Current, up-to-date information and plenty of links are the name of the game in the fast-paced world of Internet marketing, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise to discover that blog SPAM is quickly ousting email SPAM as one of the most irritating Internet marketing tactics in today's industry.
What it's not, however, is an effective means of generating leads for your business.
Stay tuned to discover the real etiquette of small business blogging and you could be using small business blogging to build your customer base instead of murder your reputation.
Why Small business Blogging Can Do Wonders for Your Small Business Before I launch into a spiel on the etiquette of small business blogging (oh yes, I have one, believe you me) let's talk about why you really want to care.
Business blogging successfully achieves three basic goals for your business.
1) When you remember to regularly update your blog, what you're really doing is building a continuous stream of current content for your website.
This will do wonders to increase your search engine ranking while building your reputation as a subject matter expert in the online community.
2) Commenting on other blogs (the topic of this little etiquette lesson) helps build a huge library of backlinks for your website.
3) Networking.
Becoming a part of an online community that's greater than yourself and has the potential to drive tons of small business to your door.
Making friends in high places.
Do I really need to say any more? Why Small Business Blog SPAM isn't Nearly as Good an Idea as It Sounds Like It Is Every morning, web admins (myself included) log in to their website to scout out the comments left by site visitors overnight.
And every morning, those same web administrators delete dozens of messages left by automated bots that leave inspiring messages like: "Im no professional, but I imagine you just built the best point.
You certainly know a lot about what youre discussing, and I can actually get behind that.
Thanks for getting so upfront and so honest concerning the topic matter.
I really really feel like I have a superior knowing now.
" Do you see something wrong with this (besides the atrocious grammar and punctuation mistakes)? It has absolutely nothing to do with the blog post in question.
You could take this same message and slap it on any blog post in the world and it would apply.
And these bots do.
Daily.
They go around to small business blogging sites, post these messages and hope web administrators will post their comment and their backlink on their site without realizing that they were being SPAMMED.
SPAMMERS, we web admins are catching on.
Understand, small businesses love having bloggers stop by and leave comments on their blog.
It gives them a chance to build their network, share valuable information and insights with their web visitors and open the door to discussions that will keep blog visitors coming back day after day to participate.
These conversations are so great for drawing in visitors that small businesses are happy to swap a backlink for the opportunity.
SPAM, however, does absolutely nothing to keep a conversation going, and administrators are figuring that out.
Take the time to go through, hunt up relevant, interesting sites that will help you build your reputation and your collection of followers, and leave pertinent, informed comments that relate directly to the post you just read.
Become a part of the community, not just a semi-innocent bystander that never really participates.
The extra time you spend small business blogging the right way will pay off when you start making the kind of contacts your small business deserves.