Embarking on blogging can sometimes be more complicated than it sounds. On the other hand, it is as easy as providing information of interest to your audience and listening to them.
In the olden days, websites were static. Today, they have morphed to social. There are comments, Likes, Retweets, Stumbles, and many other methods of sharing. As the owner/author of the blog, you always want your content shared because sharing drives more traffic to your site. The more traffic to your site, the better your odds of getting comments and building something more valuable (leads, referrals, new business). Of course, traffic for the sake of traffic isn’t a bad thing either.
Getting people to comment on your blog is key for many reasons:
- It creates a richer experience for everyone!
- Comments are a chance to listen!
- Responding to comments shows you are listening!
- Comments can validate/convey your expertise/wisdom/brand!
- Comments provide a personal side. No one wants to do business with an entity.
- It can facilitate the start of a relationship/networking opportunity.
I am a synthesizer of information, not a thought leader. To better understand the complexity of the social world of technology, I highly recommend “Trust Agents” by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith. It lays out the logic of socializing the old business models.
Blogs offer the opportunity to really hear what your audience has to say, if, you can get them to comment.
In order to help those that were not comfortable commenting, you may want to conclude your posts with a question. If you want comments, tell them you value their opinions and ideas and welcome comments. You may also choose to explain what the benefits of commenting are to them in a post. “Why comment on this site?” isn’t such a bad title for a post. Actually the act of writing that post might help clarify your blog’s purpose as well.
Way back in 2008, Dan Schawbel wrote a simple and still applicable post, “The 2 Ps and 4 Cs of Personal Branding”
- Protection, Promotion
- Content, Comments, Conversation, Community
From my own personal experience, it has been a great learning opportunity to be involved in blogging. I’ve met some incredibly generous people along the way. I’ve also been referred business (cha ching). See what happens when you give to get!
