The best way to learn is by example, so here is one! HubSpot superstar customer Marcus Sheridan, who owns a swimming pool company, is also the author of The Sales Lion , a leading marketing blog. His blog enjoys a lot of interaction and recently one of his posts attracted nearly 400 comments . What is the key to his success?
Stir a Controversy
Marcus’ heatedly discussed blog post analyzed the recent Blog World New York event, pointing out some major flaws with it. As he put it in his post, “I simply cannot hold my tongue on an event that, in many ways, is perfectly symbolic of why the concept of blogging still gets so little respect throughout the world today.”
This sentence conveys the tone of his entire piece. It’s challenging the status quo and asking uncomfortable questions. That often leads to controversies and invites people to share their thoughts on sensitive issues. Marketers should consider adding a small dose of controversy to their blogs once in a while. You don’t have to make sweeping statements or be dishonest. Just don’t be afraid to express your thoughts even if you know others might not necessarily agree with them.
Make It Newsworthy
Marcus published his blog post right after the Blog World New York event had taken place. What does this mean? It’s piggybacking on a newsworthy story that the mainstream media and readers are still actively interested in. Consider the real-time aspect of writing blog posts and brainstorm ways in which you can also take advantage of events and time-sensitive issues.
Respond to Comments
Marcus responds to every single comment he receives. It’s his way of nurturing the blog community and keeping it tight. While this gesture can become really time-consuming, it earns a great deal of recognition from readers and keeps them coming back.
Be respectful to your community and try to address the questions they pose. Acknowledge their comments with thoughtful remarks. What is more, learn from them. Show them you care and continue the healthy discussion.
Would you add any other ingredient to this success recipe?
Inbound Marketing Blog Feed
Del 5:06 PM on June 14, 2011
One....
Heather 5:31 PM on June 14, 2011
Great article, love the recipe approach!
Terry Crowe 5:55 PM on June 14, 2011
These are pretty good ideas. One question I have, is where do you get the time to respond to 400 comments?
I'd love to have 400 comments to my posts, but if one the ways to do that is to respond to them all, I won't have the time to do it.
Catch 22?
Andre Jensen 6:56 PM on June 14, 2011
Obviously, you need to have a extensive reach to have 400 comments on a blog post. This is most easily done with a large mailing/subscription list. And to get that, you need to provide consistente extraordinary content day in and day out. It all comes back to content.
Justin Dupre 3:51 AM on June 15, 2011
Was he stirring up the event participants in order to get recognition, or was it a genuine feeling of lacking something at it, though?
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Linda Stacy 8:59 AM on June 15, 2011
I often have the same question as Justin when I read a "controversial" post. Is it contrived to get reactions or is it a genuine opinion? When controversy becomes the "method" it can come across as disingenuous, and sometimes just plain mean. Personality also plays a role. I don't think I could pull it off; controversial just isn't my style. Marcus seems to handle it extremely well.
Magdalena Georgieva 9:16 AM on June 15, 2011
@Justin & Linda: It's not supposed to be controversial for the sake of being controversial. First and foremost, it should be genuine! If it happens to be a different viewpoint from what others think or questioning existing realities...then it is naturally controversial!
Jason Stuart 10:08 AM on June 15, 2011
Agree with Terry about the time consumption of responding to so many comments but it is a great way to keep the conversation going and let commenters feel more invested in the post and more a part of the community. It's all about building community.
Powerserve 10:57 AM on June 15, 2011
Controversy simply for the sake of stirring controversy isn't a good method; however, controversy stirred up by sharing your opinion and view on a subject can be an excellent way to spark a discussion.
Even playing devil's advocate and looking at a topic from a vantage point you don't adhere to can be a very interesting post.
Jonathon Frampton 11:03 AM on June 15, 2011
Great little hint of an article, time to stir the pot locally... now who to piss off?
Cody Bonney 11:06 AM on June 15, 2011
I have to agree with another commenter that writing controversial articles just to stir users up is a bad idea. I like the idea of piggybacking on hot news stories though.
Wil 11:50 AM on June 15, 2011
This is a great blog post. It is especially helpful to me a blogging newbie. I've been wondering how do bloggers encourage responses to their posts. This was inisightful indeed.
Marcus Sheridan- The Sales Lion 11:48 PM on June 15, 2011
@Terry: Great question..and it is a catch 22. Having a massive community that likes to discuss does take major nurturing, but I'm willing to pay the price, as they are my foot soldiers, supporters, and fans...and the blog wouldn't be anything without them. Plus, by only posting 2 times a week, I have the ability to answer just about all the comments. If I posted every day, I simply wouldn't have the time.
@Andre: I see what you're saying, but it's not all about an extensive mailing list in my opinion. More than half of the people that commented on this post had not been on my blog before this article. Because it spread like wildfire, and because everyone had an opinion, they came over and jumped in.
@Justin: I think if you read the article, you'll get your answer.
@Cody: I agree, I'm not the type to stir the pot. In fact, I'm a very 'positive' person. It's just that I was moved by this event, and it upset me, so I felt the need to speak up. I knew it would get a lot of attention, but that's not why I wrote it.
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brianmike5 6:51 AM on June 17, 2011
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