How to Blog without Having a Blog

Blogging is hard work so why not tap into the audience of other bloggers? This article shows you how to figure out where your target markets are hanging out on the internet and how to appropriately participate in the conversation.

Written Mar 03, 2008, read 1695 times since then.

There is a common misperception that the only way to use blogs to attract clients is to have your own blog. However, blogging is hard work which is probably why 60 percent of blogs haven’t been updated in the last 60 days. New bloggers get excited, start a blog, add entries for a few weeks and once the excitement wears off blogging becomes one more thing to feel guilty about not doing as often as you should.

One of the biggest reasons why people stop blogging is that they realize they are essentially talking to themselves. Writing the blog is the easy part. The hard part is getting people to read your blog. In order to attract readers, you have to market your blog just as you do your website and newsletter. This doesn’t mean you can’t use blogging to your advantage. Why not tap into the audiences other blogs attract?

You don’t have to have a blog to participate in the blogosphere. An effective blog is essentially an online discussion and what makes a blog different from a newsletter is the ability for anyone to comment on what they’ve read thus creating a dynamic online conversation. A blog that creates and encourages conversation is more likely to engage readers and make them come back in the future. As a result, most bloggers would love for you to comment on what they’ve written. It’s a win-win situation. They have a more interesting blog and you get to get in front of a new audience.

So How Do You Find Blogs to Comment on?

In order to get in front of your target market, you have to think like them. Start by asking yourself, “Where does my target market hang out on the internet?” Put yourself in your prospect’s place and ask yourself the following questions:

   • What are they looking for?
     • What do they care about?
     • What professional organizations do they belong to?
     • Are there any stories in the press that affect their industry?
     • What publications do they read?

Once you’ve answered these questions and created a list of topics they tend to be interested in, it’s time to find some blogs. There are several ways to do this. It’s a good idea to start with the blog directories and see where they take you.

Blog Directories
The Open Directory Project, the largest human-edited directory of the internet has a comprehensive list of blog directories. This list of lists will give you more than enough blog directories to search. Some of the major blog directories include Technorati, Blogarama and Blog Catalog.

Blog Rolls
Once you find an especially pertinent blog, check out their blog roll for more ideas. A blog roll is a list of other blogs this blog owner recommends. They are typically displayed in the left or right hand column.

Google Alerts
Google Alerts can also be used to find blogs. Google Alerts is also helpful if you are tracking a rapidly evolving news story or are researching a specific topic. How it works is that you enter and save topics you want to know about and it sends you an email each time it finds these phrases on the internet. You can set it to search websites, news and blogs.

Magazines & Newspapers
Many magazines—especially business magazines— have blogs associated with their websites. Fast Company has pioneered the use of blogging in tandem with their magazine and is an excellent place to start if you’re looking for business blogs. (Be sure to check out their blog roll in the left column.) If you’re looking for blogs focused on a particular region of the country, try newspaper websites.

How to Keep Track of Blogs

At this point you might be thinking, “Yeah, right. Like I’m going to remember to check on all these blogs every few days.” There’s a solutions to that! This is where a blog aggregator comes in handy.

A blog aggregator (also known as a news aggregator) allows you to keep track of all the blogs you want to read in one place. Maybe you’ve heard about RSS which stand for “really simple syndication” and wondered what it had to do with blogging. RSS is the technology built into blogs to notify you of blog updates. You can get these updates via website, sent to your email inbox or on your PDA.

One of the most popular blog aggregators is Bloglines. Bloglines is a free web based aggregator you can access from any computer with an internet connection. When you find a blog you like, log into Bloglines and add it to your list. Bloglines will then check those blogs for new posts and will add them to your Bloglines personal page.

Check your blog aggregator at least a couple of times a week or so and see if any of the recent posts by other bloggers catch your eye and inspire you to participate in the conversation.

Blog Commenting Basics

When you find a blog post you want to comment on, treat it as if you were at a face-to-face networking event. You wouldn’t walk into a chamber of commerce meeting and start yelling at the top of your voice, “This is my business and I can help you!” Don’t do it in cyberspace either. Be professional and helpful. You primary goal should be to give pertinent advice that shows the reader you know what you’re talking about.

Keep in mind that most blogs are set up so that the moderator needs to approve your post before it’s viewable to other readers. Be careful about how you bring up your business name or website. If you appear to be blatantly marketing yourself, your comment won’t be added.

