Blog commenting as a promotion strategy

One thing not touched on here is commenting as a search engine strategy – remember when you comment on a blog there’s a little place where you can put your URL (website/blog address) and this CAN add to improved “google juice” BUT many blogs have what is called a “no follow” implemented so you cant gank google juice off them just be leaving

“great post!”

comments.

COMMENTING ON BLOGS AS A PROMOTION STRATEGY

Commenting on blogs is often an effective strategy for promotion. It can boost your credibility, bring in more sales, and increase your revenue. A well-placed, well-written comment gets readers interested in you, and they’ll follow you back to your blog, website or profile page to find out more about you.

Blog commenting attracts attention. And attention is good.

Your commenting helps convey that you’re real, with ideas, thoughts, and personality. That’s appealing, because it creates relationships with other people. And that’s what business is about these days: relationships, not just dollars and cents.

Each person that sees your comment is a potential customer. The more people that become familiar with you and your business, the more likely they are to take that next step and buy from you.

The best blog commenting strategy starts with – you got it – research. You need to target specific blogs that offer the best return on your time investment.

Choose blogs that target the same people that you’re targeting or that have an audience that needs what you offer. For example, if you sell personalized cat collars, find blogs for cat-lover communities. If you offer virtual assistance services, find blogs for online entrepreneurs.

Tapping the Activity Potential

Make sure that the blogs you target have good-sized readerships – but not huge ones. Many comments on a post may seem attractive, but the reality is that your comment becomes lost in the sea of other people. Likewise, blogs that have very few comments may not attract enough attention to be worth your time.

An established blog with good participation can be just the right size. Something in the middle between no readers and too many readers – say, a volume of 10 to 20 comments – can be just the right size of blog to target.

Time Is On Your Side

Many people think that blog commenting takes a phenomenal amount of time to be effective. It can take time, yes, especially if you’re not a fast reader or writer. If that’s the case, focus on two to three very targeted blogs and invest a half hour a day at the most in your strategy. Or less. Or more.

Your efforts directly determine your returns. Do more and you’ll get more attention and clients. Do less and you’ll be forgotten quickly. On the Internet, out of sight is out of mind, and fast.

The Nitty Gritting of Commenting

Want some fast tips on effective blog commenting? Here you go:

* Never leave one-liner sentences that don’t add value. “Great post!” is a fast way to make sure people gloss over your comment.

* Keep your comments on the short side. Long novels tend to become boring and people skip past these monologues to the next comment.

* Sound positive. People like happiness and inspiring comments. Show your optimism each time you write.

* Be friendly. Address other commentators directly. Instigate conversation. Ask questions about their work or a comment they left.

* Disagree – politely and gently. Sometimes, taking the opposite stance with some friendly debate can be a good thing. Avoid disagreeing all the time, though.

* Don’t push a sale. Focus on building a reputation and a relationship. No one wants a sale shoved in his or her face.

* Don’t link drop. You have a field for your URL – use that instead of peppering comments with links.

* Use your name. Some people hide behind cute or witty nicknames or only use their business name to identify themselves. It’s a bad idea and detracts from your business credibility.

Already Have a Blog?

If you have a blog, and you’re ready to commit to its success, then it’s time to become part of the blog community.

Your goal is to establish a firm presence to be easily recognized by others. It doesn’t take long before people remember you and treat you as one of the gang. They may discuss directly and address you personally. You might even strike up a conversation or move on to emailing, which is a step closer to a sale.

It’s word-of-mouth marketing, the best kind.