Finding Followers

*
Cheeky Secret #5Get in good with the SITSta's.*It's likely you've already discovered the brilliant idea behind the blog The Secret is in the Sauce. If not, here's the DL in a jiffy...*The brainchild of two saucy gals, Heather and Tiffany, SITS offers community comment support by highlighting one blog a day four days a week. (The other days of the week spotlight giveaways, offer auction opportunities, and play host to a variety of clever marketing techniques.) As a SITS girl, you join their blog as a follower, then check in daily by leaving a comment. After leaving a comment, you also check the featured blog of the day, and typically try to visit the site of the blogger whose comment was left before yours. You also agree to post their button on your site. In exchange for maintaining your membership, SITS will eventually get around to spotlighting your blog for a day, directing other SITSta's to your main site, and two of your favorite posts. It's a relatively simple concept that works phenomenally well. Their program is more than four thousand bloggers strong, with an average of 200-400 comments left on their site each day. On top of helping other bloggers discover your site, it's a great way to find new, addictive sites to add to your morning blog route.*So, what's the secret, you ask? Here it is...The SITS site has been set up with a comment box which will pop up in the corner of your screen. Everyday, every SITSta who clicks on "LEAVE A COMMENT" will have this box pop-up on her computer screen. The comment boxes typically display the first two or three commentors messages. There! That's the secret.*Be one of the first three commentors and suddenly every one of the SITS girls who stop by the site for a check-in will see your name, photo, and the comment you've left in that pop-up comment box. They'll also have quick access to your blogger profile and blog links. While not all of the SITSta's leaving a comment will click on your information, you are more than guaranteed to pique the interest of a handful of new, potential readers who are interested enough to click and find out who you are and what your blog is about.*Of course, to make the most of this method, you've got to be sure you can grab the attention of any and all lookieloo's. To do so, make sure you:*(1) Have a catchy Screen Name with trendy, descriptive words. "Jane Love Antiques" doesn't beg for attention nearly as much as "Vintage Jane."Likewise, "Cupcake Conundrum" is much more likely to pull readers into your site that "Cathy Cooks." Choosing a screen name which suggests your blog topic, style and voice is pertinent to "hooking" other bloggers and drawing them in for a first look at your site. Ideal screen names should be short, catchy, and interesting enough to entice other bloggers to want to know more about you and your site.*(2) Have an catchy photo on your profile.Like the screen name, your profile photo is as much about marketing your blog as it is about showing the world who you are. Of course, the fact that most profile pics show up as a half-centimeter square makes choosing the perfect profile photo tricky. But, it's not impossible!*To find the perfect profile pic, begin by making a study of it. Look at the profile photos other bloggers have placed on their accounts and see which ones catch your eye. Are they faces? Graphics? Objects? The styles you find most interesting are likely interesting to other bloggers, as well, which means you now have a good gist of where to start.*Using a simple software program like Photofiltre can help you crop any photo worth profiling. CLICK HERE to get more information about this AMAZING free photo editing software.*(3) Get a good message.Now that you have a good screen name and a knock-your-socks-off photo, you can also lure readers to your blog by leaving a noteworthy comment. It shouldn't be long and it shouldn't be self-serving. The idea behind SITS is community support, not boastful marketing. So, you need to find a way to be complimentary to the SITS community while dropping a subtle, classy mention of your own blog.*For Instance: Hiya Sits Gals! Happy Autumn Day!Is it as brisk and brambly in your neck of the woods as it is mine? Yikes!A cup full of Vanilla milk is sure to soothe the soul on these fall days.Come on by for the recipe. I'd love to have you!*(4) First is the Best.Now, the most ultimate SITS secret, eva.Being in the top three to comment at SITS is such a successful tatic to bring new readers to your site that there are a host of gals who sit by their computer and watch the seconds tick away until the newest SITS post goes live. It's a competitive game, getting in the top three. But, you don't want to be just competitive. You want to win, right?So, you're going to try to get your comment in the number one position on the SITS comment box. To do so, you've got to trust my (rather absurd) but very successful method...*First, log into your google account. Once the new SITS post is up, you don't want to waste a single second having type in your username and password. Second, type your message into a word document. Highlight the message and press CTRL+C to copy it.Third, wait. The SITS gals used to post like clockwork, with the new entry going live every night at midnight. I think they got wise to the underground group of bloggers awaiting the coveted comment top spot so they started posting in a slightly less routine fashion. So, this waiting part is really a waiting game. Go to http://www.thesitsgirls.com/ right at midnight and press the refresh button once a minute until the new post arrives. Once it does, move into action! Scroll down, click "COMMENT," press CTRL+V to paste your comment, then publish it with the fasted fingers you can muster. If you get in the top spot, hooray! Mission accomplished. If not, try again another night. You may just make it. And, while you're awake, be sure to take a quick stop by the featured blogger to leave a comment and say hello.*The best part of this "marketing" method is you only have to do it once to start reaping results. If you get your comment in the top three one night, I would really suggest waiting for at least a month before attempting it again. It's always nicer to share the love, eh?*And, anyway, I might be trying to get that first position, too. (wink, wink)*Good Luck! Happy SITSing.*