Other Ways to Link Bait
Contests
Another thing you can do to build link‐friendly content is to run a contest or sweepstakes on your blog (or your Twitter or Facebook page). It doesn’t have to be expensive – you could give away your services, actually. For me, being an online copywriter and marketing consultant, I could give away 10 pages of free content. I haven’t done that yet, but I could. It would probably go off very well. What could you give away? Once you decide, promote it and blog about it like crazy…on every social media channel at your disposal!
Interviews
Finally, to build some high quality link bait or “link friendly” content, you could interview prominent people in your industry. How about that for an idea? You know that these people you interview will link to you, right? Absolutely they will. Most of the prominent people out there in any field appreciate the added exposure. Play off that and get some great traffic as a result! Try this on your YouTube channel next week…
Product or Service Reviews
There are a million products or services that your target market would love to read about. What are they? Think about what your customers like. What do they use in their lives? You may want to even survey them to find out. The great thing about reviews is that they are easy to write and give you instant content. Plus, you’ll get people who want to link to them, especially if it’s a review for a popular product or service.
The secret, of course, with all of these link bait approaches is that you need to have people see what you write. It’s all useless without being seen by your peers. And if you are brand new on the scene, it can be a challenge. So, how do you do it? For starters, link to them in your post, send emails to them, call them, post to delicious, etc. Add them as a friend on Facebook, follow them on Twitter…whatever it takes!
If you can get at least one prominent blogger in your niche to take notice, the rest will most likely follow. Remember, the web is a community and you need to reach out to others who can help you. In turn, you will help them. And it’s more than simply acting professionally or ensuring you behave appropriately on the web ‐ It’s a basic tenant of life.
Sharing Knowledge
What about gracing others with your supreme intellect by giving away your own knowledge? Your personal experience with clients and industry expertise in your field will definitely be of interest to others in your social community. From “how to” or review videos (think Gary Vaynerchuk) to writing “cornerstone” content for your blog, providing your knowledge to others establishes you as the clear authority, motivating people to get in on the conversation and be a part of your online social media world.
Getting involved with social media is fantastic for developing an audience of new customers, partners and others – including the media!
Using Lists
And then there are Lists. Top 10 whatever. Top 100 whatever – think David Letterman here…but even better. Not just funny, but interesting and thought provoking. There is just something about lists that people love. It probably mimics the way we think. Our brains enjoy structure. 
A good list will also encourage debate. Be sure to give your readers some solid hooks to remember what was on your list too.
Debate a Popular Figure
For those adventurous types, you can light the social media world on fire by debating another popular member of your community or taking the contrarian view on a particular topic. Think about it: some of the best arguments and debates of all time got massive exposure. From “Coke vs. Pepsi” to “Tastes great, less filling” with Miller beer, disagreeing with conventional wisdom can become very powerful social media content.
Whatever type of social media content that you decide to write, be sure to make it about them in one way or another. And when I say them, I mean your audience.
Twitter: The Rise of a “New Type” of Web Content
What is Twitter? It is the ultimate in microblogging. It is one of the fastest growing web apps ever in the history of the web itself.
PC Magazine’s encyclopedia says that Twitter is a “web site and service that lets users send short text messages up to 140 characters in length to a group of people. Launched in 2006, Twitter was designed to keep friends and colleagues informed about one’s daily activities.
Twitter is increasingly used by businesses to tell customers and prospects “what’s new.” In addition, politicians and celebrities use it to keep constituents and fans informed.Twitter messages (“tweets”) are not sent indiscriminately; they are only distributed to recipients who elected to become followers. Messages can also be sent via instant messaging, the Twitter Web site or a third-party Twitter application. A Twitter message is a “tweet,” and an ongoing stream of Twitter messages is a “Twitter feed.”
So, how is Twitter inspiring a whole new type of content and communication style?
Well, they say that body language is 70% of communication. The way people say things, their facial expressions, what they are really saying behind that smile…are all critical to the communication being understood for the exchange to be meaningful. Of course, in the online world…via email, instant messaging, social media sites and the rest, where we don’t see people in front of us, there is no way we can duplicate this right? Right.
Or maybe there is. Think about it – Because we have the opportunity to so “expose” ourselves online, in many different formats and unique ways and – here is the kicker – via online video, we are now able to communicate almost identically to how we communicate in person, and some would contend, even better. Well, at least more efficiently!
So, the future: We all have less time. We all will need to do more with less. We all of us will need to communicate with each other. Could the Twitter dynamic…that of short, but substantive, in your face interaction be the template for future content and future communication?
I think, yes. Why? It works. It’s simple. And it aligns with our need for quick, meaningful communication. Yes, not all tweets are substantive. But we are getting really good at filtering this stuff out. What is twitter? It’s a template for future online communication. How do we use Twitter? Often and with purpose.
Here is the deal: Future content, quite a bit of it anyway, will be “micro” in nature…tailored to a specific little group, addressing their needs or wants and delivered in short bursts. Customized, clear, with a call to action…a call to action that addresses something you want or need right now. The reason it will be more impactful? Because the quicker you can address what someone wants right now, the quicker they will be to respond to it, especially when there will be others offering the same thing.
Future case in point: If there is a Starbucks and a Peet’s Coffee location, both close to where you are when you suddenly want a Carmel Machiatto, the one that gets you the virtual coupon via your mobile device first will get your business, right? (This would be assuming you opted for them to have your contact information, of course).
In the past, I have received some heat for making the assertion that you could market your products and services through Twitter. And although I very much agree that blatant self-promotion is not what you do with social media, connecting with others who may benefit from what you are offering IS a part of it. And I personally don’t mind it at all.
Is Twitter altering the very way we communicate? Time will tell.
