How to guarantee a 0% response rate from blogger outreach

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How to guarantee a 0% response rate from blogger outreach Posted: 12 Nov 2014 01:42 AM PST Last week I had the chance to speak at the Content Marketing Show in Brighton (make sure you read Sam’s post about the key takeaways) – it was my first ever major public speaking opportunity and I’m now really pleased that I put my name forward a few months ago. If you missed the conference, you can view my slides online; I’ve embedded my presentation in this post to make it really simple for you… My talk was called “How to guarantee a 0% response rate from blogger outreach” and highlighted ways to do it well, as well as very badly. I included a few ‘real life’ examples which you can see in the first few of my slides below: More about blogger outreach However I want to go further than this and answer a few of the questions that I was asked on the day. Q&A I mentioned the topic of guest posts, and how many bloggers find it irritating when they are sent content by companies who are only doing outreach from a link building perspective. This led to a couple of questions about how it’s possible to do guest posting better. @HannahWarder OK – what is a successful strategy for getting guest blogs published? — Emily Hill (@emilyhill1982) November 6, 2014 @HannahWarder thanks for the great pres! How many guest bloggers should a blog usually host? @izzy_jansen #contentmarketingshow — Jeremie Molho (@Jeremiemolho) November 5, 2014 There is of course no perfect solution that would work for every brand, and it is something that needs to be done on a case-by-case basis. It helps to understand how the search engines view the activity of guest blogging, so have a read of this quotation from Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s Webspam team: “If you're using guest blogging as a way to gain links in 2014, you should probably stop. Why? Because over time it's become a more and more spammy practice, and if you're doing a lot of guest blogging then you're hanging out with really bad company.” So if this is your end goal, you might want to rethink your strategy. Guest blogging has seen its peak, and is now in a decline. Bloggers have become wise to this tactic and many have policies on their websites that say they do not accept guest posts in any form. Yet if you are a company who is trying to connect with bloggers because you have something really great to share with them, you’re going to need to think about how you can differentiate your approach to your competitors. Here are my top tips: Never mention linking back to a specific URL or the use of non-branded anchor text Don’t suggest to bloggers that your content is “100% unique” as this is an indicator that you are outreaching to many bloggers Have a clear reason to get in touch with a blogger, i.e. they have mentioned your brand previously or their interests are clearly aligned to you Provide something of real value Ultimately, if you’re struggling trying to place your content online, you should probably take it as a sign that it isn’t as spectacular as you think it might be. Put yourself in a blogger’s shoes to ask yourself “would I post this on my own blog?”. If you have content that would work better as a press release, you can at least try and reformat your copy to use in a different form, somewhat easing the burden on your budget for the work that has already been carried out. In terms of the number of guest bloggers that are suitable for a blog, this again will depend on the quality of what is written, how influential they are, and the reason for getting contributors. There are many industry websites such as State of Digital (http://www.stateofdigital.com) that do this well; you’ll see our very own Daniel Bianchini write on there from time to time, and he does this along with many other digital marketing influencers. If the aim of getting guest bloggers is just to get fresh content, it’s probably not going to be worth it. However if you want excellent content, then seek the best bloggers possible to help you out. And make it really transparent who they are by including them on your editorial team page.  The next question came from Paige Hobart who wanted some more information on skim links… @HannahWarder I’ve had a few cases of bloggers not being aware there are skim links on their site. Have you any experience with this? — Paige Hobart (@Paige_Mode) November 5, 2014 As Paige suggests, some bloggers aren’t too familiar with the affiliate links that are being driven through their content. There is actually an excellent blog post on this topic from Bryan Conte, which even goes into how these links can be removed when they are created automatically. As a brand you may need to provide education to bloggers if you are looking to work with them, after all, you have the digital knowledge to help them – building this relationship may help you to get better results with them in the future too. Finally, Tash Mills wanted to know how I use Google Analytics… @HannahWarder great talk, thanks how do you use google analytics to measure blog success? — Natasha Mills (@Tash_Mills) November 5, 2014 Google Analytics is incredibly helpful when it comes to blogging, however there are some people who obsess a little bit too much about the data they see. I frequently see bloggers say “someone found my blog by searching for XXXXXX!” – but the one off visitor through this term isn’t exactly going to make much of a different to overall blog success, so I tend to discount any data that is attributed to less than 10 visitors (at least). It can be useful for coming up with post topics, but I prefer to use it to see trend information about the number of visits, and what pages people have entered or exited my blog through. My main goal when it comes to blogging is to simply write what I love, so it’s always nice to see my audience growing in line with my own personal progression as a blogger. If you have any further questions about what I covered at the Content Marketing Show, be sure to leave a comment below and I’ll get in touch. The post How to guarantee a 0% response rate from blogger outreach appeared first on White.net.

