Who is your target audience?

If you weren’t able to answer that question instantly it might be time to re-research your target audience. Or if your answer was ‘everyone’ than you need to re-think your answer. When it comes to defining a business or creating a marketing strategy you must ALWAYS start by researching and outlining who your target audience is.

Your Audience is NOT Everyone

If you are targeting everyone, than you probably don’t know who your actual audience is and you won’t connect with anyone. If you don’t properly outline who you’re targeting you will end up creating a brand and marketing strategy that is all over the place.

The clearer you can define your target audience the better. Try narrowing down your target audience as much as possible. Focus on a niche. By focusing on one type of audience you’ll be able to craft your message and value proposition in a more engaging manner.

Growing Your Audience By Defining Who Exactly Is Your Target Audience

Do you have a business that has low engagement? Are you not getting any new leads or sales? If you are looking to grow your online presence or business in the form of followers, leads and  sales start by knowing exactly who your audience is. Then create messaging that speaks to them. Honing in on your target audience should be a top priority if you want to successfully grow your business.

Your business will live and die based on how well you know your audience. Scary isn’t it. Why? Because it is your audience that will buy your brand, product, or services. They are your livelihood. When you have a strong pulse on your target audience, their needs, wants and pains than the task of marketing to them becomes easier. The result is an engaged audience that will help grow your brand and increase sales.

A well defined audience will influence the following areas of your business:

• Your key messages and mission statement
• Your brand’s voice and types of content
• Where you distribute your content
• The channels you will spend the most time prospecting for new leads
• Your marketing strategy, tactics, and campaigns

Your target audience is out there. It is your job to find them and figure out how to engage with them.

A link building strategy for SEO will help you achieve a higher page ranking on search engines. Each link that points to your website acts as a vote. The more votes you get the higher you are ranked on search engines. Links are a strong part of the search engine ranking algorithms. By having a higher ranking on search engines will help drive more traffic to your website.

Basically, the more websites that link and reference your website the more traffic you will receive.

External Links are votes for popularity.

Every time an external website links to your website it shows Google that you are trustworthy and that websites are linking to you because you have resourceful and valuable information.

What is a Link Building Strategy For SEO?

So, how do you get more external pages to link back to your website? You create a link building strategy. Link building is a form of digital marketing. It is the process of getting external pages to link to your website. However, this strategy is easier said than done. Building links are difficult and time-consuming. This is also just one of the many strategies used to grow your business with SEO.

However, not all links are equal. A link from a site with high authority like the New York Times will make a greater impact on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page) than a link from a new website that was created a week ago. It also takes time for the links pointing to your site to start having a positive effect on ranking. Perfecting your SEO takes time and doesn’t happen overnight.

Step One: Creating A Link Building Strategy Starts With Realistic Goals

Before you even start researching keywords and making a wish list of websites that you want to link to your website, you need to set realistic goals. It is important to set realistic goals and to ensure that you are focusing on long-term gains, not overnight quick-wins.

To set proper goals you need to decide what pages on your website you want links pointing too. For example, is it a page on your website that is not ranking high on search engines. Or is it your about page, home page, or a new article that you think people will find resourceful.

Step Two: Creating Realistic Link Targets

The next step to a link building strategy for SEO is finding the right types of influencers, websites, blogs, podcasts, or YouTube channels that you believe will want to link to your website. You want to make sure that your list is full of the right people who will be interested in your content.

For example, if your website is about healthy living, then you will not want to target a blog on Dinosaurs. Unless you have published an article on ‘Healthy Dinosaur Food’ (can someone please write that article?) then there is a huge change that that external blog on dinosaurs will want to link to it.

Basically, please don’t contact random people who are unrelated to your website, topic, and brand. If you do your response rate will be low to non-existent and possibly leave you with a bad reputation.

Most people will only link to another website if it is relevant to them and holds useful information that their audience will find valuable. People are more likely to link to an informative page, like an article, infographic, or video rather than your contact page.

