Read
21 Actionable SEO Techniques That Work Great in 2018
It’s Friday, you’re probably hoping for something fun in here, right? Well…you’re not getting it today. We don’t believe in fun. We once tried to have fun, but then our boss punished us by not letting us eat lunch (hope you’re not reading this, Rob).
But believe it or not, this Carnage writer actually thinks SEO is fun, especially when it comes from Brian Dean.
Brian is probably the biggest SEO pro out there. His SEO guides are always aaaamaaaaazing. This one gives you 21 actionable SEO tips that you can implement today. It’s a huge guide so we’re going to skip around a bit.
Here goes…
- Discover Untapped Keywords on Reddit. Reddit is a goldmine for keyword research. Chances are there’s a forum on Reddit for your industry. All you have to do is use Reddit’s search function. Start with your main keyword, find the posts and discussions on that post, and note which words are used over and over.
- Copy Adwords Ads to Make Killer Title and Description Tags. Your title and description are the only things you can depend on for a high CTR from organic search. Look at the Adwords ads that show up for your target keyword. Chances are those ads have been A/B tested again and again to find the best performing version. Use this info to optimize your website’s titles and descriptions.
- Use Wikipedia for Keyword and Topic Ideas. Google’s Keyword Planner is just okay. Wikipedia is so much better. Similar to the Reddit tactic from above, just do a search for your target keyword. Read through the articles on that topic and make a note of any repetitive keywords. Boom, you just got new keywords and blog ideas.
- Find Undiscovered Keywords With SeedKeywords.com. This tool basically crowdsources new keywords for you. We just discovered it and love its potential.
- Find Niche-Specific Link Building Opportunities Using Flippa. Flippa is like eBay for websites. It allows people to buy and sell websites. Website sellers often list where and how they got backlinks to their site. Pretty wild. You can use that info to get backlinks to your website.
Holy heck, there’s so, so much more to this one.
Read
5 Ways You Can Use User-Generated Content to Boost Your Brand
At some point, every marketer has asked this question, “How in the heck am I supposed to capture audience attention in these extremely oversaturated markets?”
Digital revolutionized marketing, but it also opened the doors for everyone and anyone to have a voice. It’s like trying to drive on the George Washington Bridge during rush hour.
This isn’t a bad thing at all, just makes our job more of a challenge. Luckily, the team at MarketingProfs are prepping us to deal with this headache with five ways to take advantage of user-generated content for your brand’s benefit. We’ve got 3 of the 5 right here ↓
1. Promote your brand values
What does your brand stand for? Define this and connect with those who believe in the same values. For example, Aerie made a great move against unattainable beauty standards. They donated $1 to the National Eating Disorders Association when an Instagram user posted an unedited photo of themselves in swimwear with the hashtag #AerieReal. In return, sales grew by 20%.
3. Create customer testimonials
Testimonials are the most basic forms of UGC and it’s too easy to get a hold of. At the very least, go to Yelp, grab a review, and showcase it on your site. No excuses here, fam. Wayfair took it a step further by asking their Twitter and Instagram fans to post photos of their Wayfair furniture in their home using #wayfairathome. They used social platforms as a positive testimonial-filled portfolio.
5. Offer something exclusive that creates a community
Relevant incentives are your best friends. Add exclusivity to the mix and you got yourself a major motivation tool. Marc Jacobs’ team brilliantly came up with #castmemarc allowing real people to post selfies to win an opportunity to be a model for the upcoming campaign.
The takeaway here? If you decide to start implementing UGC, (and you seriously should) MarketingProfs says you need to understand your goals like it’s the back of your hand, find a way to tie it to your brand, and make it something actionable.
Watch
The Commercial Brake
In the television biz, innovation gave us marketers a challenge when the tech was introduced to skip the commercials altogether. TV viewers no longer have to weather through 15 minutes of commercials just to watch a half-hour sitcom.
Kia found a very clever way around that.
The team placed their commercial right at the end of a commercial break as a warning for viewers that their show is about to come on. The goal was to connect the Kia Niro’s autonomous emergency brake assist system with stopping the fast forward control during a commercial break.
Why this works:
The media buy + creative on this is pure genius. It’s an interactive way for viewers to make a connection with Kia even if they skip the actual commercial. In short, Kia just turned an enemy into one profitable bestie.
Well done Kia. Well done.
“Knowing a lot about content marketing is far less useful than knowing a lot about the industry you’re writing for.”
Jimmy Daly
