5 Ways to Eliminate Comment Spam and Boost Real Conversations

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, 5 Ways to Eliminate Comment Spam and Boost Real Conversations

Blogging is one of the best marketing tools for businesses and influencers. It’s a great way to share one’s knowledge, expertise and opinions. It’s also a great way to build a community of like-minded people.

The only way you can really create that sense of community though, is to boost real conversations among your readers.

Not only do comments make many bloggers feel good, knowing their work has been seen and appreciated, but it’s also a really great way to connect with your audience on a more human level. It allows people to ask questions and get answers, to offer their support, to express their opinions and even build new friendships.

Which is why it’s important to make your blog’s comment section an inviting space.

1. Eliminate Comment Spam

As many bloggers and blog readers know, comment spam is just a part of life online. The bigger your blog grows, the more comment spam there is. It’s never ending, but that doesn’t mean you have to give in.

What is Comment Spam?

So, what is comment spam? Well, comment spam is a term used to describe a broad range of comments that are unwelcome. Often, these are comments left by people advertising products or trying to get people to click on whatever link they’ve left.

Comment spam doesn’t add any value and needs to be eliminated if you want to boost real conversations.

Why You Need to Eliminate Comment Spam

Comment spam is a big deal. It’s not just annoying, but it has a few negative effects on your blog and your reputation.

First of all, if you allow comment spam to sit around, Google will punish your domain by ranking you lower on search engine results. Google sees comment spam as a bad thing, too. Even if you just have spam links in your comment section, Google might assume you have it on other places on your website and can greatly affect your pageviews. Just check your analytics and you’ll see.

Comment spam actually puts your readers in danger. You want your website to be a safe place that people can trust. If a reader clicks on a link left in your comments that directs them to a malware site, their computer could be infected with spyware. That reader won’t feel safe on your site again and likely won’t come back.

Leaving comment spam makes you look like you don’t care. You should be taking the time to clean out any unwelcome comments, which could be links to anything from advertisements to even porn sites or viruses. People won’t want to leave a comment if it looks like you don’t take the time to look through them.

How to Eliminate Comment Spam

Now that you know why it’s necessary to eliminate comment spam, you need to know how to do it.

There are five main ways to eliminate comment spam on your blog:

  1. Configure WordPress to minimize comment spam. Do this by setting it so comments must be manually approved before they are posted. If you’re still new to WordPress, you can read up on the basics here that’ll guide you through how to set your site up.
  2. Install an anti-spam plugin.
  3. Use a third-party comment-hosting platform.
  4. Shift the conversation to social media.
  5. Remove comments from your blog completely.

It might seem easier to just get rid of comments altogether, but allowing comments on your blog is a great way to continue the conversation.

So assuming you don’t want to remove comments from your blog or shift the conversation to social media, you should focus on the first three steps.

Interested in learning how to boost real conversation in your comment section? Keep reading.

2. Make It Easy

Some blogs make it incredibly difficult to leave a comment. Some require you to fill out robot tests, others require you to sign into Facebook, or even require you to share your email address. If it’s too much work, though, people aren’t going to bother leaving a comment at all.

There are a number of commenting systems that make leaving comments a lot easier. Even better, some commenting systems make it easier to keep track of comments you’ve left on other blogs so you can reply easier and continue the conversation.

Most people aren’t going to go back to the blogs they’ve commented on to see if they got a reply, so having a commenting system would really help.

Commenting systems also make it easier to moderate comments, fight spam, notify commenters of replies, offers lead generation, and more. They’re also easy to install on any WordPress blog no matter what hosting you have.

3. Write Compelling Content

If you want people to leave comments you need to give them a reason to. Quality content that’s thought-provoking and interesting will make it more likely that people will leave meaningful comments.

Surprisingly, one of the best techniques to really take your content to the next level and inspire people to comment is emotion. Add emotion into your blog posts and you’re much more likely to receive more comments.

There are a number of emotions you can try to provoke. It can be inspirational, it can be sad, or exciting, or it can even be upsetting. If you get someone to feel something, they’ll likely want to express it.

In fact, blog posts that discuss controversial topics are much more likely to get more comments that boost real conversations among people.

