Why Blogging Will Never Give You the Results You Want

by Guest Blogger, Lena West 

The most common complaint we hear from new clients is "I'm writing blog posts three times a week and no one visits or comments. What's the deal?"

Well, there you've got your answer.

Let me put it another way:

Let's say you decide that you don't have enough friends. Maybe you've been busy with your life and  you haven't taken the time to really connect with other people. But, now you could use a good friend or two. Someone to share potluck dinners...a movie...emotional support...yada, yada. So, you set the intention to expose yourself to as many people as you can (not in THAT way!). Night after night, you sit at home hoping, wishing and waiting for a friend to knock on your door so you can start sharing, planning and gossiping. Not one person calls. Not one person knocks. What's wrong here?

If you're bright enough to read this blog, you can see immediately what's wrong. I bet many of you were thinking, "To make friends, you have to first be a friend." Or maybe you were thinking, "Just because you build it, doesn't mean they'll come." True indeed.

It's a very similar situation for bloggers.

To be a successful blogger, you have to take the initiative to actively connect with other successful bloggers -- the operative word being ACTIVELY. That means not JUST sitting behind your keyboard and creating blog posts about interesting topics. Oddly enough, that's the easy part.

• It means subscribing to and REGULARLY READING other people's blogs.
• It means commenting intelligently and regularly if and only if it makes sense to do so. In other words, most times a one word comment will get you no where.
• It means using trackbacks regularly and effectively.
• It means talking about and linking to other people on your blog - and not just via your blogroll - give people and resources that deserve it some 'air time' in your posts.

Bottomline: If you want people to read your blog, you can't just blog. You might consider the novel idea of reading and being active on other blogs. *Gasp!*

Of course, there's the whole 'do unto others' thing but you also might learn a thing or two.

Comments

[Lea]

Hi Lena,

No I haven't yet - unfortunately the 4HWW isn't out in Grenada (our current L.I.P location) but I'm hanging out to get it having heard so much about it and reading (and commenting!!) on Tim's blog. I'll be picking it up pronto on our trip thru NYC in 2 weeks.

It's quite funny - I've heard he mentions Panama & Buenos Aires as places he's been to - those are the 1st two places we chose on our L.I.P trip too - for precisely the reasons he mentions...we must be doing something right!!

Can't wait to read it though.

Lea

[Lena L. West]

Lea:

Thanks for your kind words...and thanks in advance for the link love to your clients! :)

I'm glad you've been able to realize the results of being an ACTIVE blogger.

I'm loving the L.I.P. concept! Have you read Tim Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek yet? I'm making my way through it and boy is it worth it.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

[Lea]

Thanks Lena - this is exactly what I encourage my clients to do but you put it so much more eloquently than I do - I'll just refer them to this from now on!!

You are absolutely right and I got so much more traffic to my blogs almost as soon as I built up my own 'community' by regularly visiting other relevant blogs & commenting. It's even led to some great partnerships.

Thanks again.

[Lena L. West]

Rafael:

I would be interested to hear why you disagree. Then I could make a more informed response.

If you think you don't have to visit other blogs and be active because, as you say, you "presume they'll keep coming back and will spread the word". I'll respectfully ask you to think again. I've been consulting with businesses both large and small about technology for a good many years and I can tell you if you just build it, they won't come.

Yes, to some degree a blog may hit critical mass and begin to 'ride on its own' but, that's usually the exception and not the rule...unless you're someone with a built in fan base like Seth Godin or Tom Peters.

I would also like to learn more about your blog results without doing the things I mentioned - if you're willing to share. I'd wager a bet that if you do some of the things I suggeested - just one - you'll double your current results and get a solid Google page ranking for your site because right now it's 0.

Thanks for reading and commenting!

- Lena

[Rafael R]

If I've understood, your advice is to do blogging the way we do things in the real world. I mean, first of all to write a blog, obviously, and write it well. Secondly, tell our friends, colleagues, customers, etc. we are doing so and finally encourage them to visit and comment. I presume that if what we have to say interest them they’ll keep coming back and even they may spread the word. Am I right? I agree, but what I don’t agree with you is neither in that "To be a successful blogger, you have to take the initiative to actively connect with other successful bloggers" nor in that "...You might consider the novel idea of reading and being active on other blogs."

[Lena L. West]

Yvonne:

Yes, this IS something that should be understood at the very beginning and part of a blogger's marketing plan.

Thanks for your input.

[Yvonne DiVita]

Lena, if only people could grasp this one concept at the onset, it would save them so much anguish!

Visiting other blogs, leaving comments, and 'introducing' your blog, are key elements to making those much needed connections.

[Lena L. West]

Toby:

Yes, so true. I can't tell you how many business friendships I've started because of commenting on someone's blog.

Thanks for reading!

[Toby]

Lena - Great post simply, but elegantly put. An added benefit is often those comments are the start of a beautiful friend or perhaps the door is opened for further networking opportunities.

[Lena L. West]

Katie:

Thanks for sharing!

Your experience cements exactly what I'm saying.

Kudos to you for "fishing outside your own pond".

Keep up the good work!

Best,

Lena