If you’ve written something that resonates with another reader, they will put a little effort into finding you. However, there are a few things you can do to make it easier for them to find you. Most blogs ask you for your name, email address and website when you add a comment. Blogs typically don’t display your email address so it can’t get picked up by spammers so to help people find you use your full name and not a nick name. Many blogs have a field for your domain name when you register with them to post a comment. If you add your domain name, they will link your name to your website. These links to your website can have the added benefit of improving your website’s rankings in the search engines.

An appropriate way to refer to your website would be to suggest people go there to learn more about a topic. If you’ve built a database of articles on your website, you could say something like, “I’ve written an article that addresses that problem. You can find it at (put link here).” Once you’ve commented on a blog, be sure to check back within a few days. Someone might have asked for clarification or even asked you to contact them.

Will commenting on other blogs bring you new clients? It might but probably not. However, there are other real benefits that make it a worthwhile marketing activity.

• It’s a great way to test the waters and see if you are ready to start your own blog.
• If you do start your own blog, you will be a lot clearer on what topics you want to write about.
• You will learn which blogs get read, have interesting content and are worth keeping track of.
• You can improve your own website’s rankings with links from blogs.
• You can improve the ROI of your other lead generation activates including your website, newsletter, white papers and articles.
• If you decide blogging isn’t a good fit for your company, no one has to be the wiser.

Learn more about the author, Elge Premeau.

Comment on this article

Posted by Bridget St John, Federal Way, Washington | Mar 04, 2008

This article was incredibly helpful to me! You answered so many questions I have been trying to figure out lately on how to get started on this very topic! I'm somewhat slow compared to most on the "how to" portion of getting the latest craze to work for me. You just helped me get started!
Posted by Paula Hall, Odessa, Florida | Mar 04, 2008

Very informative article!
Posted by Keith Gormezano, Seattle, Washington | Mar 05, 2008

I recently followed this advice and commented on an blog about how people were having difficulty using QuickBooks Pro 2006 (for the PC).

A day later I got called for a job helping an existing business upgrade their software. The owner mentioned my comment being a major factor.

Also, unlike a post, comments can be short and to the point.

Dr. QuickBooks: I make house calls to teach you.
Posted by Heather Ziegler, Seattle, Washington | Mar 05, 2008

this is a great article, as I have been doing more blogging lately. Can't wait to implement some of which you've written.

Thank you! Heather at BiZi Bee
Posted by Deborah Brown, Seattle, Washington | Mar 05, 2008

Thanks so much for this very well-presented and useful info. I recently learned about a site that explains lots of tech topics via short movies. They are extremely useful and entertaining as well. It's where I learned about RSS. Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/user/leelefever

And thanks again!
Posted by Carol Skolnick, Santa Cruz, California | Mar 05, 2008

Great tips, Elge!
Posted by Diane Dyer, Seattle, Washington | Mar 05, 2008

Thank you so much for writing this article! As someone who has yet to start blogging, this is a great resource to take some baby steps by commenting on other blogs. In gratitude, Diane
Posted by Amber Riviere, Alexandria, Louisiana | Mar 05, 2008

I think this is a great idea, and the bloggers will actually appreciate you "free loading" off their blogs.

It's always nice to hear feedback and get a conversation going on a blog, so if you'll help with this, you'll quickly become a blogger's best friend!

Great article, Elge!
Posted by Steven Bonacorsi, Londonderry, New Hampshire | Mar 06, 2008

Thanks Elge,

You provided some great tips. Another tip I have learned is that Blogging doesn't have to be an individual sport, a team effort can be applied. I have been working with a team on Innovation for a blog we are kicking off with a team approach. Each team member owns a day of the week to post entries. This gives them a week to post while the blog is showing daily updates. Plus a team effort garenteees that at least your team is reading the blog entries.

Warm Regards,

Steven Bonacorsi
Posted by Melanie Heywood, Sunrise, Florida | Mar 06, 2008

WOW. What an article! I especially like the info on Bloglines, I didn't know about that. Also I am one who can testify that the blog commenting DOES help improve your website rating...it's something that I have been doing for several months and it's unreal how it helped.

Steven, I love your idea about team blogging! Very nice.

It definitely takes some time to get things like blogs and forums going...but again, Elge, GREAT article. Thanks!!
Posted by Pam Russell, Port Angeles, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Thanks, Elge,

You may have nudged me into this era. With all the hardware, software, and goodies I have, this genre is one I have put off, avoided, even said I wouldn't do! You may have inspired me to move from "private" emailing muses to the public realm of "the blog!" Thanks for giving a clear roadmap to proceed.

