What are they?

Essentially both are forms of notifications or communications between blogs.

For example, if I write a blog post and in it I link to a blog post on another site, an excerpt of my post containing the link will show up on that blogger’s site in their Comments section, along with a link back to my post. Since trackbacks are handled through comments, the blogger gets to moderate it like any other comment. So he/she will be able to see that I referenced their blog and if they approve the comment I now have a link from their site to mine. This is a trackback.

Here’s an example from my music blog, beatlife.net. In this case I used the trackback simply to give credit to the other blog as the source of my post. I wrote a post (excerpt below) and I linked to a post on another blog – HoneySoul.

The author of HoneySoul approved my trackback so below you see an excerpt from my post listed in her comments. The white text at the bottom is a link back to my post.

I have to say that Wordpress’ documentation is a little confusing on the difference between pingbacks and trackbacks and leads me to believe they are consolidating the 2 under the name pingback. In your dashboard they will show up as “pingbacks” but they are displayed as per WP’s description of trackbacks, with an editable excerpt in your comments.

Anyway, what’s important is how you can use them.

Trackbacks can be used strategically to:

1)   drive more traffic to your site
2)   gain attention from a blogger
3)   join in the community conversation

It’s very simple, all you have to do is write a blog post that includes a link to a post by another blogger.  Now that blogger has to have trackbacks enabled, otherwise your link won’t be published in their comments.  Most bloggers do, but you can check by just looking at the comments of their posts and see if there are any. Assuming that blogger considers your trackback to be valuable, and not spammy, a link to your post shows up in their comments, as illustrated in the screenshots above. Voila, your blog is now exposed to a whole new audience, and there’s a level of validation since the blogger has to approve your trackback.

Even if a blogger doesn’t have trackbacks enabled on their site, linking to another blog can still get you noticed by that blogger since he will probably see your incoming link in his Wordpress dashboard.

I want to emphasize that this has to be done in an authentic and natural way. If you try and game this method it will be obvious – your trackback comment will not be accepted and you will damage your reputation. So use this method only when you actually have something to say. Perhaps you read an opinion piece from a blogger and you want to present your own opinion, or develop the idea and conversation further.

Now the fuzzy stuff:
2) A blog can give your business a more personal voice and give a potential customer a taste of what your company is all about
a) A blog is a great way to add to and enhance your brand. It allows you to craft a more personal voice for your company, which is engaging to the reader. If a reader likes what you have to say and reads you on a regular basis they start to trust you. You can’t build that type of dynamic relationship with a static site.

b) A blog allows you to share success stories from your customers, engage with them, and get feedback through comments. Once you’ve built a decent readership a blog can be a great way to do free consumer research – test out product ideas and poll your audience.

c) You can use your blog to increase your credibility and authority in your field. By sharing your knowledge and insight through your blog you can become an established voice. You may also be able to pitch yourself as a guest blogger on other popular sites and blogs, further increasing your profile and credibility.

3) A blog allows you the opportunity to network with other people and bloggers in your field or related areas in a new way. Being part of the blogging community allows you a way to network with others in a friendly fashion, without having to push a hard sell. It’s easier to make friends with people when you have something to offer (a link exchange, good content), rather than something to sell. Bloggers often ally with each other to help cross-promote each others products.

Enough about what the blog can do – here’s what YOU have to do

1) Be willing to share and contribute free information, insight or value of some kind through your blog without expecting an immediate payoff. Blogging is not a short term strategy to win new business. You will have to give, without really knowing exactly when you’ll receive. For some people, this is an unsettling idea, but it helps if you are passionate about what you want to share through your blog so that the process of blogging becomes enjoyable in itself. Trust me, you will become addicted…

2) Be in it for the long haul.
A blog is not a quick-fix strategy. Although there is definitely a snowball effect once you really get rolling, you have to put in the time to write and promote your blog. It doesn’t happen by itself.

3) Be the master craftsperson of your public persona.
This is an area that should be carefully thought out as far as how you actually want to present yourself and your business. Yes, you want to give a personal tone to the company but that doesn’t necessarily mean posting pictures of your cat doing cute things is appropriate. Depending on the tone of your blog you are trying to portray, it may or may not be the thing to do. ‘Business personal’ (what I call the blogging version of ‘business-casual’) might mean sharing your opinion on news and issues within the industry, or giving insight into an industry conference you went to. It really depends on the type of business you are in and the public face you want to project. Remember that personality does play a part in a customer’s decision to purchase, so be conscious of how your ‘blog personality’ comes across.
I’ve come across some clients who although they ran a small business, were so successful that their customers started to think they were a big corporation. The owners decided a blog would be a good way to showcase their personalities and let people know they are still the same indie-minded gals their customers had known when their business first started.
On the other hand, some small businesses use their web presence to ‘level the playing field.’ A nicely done website coupled with incisive business commentary can give you the appearance of being ‘bigger’ than your company might actually be.
So this is an area for you to put thought into and really craft how you want to present yourself to customers and potential customers.