One concept loses itself on most bloggers.
The majority desperately search for hacks, tricks and techniques to become a successful blogger as quickly as possible.
I am all for leveraging.
But in the same breath, a weird but incredibly powerful truth forms the foundation for all successful blogs.
The truth sounds weird because ego cannot quite get why successful bloggers do it this way. Took me a minute to face, embrace and live by this concept to build my blogging community.
Watch the video from gorgeous Chiang Mai, Thailand as I discuss this concept:
The Powerful But Weird Truth
Blogging success sprouts from intimate, genuine, powerful, 1 to 1 connections.
Example; when you respond to each comment on your blog with a personalized, authentic answer you plant seeds for a beautiful friendship to develop with the individual. The more you engage your friends the more powerful the bond becomes.
Then your friends gradually promote you, endorse you, hire you and spread your word. This is what it takes to build a tribe.
Seems weird right?
Most bloggers struggle because they do not appreciate the 1 to 1 bonds you need to make to succeed. Bleh. Meh. No time for that, the struggling masses say. Ego wishes to make a 1 to 40,000 connection as quickly as humanly possible. But the 1 to 40,000 connection is virtually impossible until you build enough genuine 1 to 1 friendships, so that these established bloggers promote you to their followings.
This is how you create a buzz.
This is how you become a successful blogger.
Again, most bloggers have no idea how to become successful because they try to desperately reach as many human beings as possible with each act. Seems strange to them that the best way to reach as many humans as possible over the long haul is to build meaningful relationships, 1 to 1, mindfully.
Example
Scroll through the comments section of my video above. Not only did I address all of my Facebook friends who commented on my video; I also responded to a few comments by text too. This is building genuine friendships on a 1 to 1 basis.
Each friendship blossoms. My blogging buddies share my posts, buy my audio books and become brand ambassadors. All because I cared not about them sharing my posts, buying my audio books and becoming brand ambassadors. I just want to help them, to inspire them and to befriend them. That’s the reward, the gift, the most fun I have online; I want to befriend people and help them. I do not want anything from them. I want to give and then give some more because the work is the reward for me.
This is the perfect attitude to take if you want to build an online empire because all the individual bonds you establish begin to form a crazy loyal, supportive tribe that will boost your blog traffic and profits like nobody’s business.
Something else neat happens; the individual friendships you developed expand your presence at an exponential pace. Your influential friend promotes you via their latest blog post, spreading your message to 10,000 plus readers. Or your blogging buddy interviews you for their popular podcast, exposing your blog and brand to 50,000 listeners.
The 1 to many leveraging occurred because you focused on serving, inspiring and helping one individual, again and again, no strings attached.
Check out Susan Velez’s rocking tribe:
Susan and I became friends because we helped each other out through cross-promoting each other and publishing genuine comments on each other’s blog without asking anything of one another.
This happened organically, or naturally.
Because we are blogging buddies and built a bond patiently I am happy to shout her out on Blogging Tips as a shining example of someone who establishes authentic 1 to 1 bonds, helping to give her more exposure.
See how it works guys?