It’s not that you’re trying to be rude, but these are the people who suck the energy right out of you. You ask them how they are, expecting a one or two word response and instead they launch into a 15-minute monologue about everything from their bunions to their incurable outbreak of warts.

You’re probably thinking, “Yeah, those people are annoying. I would never do that.” But have you ever stopped to think this might be how people feel about your blog?

Traci Feit Love addresses this issue in her recent Copyblogger article, “How to Get Lucky with Content Marketing.” We reviewed this article at our recent WestmorelandFlint Book Club meeting (yes, we actually have a book club, only it would be more accurate to call it an article club) and discussed its implications for WestmorelandFlint and our clients.

Based on Love’s article and our book club’s lively discussion, here’s our top five list on how to avoid the social outcast blog syndrome:

1. Stop talking to yourself. If you move to a new city and you’re looking to meet people with similar interests, you join clubs and organizations where you’ll find people like you, right? It’s no different with blogs. If you want to find new readers, you have to get out there and find them. Join in conversations on blogs with similar topics to yours and once people see how unbelievably smart and witty you are, they’ll start following your blog, too.
2. Listen before you talk. Find out about your readers’ interests and write about them instead of just blathering on about yourself or your business. Read other blogs with similar topics and find out what people are talking about.
3. Be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else. Don’t just repost other people’s content unless you can intelligently apply it to your market.
4. Be casual. There’s a reason formal dining rooms are becoming a thing of the past. People want to hang out in the kitchen where it’s comfortable and casual. So let people get to know you. Show a little of your personality and don’t be so stuffy!
5. Do something new. David Sadowski, WestmorelandFlint art director, shared that he has a personal goal to do something new every week. Last week he shot a gun for the first time. (Don’t worry, no one was injured.) What a great concept! Try new things and take some risks with your blog. Make every post new and fresh.

What are your ideas for transforming your blog into a social butterfly?