So how do you get readers? A number of ways I imagine, good writing, excellent SEO, advertising elsewhere etc. What about commenting? Are you really taking advantage of this oh so important aspect of blogging like you should be?

To start take a look at the last 5 or so comments that you have left elsewhere. (If you have been at this more than a month and you can’t count 5 comments left elsewhere you need to start right now!) Anyhow back to it, 5 or so previous comments. Do they all go something like this, “Great article, thanks for writing”. Don’t get me wrong it is nice to give people a pat on the back for an article well written but that aside what have you really added to the conversation?

As a blogger myself, I personally have gotten comments like this and although appreciated I really don’t have any way of responding to that other than thanks, end of conversation. I am more likely to start a dialogue with someone who start’s out like this, “Great article, well written, here is what I find most interesting…blah blah blah, and this is what I would add to the list…blah, blah, blah.” Ahh, very nice commenter #6, Bob, interesting thoughts on my article blah, blah, blah.

See not only did commenter #6, Bob let me know he enjoyed my article but he let me know how it was useful and even added his own insight, which in turn warrants a response and more than likely a click through to his own site to see just who Bob is. Turns out bob is a marketing guru who blogs daily about the uses of social media for small to medium size businesses. Guess what, Bob just got himself a new reader. Even more interesting is the fact that two months down the road when I am writing a short article on marketing via social media, I remember a piece I read over at Bob’s blog and now find that it would be extremely useful for my readers if I linked to it from this particular article.

Ok there is the first relationship Bob has formed from simply leaving a thoughtful comment on my blog, let’s have a look at the other benefits.

Cindy, searching Google for “Commenting on Blogs” turns up my post here on Viral Thinking. She reads through the article and notices a number of comments. Like me she thinks it was very nice of Jimmy (comment #1) to tell me I wrote a great article, but she is more interested in what Bob has to say. Hmm Bob brings up an interesting point, Cindy says to herself, let’s see who Bob is. Wow, turns out Bob is in the business of consulting small business on how to use social media to market their product! Guess what, Cindy owns a small boutique and knows that she could be reaching out to a whole slew of new customers if she could just figure this facebook thing out. Bob just scored himself another new reader and more than likely a new client.

Commenting is about getting involved, sharing ideas and adding to the conversation. It’s how you build relationships, meet prospective clients and grow your online presence. It is one of the most powerful tools you have for marketing yourself, your blog and your business. Make it useful and make it count, and by all means, make it a priority.

To me the idea sounds pretty interesting so you can count me in, besides I can’t wait to see what kind of content gets cycled through this little project. Kudos to Chuck for such a smart idea!

First I would like to touch on the idea of networking and how important I find it for the small business owner. I often read that the single best way for a freelancer to land new business is through word of mouth or networking and slowly I am starting to realize the truth behind this statement. Networking, for our purposes could be looked at in two ways. In the more traditional sense of the word you are out there networking in your community meeting people and other small business owners. Learning about what they do and giving them some insight as to who you are and what your business entails. They may not in fact require your services but in some sense they now few you as a friend (well if you approach it correctly) and now feel more confident in your services. They can put a face with a name so to speak. Down the road they may come upon a project that requires your service and because of the time you took to speak with them so many months ago you are now first on the list for consideration. Every time you meet someone in life you should treat it as a possible opportunity, not only to learn something interesting about the experiences of others but an opportunity to do “business” in the future. The key here, I believe, is to treat them as more than just a business contact, treat them as a potential friend and acquaintance.

Moving on now to what some may consider the non-traditional sense of networking and that is by creating happy clients. If you approach each piece of work or job that you do as a potential networking tool I can almost guarantee you will start to see the payoff. Not every job that comes across your desk is going to excite you in the way the last one may have, but if you put 100% into it and create a happy client, the word will spread. Networking by referral it may be called. “Great website! Who did it for you?” Ah ha, now you have created real value for the customer and they will be more than happy to pass on the word about your services.

I believe next on the list was the topic of advertising and how I might go about doing so beyond just networking. This is an area that I have been putting a lot of time into researching. Let me say that during this time of “economic downturn” I see the need for advertising to be even more important for my new business venture. My potential clients are facing the same slowdown in business that I am and I would like to let them know that there are things I can do to help them explore additional marketing channels, helping them to tap into new clients themselves. Beyond my ability to get ranked in the search engines for certain services I offer I need other ways of getting my name in front of the decision makers. It is important that I mention the need for an understanding of your target market. In order to create effective advertising you need to understand first how your customer might be found, what they might react to and what they are looking for. In my particular area it seems that people still often turn to print advertising, so I am exploring various ideas such as a small targeted mailer and also the traditional yellowbook ad. Really it is about researching you market and determining what will work best for you.

These few ideas coupled together and I hope to not only create new business during what some might consider to be slow times but actually come out ahead.

Ok so you are thinking, wow that’s great so I can get the business of the 20 or 30 other members and then what, I am just sitting through meetings every week when I could be out looking for other business? Not at all, because remember that each of those 30 or so other members might have 30 or so other acquantinces, 5 of whom are in need of your services immediately. So are you starting to see the bigger picture here? Technically your referrals could snowball infinitely.

And the benefits do not stop at referrals. Ideas are openly discussed and shared. I can not stress how important it is to surround yourself with people who have ambitions similar to your own when it comes to business and entrepreneurship. These very meetings are encouraging you to think virally. And the beauty of it is that amongst friends (as many of them seem to be) they can be very honest with each other. You can find out if that new marketing idea you have been back and forth on is a bust long before you put the plan into motion.

Beyond that they spend a portion of each meeting on business education. They require that each week you get a closer look into the profession of one of the other members. In a way this acts not only as an education to the group but also as a “sales pitch” for the presenter.

Testimonials are encouraged to be shared openly. For example in the meeting that I had the pleasure of attending one member had sent a sub in his place (which is required). His choice for a sub was actually one of his clients and another member of the local business community. This was a genius marketing strategy and her testimonial was amazing.

Ok so obviously I am very excited to continue learning about this group and others like it. The seemingly endless benefits of belonging far outshine the cost in my mind. I hope that you to will take the next opportunity you have to take a closer look at a local networking group and consider adding it to your portfolio of business tools.