Blogs have exploded from their beginnings as a one-way means of communication into one with many levels. A lot of blogs have blossomed into communities built around their posted replies.
There are many reasons comments are important, but it all depends how you do it. Some people do it terribly wrong and it’s just a waste of time.
To get most out of your commenting let’s see what really matters.
The last reason why you should comment is for getting more traffic
Many new bloggers go around to every major blog and leave a comment like “Nice post, thanks for sharing”.
Do they really mean those words of praise?
Probably not.
They just want their comment to appear first, with hopes of getting more traffic back to their site.
I don’t think I’ve ever clicked through to a site from a commenter that said “Nice post!”
If you post comments that add value to the conversation, people are more likely to pay attention to.
I have, however, clicked through on comments that add insight and value, so in either case you’re always better off leaving comments that are valuable and applicable to the conversation, no matter what your intentions might be.
Don’t get me wrong, comments that leave appreciation are always welcomed.
Problem #1: Weak and unproductive traffic but…
The traffic from commenting on blogs probably isn’t going to be substantial.
However, the combined traffic from many posts to different blogs may create a fair stream of traffic simply from the links alone.
That doesn’t even include the impact of these links on any search engine rankings or the traffic coming from those listings.
The problem with blog post traffic is that it drips in click by click. It takes a great number of such links to even create a trickle. Weak traffic tends to be poor quality and unproductive traffic.
That type of traffic has a lower likelihood of converting into clicks, signups or sales.
Traffic is traffic, however, and any amount of traffic is a good thing.
With proper traffic management, any kind of visitor can be persuaded to produce.
Problem #2: We all hate spammers
Spammers created a real problem for bloggers.
When the blog posting software began posting all over the Web, many bloggers had to install plugins or other ways to combat the spam infestation.
The bar has been raised substantially for what makes up an acceptable reply on a blog. For that climate to change, there needs to be more responsible use of the blog commenting feature.
Solution #1: Turning comments into real traffic
What will keep the “curiosity reader” to stay arround if your content sucks?
In my recent post I explained How Content Marketing Can Work For You – nothing drives more traffic than good content.
It’s better to spend some time to write a compelling piece of content that will add value to your readers rather than traying to be first or second commenter to every new post of a larger blog.
I know, it takes time but with meaningful content you will gain more readers coming back for more.
That’s what I call a real traffic.
Solution #2: What a commenter must do
Because of the damage done by blog spam software, it is much more difficult to have a blog post reply approved now. Even relatively cogent posts with links attached may be deleted and the poster banned.
In order for your posts to be cleared by the blogger as real non-spam replies, you have to prove to be a regular, valuable commenter with insights or informations that are relevant.
It’s usually best to not post links at first, preferring to establish yourself as a member of the blog community, just as experts do on message boards.
Once you have been accepted into the community, a well-worded and careful mention of your business should be well-received.
One of the best examples of a good commenting community is on Copyblogger.
In conclusion
While commenting on blogs is still a good idea, the negatives are high enough that one has to be careful about the way it’s done.
I think leaving a comment is a great way to engage and the community pointer is the main one for me. The more engaged you can become with people of interest the better.
Can it result in more traffic? Sure, and it’s great.
But the main one is networking and sharing with like minded people. The benefits of those seeds being sewn can be huge.
So, what do you think? Am I right, wrong, or middling?
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Definitely. I cannot stand it when people comment “nice post” or some generic wording that is obviously just a copy-paste that they use for commenting on all blogs. Or even if it’s not copy-pasted, it’s just thoughtless and really isn’t going to do anything for you as the commentator. Too many people are commenting just to get a link, instead of for joining in the conversation and building mutual relationships. And building a mutual relationship will go a much longer way than getting a simple link (if you even get that with “nice post”). Good luck spammers. You’re gonna need it 😉
~Lisha
p.s. Nice post, Dragan, lol!
Thanks Lisha for your comment. I definitely agree with you. The nice thing with comments, as opposed to Tweets, Shares, +1 etc, is that you feel like your reaching out to the blogger when you comment, it’s much more personal, and the conversation remains with that post for others to see.
