KHOWLEDGE ZONE

1. Comment on Other Blogs: Target popular blogs in your niche on which to comment. It's an obvious point, which is why it's listed first.

I'd even go a step further though and say, comment on the posts on that blog that already have a lot of comments. Note that his may not necessarily be the most recent post on that blog.

When I visit a blog, I usually read the first few comments and the last few. If you're commenting on a popular post that's a few weeks old, you may very well be one of the last people to leave a comment, so your comment has a good chance of being read.

Note that this may take a little digging into the blog at hand, but is well worth the effort. Fear getting lost among all the other commentors? It's the nature of the beast I'm afraid, so don't let this worry you. The point is to leave high-quality posts on top-rated blogs in your niche. Eventually, it will pay off over time. This leads me to my next tip ...

2. In-depth posts: Don't leave skimpy posts, eg, "Way to go," or "Great post." Duh?
"Consider each comment you make to be a tiny "teaser" for the type of writing you do on your blog. Write something interesting and thoughtful that adds to the discussion. Most readers will ignore a link from a "nice post" comment, especially if this is a highly-trafficked blog with a lot of commenters. But if you write something interesting, entertaining or thoughtful, you'll definitely make people want to read more."
Marketing is a marathon, not a sprint. Many leave short posts just to "get their name out there." This type of blog commenting though is like spending your marketing dollars in the wrong place. If you're going to employ blog commenting as a form of blog marketing, make the most of it.

I can't tell you how many times someone has written to me because they read a comment I wrote on another blog. Taking 5 minutes to write a decent comment will pay off huge over time.

Jennifer makes another crucial point in this same post. She writes: "Leaving comments isn't just about getting your link up in as many places as possible. It's also about introducing yourself to a community."

Blog commenting helps to build your reputation. Enough comments - over time - on the right blogs will build a rock-solid reputation you can leverage for years to come.

Isn't a few minutes of your time worth that?

3. Use the right name: What do I mean? On most blogs, they ask you for your name, email address and URL of your website/blog before you're able to leave a comment.

The name you type in will be the hyperlink to the URL you type in. Unless most know you by your name, don't use it.

When you log in and are asked for your "Name," type in the name of your website/blog. You can use your name in your signature at the end of your comment.

4. Use a signature: As in, leave an in-depth signature on all of your blog posts. I recently started to use the following:

Sincerely,
Yuwanda Black, Publisher
http://www.InkwellEditorial.com
http://www.InkwellEditorial.blogspot.com
http://www.SEO-Article-Writer.com
http://www.SEO-Articles-for-Sale.com
http://cool-hotstuff.blogspot.com

Sometimes I'll include a P.S., eg,
P.S.: P.S.:Want to start making $100-$200/day as a freelance writer -- right away? Go to http://smart-xone.blogspot.com for details.

NOTE: some will delete the P.S., some will let it stay. I say it never hurts to include it. Almost all though will leave any website URLs that appear after your name.
FYI, this is why it's doubly important to leave in-depth posts as well. Adding something meaningful to a discussion lets the webmaster/blogmaster know that you've invested time in their dialogue, not just used their space to advance your interests.

5. Marketing success by the numbers: This past Saturday, I left comments on 10 blogs.

If I did this every week for a year, that would be over 500 comments on other blogs (10 x 52/weeks = 520). I think of it this way, I'm introducing my brand to over 500 new markets in a year's span. Not to shabby.

And, think, this type of marketing "goes viral." IE, others will visit your site and link to you and on and on and on. This is the type of marketing that pays huge dividends over time.

I'm a big believer in marketing success by the numbers? What is it? As explained here, "It's a process whereby you do the same thing on a consistent basis over a period of time. This system will lessen your workload, increase your sales, generate new leads and save you money. When you start marketing on a consistent basis, you are constantly drawing new customers into your fold."

6. Post on your own blog: So far, we've discussed commenting on the blogs of others. Don't forget to write a post for your own blog.

Don't feel like a full-fledged post? Then find a hot topic in your niche that's been written about elsewhere and simply write a short opinion on it. This sunday post from my blog illustrates this.

Whatever you do, don't post rubblish (remember your reputation, as discussed in Tip #2). If you're not going to go in-depth, a "food for thought" posting like this protects your reputation.

A side advantage of this type of posting: search engine recognition. Linking to high-trafficked post only helps you in the long run.

7. Link back to your blog: As in, when you are commenting on the blogs of others, where possible, link back to a post on your blog that discusses the same topic.

This makes it easy for readers really interested in that topic to click over to your blog. Blog readers who follow links are really highly pre-qualified customers. And, if you happen to be promoting a productaround that post topic, you're much more likely to make a sale.

Again, this is yet another reason to write in-depth posts on relevant topics in your niche.

I want to end with a little personal insight on weekend blog posting.