Online marketing is all about being seen.
Many businesses go the traditional route and use social media, blog content, online reviews and videos. While these tactics work well, there is one marketing method that often gets overlooked: blog commenting.
Yes, the simple act of commenting on other blogs has the power to increase your exposure, bring more awareness to your own business and help establish you as an industry leader.
By commenting you can:
- Increase your traffic. Many commenting systems will automatically show your latest blog post when you enter your website URL. If other readers like your comment, chances are they will check out your own blog.
- Get more backlinks. Every useful comment that contains a link back to your site can help your
SEO efforts. - Increase your authority. By leaving the right comments, you will begin to be seen as someone with industry knowledge.
- Expand your online presence. Comments are another way to get your name out there. Like guest blogging, the more you write the more chances you will get seen.
- Help you build relationships with industry leaders. Well-written, thought out comments get noticed by bloggers. Commenting is actually one of the best ways to connect with industry influencers. Getting their attention this way can be the start of a great relationship that can benefit both parties.
Who Reads Blog Comments
While the comments may seem like an afterthought to a well-written blog post, the comments are actually read by many people. In fact, there are 3 main groups of people that typically read blog comments:
- Bloggers. The blog owners will read your comments, and they take particular notice if you really wow them with what you have to say. In fact, many of them will check out your business blog and leave a comment in return.
- Blog readers. Other readers of the blog will read your comment, and often times respond to what you have said.
- Consumers. If the blog is attached to a business, consumers may read through the blog comments to see if they can find out more about a particular product or service.
Choosing the Right Blogs
The key to really boosting your business through blog commenting is to pick the right blogs. You want to make sure that your comments are seen by the right people that will help elevate your own blog and business. Here are some tips to picking the right blogs to comment on. Look for:
- Relevant blogs. The blogs must be relevant to your own industry. You’re trying to increase your authority in your own niche, as well as bring more attention to your business, so it’s important to focus on closely related sites.
- Authority blogs. You also want to focus on blogs that are pretty well-known. Why? Because these are the ones that you will benefit from the most. Which brings us to …
- Blogs with traffic. The blogs should have some decent traffic to increase your chances of your comments being seen by others.
Blog Commenting Ground Rules
Once you’ve picked a handful of respected, authoritative blogs in your own industry, you can start commenting. But first, some ground rules:
- Write long comments. Let’s make one thing clear: I’m not talking about leaving short comments like “Great post!” or “Thanks for sharing this insight.” To really get noticed, your comments should be fairly long, almost like mini blog posts. If you’re really unsure of what to say, start by talking about why you found the blog post useful.
- Add value. Your comments should add some value to the existing blog post. You can suggest some additional tips not covered in the post. You may even decide to disagree with the blogger, and that’s okay. Just make sure you back up your position with useful information.
- Don’t be promotional. You’re here to add value to the blog post, not to promote your own business. If you use blog commenting correctly, you will naturally get more traffic and more interest in your products and services.
- Be friendly. The relationship starts with your comment. Address the blogger by name, and be courteous. Even if your comment disagrees with the blogger’s position, you can be polite about it.
Getting Noticed
Since the goal is to get noticed, you really want to take your time with blog commenting. We already discussed writing long, valuable pieces of content for your comments. Here are just a few more tips:
- Be the first to the post. Though it’s not always possible, getting your comment in near the top gives you more exposure. This is especially helpful on blogs that tend to get a lot of commenters.
- Answer questions. If you noticed other commenters asking questions that haven’t been addressed by the blogger, you can jump in and answer them. Doing so will help showcase your expertise.
- Have a Gravatar. If you don’t already have one, you need one. It’s an avatar that’s associated with your email address. By simply filling in your email address, your image will show up across all your blog comments, helping you brand yourself and your business. Sign up for your Gravatar here.
- Always use your real name. Using your name will further your efforts to brand yourself. You want bloggers and readers to associate your face and name with your business. Also, always use your full name. It comes off as more professional and more sincere. You may choose to use something like “Your Name @ Your Business” and that’s fine too. Just keep it consistent and make sure you use your first and last name.
- Be consistent in your commenting. Like any other marketing method, blog commenting works best when you are consistent. In general, people need to be exposed to something 7 times before they remember it. Continually leaving quality comments on the same blogs ensures you will be noticed, and remembered, by others.
Blog commenting is a useful and effective marketing tactic that is often overlooked. By commenting on authority blogs in your industry, you have the power to increase your website traffic, show your knowledge and build lasting relationships.
Do you use blog commenting in your marketing strategy? Leave a comment and tell us your best commenting tips.
Images: “yellow comment enter key and speech bubble icon./Shutterstock.com“
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