Strategic Commenting for Visibility in Your Niche, Brand Building and Website Traffic

My New Year’s resolution is to start commenting on selected blogs and contributing to relevant online forums. Why? To build our niche visibility, promote the SCORE brand and increase traffic on SCORE Chicago’s website and blogs.

Commenting  gets you involved in conversations, expands contacts in your niche and brings traffic back to your blogs and sites. In Case Study: Power of a Blog Comment, learn how Jesse Heap of Pink Cake Box left a comment on the Small Business Search Marketing blog, which lead to Pink Cake being featured on a magazine cover.  Similarly, blogger Marko Saric posted a comment on ZenHabits, a blog with over 79,000 RSS subscribers. This one comment brought him 230+ unique visitors in less than 6 days.

Here’s what I’ve learned from a web search on commenting do’s and don’ts:

Commenting Do’s

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10 Comments March 3, 2009

Marketing: Networking Tips

Here are nine networking tips to help you build relationships and your business.

1. First Meeting: Introducing Yourself and your Business
“Elevator” speech which includes name, name of the business, type of business and unique features that benefit the customer/client.

2. Successful Networking
The most commonly asked question is: “What do you do?”
The answer has to be concise and compelling. Have a 20-45 second explanation prepared. Be enthusiastic and make sure to match your remarks to the audience, group or market you serve. You should inspire interest and actively ‘recruit’ a new customer or client.

3. Build Relationships
Identify those who can refer business to you and treat them well: Invite them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, invitations to events and social occaisions; theater, sports tickets, etc. Remember birthdays and anniversaries, give gifts.

4. Using and Exchanging Business Card
What do you do with those cards?
• Always carry at least 10 business cards
• Make notes on those you receive about the person you met, their company, the products that they sell, family names, etc.
• Make an appointment to meet if you want to get to know them better.
• Send a note after the meeting to follow up, or make the follow up call!

5. Identify Potential Clients
Identify other customers you can do business with. Look for other markets that you can serve. Always think beyond the obvious. (more…)

Leave a Comment February 5, 2009

Networking: 3 Tips for Getting Back to the Basics

Let’s get back to the basics and best practices of networking.  Here are my three tips for effective networking – the old fashioned way. 

First, you must be committed. You aren’t networking if you’re out for instant gratification.  An effective network is built upon a solid foundation of relationships that are built over time.  When you make a new business acquaintance, take time to learn as much about them as you possibly can.  Don’t look at them with dollar signs in your eyes.  Take time to get them talking by asking open ended questions and listening!  Are there common interests you share?  Do your children go to the same school?  Remember, people do business with people they like — with friends. 

Second on my list of best practices is to follow-up after the meeting and be the first to provide assistance.  Stacking business cards on your desk or scanning them into your Outlook doesn’t create a network.  Sending your new acquaintance a brochure or sales letter doesn’t develop a relationship.  And calling to set an appointment or make a sale is really not going to do the trick.  However, taking time to develop a relationship is. For example, let’s say I meet you at an event and during our conversation you mention you are a dog lover.  Guess what, so am I.  We have a nice conversation and you tell me you’d like to know more about creating a dog-friendly office environment.  So what do I do?  I go back to my office and send a “nice to meet you” email, but in addition I include a link to an article with advice for pet-friendly workplaces. 

Finally, give, give, give.  Be willing to put the other person first.  Find out how you can help them and follow through become the “go-to” person.  Then, when you need assistance, you’ll be rewarded abundantly.

There is no better asset – personally or professionally – than a strong network.

-Susan Wilson Solovic, guest blogger

2 Comments August 22, 2008