Author: Kabir Bedi

Blogging, be it corporate or persona has become a popular concept to communicate with your audiences and build strong networks on the web. However, in order to build a strong network, it is important that you interact with your audiences and vice versa. Even though yo may write very interesting articles, you may not be able to leverage its full potential if it doesn't spark an interest among readers, enough to make them comment on the post.

Here are some tips to increase the reader participation on your blog and pave way to interesting conversations:

End Posts with an Open Thought

The opening statement of your post is of extreme importance to stimulate the interest of readers. However, what requires as much importance is the closing statement. If opening statements arouse reader's interest, the closing statement should work to make them say something. Closing statements should invite the readers to comment something and join the discussion. Even if hundreds of people are reading your blog but none of them are urged enough to leave a comment, then you are just losing out on them.

Therefore, make sure you create a strong closing statement that asks readers about their views and how they would challenge your opinion or idea. Your post should be intriguing enough to make them feel to connect with you.

Give them Incentives

While gifts and prizes might not work in this scenario, but the lure of incentives may sure have takers. A good idea is installing a plug-in that displays the last post of users who leave their comments. This not only promotes the spirit of networking but your readers might follow your blog seriously in order to keep the comment loop running. Incentives are a good idea. If you want people to spend time to leave a comment and share their thoughts, you ought to give them something in return

Offer Value Addition

Blogging is an essential corporate tool to keep your readers informed about what is going on in your company and so on, you also need to make sure that your readers are gaining something from it. If yo just want to rant about your business, you may only get your most loyal audience to read it and even they might not be urged enough to leave comments or start a discussion.

Therefore, do some value addition with your posts. Encourage readers to participate. This way, they will also come back to see where the discussion is headed.

Respond Quickly

If you want your readers to comment, make sure you show your appreciation. If someone leaves a comment on your article, be responsible and comment back to whatever has been said. If you fail to do that then the reader might just think of it as lack of responsibility and never return.

Return the Favor

Make it a point to check the blogs of your readers and leave a comment on their posts as well. Likewise, you can also consider commenting on other blogs on regular basis and establish a relationship with the audience there so that they will be urged to visit your blog as well.

About the Author:
Kabir Bedi is the senior web consultant at LeXolution IT Services, a professional web design company based in India. He has in depth knowledge of the web industry and leads a team of professional web developers to craft high quality web solutions. "