getting visitors to comment

[rezzy]

Ive noticed alot of visitors coming to my site, outside of the release of the new design, and I have a low number of responses.

How do I get this conversion from visitors to posters, which in my mind translates to long term members?

Sorry, If I am posting beyond the post cap.

[vangogh]

Most people never comment. There are things you can do to make it more likely that they will comment though. Ask direct questions at the end of our post. Don't make your post all inclusive. Leave room for other opinions. If you pick a controversial topic that people are passionate about you'll likely get more comments.

One thing I did early on was to find a couple of people in similar situations. People who had blogs that didn't get many comments. I offered to comment on their posts if they'd comment on mine. Sort of a comment exchange if you will. Sometimes people just need to see someone else commenting before they will. The exchange usually meant I would get at least a couple of comments on most posts, which led to other people commenting as well.

Also know it will probably take some time. Most people aren't going to leave a comment no matter what you do.

[Aaron Hats]

Vangogh's right, most people won't comment...at least publicly. Just today I got an email from a designer who works for one of our vendors. He said he regularly reads the blog. I thought that was cool.

When I first started the blog I told myself I was only writing for the search engines. Truth is, it's nice when somebody comments. Makes me feel better knowing an actual human is taking the time to read what I write. In the end, as long as the blog generates interest, and $$, I'm happy with it.

Aaron

[rezzy]

I started the blog as an experiment, since everyone said it helped with SEO. Up until I redesigned it, I never took advantage of the its power. Now, that I am starting to write real posts and get the blog in order, I want to do it right.

I have recieved a few comments, those that I get make me feel better about the amount of time I spend posting and creating the template.

[KristineS]

It depends a bit on what sort of blog it is too. I write two corporate blogs. One gets a reasonable number of comments, and one gets almost none. The difference is that one industry uses blogs quite extensively and has a thriving blog community, and the other really doesn't.

Also, blogs that are personal and can give readers someone to identify with and relate to will probably be likely to generate more comments. There are mommy bloggers out there who can pull thousands of comments, simply because they've developed a loyal group of followers.

[Aaron Hats]

There are mommy bloggers out there who can pull thousands of comments, simply because they've developed a loyal group of followers.

I don't know how they do it...must be a closely held mommy secret. ;)

[vangogh]

Aaron it takes time to build a community. Also some people just right in a way that gets people talking.

Bryan the first few months I blogged I felt like I was the only one reading my posts. That was probably true for a lot of them. I looked at the time as a nice way to learn and grow as a blogger. It can be disheartening I know, but hang in there.

[rezzy]

Yea, I imagine in time things will improve.

[greenoak]

i hear good feedback on my blog , in person, in the store several times a week ....and none of them have left a comment....
.. on my blog are some comments that i wouldnt call sincere.....rather the kind put on hoping for a return comment or some kind of comment tag....or becasue it was a good way for them to spread their blog..... which is ok and maybe we should all do that.....
im more interested in how many read the blog than how many comment.... naturally i would love to hear from lots of people on any of my subjects......
in other words i dont get why we should value comments so much....

we could all learn a lot from the huge mommy blogs!! i dont get that either....
ann

[rezzy]

Well, I like the comments, because it gives me a level of proof people are seeing the content. Just like making a post on the forum and waiting for someone to reply. In cases where there is no answer, you wonder what you did wrong with the title or question asked.

[greenoak]

my readers are going up, but comments are rare, so i figure lots of people enjoy my blog but dont comment.... hopefully your numbers or repeat visitors are going up...that could be some soome kind of good feedback or proof to you..
.at the start, if the numbers arent going up , i would figure i was on the wrong track ...if nothing was happening i probably wouldnt think it just takes time.
can you go somewhere where lots of folks are wanting to start a website?
like a bunch of wahms? work at home moms.... those might be a great audience for you....but you would need to be familiar with their needs and styles... they would maybe enjoy a good tekkie guy who actually knew about their colors , market and style, before telling them what to do.... ....
ann

[vangogh]

Ann you have the benefit of being able to talk to your clients in the store. Many of us don't. Comments are one way we can connect with our audience and get to know them better. For me commenting on other blogs and people commenting on mine has led to friendships as well as new clients.

It's also an indication that what you're saying is resonating with people. If no one's commenting it's possible they arrive take a quick look around and leave. Some people will never comment, but some will if you nudge them to. Another reason why comments are good is that if a new visitors sees a lot of people commenting on your blog it's a signal to them that something must be happening and maybe they should subscribe as well.

