Yesterday, I discussed the benefits of knowing more about the people who read your blog. Today’s post offers some blogging tips on how you can get more information about them. But to appreciate the significance of this post, you are encouraged to take a look at my previous post on the 3 Benefits of Knowing Your Blog Readers.

Having been able to establish that getting more information about your blog readers helps you improve your blog, let’s take a closer look at how exactly bloggers can do this. Here are some of the available tools you can use.

Use Traffic Analytics

There are several traffic analytics you can use that enables you to learn more about your blog readers. For Blogging Mix, I use Google Analytics, Site Meter, FireStat and MyBlogLog. All of these are useful tools that enable me to monitor my blog performance and most importantly, helps me to get more information about my blog readers. Here’s a list of information I get about my blog readers from using these tools.

• How much traffic Blogging Mix gets everyday?
• Where are my blog readers coming from?
• How did they arrive at Blogging Mix?
• What operating software and internet browser are they using?
• What is their entry and exit page?
• How long did they stay at Blogging Mix?

From the information I gather, I will then be able to improve Blogging Mix and give my blog readers a good experience visiting my blog.

Open Comments to Blog Readers

If you close your comment like Seth Godin, you’re missing a lot of useful information that can help to improve your blog. Your blog readers interact with you through the comment. They also use it to raise points that haven’t been clarified in your post, give feedback about your content, correct your mistakes or simply appreciate your work.

Allowing your blog readers to comment on your blog also gives you the opportunity to learn more about them. From their comments, you will know what types of posts are they most interested in, which will allow you to create posts that are useful and relevant to them. This can be done by making posts that answer their questions and respond to their requests. Here’s a list of information I get about my blog readers from opening the comments to them.

• What kind of people read my blog? Bloggers or Non-bloggers?
• What do they appreciate about my blog?
• What part of my blogging needs improvement?
• What kind of content is most relevant and useful to my blog readers?

Make Your Contact Details Available

One problem I find with other blogs is the absence of a contact form or a contact detail. I know that they are probably avoiding spammers from getting their contact info but at the same time, they also let go of the opportunity to learn more about their blog readers.

Sometimes your blog readers would want to send personal messages to you that they don’t like to share in public so making your contact details available is always useful.

I have received several emails from my blog readers asking me to help them with their blog. Oftentimes, they request me to blog about specific topics like improving Alexa Traffic Rank, getting to the top 10,000 Blogs at Technorati etc. From the emails I receive from my readers, I am able to understand their needs and wants and that helps me to make useful and relevant articles.

Visit Your Blog Readers’ Blog

What I do when I have free time is to visit the blogs of my readers and leave comments on their posts. This is not only a good networking strategy but it presents an opportunity for me to better understand them. From visiting their blogs, I will be able to know what kind of contents will appeal to them.

Blogs usually have an “About” page, which contains more information about the blogger. Visiting the blogs of your blog readers, therefore, gives you the chance to know and understand them better.

Use Polls and Surveys

Polls and surveys are always the easiest way to get more information about your blog readers. Polls and surveys also increase your blog reader’s participation in your blog. What’s good about using polls and surveys is that you can ask your blog readers direct and specific questions.

I’m sure that getting more information about your blog readers is not limited to these 5 tools. Bloggers are known for their resourcefulness and creativity. I just hope that you don’t resort to illegal means to obtain the information you need about your blog readers.

What else do you think are the tools available that can be used to know and understand your blog readers?

Thanks for your time.

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