Innovation & data-driven digital marketing.
Imagine if you turned on the news to see a high-ranking expert, politician, or celebrity quote you. That would be pretty exciting, right? Suddenly, you would have legitimacy and authority you didn’t have before, leading to more attention for future statements you make.
In a digital world, that’s essentially how “link building” operates for your brand voice. Curious to learn more? Read below for our expert’s take on this content strategy and how to leverage it in your marketing mix:
What is link building?
To make your website appear more “legitimate,” you want multiple credible resources to link back to your content. These links become one-way hyperlinks to your website and operate as a referral to algorithms, improving your search results status.
Before Google, gathering these outside links to a website was pointless; they wouldn’t help a site rise through the ranks of search results pages. However, over time, Google updated the algorithm to consider backlinks as one of many factors indicating a high-value website.
What does link building outreach mean?
Link building outreach is the process of “pitching” content to other sites in hopes they will link back to your content. Over time, you will begin to gather backlinks as your brand gains recognition organically. But for organizations new to link building, it’s critical to seek placement for your content directly.
How do I develop an outreach strategy?
If you were a new restaurant owner, “word of mouth” reviews would likely be critical to your success. The more people say, “that restaurant is a must-visit,” the more likely others will believe that opinion to be true.
Your website is no different—your strategy should focus on finding and gathering those “voices” that will validate how great your digital content is. There are a couple of ways we’ve found that can help you do that the fastest:
Research Effective Content
There’s a reason SEO firms tell their clients to create various types of content, from blogs to videos, podcasts, and other such content. Diversifying your content approach can improve your level of consumer personalization and overall engagement.
In the link building world, you should plan to research what kind of content your target source often shares. Does the source often share statistical reports? Or are they more interested in video content? You can strategically share the right material depending on the preferred content type and topics.
Create New Content for Old Links
Every once in a while, an old blog post that receives a lot of traffic will have incorrect or outdated links. If you find one of those articles, consider creating a new blog with up-to-date info regarding the latest information. You can then reach out to the site hosting the original article to pitch yours as a replacement. At the end of the day, they get a link with new information, and you get a backlink. It’s a win-win!
Write Guest Posts
Much like your favorite podcasts often feature hosts from other podcasts, blog sites want new content from outside writers. This approach adds more voices to their conversation and allows businesses like yours a chance to expand their reach. Identify sites that want guest posts and pitch articles to them. Remember that your content has to benefit them, too, so it can’t just be one long commercial for your business.
Engage in PR
If you have had a significant breakthrough, are about to release a new product, have a major event on the horizon, or have anything that is “newsworthy,” you can write a news release about it and send it to a curated list of media entities.
Look for publications or journalists involved in your specific market and target them. Don’t just send a bland, cookie-cutter email. Send individual, well-structured emails tailored to your prospects. You’re trying to build a relationship, not just get some free exposure. The more transparent you are, the better received you’ll be.
Exchange Links
This tactic is the marketing-friendly version of “scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.” Offer a link to your target site in exchange for a link back to you. Just be sure to them value—don’t bury the link in an unrelated part of your page! Show them why a link on your site is in their best interest.
Learn More with 10x Digital
Link-building outreach is just one of the strategies new businesses should use to build their brands. At 10x Digital, we use digital marketing to turn consumers into repeat customers for companies worldwide! Reach out to our team today if you want to learn more about how backlinks can build up your brand.