Inbound marketing success for Denver-based businesses relies on a number of tools working well. One of the most important tools is your blog. Your Blog will grow if more people find it and like it. But, for your blog to grow, more people will have to find it and like it. Hmmm… sounds like one of those “Catch-22” thingys…
There are a number of simple solutions, though. One of the best solutions leverages other successful bloggers. Other bloggers have already gone through this process. They’ve attracted the readers and have a loyal audience. If you strike up a conversation with them and they like what you have to say, they’ll pass you along to their audience. (Instant publicity!)
Why would an established blogger want to help you? Well, successful bloggers keep their audience by presenting great information. Some of that information is stuff they write on their own; some of it, though, is new—maybe your stuff- that they find in their day-to-day research.
So, think of this progression as a kind of online social pact: You present content with great value. Other bloggers find it (or are presented with it) and they pass it along to their audience by writing about it and linking to your post. They get some credit for finding what you wrote. In exchange, you get more visitors and more links.
Your job, then, is to connect with some of these bloggers.
Connecting with other bloggers
- First, you need to find the bloggers you want to connect with. One of the best ways to do this is to use a Google blog search, Technorati.com, or the search engine of your choice to locate a few really authoritative blogs.
- Next, make contact with these bloggers. But, whoa! You can’t just start sending those bloggers unsolicited emails in hopes that one of them will respond. They might, but you probably won’t like their reply: “Stop emailing me.”
- Instead, set up a Twitter account and “follow” these bloggers there. Write about their posts on your blog and link to them. Introduce yourself using your great content as well as your comments on their content.
Take your time with this. No blogger likes to be harassed with, “Hey, link to me!” emails and comments.
Leaving Great Comments
The best way to first introduce yourself to a blogger is by contributing to their post. The easiest way to do that is through using the comments section on their blog. A well-written, thought-out comment (with no spelling errors!) can lend a lot to a blog post. It prompts discussion in a way that only “audience participation” can, and bloggers appreciate it.
Here are a few tips for leaving a good comment:
- Read the entire post first. Otherwise you may miss the point of the post and jump to an incorrect conclusion and your response will not help you.
- Read all the other comments left before yours. See if you want to reply to those.
- Don’t be afraid to bring up a conflicting viewpoint. Just make sure you present it in a professional way. Being nasty or condescending won’t help you.
- Don’t link to your site unless there is truly something relevant there that contributes to the post.
More? Of course there’s more. But for now, stay consistent and be your creative and knowledgeable self. Soon you will find your own growing audience and then other bloggers will be coming to you for a helping hand up.