Regards, Pam Russell
Posted by Nina Durfee, Sammamish, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

I'm a techno-immigrant. To me, having my own blog feels time-intensive, cumbersome and scary. As a writer and a professional life coach, I value consistency and productivity. Blogging feels like it takes away from my "real" writing. I love your perspective, Elge. The ability to comment in short bursts without the burden of continual maintenance opens up possibilities!

Thank you for a great article! (To see a sample of my "real" writing, go to www.lifesculpt.net/stylus.)
Posted by Chas Martin, Portland, Oregon | Mar 06, 2008

The emphasis on building relationships remains the essence of successful blogsphere participation. Analogies to face-to-face exchanges should remain the acid test for all blog posts. Build trust first. Find common ground. Offer something of value. After covering those bases, you can develop a more productive relationship. It's a bit like dating...
Posted by David Losh, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

There are several Real Estate blogs. Ardell has been commenting on www.raincityguide.com to the point she has almost taken it over. She has also worked this exposure into a managing Broker position with Brio Realty in the process. If you look at the comment here I clicked on Amber Riviere l UpstartSmart on my way down. After this comment I'll check to see that my link is also posted or figure out how to do it.
Posted by Debra Synovec, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

I am a fish out of water when it comes to internet marketing and am in the process of deciding on what web marketing I need. This article was very enlightening and addressed the major point I have...is it realistic for me to think I will keep my blog up? Thanks also for the very useful blogging tools.

Seattle Mediation Divorce Estate Plan
Posted by Ilise Benun, Hoboken, New Jersey | Mar 06, 2008

Elge, this is a topic I had on my list to write an article about. But you've done such a good job, now I don't have to. In fact, I think I'll spread the word about it by posting a link to it on my blog (www.marketingmixblog.com) next week.

Thanks so much!
Posted by Anita D. McClellan, Belmont, Massachusetts | Mar 06, 2008

Free at last from blogging updates!!! Yea! Thank you, thank you! Fits my personal motto: It's not what you don't do, it's how you don't do it.
Posted by David Berkey, Edmonds, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Great comments, especially about keeping communications professional, more face2face.
Posted by ellen newhouse, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Elge, Well done!!!! I am a technophobe I would say and this article was so well written... you got me to read the entire thing---very unusual and highly educational...thank you so very much for this information!! Ellen
Posted by Cathy Goodwin, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Even if you have a blog you can gain exposure by commenting on other blogs. And I like the idea of getting folks to add my blogs to bloglines.com
Posted by rickey gold, chicago, Illinois | Mar 06, 2008

Thanks, Elge. Not only well-written but very informative article. My creatives group has a (group) blog, and I see how difficult it can be to get people to participate. But it does rank very high in google so that's a great incentive to get members to participate....not to mention the fact that when you get 45+ clever creatives together, you're going to get a whole lot of new ideas to help your business.
Posted by lorie price bischoff, seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

love this thanks very helpful!
Posted by Ahna Fender, Del Mar, California | Mar 06, 2008

Awesome article, Elge. Thank you for your insights, and for the resources you shared. Couldn't be more timely. I'm about to launch a blog, and found the information incredibly useful!
Posted by Penny Eachus, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Thanks for the article! I had noticed that when I comment on other's blogs, the comment shows up in a google search of myself. Nice!
Posted by Caite Mathis, San Diego, California | Mar 06, 2008

Thanks so much for taking the time to write and post this article. Incredibly helpful. I appreciate your generosity!
Posted by Elge Premeau, Portland, Oregon | Mar 06, 2008

Hi Folks,

Thank you so much for all your kind comments and great ideas. I worked hard on this article for a quite a while so it's especially rewarding to hear how helpful people are finding it.

I've often had the experience - and I know I'm not alone in this - where the "techies" assume you know stuff that no one's taken the time to write down in one place in language that is accessible to the rest of us. So, I've made it my mission to explain that kind of stuff.

Please let me know if you have any questions or subject areas you'd like to see described in more detail. I will gladly give you credit for the idea.

Thanks!
Posted by Glenn Mattsson, Santa Rosa, California | Mar 06, 2008

Hi Elge,

Great article. I got a lot out of it and am already putting some of it to use. I'm glad someone has a clue as to how to navigate the online world and start putting it to best use.

