Grecia Costa Rica
Who here has blogged from the fear of “not enough?”
Everyone raise their hands.
I have been there.
You have been there.
Perhaps you still are there.
I guard against this error.
How does the fear manifest?
Bloggers who fear not driving enough traffic prioritize new traffic sources. I see no glaring problem here at first glance. But issues eventually arise as one falls prey to the dis-ease of “more”.
What is the prime problem?
Chasing more neglects your tribe.
Looking past your tribe makes blogging hellishly difficult.
How can you succeed in an environment of endless turnover?
Consider Google Traffic
Think about Google traffic. New visitors come and go like the tide. Some stick around to lower the bounce rate. That’s the good news. Most sprint to raise your bounce rate. That’s the bad news.
I know, I know; Google traffic is targeted traffic. But how targeted? Do strangers arrive knowing you? Hell no. Strangers have no clue in hell who you are. For all intents and purposes, Google traffic is semi-cold at best.
If you know anything about the business world – or world in general – then you understand how most human beings want distractions not a tangible strategy to act on to improve their lives. The tsunami of people who come and go via Google or any site for that matter fall into this lot. People see something and lose interest immediately because most unconsciously want nothing to do with freeing themselves by putting practical steps into action.
Imagine chasing more of the folks who want distractions not practical solutions.
Who Wants Improvement?
Guess who wants practical solutions?
Your blogging tribe. Your blogging tribe proved it by returning to your blog consistently. Your blogging tribe follows your guidance to improve their lives. Why would you turn your back on loyal people who:
- read your blog posts?
- buy your online course and eBooks?
- hire you?
- drive referral traffic?
- driver referral blogging income?
I can tell you why.
Chasing more traffic causes you to forget your present, loyal, highly-targeted, trusting traffic. You turn your back on who promotes your success to chase perhaps targeted but completely untested strangers, most of whom care less about your blog. Why do I sound so harsh regarding this lot? Look at your metrics if you even bother to do so. Track Google traffic. Hell; track any traffic source. Track any blogging statistic. I am not kidding. Unless you are the incredibly rare outlier, most people visit your blog then leave your blog. Most click your eBook sales page then leave without purchasing. The world works this way.
I’m not thinking about scarcity but reality. Most people come and go even if you drive highly targeted traffic from time to time.
Until you hug this idea you will chase the cold world at the expense of your warm tribe.
Does that make sense?
Or it is nonsense?
The Error Is Easy to See
The error is as plain as day if you look at it.
Obsessively chasing new traffic ignores:
- built-in organic traffic
- built-in blogging income
Tribes increase organic traffic and blogging income by default. Return visitors increase traffic and income by returning and pulling the buying trigger consistently. Why would you continue to ignore built-in success by chasing a losing proposition with most time and energy? It makes no sense.
Why Take Care of Your Blogging Tribe?
Forget about Google traffic for a moment.
Take care of your blogging tribe.
Drive referral traffic. Drive referral business.
You can only do so much as a solo blogger. One, five or ten loyal people who refer your blog, products and services to others amplify your reach exponentially.
Successful businesses usually grow via word of mouth marketing. Entrepreneurs sell something truly helpful. One person mentions the truly helpful product or service to like-minded people who buy in. Those customers drive referral business to other like-minded people. The process expands as sales gradually increase. Mushrooming income occurs later yet these five, then ten, then fifty customers do 10,000 times the work of a solo blogger:
- publishing blog posts
- promoting an online business
Never get it twisted. Bloggers need to publish blog posts and promote online businesses consistently to succeed. Someone has to set the table; that someone is you.
But the greatest success flows through a loyal blogging tribe not the frenzied efforts of one individual. Taking care of these people is paramount because organic traffic and blogging income expands exponentially from their efforts not your blogging lone wolf act.
Large, loyal communities create the big blogging bucks not a mad blogger busting their ass solo style.
Optimize posts for Google. But take care of people who return to your blog. Pinpoint every loyal fan. Listen to loyal customers. Care for loyal readers. Consume each blog comment. Reply to every comment mindfully.
Follow a system to avoid getting psychologically attached to anyone as you generously serve readers. People come and go; systems remain constant. Stop needing people. Start helping people who keep coming back to your blog.
How to Take Care of Your Tribe
Keep these ideas in mind:
- listen to reader problems by scouring emails, blog comments and social media chats
- publish detailed content to solve these specific problems
- ask readers for post ideas via your blog posts and email list
- read and reply to all blog comments; share thorough replies here and there to solidify bonds
- read and reply to social media comments and messages
Take care of the people who take care of your blog.
After I go to sleep tonight my blogging tribe promotes Blogging From Paradise posts around the clock. I listened to their needs. I published content to solve their problems. My tribe – being happy with my practical solutions to their problems – promotes my content through X, Facebook and LinkedIn for their loyal tribes.
Some of their followers become Blogging From Paradise readers based on these referrals.
I had to make these loyal readers the stars of my blog to reach that point. I certainly could not build this type of reader loyalty if I tripped over myself to get new Google traffic and ignored the needs of my caring blogging community.
Prioritize your tribe.
Where your attention and energy goes, grows.
