#sejthinktank: how to build links using content marketing & outreach

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

• Link Brand Building as Marketing and Influence

• Using Tools, Data to Build Ideation and Business Cases

• Finding Outreach Targets• Case Study

#SEJthinktank

What I’m Going to Talk About

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

• Authority Signal Building

• Branding, influence and positioning

• Links are the byproduct of great [content] marketing

• Supports great content that ranks itself and attracts more links / signals

#SEJthinktank

So, What Is Link Building?

@lorenbaker

• Article distribution sites

• Guest blogging networks

• Link wheels

• Private Blog Networks

• Mass link swapping

• Link injections#SEJthinktank

What’s Not Link Building?

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Pages That Typically Do Not Attract Links

• Product Listings

• Product Categories

• Boring Press Releases

• About Pages

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Does This Thing Come With a Link Magnet?

• Blog• Resource Centers• Galleries• Reviews• Comparisons• White Papers or Ebooks• Infographics … etc.

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

POLL #1 - What is your biggest linking / content marketing challenge? - Getting links to my content. - Developing content that people share. - I don't have the time to link build. - I have no challenges

#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Tools I’m Talking About Today

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Travel Link Building Scenario11% of visitors to Las Vegas in 2012 chose to bring minors along with them. That’s up 150% in the past 10 years.

How do we hit this niche of 5 million travelers / flyers / hotel bookers in Vegas per year? Let’s look!

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Keyword Research – Google Suggest

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Side note: I searched for “toddlers” not kids!

Where are the hotels?

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

But What About The Long Tail?

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Less Trip Advisor, More Blogs & Content

#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Digging into the Data

#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Now we know• The kind of content Google is serving

• The sites Google is serving

• The relevant topic matter people are searching for

• How Google is classifying that topic matter

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

We Have An Ideation Outline

Things Kids Love in Vegas

Kids love Aquariums• Top 10 Aquariums in Las Vegas• Top 5 Kids Attractions in Vegas Only Locals

Know About• Best Kids Destinations off the Vegas Strip• Las Vegas: The New Disneyland for Families

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Develop That Content Accordingly

Things Kids Love in Vegas

Las Vegas: The New Disneyland for Families: Infographic

• Top 10 Aquariums in Las Vegas: Listicle• Top 5 Kids Attractions in Vegas Only Locals Know

About: Blog Post• Best Kids Destinations off the Vegas Strip: Blog

Post

#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Dump Export Into Majestic

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@lorenbaker

BuzzSumo For Influencer Research

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@lorenbaker

Search Google News for ‘Infographics’

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#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Competitive Intel - Links

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Competitive Intel – Co Citation Links

Pull Backlinks on the Backlinks.

Eg. Space.com has 15 domains pointing to that one article.

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@lorenbaker

Competitive Intel – Social Influence

Using the SharedCount Bulk Upload Feature

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Data Pulling Recap1. Google – See what people are searching for 2. SEMRush – Quantifiable & exportable data on

search trends, search volume and sites ranking for those terms (terms can be run in BuzzSumo to find influencers)

3. Majestic – Run Bulk Links on pages ranking for terms that you found in SEMRush. Run more backlinks on pages linking to those pages.

4. SharedCount – Export all from Majestic above to gather social sharing numbers.#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Find Contact Info and Scale Outreach

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Trusted Voices & Warm Introductions

Turn loyal audiences into your own brand evangelists.

• Blogger Outreach - Target publishers during the final stages of design and offer them an exclusive to be first to publish

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Trusted Voices & Warm Introductions

• Leverage Relationships with Publishers - Can you invite them in the ideation process?

• Leverage Your Audience - Remember, this is a joint effort.

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Poll #2 - How do you build links? - We have an agency that builds for us. - We do it internally. - We don't. - Links? What are they?

#SEJthinktank

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Goals• Position client as national leader in denim amongst 16 to 25 year old

market

• Capitalize on customization of clothing; distressing

• Drive traffic to blog and site for informational and transactional goals

• Dominate organic search queries

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Content• In depth blog post on distressing denim [much more in depth than

competition]

• Infographic visualizing How To’s and DIY Tips [subtle product placement]

• Infograms for social distribution on client social channels [and 3rd party]

• Material for client customer email list [post sale informational tips]

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Outreach Targets• Fashion influencers

• College style influencers

• Denim loyalists

• Industry sites that have covered client initiatives in past

• Influencers who have covered competition posts or similar content

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Result of the Campaign• 10,000+ Facebook Likes

• 450+ Facebook Shares

• 2,500+ Other Signals from Social Sites

• 25+ Unique Links [High Trust Flow]

• 500+ Co Citation Links

• 25,000+ Referrals per month from Organic Search

#SEJthinktank

@lorenbaker

Ongoing Organic Traffic & Links

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@lorenbaker

Ranking for Targets

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