[greenoak]

oh definitely....my point was lots of people might enjoy your blog without commenting....you cant make them comment..
..i rarely comment... even where i go regularly...
and if your readers are going up wouldnt that be a good sign.?.just another way to judge a blogs readership...
i love comments on my blog....very much so...but i know from the store that lots are enjoying it without commenting..
ideally i would like a forum type convo ongoing on my blog....all about my subjects all the time!!!

[vangogh]

You're right. You can't force people to comment and the majority never will. But yo can do things to encourage people to comment and usually once a few people start commenting it encourages others to comment.

All things being equal I'd rather have people comment than not. It's not the only measure of a blog's success of course.

[rezzy]

I dont even place much stock in stats, I feel like there arent that accurate and cant be trusted as much as you think. I like the comfort of a person post to validate my blog.

I know some people enjoy seeing the stats jump, stats arent anything big for me. Numbers are numbers.

[Harold Mansfield]

I used to be upset about the number of comments that I got, but now I don't even give people the option...I turn comments off unless it's a review.
What I do watch is my exit clicks. Where are people going when they leave ? If I have posted good content, I will see those clicks going to affiliate links, or sister sites of mine.

Some days I see a large number of clicks going to links where I don't make any money...that hurts.

Not having a good number of outbound clicks is worse than not having comments.

As was said, most people will not leave comments. Usually sites that are social in nature or talk about current events will get comments if written well, most other sites, people just consume the information and move on.

RSS subscribers used to also get me upset. People were reading, but hardly anyone was subscribing. That doesn't bother anymore either, since I write about music, I am happy to see DJ's, Artists, and Record Industry people on my My Space Page, or Twitter followers...they are watching, and they are reading, just because they don't subscribe to the feed or leave comments, doesn't mean that they are not clicking the links and ads...they are.

It's different for everyone and all blogs are not supposed to be the same. If you writing to generate business for your service, what you want is people filling out the contact form, or dropping an email...if you are affiliate marketing, what you want is people to click links and banners.

If you're looking for comments to build an opt in list of email subscribers, you have to go about that an entirely different way as well...the last thing most people will do is put up their email address unless they are getting something for it...a free download, ebook, or be entered into a contest of some sort.

[greenoak]

if i knew how to give rep points i would give one to eborg for so clearly explaining and sharing his business framework....
i think about blogs like his and want mine to be that way too....good good content for people in my field, ....with our store being the affiliate....
....i just dont have the time, focus or the skillset to do it really great....but i do have lots of good pictures....
and i get a lot of useful feedback from our numbers and stats..
ann

..

[Harold Mansfield]

if i knew how to give rep points i would give one to eborg for so clearly explaining and sharing his business framework....
i think about blogs like his and want mine to be that way too....good good content for people in my field, ....with our store being the affiliate....
....i just dont have the time, focus or the skillset to do it
..

That is sooo not true. Ann I learn stuff as I go along, just like most of us...there was no class in this stuff when I was in college (if there was I probably would have slept through it anyway)
The difference is, I can sit at home and do this all day. I'm not running a brick and mortar business, a home and a family.
That's why we have forums like this and others, to bounce ideas around. Everything doesn't work for all kinds of businesses, but sometimes an idea that may not be right for you, may spark a similar idea that will work in your field, or begin to point you in a direction of something totally unrelated that is even better.

[greenoak]

right eborg...altho i dont very often cook or clean and dont have kids at home..i totally get the bouncing ideas idea....its such a good thing...even tho our paths are so wildly different...

my day is full, im out there messing with trucks and a gigantic inventory and moving big stuff around,keeping 4 people busy or taking care of mr big, and , in my imagination anyway, you guys are lounging at the keyboard making money without even touching anything or coaching someone while sipping cute drinks on the beach..... slightly knowing you all makes it obvious that running an internet business takes a huge effort, im in awe of the process and all the things you have to know.......im on some go girl forums where they act like i could just easily add that on to my day..
i do as much as i can online.. and its been great for our business....
ann
.

[billbenson]

Just an FYI eborg, when you post, I always read it. Even if it doesn't directly apply to what I do. You always have good info! Even if its exploding chairs:D So thanks!

[Harold Mansfield]

you guys are lounging at the keyboard making money without even touching anything or coaching someone while sipping cute drinks on the beach.....
ann
.

