I sometimes feel the overpowering pressure that many bloggers feel to be continually growing my readership base, my social media followers, and my pageviews. As one who earns income from blogging, there are certainly important reasons to be proactive in growing my blog.
I’ve mentioned it before in a vlog, but lately I’ve been keenly aware of that delicate balance between seeking ways to grow A Royal Daughter, and seeking ways to genuinely connect with you, the readers and followers I already have.
Have I told you lately how thankful I am that you take time out of your day to read the words I write, engaging me in comments, by e-mail, and on Twitter and Facebook? Have I thanked you lately for sharing my blog posts with your readers and friends?
Thank you.
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Friends, please hear my heart on this. While it is important to seek ways to grow our blogs, it is also important to nurture the communities we already have already established. No matter how big or small that community is.
You are my community.
And I have worked hard to find ways to encourage you, to help you meet each other, and to provide you with helpful blog design resources.
But I want to know, what else can I do? I want to know more about you, your family, your blog, why you keep coming back to A Royal Daughter. I’ve created a survey to help me get to know you a little better. Would please take time to fill out the survey? It’s only 10 (easy) questions.
Will you join me? Will you embrace the community you have, regardless of how big or small it is, and be intentional to nurture it, to lead your followers, and strengthen the community? If so, how? I think I need some fresh ideas!
Are you ready to be an inspiration? (To find out the purpose of this community, please read this post.)
- Please visit the others who link up and leave kind, encouraging words for them. This is about encouraging, inspiring, and building up one another.
- If you tweet about linking up, please use the hashtag #desiretoinspire so we can find each other.
- Link up your own quality, read-worthy posts.
- Focus on how you can be an inspiration, not what inspires you.
- You do not have to follow ARD, but of course I’d love it if you would.
- Link up your specific posts, not your blog’s homepage.
- Please do not link up giveaways, blog/social media hops, or shops.
- Please link back to A Royal Daughter in your post (using the button below, or a text link back) or add this linky party to your linky party list.
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.aroyaldaughter.com/category/desire-to-inspire/" title="A Royal Daughter"><img src="http://www.aroyaldaughter.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Desire-to-Inspire-Button.png" alt="A Royal Daughter" style="border:none;" /></a></div>
Blogging Goals Q & A with Chrissy at The Pearl Blog
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ARD: As a blogger, what is your biggest challenge for growing your community, and how do you deal with it?
TPB: As a blogger i feel my biggest challenge in growing my community is finding ways to engage all my readers. when I started blogging it was more of a family journal, then I switched to a craft blog. Now I am a lifestyle blogger, in other words I blog about everything. I try to be true to me, but also write about what people want to hear. As a shop owner I have thankfully never experienced a “difficult” customer. I guess we will see when i reach that hurdle! I try to be honest and upfront so no one has unrealistic expectations.
Latest posts by Amanda (see all)
- Desire to Inspire #35: Community - May 23, 2013
- In the Midst of the Storm - May 22, 2013
- Waiting - May 21, 2013
I hope my link up is appropriate. I am hoping to grow a yoga community and inspire others to find the time for them. To find some silence amongst this noisy world of ours.
Yes, Bettina – it definitely appropriate! I hope you’ll link up again in the future!
Amanda, I think you are doing an amazing job creating community on your blog. For me as a reader, I love coming here because your blog has meaning and purpose and I really do feel like you care. Thanks for encouraging us and challenging us to be better bloggers. I wish I could offer some advice but I have no idea haha! I just try and share my heart when God leads, pray for my readers when I tell them I am going to and continue to reach out. That’s all I know to do. I love the survey idea! Taking it now! Have a wonderful day!
Hi Megan – I just wanted to say thank you so much for your sweet, encouraging, and otherwise day-making comment! It was super encouraging to me, and I thank you for the positive feedback!
You do a wonderful job at building community and connecting with your current following. I know that can be hard to do. I personally struggle with that! Not because I dont want to connect, but because I just have a limited time frame online, and I use it mostly to get posts and such scheduled and other blog work stuff completed. I always seem to miss connecting via twitter/facebook where everyone else is really on and chatting, because Im offline taking care of my kids or home… But I do desire to connect more with my readers when I can. You seem to doa great job balancing it all!
I feel the same way all. the. time, Maria-Isabel:) There’s a lot of us like that – you’re not alone…
xoxo
Maria you are super sweet! Balancing it is hard for me too. Mainly because I’m REALLY good at wasting time. But I do appreciate your sweet encouragement!
Thank you for being such a real person, Amanda. I really hear your heart here and appreciate you!
Mrs. Sarah Coller
Thank you so much for your sweet encouragement, Sarah!
I forgot to put something on the survey: I love you as a leader in this blog world. I struggle with finding time (and the resources) to build my community.
Maybe some pointers every month or so…If I remember correctly, you’ve done this a little before:)
Love you friend…
Nay – how encouraging are you? From texts, to e-mails to comments. You seriously bless me.
You rock. That is all.
Well you do too! Thanks my friend!
I think you are doing great. It’s warm and inviting here. I took the survey
Thank you Kenya! I really appreciate the feedback!