If your blog is getting plenty of comments, Thank Me Later could be of use to you. The following scenario likely plays out frequently: A visitor stumbles upon your content, likes what she sees, and leaves a comment on your article. She then continues her journey across the vast landscape of the Internet, forgetting about your blog and her comment on it.
This is where Thank Me Later can help. It sends an automatic email to the commenter (whose email was captured when the comment was submitted), and thanks her for her visit to your blog.
“Thank Me Later is great for your blog because it reminds visitors of their comment a few days later, and prompts them to engage in further discussion and reading on your blog. It gives you the opportunity to keep alive a connection with the visitor after they have left your blog.” – Thank Me Later FAQ section
Used correctly, this can be a useful tool that gives gentle reminders to those who were captivated by your blog content. Used incorrectly, it can come off as a spammy nuisance that leaves the nasty taste of a Twitter auto DM in the mouth of the recipient.
So how are the thank yous perceived as helpful rather than annoying? Send commenters one email and one email only, provide other helpful links in the thank you (such as e-list or RSS links, or a link to related articles-even ones on other blogs), and be genuinely gracious in the email.
It may not be right for your blog, but you can’t argue with the price of free WordPress plugins. We’ve linked to Thank Me Later’s page above, but we’ll provide the link below, as well. If it’s able to retain just one additional visitor, the benefits could be exponential.