OMG LMFAO !:D If only it were that good. I'm probably a good year (or even more) away from that lifestyle.
Been at this for almost 2 years...had to get a real job last year because I just didn't know enough to do it full time.
At this stage, I probably know 30%40% of what I need to know to live like that and it never ends, it's an ongoing process.
I just got to the stage where I can pay the bills and go out for a few drinks every now and then, so it's not as easy as people think it is when you tell them you have a few websites going.
The biggest thing I learned in the last year is to target my market, instead of trying to target the whole world. That's the best advice I can give at this point.

It's still a job, but (for me at least) it's not a grind. That's what keeps me going...remembering all the grinds that I have had in the past, and also visiting my friends who are my age and still slinging drinks and struggling to pay the bills with no prospects to ever end the cycle.

You can stay at it for months in the beginning and never have any successes and don't make a dime, but if you keep learning and stay at it, even when it looks like all the articles, advice, forums, memberships, wasted money on PPC, low PR, low traffic, and ll the things that just depress the hell out of you don't work...slowly but surely you'll wake up in the morning and see a sale, and then two, and it will invigorate you all over again.
I personally couldn't imagine running my own brick and mortar. I would probably fall flat on my face.

[vangogh]

That is funny. Ann I put in about 60 hours a week on average working and I'm no different than anyone else in struggling at times to bring in revenue. I get to see the beach about once a year in November when I visit my family and I've never once sipped a drink on any beach anywhere in the world.

Running a business online is just as much work as running one offline. In many respects it's even harder.

[greenoak]

guess i was thinking of spider there...coaching...wasnt he on an island? . and why not do it from a beach!!!
i hear you on running a business online, i believe you its hard..i have total respect and awe .....when people tell me to do it i know about how much time and hard effort it must take to really do it....you might even put in more hours than me...im out there about 6 days maybe 5 from 10 to 5.... still it seems kind of smoke and mirrors to me..
i would totally miss the stuff and the people face to face... and the messy work.... and the thrill of finding the next thing....
and like eborge, mine isnt a grind at all.....
ann

[billbenson]

Running a business online is just as much work as running one offline. In many respects it's even harder.

The difference it the commute bedroom -> kitchen (coffee) ->office and casual dress code (underwear)

I was in the hospital for a week and got home the Friday before Presidents day. I was still pretty weak, but put in 12 hrs, 12 hrs, 17 hrs; sat, sun, and mon respectively. Sometimes there is no rest for the self employed. I didn't get paid overtime either.

[vangogh]

That's one of the main advantages. The opposite side is that since my computer is always in front of me I'm almost always working. We may not have to get dressed up and commute, but we also have a harder time getting away from work since it's always there.

[billbenson]

A friend has two kids, both doing well in field sales. One made $1M two years ago when they combined two territories for a year. He's making good money now, but not that much. Anyway, they both come home from work and spend their evening answering emails that they didn't get to during the day. Field sales has always been an oddball job in that it's kind of like being half self employed and half employed.

VG, you have some control in how much you work, because you could always cut back your workload a bit. I think there is a trend in industry where people are taking home more and more work. If the day isn't here yet, its close where professional workers will be expected to or need to work evenings at home to complete the tasks required of them.

A lot of 9 to 5 is going away IMO. Telecommuting pushes that along as well and oil prices help drive it in areas where commute times are frequently long such as CA or other major cities.

[vangogh]

I agree that I can work as much or as little as I want in theory. Of course since the amount of money I can make is directly tied to how much time I spend working that theory breaks down a little.

With me it's more that I work on a laptop that's always in front of me. Because it is I tend to work most of the day.

[greenoak]

i get so much work related things from my laptop time..the blog, here,emailing, other forums, just surfing.......but i dont really call it work, its a lot more casual than yours, and home on the couch .... ..but its good time and will be real good if i can target my market like eborge mentioned above....thats so key for me ...and i can see what he means when i look at his blog....

i dont think i could stay on track home alone all day.... at the store im super busy alll the time...things are right in front of me that have to be done...and workers and customers and inventory .... it would be a lot different to be just me , actually it sounds kind of scary ...but im jealous of the freedom...
p.s. we never made much money until we added more workers , we had a business, a really nice one for the first 5 or 6 yrs, but it was limited by how much we could do ourselves....now a lot of different people make us money...but its a big hassle and worse, responsibility, so if you can make it without the workers thats great..

