When it comes to blogging, one thing is more important than anything else: engagement.
If you're like most people, you probably think of engagement as something that happens between two people. And while that's technically true, engagement can also refer to the interactions between a person and a piece of content.
In the world of blogging, blog engagement is the measure of how interested and invested your readers are in what you're saying. It essentially measures any interaction between a potential or current customer and your brand. Blog engagement can take many different forms, from comments to interactions with your email list. Relevant content metrics and KPIs can include visits, comments, likes on social media, click-through rates and time spent on a page. No matter how someone engages with your blog, the important thing is that they’re taking the time to interact with your content in some way.
Below, we will unpack how blogs engage, 19 ways that you can increase blog engagement to keep your readers coming back for more — and the power of licensed content to increase engagement!
How Readers Become Engaged When Reading a Blog
By now, you’ve probably heard that “content is king.”
That’s because it’s true — mostly. Content matters, but the quality of the assets being produced also matter. If you're regularly putting out helpful, informative and relevant content to your audience, you're more likely to get comments, shares and other forms of engagement. But if your content is stale or irrelevant, it's unlikely that people will stick around for long.
Approximately 51% of marketers agreed that it was increasingly difficult to capture attention from their intended demographic. Additionally, 71% of decision-makers acknowledge that less than half of the thought leadership content marketing they read gives them important insights.
But it’s also not enough to just produce excellent blog content. You also need to make sure that people are reading it. That’s where blog engagement comes in. Driving engagement requires high-quality content and information, as well as a distribution plan for the content and the quantity of the materials produced.
Another important factor in blog engagement is your blog's overall design and layout. If your blog is challenging to navigate or doesn't look great on mobile devices, people will have a hard time sticking with it. On the other hand, if your blog is easy to read and navigate, people are more likely to keep coming back.
If you want more people to engage with your blog, you need to focus on creating high-quality content and making sure your blog is easy to use.
Why Does Blog Engagement Matter?
There are a couple of reasons why engagement on your blog matters:
1. Brand Recognition
First, when someone takes the time to engage with your content, they’re interested in what you have to say. They’re more likely to remember your brand and come back for more in the future.
2. Build Trust With Your Audience
Second, engagement helps to build relationships and trust between you and your audience. The more they interact with you, the more they’ll see you as a valuable resource — and be more likely to do business with you in the future.
So how do you increase blog engagement?
Trying out a blend of fresh and proven engagement methods is key to keeping your readers excited and coming back for more.
19 Ways to Increase Blog Engagement
Now that we’ve gone over some basics, let’s get into the nitty-gritty.
Here are 19 basic, actionable tactics to add to your blog content strategy. These initiatives will help you increase blog engagement and keep your readers coming back for more.
1. Deliver Value to Your Readers
Delivering valuable insights to audiences is easier said than done. However, when surveyed, only 29% of companies said that they were either extremely successful or very successful when it came to their content marketing strategy. Nearly three out of four of these organizations (74%) attributed their success to the value of their content.
Delivering value is becoming more important than ever, with about 40% of thought leaders noting that more thought leadership is being produced than they can handle. These are some steps your team can take:
Leverage Personas
Great content begins with a solid understanding of your customers. It’s important to gain a thorough understanding of what their pain points are, what industry publications matter to them and what their interests are.
Collaborate Across Teams
Sales, business development and product will have different insights on what prospects and customers care about.
Continue reading for additional steps for creating content that delivers valuable insights to readers.
2. Write Compelling Headlines
It’s no secret that headlines matter when creating content. However, headlines have become increasingly important in a digital environment, where companies are forced to compete against videos, social media and online magazines.
“The increase of online content consumption, however, has shifted the role of a headline into one that is more focused on getting the reader’s attention,” notes Kishokanth Jeganathan and Andrzej Szymkowiak from Poznań University of Economics and Business in The Journal of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour in Emerging Markets. Companies looking to engage with their target audience must create better headlines to ensure their articles are being read.
Here are some things your team can try:
Create Clear, Concise Headlines
Kurt Gessler, who is the deputy editor at the Chicago Tribune, was able to double the engagement on the homepage in real time by implementing some best practices. He argues that clarity is the most important item to consider when drafting a headline: Readers should understand why an article is relevant to them and why they want to read it.
Experiment With Headline Length
In a study done by Buzzsumo, they found that the best-performing posts on Facebook and Twitter were between 11 and 65 characters. Consider experimenting with the length of your headlines to see what performs best.
Optimize Based on Results
In their analysis of the top-performing headlines, Buzzsumo has seen a stark difference between what performed well in 2017 and 2019/2020. It’s important that marketing teams continue to test and measure results so they can adapt their strategy accordingly.
Your headline is the first thing people see when they find your blog post, so it must be attention-grabbing and relevant. A great headline will make people want to click through and read your post.
