Scratch My Back Marketing The Redux
I have been discussing what I call Scratch My Back Marketing since the beginning of 2009. I figured that it was finally time to write a specific post on the topic. Scratch My Back Marketing is based on a lifestyle and spiritual principal of giving to get. That’s right as in is better to give than receive. Now, I have nothing against receiving especially if it involves material resources such as capital. However, for our purposes I will settle for great comments left on my blog.
When I reference giving I do so with backlinks building efforts in mind. If you have been around internet marketing for any length of time you will have discovered the importance of links or backlinks. More specifically I am referring to other websites that link to your site. These links are known as backlinks.
These links are the foundation of Google’s algorithm. Applying SEO techniques to a website is good but it needs to be combined with a steady link building effort to be effective. Acquiring these links is becoming a huge challenge for website owners as fewer and fewer blogs and websites are offering Do Follow links for content or comments.
What I am suggesting is taking link building to another level. SMBM takes a multifaceted approach to link building. I consider link building as one leg in a three legged stool. The other two legs of this stool are branding and advertising. Every blog comment should be considered and opportunity for advertising your knowledge or for branding purposes. I have had quality comments left on a blog lead substantial business so I know that it is an effective marketing approach.
Now a days, we must locate Web 2.0 social media sites, blogs, and forums that allow user generated content to build these much needed backlinks. There are other options but they are generally ineffective, obsolete, or black hat. Google also has made it very clear that it does like the practice of buying and selling links (black hat) and it has taken action against sites that are involved in this practice.
So for these websites to be useful in gaining higher search rankings, these sites must provide Do Follow links. These Do Follow links have the ability to pass what is known link juice. It is this juice that will assist your website in gaining and maintaining high search engine rankings.
The idea behind Scratch My Back Marketing is that the website user will exchange useful content and comments for useful Do Follow links. It’s a simple matter of applying the concept of giving to receive. This is the genesis of my approach. This same approach can also be applied to sites that offer No Follow links. However, these No Follow links will not assist you in achieving higher search ranking. But they may be useful in generating website traffic and business.
SMBM allows both the website user (link builder) and the website owner to join together for the higher good of both. It is a classic example of a win/win situation. However, many people don’t buy into this approach. They like to put in as little effort as possible and they want to acquire the maximum benefit. That is why my blog has been requiring a 20 word minimum (150 characters) to acquire a useful anchor text Do Follow backlink for comments. If you want a link from my blog you must earn it.
These short comments will likely get deleted on most blogs worth posting on anyways. So I ask is it better to post 10 short "thank you" comments and maybe get one or two links or post 4 good comment on good blogs and get them all accepted? I always think long term and I am always considering the ROI for my efforts. As for me I will vote for quality comments every time.
Both scenarios will take about the same amount of time. Yes, leaving good comments takes more time as you actually have to read the post but it does pay off with better results for your efforts. This is often knows as your Return On Investment. The investment here is time.
The other option here is to add quality content such as a blog post like this. Many web 2.0 social media sites will allow you to sign your post and include a link or two. The idea here is to provide useful information while not self promoting. A dentist might write about preventative oral care while being careful not to do so be directly self promoting.
The key here is to follow the website policies as closely as possible. These social sites need, want, and desire your content as long as it is useful.
Quality comments also lend a certain amount respect and will assist in building a blogs reputation. These quality comments also provide what is commonly known as the fresh content bump for the blog or website. Google and the other search engines often reward fresh content by moving a blog post or site up in the search rankings based on this new content.
There will likely be an additional benefit if enough people by into the concept of Scratching My Back Marketing. It should encourage more bloggers to become or stay Do Follow. Let’s face it folks someone as got to stand up as a voice of reason here. The ability to acquire useful Do Follow links is getting more difficult everyday.
Update 08/27/2009:
I got tired of asking that commenters to leave a useful comment of at least 20 words of more on my blog. So I had a plugin created and called it The Scratch My Back Marketing Plugin. It currently requires that a blog commenter leave a minimum comment of 150 characters in length for the comment to be considered for posting on the blog. If the comment is too short it is automatically rejected. It also allows you to adjust the character requirement higher if you wish. Here is the link where you can download the free
Scratch My Back Marketing Plugin. It works on WordPress blogs.
Update 02/20/2010: I did a case study on the effectiveness of the Scratch My Back Marketing program. I ran it the entire year of 2009. My website started out the beginning of 2009 ranking for 20 keyword phrases related to my business in the Google search results. At the end of the year that number had grown to exceed 80 keyword phrases.
Not only did my website benefit in the Google search results but it also produced the biggest contract for the year 2009. I had left a useful comment on someone blog. A reader liked my reply and followed the comment link back to my website. They liked what they saw and made any inquiry that later developed into business.
In closing I would like to ask you this: Have you ever visited someone’s website that left a comment that read "nice post?" Have you ever done business with someone that left a "nice post" comment? The answer to both of these is likely no!
Thanks,
Urban
I provide
Local Phoenix SEO - Website Marketing Services,
Affordable Quality Links Backlinks Building Services , and
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