Recently, one of my workshop participants asked “Why should I take time to comment on other people’s blogs?” Here are some compelling reasons to make this part of your social media strategy:
- Every comment adds to your online visibility. Each time your name appears on a comment, the blogger and other blog readers see you and become familiar with your name.
- Building a community is a two-way conversation. By showing interest in other people’s thoughts, you demonstrate how much you value their contribution to your industry.
- Blog comments help establish you as an authority in your field. You also make it clear that you’re a lifelong learner willing to hear new ideas. Don’t be afraid to share your expertise to enhance what’s already been written.
- Frequent thoughtful, relevant comments on the same blog can help you build a relationship with the blogger and the audience. Check back for follow-up comments from the blogger and other readers and continue the dialogue as long as there’s something meaningful to say.
- Often blog comments accommodate your website listing as well as your name. These inbound links, sometimes called backlinks, add to your SEO (search engine optimization).
Read on for a few words of caution
- Be careful about including links to your blog in the text of your comment. Anything you share must support what the blogger is doing otherwise you’ll be perceived as spam.
- Sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all. A brief “thanks so much” may be courteous but it doesn’t establish any rapport with the folks you’re trying to network with.
- I’d also encourage you to say nothing if you have a negative reaction to the blog post. If there’s a factual error, by all means politely offer updated information but please don’t post your knee jerk reaction. The damage you could do to your reputation is vast.
- If you’re trying to build relationships from a business point of view, I suggest you avoid commenting on religious or political blogs. Why limit your market share to only those who share your beliefs?
- Be yourself. It’s all about authentic relationships, right?
So stop reading this and leave a comment today.