blogs I subscribe to are a result of knowing the blogger more so than wanting to follow the blog itself.
2 – More Loyal Readers
I think you’ll find that your most loyal readers will be those to whom you have some sort of connection or relationship. Who comments regularly on your blog? It’s probably readers that you have grown to know through interaction on your blog, or maybe on their blog.
3 – More Links
Sometimes you’ll read of bloggers being upset with A-listers accusing them of only linking to other A-listers like it is some kind of exclusive club. I don’t think the reason they are linking to other A-listers is because of a status issue. I’d say it’s more likely that those other A-listers are their friends or members of their network. It’s human nature to want to help those that we know and like. Get to know some other bloggers and you’ll probably find more links coming your way.
4 – Success with Social Media
Social Media Marketing is just as much about a network as it is about the content itself. Those who know you the best are the most likely to vote for you on social media sites. If you have a strong network you can also request social media votes when you need them the most. Whether you use a system such as the shout on Digg, or if you simply send an email, this can be very effective when it is not abused.
5 – Launching Pad for a New Product or Service
Have you ever noticed that when a well-connected blogger launches a new product or service it seems like every blog is posting about it? Obviously this will have a huge impact on the early success of the product or service. I’m sure in some cases these reviews or promotions are paid, and in some cases they’re not. If you have any thought of selling a product or service in the future, focusing on your network would be a good priority.
6 – Boost for Promoting a New Blog
I launched a new blog a few months ago and one of the first things I did after the launch was email many of my friends and contacts that I’ve made. All I asked was for them to stop by when they had a chance. The results were overwhelming as many of them stumbled a post or two. As a result the first two days produced around 10,000 visitors with no money spent on advertising and just an hour or so sending some emails. I’m sure there are bloggers that have stories that put that one to shame. Getting attention for a new blog is difficult, but when you have some established connections it’s an unbelievable different situation.
7 – Name Recognition
In order to become a recognized authority in your niche, you’ll have to be well-connected. Blogging is all about building a name for yourself, so this will have significant benefits for your blog’s growth. Becoming the authority on you subject matter isn’t really essential, but if people associate your name with a particular topic you will almost certainly be successful as a blogger.
8 – More Comments
I mentioned earlier that a strong network will give your more readers and more loyal readers, and you’ll often see that it also results in an increased number of overall comments. Many of the readers who consistently comment on my blog are people who I would consider to be in my network. Best of all, the conversation that is started with those friends and contacts will sometimes lead other readers to get involved and start interacting.
9 – Fun and Friends
Forget about all the benefits of a network in terms of growing your blog for a moment. Even without all of these reasons, networking is still beneficial because it’s enjoyable to get to know others and make new friends with other bloggers. Yes, a blogging friendship may be different than one in the “real world” and you may never meet these friends, but it’s amazing how much of a real friend a fellow blogger can become.
10 – Learning
Blogging is like anything else in life, there’s always more to learn. Some of the best learning opportunities out there are from others in your network. Most friends would be happy to answer a question for you or give you guidance in some way.
What’s Your Experience?
Is networking a priority for you? What results do you see?
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I’m really new to the blogging world, and I’d never considered the importance of networking. From reading this post, however, I can see why it is very important. Thanks for the post. I’ve got yet another thing to think about.
- Dave
David,
From my experience, networking is as important as anything else to blog success. I think it’s on par with content creation.
Networking is definitely a priority to me. I started a blog about a year ago, and through the 1st 5-6 months I grew my network pretty well. I switched jobs and was not able to dedicate time and energy towards my blog. I am now starting back up, and in my second post I plan to catch back up with those who I had established a good relationship with.
Specifically to this post I think the More Links benefit is one of the best rewards of a strong network. Although, I find that fun and friends is what really a strong network is about.
Tyson,
Good luck. I think you’ll continue to see good results like you were seeing months ago.
Hey Tyson, good to see you around here again! I’m sure you can build it back up… I’ll certainly be rooting for you.
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Great post. It’s difficult to accomplish anything in life without a few friends and blogging is no different. Networking ranks very high on my priority list.
This post has been featured in FullTiltBlogging.com’s Daily Blog Summary today. Great post!
Thanks David.
Networking is absolutely essential in business on and off the Internet. Since blogging is sharing ideas, advice, experiences and expertise on the Web, networking is especially critical. Since there is so much to learn, the bigger your network the faster and more easily you learn.
Networking is an absolute priority for me.
Thanks for your tips.
I think one thing that many bloggers struggle with is differentiating a blog from an article. If you are used to writing articles, you may have a hard time adjusting to a style that is less formal and more conversational. But it is necessary to remember that the purpose of a blog is to build a network and spark quality conversations. Good post!
Strongly agree on building network, this is the major factor to success. No doubt that networking will only bring the benefit without any disadvantage.
Let’s build our network!!!