It’s possible to spend way too much time on the Internet, as we know. If your business is based there, you most likely spend a great deal, if not the majority, of your time online, and you may want to consider hiring a virtual assistant. So, while you are there, why not do everything you can to make all of that time count.
Any highly skilled virtual assistant will say that the key to long-term business development and the creation of a stable customer network is relationship building. Customers who feel that connection will stay with you. This is true for readership as well. And, that’s ditto for building rapport with business associates.
You should become a constant commenter. Don’t just be a silent witness but get involved in social networking, business forums and blogs. Through your experience online, you will have undoubtedly discovered some blogs and sites that you really like. Find out about the people who frequent these blogs as you learn.
Blogs
These are great places to hang out as you can interact with others who are like-minded. Make your own comments about any posts you read, see if you agree with what others have posted and comment to them, as well. You may even get into a lively conversation with a blog owner.
What are you some of your favourite blogs? Have business associates suggested their blogs to you? When you visit their suggestions, mention the people who sent you there as you make your first comment. It can be hard to keep up with so many different blogs on a daily basis. Subscribe to their RSS feeds and then use a feed reader to view the updates in a quick and easy fashion.
After you read the updates, go and take a look. Comment on anything that interests you. Commenting says that you have read the post and have an opinion.
While your comments can be short and sweet ones, I don’t suggest making a habit of only swinging by to say Hi and little more. Saying things like “Great Post” can also be misconstrued as you didn’t actually read the post at all but are piggybacking on someone else’s feedback or are only there for the link back to your own site.
A rule of thumb you can use is this: If you can contribute to the conversation with quality information or questions, do so. If you can’t – don’t leave a comment on that particular post. A possible solution, or perhaps – a perfect solution, is to hire a virtual assistant to monitor this for you.
By commenting regularly on your favourite blogs, you can reveal ways to benefit your website development. You may be asked to become a guest blogger for these blogs. You will be given a bio and can talk about your website, business and yourself.
If you used a signature to promote your site, all the better. When people feel they can trust you, they will click through to see what you have. Some of these people will contribute greatly to your content, helping you improve. A few of these ideas may not have been obvious to you otherwise.
Make sure that you’re involved by commenting within forums and on blogs. You will become much more widely known and this will prompt others to click through to your site and recommend it to their friends.