Before you contact anyone and ask them to link to your page, ask yourself this: “Will they care about my content and want to actually link to it?” Research the likelihood that your list of targeted contact will link back to you.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Have they shared external content before?
• Are they relevant to the content that you are asking them to link to?
• Are they active?

Once you have gathered your answers sort your list by:

• Who will likely link to you
• Who has high domain metrics
• Who has a strong social media presence

The websites that are active and are likely to link to your content should be the ones you email/call first. This way you will capitalize your time and efforts by focusing your energy on the contacts who are most likely to respond to your link request.

Step Three: Creating the Hook

You’ll need to create a hook to attract other websites and have them want to link to your page/website. Content marketing is a huge part of a link building strategy for SEO. For your link building strategy to be successful, your content needs a hook or angle. Your content needs to be relevant and show how it contributes to an overall topic. In addition, your content needs to make people care and want to read it and share it.

Step Four: Emailing Your List of Targeted Contacts

You know what your goal is. You have a list of targeted contacts to reach out to. You have written an amazing piece of content that they would be interested in.

The next step is to email your list of contacts and let them know about your cool article, video, infographic, general content. The key thing to remember when you are emailing your list of contacts is that they have never heard of you (yet) and they were never originally planning to link to you (yet). Make sure you don’t start your email off with the name of your website or company. Instead, start your email explaining why you are reaching out to them and how you find them interesting. Make the email personal.

To help ensure that you get noticed in your email, explain to them why you deserve their time and help. Do not focus on your brand, focus on how you are a resource and what benefit you can bring them. Media, influencers, and bloggers don’t like to highlight or link to brands. If they do, then they are likely getting paid for it. Instead, they like to share relevant information and resources that their audience will find interesting.

Here are some tips for writing your email:

• Explain the benefits your content has for their audience
• What action you would like them to take
• Tell them why they should care (think links back to your hook)
• Show them that you are genuine and not a spammer

What about the Call To Action?

Make sure you include a Call To Action (CTA) in your email. Adding a CTA will help separate you from the spammers. There are a lot of spammers out there who send mass emails asking websites to link to them.

When emailing your list of curated contacts, you don’t need to just ask them to link back to a specific page on your website. Instead, it could be one of the following CTAs:

• Sharing your content on their social media networks
• Embedding your Infographic, videos or widget in one if their blog posts
• Offer to write a guest blog post.
• Asking for a product or book review

Step Five: Follow Up

Bloggers, media, and influencers receive a lot of emails- plus they are busy. Your email can get buried. It is important to follow up on all outreach, even if you do not get a reply the first time. By following up you are reinforcing the fact that you are a genuine person.

What to do if you get a negative reply

If you receive a negative reply, the worst thing to do is to ignore it. If you ignore the negative email than you are damaging your chances of ever building a good relationship with that person. Just think, they may like your future articles.

When you reply to a negative email, ask for feedback on how your content/infographic could be better or if there is extra information that should be added to make it more valuable.

Keep in touch with the contacts that did reply to your email. You can do this by sharing their content on your social media, inviting them to join your digital community, or joining their community. This way you are building a relationship that can continue to benefit your company or website.

How long will it take to improve your website’s ranking

It can take time for your link building strategy for SEO to have a positive effect on the ranking of your website.

The timeframe can depend on the following factors:

• Competitiveness of the industry.
• How competitive your targeted Keywords are.
• Activity of your competitors.
• The types of links you are building
• The history and strength of your domain

These factors can mean that it could take several days to several months before an increase in ranking is achieved.

A link building strategy for SEO is an art. It’s almost always the most challenging part of SEO. But also the one most critical to success. Link building will not happen overnight, but should be apart of your long-term and ongoing strategies. PR can also play a huge role in helping you achieve new links. Earning the attention of the press, bloggers, and news media is an effective way to earn links and can be happen organically.