[vangogh]

It can be hard keeping focus when you're working from home. There are so many distractions around, but you have to be disciplined. It's not easy, but it's also something that gets easier with practice.

[billbenson]

Some people can do it, some can't. I know someone who rents an office space when he could work from home. Someone else who puts on a suit and tie and goes to his home office. Mind games.

One thing is its far more productive use of your time. Take a break and walk in the kitchen and clean up the dishes while watching the kitchen TV. If you are cooking something, you can stir it, go make the bed and back to work.

There are more productive hours in a day without commute time. Without work distractions as well. You probably don't have the work distractions because its your business, but an employee in a cubicle always has someone popping in to either ask a legitimate question or to bs about football. Even the legitimate questions are a distraction for an employee concentrating on something. There are a lot of distractions for people working in the office.

VG mentioned in this thread or another one the fact that since you never really leave the office, you have a tendency to work more hours on top of the fact that you are more efficient in the time you spend working.

It's not for everybody. My wife needs the structure of an office or school. It can be a very productive and efficient environment though.

[vangogh]

For me working from home is perfect. I actually enjoy working with the usual distractions of home. I've always been one to focus intently for an hour or two and then need a quick break anyway. Some days I let the distractions get to me, but it's usually the days I didn't have a lot to do in the first place.

Some people need the mental games of the office or the suit and tie. Not me. Those things didn't make me more productive when I was working for other people. I work best when I'm relaxed and in my own environment.

[fountainhead]

another reason why people don't leave comments is when they think that your entry was too serious, try to mix it up with humor or ask a few questions to start a conversation, it's not bad to experiment on results.

[vangogh]

That's a good point. I'm not sure if it's because something is too serious and not humorous enough though. I think it might be more about how open you appear to be. Some people maybe not come across as approachable and as a result not get as many comments. Responding to the comments you do get is one way to make yourself more approachable.

[KristineS]

If definitely helps to appear open to new voices and new opinions. I know I've commented on a few blogs where there were a regular cadre of people making comments. They would respond to each other's comments, but they would ignore anyone new. If it doesn't feel like a friendly place and if I comment a few times and I can't get anyone to interact, I'll generally move on.

[vangogh]

It's the openess and friendliness to me. If a blogger appears willing to respond to comments and seems approachable, I'll comment when I have something to say. If I feel like my comment is going to be ignored I'll probably move on.

[phanio]

Most people never comment. There are things you can do to make it more likely that they will comment though. Ask direct questions at the end of our post. Don't make your post all inclusive. Leave room for other opinions. If you pick a controversial topic that people are passionate about you'll likely get more comments.

One thing I did early on was to find a couple of people in similar situations. People who had blogs that didn't get many comments. I offered to comment on their posts if they'd comment on mine. Sort of a comment exchange if you will. Sometimes people just need to see someone else commenting before they will. The exchange usually meant I would get at least a couple of comments on most posts, which led to other people commenting as well.

Also know it will probably take some time. Most people aren't going to leave a comment no matter what you do.

Thanks for this info - I will give that a try. I only get two types of comments - 1) I really hit a nerve with a blog that has nothing to do with my business - or 2) poeple who think they can get a link on my blog. I really like your idea to work with others - back and forth.

[vangogh]

It worked for me. Make sure to find someone else who also needs comments and who you think will comment on your blog. Even just the one or two comments seemed to get things going and had others posting after.

[Harold Mansfield]

Since the start of this thread, I have opted to turn on comments for certain posts. Lately traffic on the music blog has almost doubled, and page views have really gone up.

Still not getting comments, but I am getting more business emails....I'll take it.

[vangogh]

Maybe just a coincidence. It'll be interesting to see if you do start getting comments and if that helps create more loyal readers.

[rezzy]

I would interested in seeing the results of such an experiment. I know commenting on popular blogs can bring you people, not sure about actually bring commentors, but again I could be wrong.

[KristineS]

Some popular blogs don't allow comments and they seem to do very well. I guess, once you get to a certain level of fame or notoriety people just want to read what you have to say.

I still think allowing comments is helpful though. Getting good discussions going can help draw people to your blog.

[vangogh]

Once you gain a certain level of popularity the comments become less appealing to some since it means having to spend more time moderating them. Usually you'll first see a blogger requiring registration to comment, but there are some who just aren't interested in having comments.