Top takeaways from the Content Marketing Show November 2014 Posted: 11 Nov 2014 08:42 AM PST This year Brighton saw its first content marketing show, after a change in venue from the usual London location. I've put together some of the top takeaways from the event, which includes the first eight talks. Mark Johnstone – What content marketers can learn from advertising Twitter: @epicgraphic Checkout the slides here Mark Johnstone from Distilled kicked off the conference with his talk about how to come up with content ideas. What are the elements of a good idea? How do you connect them? "An idea is a novel combination of previously unconnected elements that add value." Mark's top tips included: Understanding the three elements required for content creation: Customer Insight – identifying the need (e.g. kids needing internet to access information and learn) Product Truth – linking the product to the need (e.g. broadband gives to fast access to a wealth of info) Competitor Insight – finding something that hasn't already been done, or looking for a different angle to make it unique (e.g. best price and best coverage for broadband service) Map out your ideas and find the connections – use tree diagrams to build out your ideas and think outside of the box. Don't discount any ideas, as long as you can see the association Mine the web for insight – Search Google and social media channels to find out what your target audience are interested in 5 steps for generating content: Information gathering – expanding around finding all elements (consumer insights, competitor etc.) Saturation – get all of your ideas down onto paper to free up your mind allowing you to focus on finding the connections. Put your ideas onto post-it notes and map them all out (you may hit the wall and feel you can't progress – keep going until you hit it again!) Incubation – Once you reach saturation, step away and put your focus elsewhere, sleep on it. Actively disengage – remove yourself from the process Illumination – write down what the question you're trying to solve – then brain dump around 20 answers Verification – test it out. Go for a beer with a friend and drop your ideas in the conversation to gauge their reaction Max Wilson – Why People Favourite Things – Tweet usefulness, style, and favouriting behaviour Twitter: @gingdottwit Checkout the slides here Max, a lecturer in the School of Computer Science at the University of Nottingham, based his talk on a piece of research that he worked on, which looked at the reasoning behind why people engage with tweets. Max’s top tips included: People who gain followers more quickly are the informers Tweets with exclamation marks at the end are less likely to be retweeted than those that use question marks A tweet is less likely to be retweeted if it includes no real info – is too introspective e.g. the "tiles in this restaurant remind me of my grandma's house" Tweets that are more likely to be favourited include useful info, personal experiences, recommendations, specific facts and things that people have figured out Tweets that are less likely to be favourited don't include relevant info, e.g. use $ instead of £, and are too subjective Why people favourite tweets Tweeted by friends/family Relates to their ego – they were mentioned in the tweet Used as a form of bookmarking to keep a to-do list Fishing for engagement from your audience can be risky #McFail – McDonalds sent out a tweet asking people to speak about their experiences, which resulted in negative comments, including one customer who allegedly found a finger nail in a burger #myNYPD – A social media campaign was launched by the NYPD to encourage twitter users to post pictures of themselves with local police officers, but this backfired when people started tweeting pictures of police officers being aggressive, appearing to use unnecessary force Emma Dunn – How to ideate like a boss Twitter: @snoopybing Slides not available Emma Dunn, a content strategist at Caliber, talked about looking at creativity from a scientific point of view, to give us some useful advice for coming up with great ideas. Emma’s top tips included: Ideas in response to relevant topics do well, for example, Kit-Kat's campaign after to the bendy iPhone 6 scandal – "KitKat, ‘We don’t bend, we #break’" Try Joy Paul Guilford's theory distinction between divergent and convergent production – coming up with lots of ideas to solve the same problem, rather than convergent thinking: whittling down to one black and white answer Brainstorming can work, but it's not as effective as you might think – Some people are introverted, others are loud, and some sit and listen but don't contribute Emma's solution: Start by outlining the objectives, then allow those taking part to brainstorm alone – this will prevent some ideas from being fixated. Once you've thought of all the ideas, bring them back to the group – now you can hash them out with others A messy desk is better for creativity – keep it tidy when elaborating ideas What's the best time to be creative? Many say getting up early is better, but now researchers say choose a time that suits you. As Emma puts it, "whatever rocks your socks" Creative routines – find one that works for you and listen to your own body Exercise is good for creative thinking – Lorenza Colzato says that exercising 4 times a week will help with creative thinking Put pen to paper – the process of writing makes a stronger connection with the ideas in your head and helps your memory Hannah Warder – How to guarantee a 0% response rate from blogger outreach Twitter: @HannahWarder Checkout the slides here Next up was White.net's very own Hannah Warder, a digital marketing specialist and part time food blogger, here to tell us how to master blogger outreach. Hannah started off by taking us through the steps of how not to do blogger outreach, which include a list of techniques that people still use: Send emails to anyone and everyone Write the email without giving it much thought, and don't address the recipient by name Tell the blogger to jump through hoops without much of an incentive Write it in a way that is likely to cause offence Ask bloggers to place your content and be sure to specify the link that you require them to add, along with your non-brand keyword for the anchor text Following these steps will help you to waste your client's budget, waste your time and have a negative impact on their brand. If you don't like the sound of this (hard to imagine right?), then you may want to try to do it properly, considering the following steps: Identify your goals Make sure blogger outreach is right for your business – e.g. may not be appropriate for a company that sells computer cable Carry out research to understand who the influencers are in your space and think about what would incentivise them to engage with you – for example, inviting food bloggers to a food & cocktail event at your restaurant Make sure your email is relevant and include the recipient's name, as well as any other information that shows you've done your research and you're writing to them personally Bloggers know about link building, so avoid being blatant and asking for a link. If they're happy to engage then they will probably link to you Be helpful & friendly – don't underestimate the admin required, e.g. giving them directions to your event, sorting out tickets etc Bloggers want to be loved so give them attention and always follow up with an email/call/tweet Ask bloggers that responded well to your campaign if they know of others that may be interested in getting involved Add people that comment on your posts to your list of contacts You can read Hannah’s full post on this here Mindy Gofton – Rich content for the cash-strapped Twitter: @justhipper Slides not available Mindy's talk was based around how to get great results on a small budget of around 20-25 hours per month. Mindy’s top tips included: Think simple – answer pain points of customers/influencers then reach out to these to grow brand awareness Set expectations – educate the client to help them understand what they can expect to achieve and why the tasks are important Get the client to help you out by sharing useful contacts Get your client to manage their own social media accounts – this is far more efficient as they know more about their business that you do so are better equipped when dealing with their customers. Set up a workshop and show them how, rather than using their budget up to do it yourself Agree how you will measure success, e.g. number of searches/followers/revenue/leads. Make sure the metrics are clear and that the client understands them, this way nobody will get any surprises Understand your audience – identify who you want to target and what they like to share/what they're talking about Engage with social media influencers and build lists. Call/email them and ask (hypothetically) if they would cover your content in a newspaper and be happy to share it – they will give valuable feedback and may be able to provide ideas to improve it Always have a strategic plan in place – schedule all tasks in a calendar to understand the project as a whole and where the tasks/those responsible for delivering fit together within the budget. This will also help to give the client an overview of the project If you realise you can't meet the client's expectations within the budget, find another way to do things. For example, the timescales required mean that you will miss a seasonal high Keep it simple. For example, creating blog posts that answer questions that are being asked by your audience, with solutions to pain points Make sure you have a buy in – ensure the client fully understands the purpose of the project and are happy with the ideas behind it Laura Crimmons – How to implement an audience engagement strategy using content Twitter: @LauraCrimmons Checkout the slides here Branded3's Social & PR Manager Laura Crimmons centred her talk on putting together a strategy to ensure that your content deserves engagement from your audience. Laura's top tips included: Ensuring you audience is at the centre of your campaign – don't just focus on links, but serve the audience to encourage engagement, however they decide to engage, whether it's a review, tweet or indeed a link Understand who your online audience is – the online audience is generally younger, with more females Find out where your audience hangs out – which social sites, forums etc. and look at how they engage with your brand within these channels Consider where else can you target your audience and find out what they're reading Create online personas to gain an understanding of what your audience looks like Use social listening tools so that you don't miss any brand mentions Find out who's visiting your site, who's talking about you and who's actually buying. Are people talking about you but not liking you? Why? Check out your social platform analytics – find out who's on your social channels and why – how does this differ to your site