I have to admit, I am a notorious binge reader. I was a Netflix-esque binge reader before Netflix was even a thing. This is especially the case during my younger days. I would stay up all night reading until I was up-to-date with a series. When I was younger I would devour Narnia, Hunger Games, Divergent, Sweet Valley High, A Series of Unfortunate Events, the Keys to the Kingdom, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter….the list is endless.

Fiction to Non-Fiction Binge Reading

Soon I graduated from high school and then university. As I grew older, my taste in books started to expand into history, art, non-fiction and business books. Now, I find my binge days of reading fiction books limited. Instead, I binge read marketing books by Chip Heath, Dan Heath, Jonah Berger, investing books by Benjamin Graham, influential books by Dale Carnegie. (Reviews to come!)

I now look for books that can expand my views and give me different perspectives on the world. Books have the potential to develop your mind, provide you with more opinions, encourage you to research ideas, and can teach you something new.

The Red Queen Book Marketing Review

I usually have 2-4 books on the go that I am reading. Currently, they tend to be biographies, art, business and marketing books. But when I was working in the publishing world I came across a fiction book called the ‘Red Queen’ by Victoria Aveyard and published by Harper Collins. I was intrigued by its marketing. The Red Queen book was a bestseller before it was officially released and it was Victoria’s first book. This is exceedingly rare in the publishing world, so naturally, I had to read it!

Nowadays, to get published most authors need to have a website to blog about their book. Have a twitter account to tweet about their book. And go on a couple of book tours to meet potential fans. Victoria Aveyard didn’t seem to be doing any of that (She might have gone on a few book tours though). Yet her 1st book was already a bestseller before it was even released! She had a Tumblr page and a Twitter account but didn’t heavily promote her book online.

How Did The Red Queen Book Become A Bestseller?

So how did Victoria’s first book – Red Queen – become a best seller? (and it hasn’t even met its full potential yet). I believe two main factors helped promote The Red Queen book.

1. The publisher had an excellent PR/Marketing strategy.

PR and marketing in the book industry has changed. It is not about taking journalists out for dinner and schmoozing them. Or is it about placing ads in magazines. Now the majority of book PR and marketing starts online.

The Red Queen’s publisher, Harper Collins had an excellent PR strategy and nailed the book described. When introducing a new book, you need to relate it to something that people are familiar with. Harper Collins said that The Red Queen book is where X-Men meets Vampire Academy. Audiences are familiar with the two, and both stories are favorites. In addition, X-Men and The Vampire Academy have turned into movies, giving them more public awareness and a bigger fan-base.

The publisher, Harper Collins knew who their niche market was. They then used the right language that they knew their audience would resonate with. The might have written something like this in their press releases: “Hey if you love X-Men, Game of Thrones and dystopias, then you’re going to love The Red Queen!” They told book reviewers that The Red Queen bookhad elements of each of their favorite books. Of course, book reviewers gave the Red Queen a read since the publisher said it fits into their favorite book genres perfectly. The Red Queen book held faithful to its promises, and thus book reviewers loved it. So they recommended it to their audience.

Then came the domino effect. I read about ten book reviews from book bloggers about The Red Queen book, and they said the same thing. That they enjoyed the book, and that it is a mixture of books that people already love. That is a great review, especially when it is repeated a few dozen times. And guess what…. people did love it! This is because The Red Queen was similar to the books its targeted market loved.

This now leads me to my second factor

2. The Red Queen Fits Into That Trendy Formula

Victoria Aveyard did an excellent job writing The Red Queen. It is easy to read and follow; the characters are well developed and carry a mix of mystery. Each page promises a new secret to be revealed which has you reading all night to find out what happens.

The Red Queen book fits that basic cool formula that is really in and trendy in the publishing world right now. No, this formula doesn’t have any math or equations in it, and it is still original content. The book followed the formula of Divergent, which followed the formula of Hunger Games.

The Red Queen book shows a lot of parallels to beloved books. Its characters, climax, and setting are all original, but the theme of the is similar to stories that are already bestsellers. Five themes stick out to being like books that we already love and read.