4. Ask Questions

A lot of bloggers now ask at least one question at the end of every blog post in hopes it will inspire their readers to answer it in the comment section. For many of these bloggers, the closing paragraph is often something like, “What would you add to this list?” But that’s not going to get people to comment.

If you really want to increase reader engagement you should ask questions throughout your blog post that actually gets people to think.

According to ProBlogger there are seven types of questions you should ask. These questions include:

  • What do you think?
  • How do you feel?
  • What will you do?
  • What is your opinion?
  • What is your story?
  • What is your experience?
  • What have you been working on?

So, for example, if you’re writing a blog post about a book you read, you can ask your readers if they have read it, what they thought of it, how it made them feel, or even if they would recommend it to someone and why. Always ask open-ended questions to guarantee a response.

5. Reply to All Comments

Any time you do get a comment you should reply to it right away. A lot of people comment for a reason. They might want to elaborate on what you said, ask a question, share their own experience related to the topic, or even thank you for sharing. So if you’re really interested in boosting real conversations in your comment section, keep the conversation going by replying to comments.

If people come across your blog and see you don’t take the time to reply, they won’t want to comment at all.

Keep the Conversation Going

Now that you know how to eliminate comment spam and boost real conversations, it’s time to head over to your blog and implement these ideas. Once they’re implemented, start your own email marketing campaign to ensure your audience stays up to date with your content and boost your conversations even further.

6 Crucial Mistakes People Make When Starting a Clothing Line

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StrategyDriven Business Startup Article |Starting Your Own Business | 6 Crucial Mistakes People Make When Starting a Clothing LineBuilding and marketing a clothing line these days is easier than ever with easy access to manufacturers from all over the world, private label options, and cheap marketing methods. But that also means the market is more saturated than ever, and for every clothing startup that succeeds, thousands fail. That’s just the reality of the business. However, in many cases, clothing startups with great concepts and products fail because they committed some crucial mistakes that could have easily been avoided. Let’s take a look at some common mistakes clothing startups make and how to avoid them.

Trying to Start Too Big

One of the most common mistakes is trying to start too big and having too wide a selection when getting started. Buying tons of inventory is also a bad idea.

You should only start with a handful of items, or with one signature product. A lot of clothing companies started that way and made it big. Now successful Johnny Cupcakes started by selling t-shirts with their logo on it. Jac Vanek is another example. She started by selling simple bracelets at music festivals and now owns a multi-million-dollar label. Starting small will allow you to limit your overhead and initial investment while building brand awareness.

Ignoring the Small Details

When starting, it’s important to have a solid marketing strategy and great designers, manufacturers, and distribution channels. But it’s also easy to overlook the simple things, like label design and manufacturing, for instance.

These are the kind of things you cannot ignore when you start building a brand. You want to design a label that represents you and that will leave a lasting impression. People often don’t realize how important the role labels play in a purchasing decision, but it could actually make or break a purchase. If they like your product and your label looks cheap or poorly written, it will reflect on your brand as a whole.

You not only want to work with a label designer that will be able to help you with your design and help you bring your ideas to life but you also need someone who can deliver consistent results and on time. That’s why you have to do your due diligence and work with manufacturers with a solid reputation in your business.

This label manufacturer, for instance, has worked as nominated label supplier for major brands like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren. That’s the type of manufacturer you should be looking for if you want to make a mark with your brand. Don’t make the mistake of cutting corners in this area – invest in quality labels for your brand if you want to give off the right impression.

Not Having the Resources

Another thing you’ll have to consider is resources. If you don’t have the resources to fulfill major orders from an important retailer, this could reflect badly on your business and you could potentially miss major opportunities. You have to make sure that you have the proper financial backing, either through a line of credit or a partner, so you can cover for any emergency. This also stresses the importance of starting small and limiting your overhead before you think of expansion.

Bad Promotion and Marketing

Yes, it’s true that social media is a cheap and simple way to market your brand these days. But it’s also very hard to stand out because of the thousands and thousands of other people marketing there. That’s why you need to use more than social media marketing and use all the options available to you. At first, you should calculate your projected revenue and spend at least 10% to 20% of it on marketing. You can then drop down to about 5% once you start getting recognition.