Nice post, thanks for sharing 🙂
Joking, of course, but in all seriousness, I’m less frustrated by a “this post is an excellent resource on this topic, i will continue coming back to your site on this topic to get more resources on this topic” (you get the idea and I’m sure you had your troubles with bots as well) comment than by a human-generated zero-value comment.
I’m sure you heard about parents telling their children that they should always ask a question at the end of the class, just so the professor could remember them. Yeah, right. Well, “Nice post” is internet equivalent of that BS 🙂
And I agree with you in that commenting should not be about traffic. If you post a meaningful comment, you’re starting a conversation with someone, a meaningless will never help you build your network.
Thanks Slobodan, appreciate your comment. You’re right. And if you prove you care about the content and engaging in conversation, folks are more likely to take you seriously and check out your site.
true. I also am not that frustrated by the bot comments because they’re easy to just mark as spam. But when a real person comes by and just doesn’t try, am I supposed to approve that comment? What is the comment for? It doesn’t add to the discussion whatsoever… If you’re not actually communicating anything, I am not going to remember you, lol.
Lisha, hell no 🙂
Approve their comment once, they’ll keep coming back to add more nofollow links to their websites.
I like what you did at Blog and Retire, with custom password that needs to be copied, but I guess that can’t help with all the “Nice-posters”.
For me, a third-party commenting system like Disqus or Livefyre works fine (so far), since they normally require commenter to sign in with a social account, maybe that’s too much trouble for Nice-posters.
Thank god for Akismit, my blog is only 4-5 mths old and I already get 15-20 spam comments a day, I bet you chaps with older blogs get even more. I can still remember the first real comment I got saying thanks for the useful information, it made feel like it was all worth it. I try and comment constructively whenever I comment, useful post than you.
That is all about commenting Paul to sparkle constructively discussion. Today I read an article that said “while global spam volumes are reducing there are still approximately 1.5 trillion spam email messages being broadcast every day” :x.
When I get a comment like “nice post” – I copy it to notepad – delete it from blogger’s sandbox – and re-post it to my blog MINUS THE LINK! I leave the commenter’s name intact. It must drive the spammers nuts! I get a good laugh just thinking about it!
When I get a sincere post, I always repsond and even visit the commenter’s blog, twitter and facebook if links are available. Folks love to read a sincere “thank-you”
Hi Dave,
Welcome to my blog! It’s a pleasure to meet you.
I must admit I also have a good laugh what you do with spammers :). Excellent idea.
Thanks for stopping by and for your feedback!
Dragan
Blog is a very valuable asset in building your brand online. I use it in my daily marketing strategy to give back insight and value to the great content out here in internet land. I really enjoyed this post and you hit all the major keys on the head. Keep giving value and I will be back to visit often.
Eric Burnett
Hi Eric and thanks for stopping by,
Giving something valuable to my readers is all it matters.
That’s the main reason people come back for more.
I am currently studying a Marketing major at university. I’ve been reading and hearing lately that skills in accounting and finance are crucial for senior positions in marketing, for things such as customer profitability. How important are such skills for a job in marketing, and is it possible to get by with minimal/basic knowledge of finance etc? Willing to hear from people currently in the marketing profession please.
I think marketing is so complex process that it can’t be strictly classified by professions.
Finance knowledge can be advantage but not a crucial.
No one can be so certain to predict whether the product will be successful or not.
Even the biggest technology names have experienced the biggest failures.
For me, marketing is a team-oriented work of various professions with one goal: How to sell a product/service?
The answer to this question only the buyer knows ;).
If you are looking to be HIRED in a marketing position, then by all means, I would do what it takes to be the best candidate for any marketing job, depending on what companies you’re looking to get hired by, and what qualifications those companies look for in an employee. However, if your long term plan is to work on your own, be self-employed, etc, in the marketing arena, I do not think it is absolutely necessary. It is good to understand money, pros and cons of different financial decisions, etc, no matter who you are, or what you plan to do in life. But formal education is not necessary if you already know enough without it. Formal education is basically so that you look good on paper, to get hired, or to look more like a qualified person to work with. It is possible to gain the information and skills necessary without formal education.