Get the Conversation Started: How to Handle Comments on your Posts

This article was written by Yael Warman, Content Manager at Leverate.

If content Marketing Marketing Marketing is defined as the business process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers' needs and wants.This is a crucial element of any operation or brokerage in the financial services space. Well-funded marketing campaigns are instrumental to the survival and longevity of these companies in an increasingly competitive industry.Within the forex space, marketers perform a wide range of functions to help procure, secure, or retain clients.In particular, newer forex brokers also have t Marketing is defined as the business process of identifying, anticipating and satisfying customers' needs and wants.This is a crucial element of any operation or brokerage in the financial services space. Well-funded marketing campaigns are instrumental to the survival and longevity of these companies in an increasingly competitive industry.Within the forex space, marketers perform a wide range of functions to help procure, secure, or retain clients.In particular, newer forex brokers also have t Read this Term is not yet an integral part of your brokerage’s marketing strategy, you are doing something wrong and you need to stop reading this article and start giving it a lead role.

Once you do, come back to this article.

This piece is for those of you who have already caught up with the times and are sharing your knowledge with your audience through valuable content.

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If your brokerage has presence on social media, if you are writing articles in industry publications and you have a blog, then keep reading, because while you are already doing something right, chances are you are still missing a piece of the puzzle. The piece that goes smack in the middle and can make the 3000 piece puzzle you put so much effort into, look incomplete.

Every step you take within your content marketing strategy is designed to engage with your audience and while posting blogs, tweeting and posting on Facebook are great ways to start, if you are not following through, you are barely scratching the surface of what content marketing can do for you to increase your brokerage’s conversion rate and build loyalty. We are talking about engaging in conversations through comments.

If you have been creating engaging and valuable content for your audience, chances are you are going to be generating conversations, so get ready to talk. You may be getting just one lonely comment on your blog, but don’t let that discourage you. Only 1% of readers leave a comment on a blog post, but if you got even one reader taking the time to engage with you, take the opportunity to respond and foster a relationship. When you respond to a comment, you create the opportunity for a conversation which establishes trust between your company and the commenter and can let other readers know that your posts are worth reading and perhaps even commenting on.

Often times commenters won’t agree with your point of view, after all, that would be boring. Don’t back down from a good ol' debate. Responding to a commenter who disagrees with you is a great opportunity to win them over or at the very least learn something new. Don’t delete their comments for fear of a bad reputation, but rather respond with a positive and understanding attitude showing that you appreciate different opinions and embrace a healthy debate. This can show your audience that you are a thought leader.

Also, don’t take too long to respond. Commenters are not sitting by the computer waiting for you to answer. If you wait too long, they’ll forget about your blog.

You might get an “interesting!” or a “nice read”. Don’t take these small comments for granted. A “Thanks for reading” or “glad you enjoyed” on your part can go a long way. Even better, use the opportunity to share additional resources that they might also enjoy.

Commenting on other bloggers’ posts is a great way to create brand awareness for your brokerage and build relationships with complementary businesses.

Find a few blogs you like that have a common audience with your brokerage's and start leaving comments on their posts. Research indicates that leaving comments that are anywhere between 4 and 17 sentences long on other blogs can generate an average of 17.4 visits to your own website.

If you are already using content marketing to showcase your brand and share knowledge with your audience, make answering comments and engaging in conversation an essential part of your day.