Blog Commenting to Drive Traffic | THE NET-TECH REPORT

The Net-Tech Report with Chris Kauza

Any website needs traffic driving to it, whether it's a blog, squeeze page, or a product. In this article I am going to discuss a proven traffic generation method, and best of all - it is completely free! What am I talking about? “Blog commenting” to drive traffic.

If you've ever visited a blog on the internet then you'll probably know what I am referring to – the comments that people post below the main, original blog post. When you click on the author's name you are taken to the commentator’s website. Quite candidly, this is a big reason why many people post comments on blogs – to get people to visit their website and 'borrow' some of the traffic that the post is getting…

…but most people go about it the wrong way. They end up posting pseudo-spammy comments and not really adding to the conversation or creating a link between what the blog is about & what the backlink is about.

In my experience, article marketing (which we will discuss in another article) and blog commenting are the best ways to build backlinks to your site – and good backlinks will bring traffic to your site for years to come.

If you “answer” questions on “how to” websites like LinkedIn, Hubpages, Yahoo Answers or Quora, you can improve your stature as an expert and drive traffic directly to your site, for specified topics. However, the best engagement and conversion rates still come from using video in your marketing (still yet another series of forthcoming articles!).

So how do you actually go about using blog commenting to drive traffic? Here’s how…

Start by finding the popular blogs in your niche. You probably already know what these are! Ideally you want blogs which get lots of visitors and which are 'active' (these exist in almost any niche). If you are having trouble finding some, you can always use your favorite search engine or else you can use Technorati to find specific blog sites.

Then, within each blog, find posts on the blogs to which you can make an intelligent response, and contribute to the discussion that is taking place. This is the most important thing. Posting a one-liner like “great post – I’ll be back for more!” is useless and may not be approved or may get deleted. This doesn't help your credibility (and therefore people will be unlikely to click on the link you created to check out your website) and it is generally regarded as being blatant spam.

When you correctly use blog commenting to engage with the author of the original post, you'll come across as an interesting person, and most importantly as someone who has a valued opinion on the topic. This helps solidify your Expert status.

Find the blogs. Join in the discussions. Question the original post, or add some extra information, and then enjoy the traffic that blog commenting can bring.

Do you have other ideas or tips that others could benefit from? Look for the popular topics and then add to them. Another good strategy is to look for new posts and be the first person to comment. Being the first commenter to a post on a popular blog can bring your site traffic for years to come. So don’t delay and start interacting with blogs in your market today!

For more information, please visit Chris's TNNWC Bio.

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Blog Commenting to Drive Traffic | THE NET-TECH REPORT

DAVE CLARKE: Twelve Years of Online Networking

by Dave Clarke

Last month I wrote about Managing your Network using a combination of offline & online networks. This posts focuses on one online network. Online networks are an essential part of everyday life for many people, but that wasn't always the case. The first online network I joined was the US-based Linkedin back in 2003. Pretty soon after that someone recommended the UK-based network, Ecademy, to me.


Ecademy celebrated its 12th birthday in February this year so it's great to report on this UK site. It's not often that an Internet pioneer is a UK-based privately owned business with no venture capital funding. Ecademy founder Penny Power started Ecademy to support her husband's business. She said to Thomas at the time, "Surely many people feel like you when they run their own business - why don't we start a community on the Internet to help people who are in business."


Today Penny expresses the vision for Ecademy: "To be the place for business people to be themselves, without the need to push, without the need to force. A place to be a friend to other business people and through that see the wonder of what open, random and supportive communication can deliver for each other."


As Penny also says, "We are still relatively early in the adoption of building business through conversation and friendship. Some still utilize Ecademy and other social networks as a 'selling' opportunity, but they learn in time that it is much better to create a personal brand where people come to buy from you, rather than to brand themselves as a 'seller' who is flogging their products and services through utilizing a 1980's style of direct marketing!"


Some great lessons from Penny about business development and networking.


Until next time.

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

For more information, please visit Dave's TNNW Bio.

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DAVE CLARKE: Twelve Years of Online Networking

DAVE CLARKE: Managing your Network

by Dave Clarke

At a meeting earlier this month people were talking about how difficult it is to keep track of all the interactions we now have both online and offline. Last month I wrote about the many different ways we have of keeping in touch with the advent of social networks and social media. Online networks give us a a really effective tool for supporting our offline business networking activities. They only do that, however, if we go about both activities strategically.

I have been an active member of online networks since I discovered them in 2003. In an article on the NRG-networks website I share my top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks:

1. Get comfortable with how networking works
2. Develop a plan
3. Identify the people you already know, like & trust
4. Identify the offline networks to join
5. Show a genuine interest in other people
6. Always follow up contacts
7. Identify the online networks to join and start a blog
8. Make online contacts and build relationships first
9. Arrange contact meetings
10. Develop Networking Advocates

More on each point in the article, top 10 tips for building business with the effective use of offline & online networks

Until next month ...

Good Networking!
Dave Clarke
Get 7 networking secrets for business success

For more information, please visit Dave's TNNW Bio.

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business networking | business networking events | business networking podcast

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DAVE CLARKE: Managing your Network

PEOPLE, POWER AND POSSIBILITIES: Word-of-Mouse Networking

People, Power and Possibilities with Donna Fisher

Word-of-Mouth marketing has always been one of the best ways to get information passed along so that prospective customers feel confident and compelled to use your products and services. And with today's technology, word-of-mouth happens with the "click of the mouse" as your message is sent to thousands at a time rather than just from person-to-person, one at a time.

