One of the worst user experiences that any business, organization or individual can have is to be on the receiving end of an unresponsive, inactive list.
An unresponsive list means that the person or team who is supposed to be handling the list is not handling it. Or, they are handling it, but they aren’t responding to your messages. Or, they are responding to your messages, but they are not doing anything substantial.
You could try to fix this by resending the same message. Or, you could try to fix this by talking to someone who has more authority than the person or team who is on the list. Or, you could try to fix this by going through the list one message at a time until you reach someone who can help. Or, you could try to fix this by creating more than one list — one for each phase of the project. Or, you could try to fix this by getting a new list altogether and importing all your prior messages. All of these things are possible, but they tend to be extremely inefficient and ineffective. The truth is, there’s probably a better way to deal with this. But, you don’t know what it is.
Why Are People Losing Interest In Your List?
People are losing interest in your list for many reasons. One of the reasons is that you are not keeping your list active and interesting. Here are some ways to make your list more interesting:
1. Short-Lists Are More Interesting
One of the best ways to keep people interested in your list is to keep the list short. When you have a long list, your readers begin to lose interest quickly because they have so much to go through. To combat this, you can break down your lengthy list into smaller chunks. For example, you can have a short list with just three to four ideas per item. Or, you can have a long list but you can also have sub-lists within that list. People are more engaged when there are multiple shorter lists to go through. If you’re worried about getting everything on your list in one go, then break it down into smaller chunks. People love shortcuts. They’ll gladly browse through shorter lists because they know that they’ll soon be onto the next item. This creates a continuous flow of interest. You can use the same principle when you’re creating your own list – use the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Short and Simple) to keep your readers interested.
2. Interactivity Is Key
The other important thing to do to keep people interested in your list is to ensure that they are actively engaged with the content. You can do this in a couple of ways. First, you can allow comments on your blog posts. Comments are a great way to engage with your readers and to get feedback. Responses to comments allow for even more interaction between the reader and the author. Second, you can use interactive elements in your blog posts. Third parties like Google Analytics offer many different options for users to engage with your content. For example, you can use social media widgets that allow your readers to like, share, or comment on your content using their social accounts. Fourth, you can use virtual assistants like Alexa or Google Home to engage with your readers. Fifth, you can put a human face on your content by interviewing subject matter experts or putting quotes from famous people on your blog posts. These types of posts tend to attract more interest and engagement than standard blogs. When you put a face (or voice) on your content, your readers will feel more connected to the material. Interactive elements, short-lists, and human faces can all be used to make your blog posts more interesting and relevant to your audience. Don’t be afraid to try new things. Experiment with different styles and themes and see which ones work best for your blog.
3. Use Statistics And Research
To the rescue! You can use Google Analytics to track the success of your blog posts. With analytics, you can easily see the results of your experiments and determine which blog post types perform the best. You can then use this information to help you create blog posts that will engage your audience.
Another important thing to do with analytics is to research your audience. You can use the information you discover to tailor your blog posts to be more appealing to your specific audience. For example, if you discover that your readers are mostly men between the ages of 18 and 34, you can create blog posts that will appeal to this audience. Tailor your content to suit the demographics most likely to be interested in your product or service.
4. Offer Value
Some people argue that providing value for free is the key to establishing a rapport with an audience and gaining their trust. If you believe this to be true, all you need to do is to provide value to your audience in some shape or form. The internet is full of free resources that can be used for research and development. If you believe that your audience expects something in return (like a free product or service) then you should deliver. However, you should not feel that you have to provide excessive value to satisfy your readers. It is a common misconception that your readers expect you to give away your entire content for free. Most readers will appreciate a good quality blog post that provides value even if it is not completely free of charge.
5. Regular Content Increase Engagement
Content that is regularly published keeps the audience interested. The only difference between regularly published content and the occasional blog post is that the former is published on a consistent basis. Consistency is important because it proves to the audience that you are reliable. When you post frequently and consistently, you create a steady stream of content. This attracts and retains an audience because it shows that you are responsible and reliable. You can also use this type of content to highlight your top-notch articles. Regularly published content allows you to experiment with different types of articles and post topics. Do not be afraid to try new things. A steady stream of content, no matter how good or bad, is far more beneficial to your SEO efforts than a few isolated blog posts. You can use the isolated posts to experiment with different techniques, but you should not rely on them for your entire content schedule. Your readership will appreciate your experimentation.
How Is Your List Doing?
An unresponsive, inactive list is a pain for everyone involved. Someone (usually a staff member) has to go through each email in the list and either act on it or forward it to the appropriate person. If you’re looking for a way to reduce unnecessary stress, you should consider creating a list of desired outcomes and then breaking down each email into small, actionable tasks. This will allow each person on the list to work on only a small portion of the whole list at a time so that they can move on to the next email more quickly. Ideally, you should have a different person handling each phase of the project so that there is continuity throughout the process. This will also help you identify missing or ambiguous tasks more easily. Having clear, unambiguous task lists makes everyone’s job much easier. It also helps eliminate the ambiguity that comes with a project where each staff member is handling a different part of the project. Keep your list active and interesting by using the tips discussed here. Remember, if you are going to work through a list, you should have a clearly defined endpoint in mind. Otherwise, you’ll be floundering in the dark and will undoubtedly upset someone along the way. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, but be smart about which ones to ask. If you’re worried about getting everything in one go, then break it down into smaller chunks. People love shortcuts. They’ll gladly browse through shorter lists because they know that they’ll soon be onto the next item. This creates a continuous flow of interest. You can use the same principle when you’re creating your own list – use the K.I.S.S. principle (Keep It Short and Simple) to keep your readers interested. Regularly published content increases engagement. Offering value for free is important because it establishes trust. If you believe that your audience expects something in return (like a free product or service) then you should fulfill that expectation. However, you should not feel that you have to provide excessive value to satisfy your readers. It is a common misconception that your readers expect you to give away your entire content for free. Most readers will appreciate a good quality blog post that provides value even if it is not completely free of charge.