1. The main character is female; she is struggling to understand the concept of power and how she is different from others.
2. There is a hierarchy, class or caste system where the characters fight against the poor, working and wealthy.
3. It is a dystonia society – a very popular category currently in the book industry.
4. There is a hunger for power as well as a hunger for change and equality
5. There is a budding romance

The Red Queen is an excellent book to read. It was written in a way that fits perfectly with people’s current interests. But is it innovative? The Red Queen is a book that people will love because they loved the books that are similar to it. Does that mean there was nothing new about it, though?

Are you preparing to launch your book? Not sure where to start? Launching a phone, a toy, or a new app is similar to launching a book. Before you start planning your book launch, research what tactics other companies used to launch their products successfully…such as Apple.

Apple launches are the stuff of legends; they cause lineups for days, stores to sell out, and months of back orders for their newest products. The iPhone 6 sold an impressive 10 million units during launch week, and that doesn’t even include sales in China.

What If You Could Launch Your Book Like Apple Launches Phones?

Clearly Apple knows how to launch a product. And you can use the same marketing techniques as Apple to successfully launch your book as well. There are four techniques you can use that won’t break the bank and will help build a cult around your book.

1. Find and understand your readers

Finding an audience is like trying on shoes. If you don’t try on the shoes before you purchase them, you’ll get blisters, trip, and have a miserable day. Apple never trips over, and I don’t want you to either. So just as you would try on a new pair of shoes to see if they’ll fit, try on an audience to see if they’ll fit your book. Once you find the right group of readers, research everything about them. (Well almost everything, I don’t think you need to know their bowel system…unless that’s what your book is about). Research what they read, where they share information, what they watch, what blogs they follow, keywords they use, and which website they frequent. You can do this by monitoring online forums and groups, by conducting interviews or surveys, and even by watching them creepily at parks. Do whatever it takes to understand and know your readers.

2. Put the focus on the readers

Rarely did you hear Steve Jobs speak about the various features of Apple products. He never talked about the new speed of the processor or the screen resolutions, because he knew that most people didn’t care about the phone’s features. The features are just fluff that you can list in the product description for background information. Instead, Steve Jobs talked about the benefits of the phone and emphasized how it affects you, the user. How it can help your day, how this phone brings you productivity, organization and simplicity. And most importantly how the new iPhone keeps you cool, stylish, and popular.

Apple makes their product about you.

Most authors talk about their characters, setting, plot line, or synopsis during interviews. But this doesn’t engage their readers. Instead, authors should talk about why the reader will enjoy reading the book and how it can impact their lives. The author needs to talk about where the reader fits in.Try answering these questions during book interviews:

• Why would the reader want to read your book?
• What do you want your reader to get out of the book?
• What problems do you want your reader to realize and figure out?
• How does your book benefit your reader?

Your reader cares about their life, not about how you developed your book’s setting (unless they are A: a student or B: already a huge fan of your book). To grab your reader’s attention you need to make the book about them. Try explaining how your book is going to fit into your reader’s life, and why they will enjoy reading it. It’s an easy question to ask but a tough one to answer if you don’t know your audience.

3. Get Reviews from Influencers

Apple is famous for getting trendsetters, cool kids, thought leaders, and the people you are jealous of talking about the new iPhone before it launches. You probably already know of companies that target influential people to endorse their brand or product. These companies might pay for the endorsement or send out press releases with tons of information. With Apple, people start talking about its new product before the press release is out and months before it launches. The difference between Apple and other companies is that people are not talking about what the product does. They’re talking about what it might do. Apple is creating speculation, curiosity, and better yet, letting people create content for them.

You don’t need a resume like Apple to use this strategy.

