“Parent” Comments Don’t Need To Pose A Problem For Business Bloggers

“What’s the biggest problem Facebookers are confronting?” asks Scott Harris in Reader’s Digest. Parents signing up, he says.  Since his mom befriended him on Facebook, Harris laments, his status updates read:
 

• Scott is making good, well-informed decisions.
• Scott is going to bed at a very reasonable hour.
• Scott is making large, regular contributions to his savings account.
• Scott is drinking only on occasion, and even then, it’s just one or two.

If “Scott Harris” were the name of a business, an appliance repair company, for example, Mom-like comments on the Scott Harris blog might read:

• The Scott Harris Appliance Repair technician came to my house at 5 AM to fix my washing machine. 
• Scott Harris Appliance Repair employs only experienced, skilled technicians who know how to repair all brands of appliances.
• My telephone conversation with the scheduling representative from Scott Harris Appliance Repair was friendly, quick, and efficient.

(“I only wish…” is probably your first thought. Getting any sort of conversation going through comments on your business blog posts is a challenge, and getting the sort of devoted parent-like testimonials even more so. )

Comments are actually more likely to be either negative or posted to promote the commenter’s business rather than yours.  That’s because visitors to your blog are on a mission – to find a product, service, or information – and are little interested in chat.  Often it’s the disgruntled customers who are most likely to vent through blog comments. According to Roger Nunley of Customer Care Institute, though, that could turn into a positive for your company.  Quickly responding to complaints or dissatisfaction will make customers even more loyal than those who have not complained, Nunley emphasizes.

Business blogging is ideal for quick reaction time. As Kyle Lacy of Brandswag explains, social media, including blogs, help business owners control their message and exercise damage control.  Depending on the situation, he advises, the conversation can be taken offline or dealt with through a direct response in the blog.

If you’re unwilling to get wet, you won’t be able to enjoy swimming, as my grandma used to say. If your blog isn’t “out there”, you won’t get negative comments, to be sure, but neither will you be able to use your business blog to attract online customers and clients!