Have you found yourself writing and your thoughts trail off to thoughts of readers and how you are making a difference?

As achievers, we love to measure our progress and one of the ways we can do that is checking our metrics.

Hi, my name is Allan, and I'm a recovering analytics junkie.

13_How To NOT Get Addicted To Analytics (From A Recovering Addict)_Yes its true my friend, I was addicted to my analytics! I loved checking them 3-10 times a day. There was (and still is) such a thrill seeing all the different places that people were checking out my blog.

Likewise, I felt deflated when my page wasn't getting the views I thought it should be getting.

Sometimes it showed in my writing, and occasionally I just didn't want to write.

Have you encountered these feelings?

qualityquantity

It wasn't until I put more focus on the quality of
work vs. the quantity of readers
that I began to see even more exciting growth!!!

So let me share with you a few lessons learned during these crazy times when I was going nuts over the numbers.

#1: Be grateful

When my focus shifted from seeing larger numbers to how I could better serve my readers, I became more grateful for each reader.

I have not yet reached the heights of Leslie Samuel, Dan Miller, or Michael Hyatt. Yet there are people who are reading my blog regularly. Some of these readers contact me via email, social media channels, and even a couple phone calls.
auditorium

I realized how magnificent it was to have 10-50 readers per week, and later, several hundred per month. I had an amazing mentor who asked me to think of it as filling a room with that many people every week that had come to have me share something with them.

It is easy to forget that this is a large number of people. Yes I know the larger bloggers have tens to hundreds of thousands of readers every month. Remember they started where you and I are, and they also jumped for joy with every new reader that came to their page.

That visualization my mentor had me do made a huge impact on how I felt about my readers. It definitely helped me appreciate the fact that I had any amount of followers.

So to you……Yes YOU…….Thank You!

#2: Write with purpose

When I started blogging I was all over the place.focus It was difficult to keep my thoughts organized and focused on a single topic. I  just wanted to share all the knowledge I had! I wanted to be useful to people and help them get started on their journey.

I found the more focused my posts were, the more engaged the readers were. Some of you may be thinking, “Really, it took you that long?” lol.

It is blatantly obvious when you say it aloud, but sometimes when you are in the situation it may be easy to ignore.

Decide ahead of time what your purpose is, remembering that this is an evolving statement and may change as your readers help you focus on what they need from you. This will in turn guide you to write better posts. Let's check out a few great examples.

Take a look at Carlie Hamilton fromSproutSpire-Logo SproutSpire.com. Her purpose is clearly stated in various places on her website. Carlie helps you grow your business presence. Right on her newsletter opt-in it reads, “I’ll show you how to increase your traffic, optimize your website, and more.” Simple, yet effective.

Another example of this is Cynthia Sanchezosp from OhSoPinteresting.com. Her goal is to teach you how to incorporate Pinterest into your business and marketing strategy. On her email opt-in it reads, “Are You Ready to Maximize Pinterest For Your Business?” There is no mistaking what she is there to do.

I really like how she isn't passive about it at all. She had already made the assumption that you want to opt-in, because she knows how much this information can do for you!

#3: Connect with your community

When I began writing with more purpose, I had Your VOICE gets heardmore readers. I began being more grateful, and my readership grew even more.

The next big thing I learned was how impactful creating a feeling of community was, and not only creating the community but engaging even more with them.

I have a sincere interest in what my readers are doing. I don't know all of them, but the ones who interact in the community I have come to know even more. I go over to their sites, check out their Facebook and Twitter pages. I even share their content.

I don't do this with the intent of growing my readership. I do it because it allows me to get a better feel of who my reader is.

Interestingly enough, taking this sincere interest in what people are doing has also helped my readership grow.

I set out to help others, and the “Numbers” took care of themselves.

I still think it important to review your site metrics. You still want to be strategic and see what people are responding to, and if you are gaining more exposure. Continue looking for ways to engage more readers. Just remember what these numbers represent.

Have you fallen victim to the analytics trap?

How do you keep your metrics in perspective?

Leave me a comment below, I'd love to hear from you!

 

About the Author Allan Dubon


This is the face behind AllanDubon.com and "The Update" podcast. Helping you navigate through this stormy sea we call social media!

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