Many people have asked me how to get more people to comment on their blog.
My response has typically been, “Why?”

I often said that ‘comments are not currency’, and recommended they focus on conversions instead of comments.

Let’s take a product review post, for example. If it’s converting well, do you really want to interrupt the buying decision and try to talk them into leaving a comment instead? Of course not.

If they only take ONE action on your page, which action do you want it to be?

-> The buy button or product link!

That said, things are changing, and so is my answer…

I still think you should focus on conversions. You should have a very strong call-to-action, and every piece of content should contain a very clear objective in line with your overall marketing strategy.

BUT – and here comes the part where things are changing – engagement is extremely important in today’s virtual landscape. Anyone with an online business should be giving serious consideration to their “engagement strategy”, and monitoring it just as closely as conversions.

Why Engagement Matters

A steady response both on your blog and social media channels will give you:

• higher social media rank
• better placement in search engine results
• more visibility in search results
• attention from brands, advertisers & sponsors

The Power of an Engaged Audience

I have a new saying, which is based on new algorithms and the constant evolution of the web and social media, and that saying is:

If you have an audience, you can monetize it.

It’s not so much about which niche you choose, the amount of search volume for your keywords, the gravity or score or any other metric for profit potential… anymore. These days, it’s about having an engaged audience and a loyal readership. And if you have that, you will have no problem making a profit. Period.

I used to choose niches based on profit potential. Now I choose niches (or business models) I LOVE. I don’t know about you, but personally – I think these are positive changes and exciting times in the world of online business!

I would love to hear your thoughts. How do you keep YOUR market engaged, or what issues are you having trying to build interactive properties that attract and elicit responses from your target market?

Best,