Thanks!
Posted by Elizabeth Bowman, Seattle, Washington | Mar 06, 2008

Great article!
Posted by Sue Burness, Toronto, Ontario Canada | Mar 06, 2008

I must say, I'm really impressed by this community. I used to feel like I was the only one fumbling my way around in this online world. It IS great to know others are in the same boat and that there are truly knowledgable, helpful people here, ready to explain technobabble in layperson's terms. Thank you so much!

(Anyone curious to check out my maiden voyage into the blogosphere and add comments please visit http://suegently.typepad.com )
Posted by shannon armitage, Seattle., Washington | Mar 06, 2008

As a committed blogger myself, I appreciate your insights, Elge, about commenting on others' blogs. I love to get feedback from readers on my blog (www.lifetransitions.blogspot.com), and I'm sure other bloggers do, too. For those who are considering dipping their toes in their own blogging waters, I'd say if you enjoy writing and have a half-hour per week to spare, then go for it already! A blog doesn't have to be especially complex (see mine above), can be updated weekly with a brief post, and can generate business for you in the way a Web site can't.

With Web site, clients feel they know what you do, but with a blog, they feel they can trust you. And isn't that what building a business is about?
Posted by Erin Ely, Eugene, Oregon | Mar 07, 2008

Hi Elge, I have to chime in here too. Very helpful article. It definitely gave me some new resources I did not know about. I often comment on blogs that have relevant discussions going that apply to what I'm doing and I'm sure it has helped my rankings in the search engines.

I have thought about starting my own blog but it seems like too much writing for me personally. So this just reaffirms that I don't necessarily have to have my own blog to create awareness.

Great article.
Posted by Kaya Singer, Portland, Oregon | Mar 07, 2008

Excellent article even though I don't know how to do the link backs. It is frustrating to not know html.

But I did check out the sites and I can see how I could get "lost" is the sea of the web.

Small business support, mentor, coach, Portland, Oregon
Posted by Koren Reyes, New York, New York | Mar 07, 2008

Excellent. Useful. Could be a little tighter - remember, we all scan the 'net.
Posted by Ellen Besso, Gibsons, British Columbia Canada | Mar 07, 2008

Excellent article. I have a question though. I couldn't find blogrolls on many of the blogs. I guess not everyone has them, or may call them something else? like links for example?

Ellen Besso info@ellenbesso.com ellenbesso.com ellenbesso.com/midlifemaze
Posted by Elge Premeau, Portland, Oregon | Mar 07, 2008

Hi Ellen,

You're right. Not every blog has a blog roll. It's a strictly voluntary thing. It's a good idea though because it kind of says "This is who I'm hanging out with." If you want to email me the blogs you're looking at, I'll let you know if they have blog rolls and where you can find them. My email address is elge(at)emarketingstrategist.com . (Replace the (at) with the @ sign. I work hard to make sure spammers don't get my email address!)
Posted by Ilene Little, Bonney Lake, Washington | Mar 07, 2008

Hi Elge. I'm right in the middle of much needed website upgrade & at the same time trying to get the SEO optimized of 3 blogs attached to the site.
I actually have advertisers waiting, but feel I can't do a good job for them until I can optimize the SEO. And the more I learn the more I seem to be behind the curve.
I can see the value of commenting on other people's blogs by first identifying where my audience hangs out. Could I pay you to expedite me through the learning curve? Is that something you'd be interested in discussing? :)
Posted by Kathleen Whalen MS AOM, Seattle, Washington | Mar 07, 2008

Thank you Elge for posting this article. It has clearly struck a cord with many of us.

Reading your article has confirmed some of my next steps.

As for the SEO help, Ilene, I know very little. But, there was a fantastic presentation at last year's Biz Jam on SEO structure by a biz nik. (Did I even say that correctly?) It was quite illuminating. The presentation was by Thomas Schmitz. http://biznik.com/members/thomas-schmitz

I know that he had his lecture posted after the event. Perhaps you can track down his lecture. It might help in addition to Elge's guidance.

Thank you again.
Posted by Dr Charles Parker, Virginia Beach, Virginia | Mar 07, 2008

Elge et al, Thanks for reminding me that I should spend more time commenting on other blogs for a variety of reasons, - and thanks for the note that a comment comes up in Google just like a post: another incentive!

To this excellent series of comments I suggest all of you take a look at this interesting blog/comment/branding post over here - you will see many constructive comments.

http://dmiracle.com/marketing-strategy/do-you-brand-yourself-in-your-blog-comments/

This comments have helped with that important opportunity for connection at the end of the post;

Thanks, Dr Charles Parker::CorePsych
Posted by MaryAnn Dean, dublin, Ohio | Mar 07, 2008

Thanks Elge! Very informative article. I'm a Coach who is a newbie to blogging so I'm sure I will use many of your recommendations in the future!