Start making a targeted list of influencers and media that attract your readership before your book release. Then, contact them well in advance with story pitches that will generate curiosity and speculation. If you do this in advance of your book launch, then you will create more buzz for your book and a waiting audience. Start searching the Internet and make a targeted list of:

• Journalists
• Bloggers
• TV Hosts
• Radio Hosts
• Podcasts
• Reviewers
• Youtube Celebrities
• Famed Instagrammers
  

  4. Be Radical and Revolutionary

  Why do we watch Apple? Or better yet, why does the whole world watch Apple? Simple. It’s because Apple isn’t scared to take on the world and make a change. They create change that results in the world shifting to keep up. Don’t be intimidated to write an original press release. It’s the edgy press releases and pitches that engage audiences, not the boring ones that fit into a formula. Your press releases should be compelling, short, and all about how it will benefit the other person.

The newest trend in digital marketing is utilizing a micro-influencer strategy. Brands are shifting away from the regular social media celebrity to people with fewer followers. They are now using strategies that focus on the qualitative rather than the quantitative aspects of social media influence to obtain audience engagement.

The Influence Of The Micro-Influencer

When it comes to influencer marketing, one size does not fit all. Influencers are typically grouped and categorized based on their following count.

• Celebrities – 1 million+ followers or subscribers
• Top Influencers – 500,000 to 1 million followers or subscribers
• Middle Influencers – 100,000 to 500,000 followers or subscribers
• Micro Influencers – 1000 to 100,000 followers or subscribers

Micro-influencers are genuine in their chosen topics and have authentic conversations with their followers, making them an effective partner for marketing campaigns. A celebrity, who has too many followers can’t respond to every comment. But a micro-influencer can. Micro-influencers have interesting and authentic conversations with their followers. Their targeted follower list, high engagement, and consistent authenticity make micro-influencers a powerful resource for marketers.

Partnering with micro-influencers to increase brand exposure for companies has been gaining traction at some agencies. Plus Instagram has changed its algorithm to favor quality content. This new change has been benefiting the “micro-influencer,” where their posts are becoming more visible on the platform.

Micro-influencers offer brands the benefits of authenticity, a unique viewpoint, deeper storytelling and the potential to reach a more tailored audience. When the agency, Markerly launched a campaign to bring exposure for a weight-loss tea with the Kardashian and Jenner sisters, the celebrities helped bring in hundreds of conversions. This is nice. But when Markerly worked with 30 to 40 micro-influencers to promote the same tea, the conversion rate was higher.

When Less Is More

It is a simple equation. If a health company collaborates with a celebrity who has over 2 million social followers, they can reach a broad audience. Yet, approximately 90 per cent of this audience may not be health conscious, or may not need to lose weight. Instead, the company would receive greater benefits if they worked with 20 small health bloggers. These bloggers have a ready audience who are already interested in losing weight. Plus, micro-influencers, are trusted more than the most famous celebrity by 92 per cent.

According to the Digiday, once social media influencers meet a critical mass of followers, audience engagement drops. A survey of 2 million social media influencers found that for unpaid posts, Instagram influencers with fewer than 1,000 had a like rate of eight per cent, while accounts with 1,000 to 10,000 followers had a like rate of four per cent. The survey also found that influencer accounts with 10,000 to 100,000 followers had a 2.4% like rate, while accounts with over 1 million followers had a 1.7 per cent like rate. These findings applied to sponsored Instagram posts as well. However, there is a sweet spot to this that can result in maximum brand exposure- partnering with micro-influencers.

Launch Your Own Micro-Influencer Strategy

One of the greatest advantages of partnering and working with a micro-influencer is that all brands can benefit. Micro-influencers are often just getting started and are still growing, which makes them more willing to work with smaller budgets or to accept product gifts or event invitations to collaborate with a brand that they love. This makes micro-influencers a valuable asset for those brands with a small marketing budget.

When launching a micro-influencer marketing collaboration, first think about who you want to reach for your brand. Micro-influencers can be a sweet marketing weapon, but you need to make sure that their voice and mission is in lined with your brand. By working with specific micro-influencers who have a similar mission as your brand, you will receive greater results and more engagement. By working with the right micro-influencer, you can achieve meaningful results whole connecting with authentic brand enthusiasts.

This article can also be found on my Huffington Post profile.