visitors? Spot trends in GA demographics and dig into behaviour on the site – your audience might be visiting your site but are they converting as you would expect? Compare genders, e.g. pets very popular for the females but not so much with the males Look at the top review sites to find which your audience are using – maybe your competitors are being reviewed somewhere that you're not Once you know who they are, where they are and what they are viewing /sharing – think about why they might not be engaging with your brand An integrated marketing strategy is imperative –be consistent by keeping the same message through all channels – online and offline Stephen Masters – Storytelling tips for you to 'remember remember' Twitter: @masterstips Checkout the slides here Stephen Masters from Red Rocket Media did his talk around considering storytelling when attempting to make a memorable piece of content, using the familiar "remember, remember, the 5th of November" as an example of a short rhyme that we all associate with the story behind Guy Fawkes and the gunpowder plot. Stephen's top tips included: Use Catchphrases, memorable slogans and symbols to help people to remember. For example, the poppy is a symbol that reminds us all of those that lost their lives in war, inspired by the poem “In Flanders Fields” which was based on events in World War I, or simply 'Movember' – sometimes a single word is enough Lines from movies: life is like a box of chocolates – we hear it and we know what it represents, which gets us thinking about the story behind it Use memorable titles/cultural references or puns – twist memorable quotes to fit your slogan Repeat slogans – "a memorable rhyme stands the test of time". For example, when we see "have a break", we all think "have a KitKat" Highjack competitor slogans or use topical events to inform your campaigns. For example, Lidl's "Every Lidl Helps" which is very similar to Tesco's slogan, or KitKat's 'We don’t bend, we #break' in response to the bendy iPhone 6 stories Use notable & quotable content, such as summarised facts and stats, making it easy for others to use and share your story Consider episodic memory. We remember specific events – part of this is that we associate them with emotions and feeling. Images statements and smells trigger memories Hooked on a feeling – we get hooked on emotion or arousal which creates a deep routed memory Hindsight bias – we rewrite previous judgements based on new information. For example, somebody does something wrong – you may say I never liked him", or I knew that was going to happen" – did you? People change their views based on events Trigger recognition by being consistent with imagery Use cliff-hangers to leave people wanting more – the Zeigarnik Effect states that you're more likely to remember incomplete tasks than completed tasks. For example, – waiters are known to be able to remember all orders, until they are paid, then the task has been completed so they forget them. Unfinished tasks are more likely to stick in your memory, so a cliff-hanger can leave your story incomplete and therefore stay in people's minds Make them want more – push emotional buttons and leave things open-ended Tom Bailey – Digital Video – Getting your hands dirty and avoiding newbie mistakes Twitter: @bomtailey Checkout the slides here Tom Bailey is a creative producer from Shy Camera, who came to tell us about video content and why it's a big deal. He began by talking about how fast technology is moving, making video content accessible to all, with a smaller price-tag than ever before. The effects of this digital revolution mean that you no longer need to go to a fancy agency to get great results. This has given us an increase in 'bang for your buck', making the big projects cheaper than you would think, but making the smaller tasks within reach of smaller budgets, such as conference filming, interviews, demos, blogs, instructions etc. Tom's top tips included: Don't be scared to replicate – a lot of smaller videos have standard formats that people expect and feel comfortable in. Find some video content that you like, pull it apart and make your own version – look at YouTube for inspiration, such as guides Sound REALLY matters – it's easy to get a clean crisp image, but sound can be easily messed up. Microphones aren't expensive, so don't rely on the built in mic that comes with your camera Plan, Plan & Plan – write up on paper/post-it notes and plan it to death – be clear about exactly what it is that you want to capture Screen test your people and keep an open mind – you may have a clear idea of who is going to play the parts, but people are different on camera so screen everyone you can and vote the best ones in Help your editor. Editing isn't seen as the fun part – with your planning, the editor should be very clear of what you want, but help out by guiding them through it Always remember lighting – natural light is not a film makers' friend. In an ideal world, you will have a blacked out room to give you total control over the lighting. This is because natural light changes throughout the day, which can lead to over-exposure So there we have it, a long list of takeaways that will hopefully translate to some actionable tasks across your content marketing campaigns. If you have anything to add, please feel free to include your comments below. The post Top takeaways from the Content Marketing Show November 2014 appeared first on White.net.

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