If you’ve ever wondered if it’s worth it to enable comments on your blog, you’re not alone.
Blog comments are highly personal, even if they come from anonymous sources.
They either build up or tear down your brand or the writer who produced the content. The space below a blog post can easily be likened to the Wild West. For this reason, even if commenter information isn’t accurate, it’s highly intoxicating. That’s why it’s so important to have a constructive and engaged audience.
Blogs are officially the 5th most trusted source for accurate online information.
Additionally, they are the third-most influential online service when it comes to shaping customer opinion. While most of that has to do with the content of the blogs themselves, the comments that follow are a major influence on readers, whether pulling them into a conversation about a product or completely turning them off of it.
Invest your time to see real economic gains
Blogs are 31.1% likely to influence a purchase and that includes the blog content as well as the conversation happening in the comments. When it comes to comment moderation, you can’t replace a human.
Therefore, you need to find a balance between using your time to create great content and then protecting that content. For the Huffington Post, comment moderation is enough to fill several full-time jobs.
Are your comments helping to drive business?
Your blog is your chance to gently guide the conversation and eventually convert readers into purchases.
You don’t want a negative commenter to have the last word when it comes to your product.
The comment section can work to your advantage if you provide impeccable customer service each time a negative comment gets posted.
But if monitoring and responding to your customers in the blog space is too overwhelming then ultimately you’re hurting your bottom line.
Small businesses that blog get 126% more lead growth than small businesses that do not blog.
The trick is to give your potential leads a chance to roll in even when you’re not working. Leaving your comment section open gives leads more access to you and creates a new avenue for sales.
Use the comments section to to show leads who they may be getting into business with. How does your audience respond to your blog and how do you respond to your audience?
Smart customers, whether it’s a B2B or B2C relationship, will know to look past the “trolls” and the time wasters and appreciate the sheer volume of conversation that you and your message generate.