However, make sure that you use this money wisely and don’t assume that you need to spend tons of money on a fashion show. These can be very expensive and won’t give you much of a return on your investment. A much better idea would be to attend trade shows or have a launch party. These will give you both visibility and the chance to close some sales as well.

Not Building Good Relationships with Vendors/Stores

You’ll have to work with a lot of people when starting a clothing label and your relationships with them could play a huge role in how successful you’re going to be. You will be dealing with buyers, factories, and other businesses, all with their own agendas and timetables. So you have to make sure that you keep things cordial with them, but make sure that your objectives are met too.

If you want to sell your products to stores, you should make sure that you contact their buyer and schedule an appointment first. There’s nothing retailers hate more than walk-ins. You should also consider which stores you want to sell through at first. A bad retailer could potentially screw you over. This is why you should also have a lawyer draft proper contracts, so you’ll have legal recourse if anything happens.

Overspending

One of the most important things when you’re getting started is setting and keeping a budget. You should also avoid spending money on unnecessary things. Start learning about taxes, and how you can get deductions on things like office supplies, your company vehicle, or gas, for instance.

One of the major mistakes people make when getting started is spending thousands on a fancy website. Creating a website nowadays is extremely easy and cheap, even for someone with limited computer knowledge. Start small with a DIY website using one of the many drag and drop builders out there and wait until you have the money to have a professional site made.

Conclusion

Starting a clothing line might seem simple, but starting a successful one is a whole other ballgame. Make sure that you come prepared and have a solid plan before you even get started. And make sure that you have the proper people surrounding you that will have the skills and expertise to make sure your brand becomes a success.

How to utilise suburban areas in your marketing strategy

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StrategyDriven Marketing and Sales Article |Marketing Strategy|How to utilise suburban areas in your marketing strategyIf you are interested in using suburban areas in your marketing strategy, clearly you are looking for a way to entice your local demographic of customers. Suburban regions are a little different to cities. After all, there is less crowding on the streets, and people are less likely to be rushing to get to places. Instead, the areas tend to be more family-orientated or full of people looking to settle down in their dream homes. It can be more difficult to market in these areas because people may not necessarily be looking to buy something when they are trying to rest at home. However, you can still utilise these areas effectively. Here is how!

Roadside advertising

Roadside advertising is a great way to subtly market your message to people who live in a suburban area. Instead of forcing pedestrians and drivers alike to look at your advertisements, they can be placed in different areas that are unmissable but not intrusive. This includes adverts on digital billboards, bus shelters and shop buildings. The best thing about these types of advertisements is that they can be interactive. So, if someone is waiting for a bus to take them to town, the person can be taking a look at the advertisement and find out more about the product. Some of these adverts can offer free samples or special deals.

Reminders & memorable products

When you live in a suburban area, the last thing you’re going to be thinking about is a specific brand. However, there may be times where customers need something that is missing from their home without even realising it. If an advertisement is cleverly placed in a suburban area, it can act as a reminder for the person to go out and buy it when they next visit town.

Crowding

One of the major problems about advertising in a big city is that you are going to have a lot of competition. Advertisers are now going bigger and bolder than ever to bring in customers. That means unless you have a large advertising stunt in mind, it’s very unlikely that you are going to stand out. By advertising in a suburban area, you are being clever with your marketing strategy. For instance, if you chose a bus stop in a rural area, you could make your digital poster as bright as possible. That way people will naturally come towards it to feel safer in the dark.

Customer orientated

What sort of people are going to live in suburban areas? Most likely it is going to be young couples, families or people who have just retired. That’s why you need to think carefully about the type of brand you are going to advertise in a suburban area. By picking a product that is family-orientated or appeals to the older generations, you could bring in more customers. Let’s say that you placed an advertisement out for a nappy manufacturer. It would be more effective in a suburban area because it is closer to a family demographic. In this sense, you have found and targeted your target audience.

Overall, there are many ways to utilise suburban areas in your marketing strategy. By advertising in suburban areas, you can reap a whole host of benefits towards your marketing strategy.

Make the Best Career Decisions for the Future Right Now

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Career Decisions|Make the Best Career Decisions for the Future Right NowMaking the best career decisions for the future is so important, and there are a lot of great factors you need to keep in mind when trying to achieve this. Make sure you come up with some of the best ideas you can use that will allow you to get the best outcome for your professional life. Work on doing the best you can to come up with some great ideas that will help you make the right career decisions.

