Are your library blog posts getting read? If not, here are some possibilities as to why:
Bad content. Simply put, your content might not be all that good to begin with. Maybe it’s stuff you’re interested in, but your patrons don’t share that interest. How to fix it – Why not find out what your patrons are interested in, then write about that?
Poorly written content. Maybe the topic is on-target, but your writing stinks. If your writing is hard to read, guess what? Your patrons probably won’t read it. How to fix it – Why not work on improving your writing skills? Go consult some of those “How to Write” books in your library’s collection. Let the good writers on staff write your blog posts. Use modern web-writing standards.
Your website looks bad. If your website site looks icky, people will assume the content is icky too. How to fix it – update that website. Use a modern CMS like Drupal or WordPress, and use a nice-looking visual template design (or find a talented graphic designer that understands how to design for the web). Make it look as professional as the rest of your library.
Your content is hidden. Is your content hidden under multiple links? Not pulled out in an obvious way so people can find it? If so, that could be the problem. Why? Because your customers aren’t going to hunt for it. How to fix it – pull that content out. Put obvious links on your library’s main page that lead to your great content. Make sure your site is easy to use.
You’re not promoting your content. Maybe your writing is good, the site looks inviting, and your content is easy enough to find – but you’re simply not telling your patrons about it. Instead, you’re playing that passive “oh, I hope How to fix it – promote your blog posts. Instead of making a nice mystery book display in the library, write some short, pithy book reviews. Post those. Then drop the link onto your library’s Facebook Wall, and ask for responses. Ask people to Like it, for their thoughts … which helps spread the joy of your writing into other people’s walls, potentially lead to other comments, etc. Then rinse and repeat.
What would you add?
pic by vial3tt3r
Nice post!
I’d add use Twitter to promote your blog – I know you had a promotional bit but, my subscribers aside, a HUGE proportion of my own blog’s hits come via Twitter (especially when people other than me are championing the posts…) and I’m sure that’s the same for institutional blogs too.
I’d also add, make subscription incredibly easy for your users – anyone with half an interest in what you have to say shouldn’t have even the tinest barrier between them and finding more of your stuff in the future.
And finally, I’d add that a blog is a web2 tool so don’t use it in a web1 way! Which is to say, it’s a communication medium, not just a broadcast medium. That means responding to comments, writing open ended content that encourages commenting and interaction, leaving comments on other people’s blogs and other institution’s blogs, and generally becoming part of the conversation.
I wholeheartedly agree with all ideas listed (Ned’s points, too).
One truism about online publishing that’s missing on this list is frequency of publishing. I think anyone who’s ever worked with online content takes for granted the idea that more frequent publishing = higher traffic.
Of course the idea of “good” content is important to keep in mind at the same time. You’d ideally figure out what visitors are interested in reading, and try to write more frequently about those topics, as opposed to just flooding your blog with every little minute detail in which perhaps only a handful of people hold an interest. But that might be a starting point in determining what types of posts resonate.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
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