{"id":17759,"date":"2017-03-01T06:01:15","date_gmt":"2017-03-01T06:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/?p=17759"},"modified":"2017-03-01T06:01:15","modified_gmt":"2017-03-01T06:01:15","slug":"succeed-comment-marketing-4-simple-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diymarketers.com\/succeed-comment-marketing-4-simple-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Succeed in Comment Marketing in 4 Simple Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commenting on other folks\u2019 blog or social media posts is probably as old as the Internet itself. In its early years, commenting was quite an innocent occupation with people discussing stuff and voicing their real opinions on forums and online diaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It didn\u2019t take long, however, for blog commenting to turn into a powerful link-building and marketing tool. Digital marketers started posting comments for the sake of posting comments; they didn\u2019t care much about the value of their messages; in fact, they rarely knew what the post was about in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comments like \u201cHey there, great post, pal! Check out my website at [link]\u201d swept the Internet, and Google even started penalizing for such a spammy link-building technique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The situation started to improve recently, as comments are still crucial for the communication between the author of the blog post and his\/her audience. However, doing comment marketing is not easy, and there are still rules to follow in order to make it work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is Comment Marketing Effective?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First of all, commenting on other blog posts helps to get your name out there. When you engage in discussions, the author of an article has no other choice but to notice you (willingly or unwillingly). If you comment consistently and know what you\u2019re talking about, he\/she might get interested in what you do, check out your website, and…and we all know how powerful networking is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from that, you get to know other fellow bloggers and regular blog readers, and they get to know you. In other words, commenting helps to build relationships and reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secondly, you get backlinks, and, consequently, more traffic. Even though most comment sections are no-follow, you still can get your views, readers, subscribers. If your comments are relevant and insightful, visitors will be clicking through your links even if they are no-follow, meaning that your business will grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, comment marketing may come in handy when it comes to SEO. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not so easy with the no-follow policy, but there are blogs that actually allow do-follow links in the comments (more on how to find them here<\/a>). Moreover, blog owners sometimes make no-follow links do-follow if your comment deserves it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Comment Like a Pro<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1. Read Both an Article and Comments Under It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, this advice may seem obvious, but I still want to mention this because failing to read an article very often leads to being banned from commenting (best case scenario), or even Google penalties (worst case scenario).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order for your comment to get approved, it has to be on-topic. In order for it to get noticed<\/strong>, it should be on-topic and add value, and not reading a post (or reading only one or two paragraphs) can result into repeating what was already mentioned by an author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embarrassing, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from that, if you think that blog owners won\u2019t notice that you have no clue what they were saying in an article, you\u2019re very mistaken: they can tell conscientious commenters from spammers who only comment to get backlinks in a blink of an eye. Harsh Agrawal, the founder of ShoutMeLoud, proves that in this article Huge List of Genuine Looking Spam Comments<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say, if you are about to leave a meaningful comment, you have to know what opinions on this particular piece of writing already exist. Browse through comments to make sure your idea is truly unique, get to know other commenters, and feel an overall sense of community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from that, debating with other commenters is not forbidden, and I would even say encouraged. Engaging in discussions is a surefire way to establish yourself as a figure of authority in your niche, provided that your arguments are not weak or insubstantial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Use Your REAL Name.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blog and website owners expect to engage in discussions with real people. And if you treat their blog simply as a means of promotion, they will treat your comments correspondingly. According to Martin Macdonald<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"an<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Apart from that, Matt Cutts<\/a> suggests that Google also likes it when you use your real name, as it adds credibility to your comment. So be honest, be open, and do not try to trick anybody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another common mistake is not using your full name. Approaching people online is very similar to approaching them in real life, and calling yourself \u201cTom\u201d and \u201cLaura\u201d won\u2019t help you make any business connections. Your second name is what distinguishes you from all the other Toms and Lauras in the world, so make use of it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Double Check Your Email Address<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to hitting \u201cPost Comment\u201d, make sure you did not mistype your email address. It should be a real, active email address, definitely not a fake one. This email address is the only way a blogger can get in touch with you, so do not deprive him\/her of this possibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are scared of receiving unwanted messages (which happens really rarely), create a separate email account and use it only when commenting. But giving a fake email address is disrespectful towards blog owners (and yes, they will know it\u2019s fake, it is really easy to check it nowadays).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another important thing you should do is make sure your email address is connected to Gravatar<\/a>. This is a service that allows adding a nice real picture to your comment instead of a boring gray icon set by default:<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Gravatar<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

VS<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"comment<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

A comment that is customized in such a way looks more trustworthy, impressive, and authoritative. So make sure you appear real when trying to make connections by means of commenting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Make Your Comment Stand Out<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n