Blog Yourself Rich: Building Relationships

You’ve probably heard the expression that no man is an island. And while I advocate for self-reliance and independence as much as possible, at some point you will need others in your life. Different people have different things to bring to the table. Don’t get me wrong there is still quality and garbage, I’m not saying all are equal. What I am saying is that everyone has different makeups. So take two (or more) quality people together and they are going to have different qualities that shine brightest in them.

This is one of the many reasons that networking is so important. No matter what you will not be able to provide everything that your readers need to know. There is only so much time in your life and only so much you can do at once. You can only focus on so many things at once. There are others out there who have books or articles or minds that would go greatly with what you have already written. That would expand upon concepts and bring you readers new insights and better lives.

Networking Is Key

It doesn’t matter the quality of your content is no one is going to read it. It doesn’t matter how life changing or valuable your writing is, if it never gets in front of anyone’s eyeballs. Not only that but some people are going to be turned off right away on what you are writing and never get a chance to sit down and really dig into it.

For example say you were able to rent a huge billboard in the middle of Times Square with your blogs name on it. Let’s say your blog is in the masculine self-development niche of the internet. Immediately about half of the population is going to ignore your ad for you blog because they are female. Now let’s say that not just a masculine self-improvement blog but an effective red pill one. Not just some rag to make money.

Now the majority of people are going to be turned off by it because the majority of people are sheep too steeped in their indoctrination to notice that truth. When they do see it, they react (often violently) to it. So you paid to have an incredibly expensive billboard put up in a high traffic area yet would get relatively few converts from that.

With networking you can skip all this and find the most effective markets and readers that would like what you have to say the most. When you reach out to like minded bloggers you are going to find like minded readers who are more likely to appreciate what you write than the average man on the street. Add in that if you get the seal of approval from that blogger his readers are going to flock to your site because someone they respected vouched for you.

Network With Those Like You

Find bloggers that are like you and reach out to them. Not just to keep abreast of new developments and information in your niche but also to communicate with like minded people. Though you may disagree on somethings if you are the same niche together, there is a reason for that. Some of the most rewarding relationships you can have are with people who think like you or at least have the same beliefs as you.

In addition like I said before their readers are likely looking for more information. There is only so much information that one can put out. Even the best of bloggers need others to cover important topics. That is why linking is so important. It gives your readers value as well as promotes the work of others like you.

Don’t go after someone just because they are popular, go after them because they are like you. Because they are a kindred spirit and there is a potential for a rich and fulfilling relationship there. You can learn much from other bloggers in your niche. Don’t look at them as competition but rather as comrades in arms. Reach out to them without expecting anything in return. Simply because you enjoy what they write and they provide value. You never know what could happen down the line.

Network With Your Readers

This is something I see violated many times on many different blogs in many different parts of the internet. Your readers are the lifeblood of your blog, they are what truly matter. Now while as you blog grows you obviously can’t have one on one conversations with all of your readers, but it’s still important to show them that you have a two way relationship with them in some way or form. Responding to overall remarks in the comments. Answering questions on posts. Posts that show you have been listening. Do not ignore you readers, your blog won’t survive if you do.

For those of you first starting out, respond to your readers when they leave a comment. Have conversations with them. Interact as if you would interact with someone who was sitting right in front of you. If they asked you something or made a comment on something you created I hope you wouldn’t shrug your shoulders or turn away from them. Have a relationship with your readers. Make sure they know that you are listening to them by responding to their feedback.

The time of the aloof writer is far gone, and good riddance. Now to grow you need to be interactive, you need to actually be human and have a human side. Let your personality show, don’t be a robot. Have conversations and expand upon what your readers say. Incorporate them into the process of writing you blog so that they feel like an interactive part of your blog. So that they feel like a participant instead of simply a passive observer. Be interactive, be human.

Summary

Remember networking is key to growing your blog. Getting linked or approved by another blogger will send their traffic your way bypassing the usually skepticism that happens whenever anyone encounters something new. Network with like minded bloggers you will find great ideas, great relationships, and opportunities that wouldn’t have presented themselves had you not reached out. Network with your readers, they are the most important part of your blog. Respond to them and listen to their feedback, never ignore them. Treat them like humans that you are having a human relationship with. Do so and you will blog yourself rich sooner rather than later.

Click here for the rest of the blog yourself rich series.

If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it. You can follow me on Twitter here.

-Charles Sledge

Charles Sledge