3. Use Images and Photographs
People are visual creatures and can process images in as little as 13 milliseconds. Studies have also shown that people can recall more than 2,000 images with more than 90% accuracy over the course of several days. Additionally, 65% of the population notes that they are visual learners. Visual storytelling can help people internalize the insights from your blog, while increasing engagement. Just make sure you're using high-quality images relevant to the topic. Below are some images you can incorporate into your post:
- High-quality graphics
- Charts
- Stock photography
- Photojournalism
4. Leverage Thought Leadership Content
This is a great way to increase blog engagement and get people talking about your brand. In addition, by providing valuable, insightful content, you’ll be seen as an expert in your industry. In fact, according to a study by Edelman and LinkedIn, about half of decision-makers made a purchase from a company that they had not previously considered after engaging with their thought leadership content. Approximately 53% also did more business with the organizations responsible for creating the content.
Developing thought leadership content can help your brand stand above the noise and deliver better insights to your audience.
5. Curate the News
Using journalism in your marketing strategy will provide value to your readers, since they will view your blog as a resource on breaking news. Since news curation can be a time-consuming process, consider republishing articles from world-renowned publications through a copyright license.
According to a study done by Reuters, most people in the United States are not paying for digital news — and only about 37% of the people who do pay for online news have a second subscription. Since news is increasingly locked behind a paywall, offering this content on your blog will give your company unique content to showcase on your website, while providing valuable information.
6. Lead With Empathy
After the pandemic, marketing began to look very different. In fact, 58% of marketers noted that their strategy had changed due to COVID-19. Many of the marketers asked to comment on this change said that they began to focus more on empathy than a hard sell. Empathetic marketing can be an important way to show your target audience that you value your relationship with them.
7. Encourage Comments
One of the best ways to increase blog engagement is to encourage comments from readers. For example, ask questions at the end of your posts or offer giveaways for those who engage with your content in some way.
8. Break Up Your Text
No one wants to read a wall of text. Breaking up your text into smaller paragraphs makes it more digestible and helps increase engagement. Since your target audience may be consuming this content on mobile devices, breaking up the text also creates a better user experience for phones and tablets.
9. Use Bullet Points
People love lists! Using bullet points or numbered lists makes your content easier to scan and helps increase engagement.
10. Add Multimedia
Multimedia is a great way to increase blog engagement. Adding videos, infographics or images can help break up the text and keep people interested in what you have to say.
11. Answer Frequently Asked Questions
People are always searching for answers to their questions. By writing blog posts that answer frequently asked questions, you’ll increase engagement and help people out at the same time. FAQ-style posts can also help you improve your visibility for relevant long-tail keywords in the search results.
12. Do Some Research
When you write a blog post, do your research. Research can come in several forms. We’ve already noted the importance of involving cross-functional teams when creating an editorial calendar. However, looking into industry publications and competitors can also be a valuable way to get ideas for content. Research what posts are performing well on social media channels through platforms such as Buzzsumo to determine what topics may be of interest to your audience.
Be sure to also audit your own content to determine what posts and assets performed best. This data can help inform future articles.
According to one study, the more time spent creating a blog post, the better the results. In fact, bloggers who said they put at least six hours into their content had the best results. Part of this process includes the research to determine what is most valuable to your audience.
13. Be Personal
Being personal and sharing your own experiences is a great way to increase blog engagement. People want to read content that is relatable and down to earth.
14. Showcase Related Content on Relevant Posts
If you have other blog posts related to the one people are reading, make sure to showcase them! This will increase engagement by keeping people on your site and giving them more content to consume.
15. Use Calls to Action
Calls to action (CTA) are a great way to increase blog engagement. By asking people to do something at the end of your post, you’ll increase their chances of taking action.
16. Publish Frequently
As noted throughout this post, the quality of your content matters. However, the frequency of your posts also matters. In one survey, bloggers who posted two to six times per week were the most likely to report strong results from their content.
17. Take Advantage of Content Licensing
Need professional content but don’t have the time or resources? Licensed third-party content is here to take your content to the next level without you having to lift a finger. Your team can easily license content based on your industry, whether that be healthcare articles or travel guides. Outsourcing some of your content development efforts can save your team time, money and resources that can be allocated to other endeavors.
18. Promote Your Blog Via Your Internal Email List
If you have an email list, make sure you promote your blog content through it. This is an effective way to increase engagement because people already interested in what you have to say will be more likely to read your blog posts. Creating curated newsletters and emails that showcase your blog content will make your audience aware of the posts you are creating.
19. Use Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool that can help increase blog engagement. By sharing your posts on social media, you’ll reach a larger audience and get more people engaging with your content.
Now that you know how to increase blog engagement, it’s time to put these tips into practice! Implement these 19 strategies, and you’ll be well on your way to increasing your blog engagement and keeping your readers coming back for more.
Final Thoughts
If you're like most businesses, you understand the importance of using quality content to engage prospects and customers and promote your brand. But using licensed content can also help you achieve these goals.
Licensed content is produced by professional writers and editors who understand the needs of businesses. This means the content is high-quality and aligned with your brand voice. It can be customized to meet your audience's needs. Because it's been created with your audience in mind, licensed content is more likely to resonate with them and encourage them to take action.
Investing in licensed content is a smart way to ensure that your content marketing efforts are effective and efficient. By using quality content specifically designed for business, you can save time and resources, while still delivering the results you want.