Rather than real-time conversations, "word-of-mouse" relays information into a virtual world of prospects. In the "blink of an eye", your message is available to a vast network of people.

Word-of-mouth is about getting people to talk about you (in a positive way) and "talk" now happens through blog postings, tweets, and postings on social media sites.

So how do you create a "word-of-mouse" chatter that spreads throughout your virtual networking community?

Educational Blog Posts:

· Educate people regarding how to use your product and/or service to get the maximum benefit.

· Educate people by providing information on what's happening in your industry.

· Educate people by providing information on what's happening in your business.

"Personal Touch" Blog Posts:

· Share a story regarding something that you've learned, a challenge you've faced, etc.

· Share a story that sheds some humor on an opinion and/or situation.

· Share a story of how a customer has solved a problem or overcome a challenge with your product/service (with their permission, of course).

Photo/Video Blog:

· Post a video of your product being used successfully.

· Post a video of your product being used unsuccessfully and explain what went wrong.

· Post videos and photos of customers and their accomplishments.

· Post videos and photos of vendors and their products.

· Post videos and photos of employees!

Tweeting:

· Do all of the above in only 140 characters.

· Send tweets with links to articles and blogs that provide value to your customers.

Social Media Sites:

· Educate, share, entertain and provide value by posting messages, events, photos, and links, joining groups, and generating online discussions.

Other:

· Post comments on the blogs of other people in your industry and in your network.

· Create value.

· Be interested and interesting.

· Respond to what others are "talking" about in your communities.

· Recommend the products, services, books, apps, blogs, articles of others.

· Rather than promoting and selling, share with people what you're doing that's new and different, innovative and leading edge.

· Educate people with tips and information related to your industry and their needs.

· Share experiences and tell stories that people can relate to and learn from as well.

Ads can definitely help to get your "name" in front of people, and yet it's someone's endorsement, recommendation or sharing of a positive experience that often makes the ultimate difference in someone choosing to do business with you. And the way to generate more "word-of-mouse" chatter is to create memorable, positive experiences, provide exceptional service, offer a solution to a unique need, provide an updated "twist" to an old remedy – and share this information with your virtual network.

The flow of networking information is more fast and powerful than ever via mouse-to-mouse networking!

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THE CONNECTED BRAND: Beyond Networking - Interview With Adam Salamon

The Connected Brand with Maria Elena Duron

Networking is probably one of the biggest buzz words in the business today. With the birth of more workshops, activities, and social networking websites, more and more people are getting into the bandwagon. Here, Partnerships Director of BazaarVoice, Inc., Adam Salamon shares his thoughts on networking.

For Adam, meeting people does not necessarily mean that you are already networking. He believes that this is the biggest networking mistake that people commit. “Real networking happens through connection and purpose,” he says. This is quite true because networking is more than just meeting the person. Instead, it is more about the added value that we can share to the person we meet. “I often write about the value of getting things done with people, because whether you're working on a project together, playing a sport with someone, or volunteering with a person, you're creating a connection versus meeting someone arbitrarily. The act of working with someone immediately puts you in a different category versus chatting with someone at a cocktail networking happy hour,“ Adam adds.

Adam feels that two of the biggest networking challenges that people have in terms of connecting with people from other cultures is language and how we were brought up. “The ways people are raised across cultures is drastically different from locale to locale. Some kids get spanked; some kids grow up pampered, etc. This has a profound impact on a person's perspective, and therefore, the way you connect with other people.” Another factor that affects how we network with other people is the generation gap. According to Adam, “there’s no difference in the way different generations network except for the tools they use.” This can be exemplified by how Millenials are more comfortable in connecting with their peers through chat or text messaging and how Traditionalists prefer face-to-face interactions. More than the method of communication, Adam thinks that, “All human connection occurs very naturally, thus the term "human nature". We all have the same basic needs in regards to human connection. There's the need to be wanted, to feel heard, and to feel like what we're doing has meaning. Great relationships and networking happens when you can fill those basic human connection points with people, regardless of what technology or tool you use.” Good point.

Due to our aggressive technological advancements, people from all walks of life are now exposed to endless possibilities especially in networking arena. So does this mean we’re becoming a one culture? Adam thinks that “Technology has made it possible to even consider this a thought. I look at where we were even 10 years ago, and it's amazing how far the world has come since then. I don't think we'll become one culture in the next 10 or even 50 years, but I believe if you are to look at this world in 500 years, we'll be much more homogeneous than we are today.”

If there’s one thing that Adam could change about the way people network or the practices being used to make them better, he’d want to change the people’s intentions to network. “Why do you want to network? If it's for selfish reasons, then you will only be as successful as how hard you work at it. But if you start to network by listening and creating real, meaningful relationships, then networking will happen naturally.” The best practice that Adam recommends to anyone who wants to create and develop a strong network is to get involved. “Join your HOA, play a weekly sport, or a professional organization. Whatever you do, just make sure you're getting out there and creating deeper relationships than what you're doing now. You can probably always improve that aspect of your life.”

Author:

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz agent & identity coach of buzz2bucks | a personal branding firm. and blogs about connecting your personal brand and SMART Connections. She is also the creator and moderator of brandchat: a live streaming branding discussion on twitter. Follow her on Twitter for daily updates or connect with her on Facebook.

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Posted to THE NATIONAL NETWORKER. To subscribe for your free newsletter, go to www.TheNationalNetworker.com. For the complete National Networker Relationship Capital Toolkit and a free, continuous RSS feed (available either by traditional RSS or by direct email), go to: http://thenationalnetworkerweblog.blogspot.com. You are also invited to click our buttons:


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