The experience of creating and sustaining a readership for my niche blog through Facebook has been both insightful and challenging. I truly enjoyed having a quick and convenient way to promote my blog articles whenever I released a new one. I also enjoyed being able to share other blogger's work that I found interesting and relevant to my own blog's topics. If I were to continue on with my blog, I would set a schedule for my posts. I would release a new blog post one a week, twice if it really took off, on the same day and the same time each week. I would also post more statuses on Facebook each week, and be sure to post them at popular times according to Facebook's viewer algorithms. Assuming I would have the time, I would plan to post questions of interest to my readers, both to get to know them better, and to get new ideas for projects and articles. The final change I would implement if I were to keep up my blog would be an active conversation with my readers. I would want to reply to comments as much as possible, and create posts based on their demands and interests.
Commentary
I have done my best to engage my Facebook audience through my posts by attempting to affirm something about my reader, allowing my reader to express virtual empathy, and expressing something practical and or giving something back to my reader. In order to post content that affirms something about my readers, I try to post an array of topics. This ensures that there are posts for everyone that has a general interest in DIY organization. I make attempts to post step by step video guides, ideas and inspiration, written step by step guides, and visual. Based on Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences theory, this multitude of types of content will reach a variety of readers. These posts will affirm and intrigue something in readers that are of intrapersonal, linguistic, interpersonal, visual/spatial, naturalistic, and even logical intelligences. By affirming the type of intelligence my reader may be, I am able to engage them in the article or post and make it feel more personally connected to him/her. This type of connection also encourages virtual empathy. When a reader feels personally connected to a post or article, it helps them to retain the information provided on a deeper level. Readers may come back to my Facebook page or website more often due to the connection they feel between themselves and the writing. My posts easily express logical ideas and information, and give these things and more back to the reader. Nearly all the posts that I have made have led my reader to some sort of destination. These destinations have included Youtube videos with cleaning and organizing inspiration or how-to instructions. Some posts have led to other types of how-to articles, as well as articles that talk about or sell products that I support and in depth. Remaining posts have been helpful tips and tricks about cleaning and organizing, my own blog posts, or projects that I am working on and suggest. From a more logistical standpoint, my posts are the loose beginning of what 9 Facebook Marketing Strategies to Build Super Fans would describe as successful marketing and outreaching. As of now, I do not post on a regular basis, but when I do post, it is multiple times within the hour. This article suggests breaking these apart into a more even schedule. The article also suggests becoming a "content machine," which I currently am not. My posts do contain a human touch, as they are written in informal dialogue, which is much less intimidating than formal linguistics. They engage the readers by asking them for their opinions or general survey questions, and speaking to them directly. This dialogue with my readers is crucial to making the connections necessary to keep a rising level of interest in the page.