When you are blogging, do you realize that your readers are your customers? As such, you should treat them right so they’ll keep coming back. We’ve outlined some dos and don’ts to help you along the way.
DO … Make your design as pleasing as you can and your navigation as intutive as can be.
DON’T … Make big changes overnight. People don’t like sudden surprises. Drop hints, openly discuss your plans or add the updates over a lengthy period of time while telling them. Any radical changes can cause a dramatic downturn in readership.
DO … Be polite and nice to them always (no matter what they do to you).
DON’T … Insult them. Avoid flame wars and resorting to swearing. If you must, smile sweetly and block their IP address if they become a nuisance.
DO … Say hello to your readers. Never ignore them or pretend that they are not there. Don’t forget to answer your email and comments promptly.
DON’T … Take them for granted. Just because they click on an ad or comment one day does not mean that they will next week.
DO … Help your readers with any queries or problems that they have. Put negative feedback to good use and implement changes when possible to correct any minor issues.
DON’T … Get angry at your readers even if they for whatever reason don’t seem to ‘get it.’ Good and happy readers are worth their weight in gold, so never forget that.
DO … Keep it simple. Avoid using overly complicated terms, or if you do, take the time to explain them within your posts. If you need to, point them to another web resource, such as the Wikipedia, to help you help them.
DON’T … Think that your readers are stupid. Don’t show off and never talk down to them.
DO … Use your own common sense. Think about how you would want to be treated. Yeah, the old golden rule also applies when blogging.
DON’T … Confuse, be pushy, or be annoying. No one likes a snob, afterall.
Thanks to performancing for this article’s inspiration.