MaryAnn nextphasecoaching.com
Posted by Jocelyn Kahn, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey | Mar 08, 2008

Thank you very much for this article. I've been thinking about whether I needed to start a blog lately, and this offered the perfect solution for me. I just joined biznik - great to immediately come across such a great, informative article!
Posted by Marianna Paulson, Surrey, British Columbia Canada | Mar 09, 2008

Dear Elge: Lots to think about. I've been blogging faithfully every wk. since I joined blogspot.com and thanks to your article, I'm now better informed to make some changes.

With heartfelt appreciation; Marianna
Posted by Don Johnston, Clinton, Washington | Mar 10, 2008

Hi Elge,

Thanks for this great article! We are in the process of redoing our website and had been thinking about adding a blog so this is very timely. Blogging doesn't fit my style very well so maybe startiing off just visiting other sites will be a good first step. Take care ...

Don
Posted by Shannon Evans, Bainbridge Island, Washington | Apr 04, 2008

Super article! The points you make are so valid. Blogging is a huge committment. One more piece of guilt to carry around along with all those unfinished projects in my craft closet. Now where did I put that needle point canvas bell pull I was working on for mom's birthday...
Posted by Norbert Mayer-Wittmann, Old Greenwich, Connecticut | Apr 15, 2008

Good article!

Note, however, that even so-called "top" blogs can easily become "echo chambers".

I feel far more interested in forums / communities (such as biznik) in which there is more of a "level playing field" rather than a situation in which there is an author / owner / proprietor and everyone is simply a guest.

In any case, it is good to see sites with clearly defined rules of engagement. Having no rules is like living in a country without a civilized form of government. In blogs, I appreciate sites that refuse to sell my data to big search engines and/or sites which acknowledge that comments are just as valid as the remarks of the blog author. Another neat feature is when it is not permitted to post anonymously (there is a very simple solution to this, BTW, which I intend to use on community sites I am currently developing).

see also this post by Kara Swisher, in which she interviews Jay Adelson on related topics:

digg's jay adelson speaks
Posted by Nora Stoecker, Albuquerque, New Mexico | Apr 16, 2008

Loved the article. I'm one of the sea of bloggers who is essentially talking to myself :-), but it does give me a reason for scanning sci/tech business-related news, so I'm happy to keep blogging! However - I'm going to try some of your tips on my blog and post to others as well. Regards!
Posted by Susan Rich, Portland, Oregon | Apr 24, 2008

Lots of great suggestions, you explained much. Thanks Elge.
Posted by Karen Hallis, Poulsbo, Washington | Jul 16, 2008

Fabulous article Elge! I have been thinking about a blog and want to learn as much as I can before I decide. The article was clear and flowed well.
Posted by Nina Durfee, Sammamish, Washington | Jul 16, 2008

So, just for clarification, it appears to me that this whole "line" of scrolling communication about this topic is a blog in itself. Am I right?
Posted by Elge Premeau, Portland, Oregon | Jul 16, 2008

Ya know... It's funny you should mention that. I was asked to update this article for the NACVA Journal (National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts) and I wrote a whole other version of it that then turned into an article on how to use Web 2.0 technologies to market your business online.

I've agreed to give them first rights to publishing and it will be in their Sept/Oct issue but as soon as that's out I will post it to Biznik.

The basic premise is that networking/marketing online is NOT rocket science! It's about showing up and participating which (when you strip away the BS) is surprisingly easy.
Posted by Nina Durfee, Sammamish, Washington | Jul 16, 2008

Awesome clarity -- well spoken! Congrats on the article, and I look forward to seeing it post to Biznik.

N
Posted by Richard Berman, Chappaqua, New York | Jul 18, 2008

Excellent article. It certainly makes more sense to "piggyback" on an existing blog than to start one yourself. My publicity business was recently written up on a blog and I had nine offers for work the next morning. Thanks again for your helpful advice.
Posted by Cindi Walker, Hawthorne, California | Aug 18, 2008

Thank you for this article about to blog or not to blog. Many seminars/workshops I've attended recently have been pushing entrepreneurs to start blogging. Your excellent advice on commenting as a way to get started definitely makes the whole notion less time consuming. I will definitely pass this information on to others in the same boat.