There is so much you need to consider when it comes to making the most of this right now, and you have to understand the importance of making the right decisions at the right times. So, you need to make sure you focus on making the best decisions for your career, and these are some of the key things you need to consider when you are looking to achieve this right now.

What Do You Excel At?

One of the first things you should think about when it comes to making the right career decisions is to consider what you excel at. This is something that you need to make the most of moving forward, and there are so many things to consider here. Opting to focus on something you are good at is very important and there are a lot of benefits to this. For one thing, you already excel at this particular area of business, so you know you’re going to be able to fulfill the requirements of the job.

Find Your Passion

Another great thing to consider when you are trying to make the right career decisions for the future is to find your passion. Too many people are stuck in jobs or careers they don’t enjoy and have little interest in. Being able to do something you love and enjoy, and make a living from it is something we’d all love to be able to do. So, finding your passion is one of the best things you can do if you want to enjoy a fulfilling career in the future.

Try Something New

Trying something new is one of the best things you can do to enjoy your career in the future. Make sure you focus on some of the best ways of being able to enjoy the best possible career, and this might mean making a change. There are a lot of options to keep in mind if you want to try a new career, and this is certainly something you should consider.

Gain More Experience

Trying to gain more experience in particular fields is so important for enhancing your career opportunities. There are a lot of ways of gaining more experience, and learning more about the job or industry you want to work in is a good place to start. You also need to look at what you can do to improve your skill set, and, by way of example, weighing up online options such as an MBA in healthcare management vs MA in healthcare leadership makes a huge difference. The fact that it is so easy to gain this kind of experience via online courses makes it essential for your future development.

You have plenty to consider when it comes to improving your life and career and making the best choices for the future. This is so important, and there are so many factors that can help you achieve this. Finding your way professionally is so important and the more you can do to help you achieve success and grow into something you love to do.

Interesting Career Options for Handy People

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Career Options for Handy People|Interesting Career Options for Handy PeopleIf you’re someone who likes to work with their hands, the idea of sitting in an office all day probably isn’t for you. The only thing you’ll get to do with your hands is typing and using a mouse, which isn’t exactly exciting. But there are plenty of other things that you could do if you’re looking for a career that requires manual skills. Anyone who is particularly handy and good at picking up practical tasks can consider a range of trades and careers that suit their skill sets and desires. Try the ideas below if you’re looking for a job that allows you to be handy.

Auto Mechanics

Working with vehicles of different types can be fun and challenging. There are different types of vehicles you can work on and specialist paths you could take your career down. You could look into RV technician jobs or find out about working on large vehicles like buses. Or you could specialize in working on a certain manufacturer’s vehicles or vehicles from a particular country. Alternatively, you can take a more generalized approach and provide services that meet the constant demand from people who need help caring for their different vehicles every day.

Carpentry

Carpentry is a skill with a long history. If you want to do something that people have been doing for thousands of years, it could be the right career for you. You could look at a few different types of carpentry and woodwork too. You can make furniture or perhaps look into skills such as joinery or cabinetry. Some people might also decide to take a more artistic approach to carpentry. This could involve making beautiful items that are also practical, such as furniture, but it could mean making purely decorative items such as statues or ornaments for people to display.

Electrician or Plumber

There are many different trades that you can explore, but two that will always be in demand are electricians and plumbers. They are always needed in homes and businesses, and are almost always in high demand, often with a shortage of supply. You can start out as an apprentice or go to trade school, and you could eventually start your own business if you want to. You could work on residential jobs or take on commercial clients, or even find contracts with government agencies and civil organizations that might require your services.

HVAC Technicians

Another service that is needed in both homes and businesses is heating, ventilation, and cooling technicians. Working in HVAC can also ensure you always have plenty of work, as people always need experts to help them keep their homes and businesses comfortable and healthy. HVAC technicians could choose to specialize in one area or they could provide a range of services to meet the needs of their customers. You can also keep up with the latest technology to offer people more efficient systems too.

If you want to work with your hands, you have a broad range of options that might suit your interests.