Writers who know what your target audience most wants to read about who already have followings on social media. Get them to write for you and your content will get far more visibility.
When they know writers on major sites who read their content, your site can get incoming links from those sites. You need a content strategy that interlinks related posts on multiple domains.
Content Marketing Done Wrong
As content marketers we must try to educate our clients about what is NOT important:
- Focusing on quantity instead of quality
- $18 content (or worse)
- Fluff pieces with no original content
Even worse is that many are still making serious errors:
- Adding a link to the very end of purchased content
- Intentionally creating unnatural link profiles
- Putting links in bios
- Having one writer who is not a recognized expert creating many posts about you
The days of this kind of content working are numbered. What you’ve already done may end up getting you penalized. Even worse, many are kneeling at the new altar of Google Authorship without realizing how that may affect them.
Content Marketing Done Correctly
While I realize that customers just want to see published content, the research and strategy behind what you’re doing is essential to success. Before a single piece of content is created you need a plan.
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Identify Goals
First decide what you intend to accomplish. Too many are focused entirely on Google rankings alone. Because we do not control what Google does, we need to focus on gaining visibility with your potential buyers in every piece of content published.
Tomorrow Google could decide to stop ranking your site. Survive by making sure you have been connecting with your potential customers all along and capturing them to your mailing list.
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Research relevant blogs
That takes research to find relevant sites. The most affordable tool to find and track your interactions with bloggers is Inkybee. I recorded a video showing how I use Inkybee to make it clear why it is so valuable.
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Reach out to all the blogs early
Influential bloggers are very busy. They receive requests every day. Unless you have interacted with them on social media and supported their efforts they are highly likely to ignore your requests.
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Identify qualified writers
You need subject matter experts who have influential social accounts. When the blog owner is qualified to write about you it is always best to have them do the writing and publishing.
If your content is complex and the individual bloggers are not qualified to write about you, then you are better off providing the content written by someone who really knows your industry, niche, or vertical.
For most campaigns we use a mix of both. Do not make the mistake of using one writer on 10-20+ domains unless they are a recognized authority in that niche with unique, actionable insights to share.
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Plan the strategy
It is important that content links to other related content. Traditional blog outreach focused primarily on linking using a specific keyword phrase landing on a specific page on the target site.
Doing too much of that is what got many sites penalized for unnatural links.
Stop focusing on links.
Focus on branding: raising awareness of what you offer by publishing content about it where your potential buyers already are and linking that content to additional information on other sites.
You need to first create evergreen pillar content that is highly shareable. Provide images, videos, and reference links for inclusion in content about you. Let them choose freely unless you know how to create strategies that won’t get you penalized.
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Promote the content
Getting content published is not the end – it is the beginning. Influential writers already know how to promote what they write. Their writing ability and influence is why they now command from $150 to $500+ per post.
When you negotiate pricing it is likely to include basic promotion. But if you want your content to really fly you need to appreciate what else can be done and make it happen.
Why have one influencer promote your content when you can have many? Why use one writer when we can arrange to have several to as many as you wish who link to each other’s content and cross-promote it?
Examples of Viral Content
We can get your content shares and links even if your blog is brand new and has few or no posts. This post is on a newer blog with minimal content. The image shows 175 retweets according to Tospy.com. (Click image to see full details.)
Another way to check how much a piece of content gets shared is ShareTally. Here are some examples:
- Content Marketing Solutions and Best Practices ~ See ShareTally
- Common Blogging Mistakes: Editorial Guidelines for Bloggers ~ Sharetally
- 43+ Free Blog Images Sources: Where to Get Royalty Free Photos ~ Sharetally
- WANTED: Bloggers Interested in Collaborating to Increase Their Incomes ~ Sharetally
Easy Way to Reach Influencers
Influencers tend to know each other. The larger our collaboration gets the more likely someone already knows the writer you would most like to hire. We have or can get their contact information.
We refer work to each other; work together on projects; manage projects and work with agencies. Sometimes we do the writing; sometimes the placing or publishing. Whatever you or your agency needs, we can provide it.
Besides writers we have been collecting experts in every specialty for years. Pretty good won’t keep you in business. You need exceptional – and we know who the best in the world is in every discipline.
Free referrals. (We receive 0 for recommending them – we just want you to have the best you can afford.)
We can show you bloggers we collaborate with complete with stats and details as compiled by the blog outreach tool we use Inkybee.
Do You Need Advice?
Content marketing is still new to many. There is no one way to do it, but there are some things that definitely need to be avoided. If you are involved in it and would like into our collaboration, just ask.
Consultations are free with no obligation for up to 20 minutes. Longer consultations available for $2.50 per hour payable immediately via PayPal. More details on having Custom Content Created here.
