I recently got a phone call from a prospective client who was interested in outsourcing his internet marketing. I asked him how he heard about me and he mentioned a comment I had made on a blog post over a year ago.

While I was thrilled to hear it, I wasn’t surprised. That one blog comment doubled my business in one month and continues to send me leads.

A little background

In the Fall of 2009 Traffic Geyser and VAClassroom teamed up to offer a Traffic Geyser Virtual Assistance Certification program and it looked like something that would be a helpful service and fun to do. So I signed up and received my certification. The next step was of course, to market my new services so being an Internet Marketing and Social Media Specialist I got to work – wrote blog posts, posted to my Facebook page and Tweeted it. And I commented on a few blogs.

And one blog comment changed everything.

Anatomy of the blog comment

So what made that comment so successful?

Let’s start with where I posted it. I went to where my market hangs out – the Traffic Geyser site. I knew there would be people there who were fired up about what this search engine marketing tool could do but I also knew that many of them were busy doing the stuff that needed to be marketed and might need help doing the marketing. They were doing what they do best, now I needed to show them what I do best.

And I didn’t just say something inane like, hey, great post. Here is what I wrote:

Hi Mike,

As a Traffic Geyser Certified Virtual Assistant I really appreciate these resources. It’s great to know what the Traffic Geyser tools can do but this helps my clients and me to leverage them to their fullest.

I look at it this way – Traffic Geyser is like a Ferrari and I’m not leaving in in the garage.

Thanks!

Now let’s break that down a bit:

Hi Mike, – nothing big here, just makes it friendly.

As a Traffic Geyser Certified Virtual Assistant – this was early in the program and not many people realized there were not only VAs who could help but ones certified by TG. I let them know I was a TGVA and started to establish my credibility.

I really appreciate these resources. It’s great to know what the Traffic Geyser tools can do but this helps my clients and me to leverage them to their fullest. – So it’s not just good enough to know the tools, you gotta know how to use them. Most of Traffic Geyser’s customers either don’t have time to learn it’s intricacies or they don’t want to. And I drove home the point that I do know these tools and can use them for others.

I look at it this way – Traffic Geyser is like a Ferrari and I’m not leaving in in the garage. – One client told me that when he read that he got scared. He can drive a Ferrari but how the heck does he maintain it so that it goes as fast as he wants? His solution was to contact me.

Thanks! - again just adding a little personal touch to keep things friendly.

And that opened the door. The door was the link to my site. I let readers know what I could do, why having me do it was a good idea and where to find me.

The Icing on the Cake

The post that I commented on is not behind Traffic Geyser’s membership wall. They use it in their promotions so even people who don’t use Traffic Geyser can find me. And they are people who might need my services.

Enough about me

So what can you do?

• Find the blogs and forums where your market hangs out.
• Contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way.
• Lead interested readers to your site.

It’s not rocket science and it’s a ton of fun. That’s the Good News.

The Bad News?

It’s positively addicting. Keep in mind that these people you are bringing to your website are there to see more. So your website needs to step it up to the next level. That might be signing up to your email list or contacting you for a quote or whatever is appropriate for your site. And if you’re hanging out in forums all day then all that stuff gets neglected. Be sure to leverage your time well by finding quality sites where your market hangs out. The get in, get it done and get out.

And get down to business.