You have probably already read the articles with 5, 50, 66, 101 or even 131 strategies to attract links (if not: go read!). Some strategies (the most effective ones) are being mentioned in each of these articles. The following 4 activities are not very ordinary ways to build links, but can be at least as effective.
1. Get a dog.
Dogs are not only a great way to pick up girls (for some reason, women digg puppies) or an overly underestimated
networking strategy (you’ll meet lots of other interesting dog owners), but it can also help you to build links.
When you’re staring at a monitor almost 24/7, getting out once in a while can really open up your mind. That dog scratching your leg is your appointment with fresh, creativity stimulating air. A walk around the park provides enough time to think about at least 3 linkbaity articles, 2 improvements for your website and 1 new marketing approach each month. So besides a date and a bigger network, getting a dog can also make you think of a new way to attract dozens, hundreds or even thousands of links. And maybe a link from one of your dog’s new pals.
2. Teach.
Because SEO, Link Building, AdWords and Social Media are relatively new, there aren’t a lot of studies related to these subjects. Some Colleges and Universities are desperately looking for someone to teach their students something about Search Marketing. Even if it’s just a workshop or a few lessons, they don’t care. Volunteer.
No seriously. Ok, maybe not completely voluntarily, you can offer yourself in exchange for a link on the college or university website. You can even offer to write an introduction page (with a few links and info about you and your company) about the subject you’ll be discussing.
Using this strategy will not only be an opportunity for you to get your brand out to marketing-managers-under-construction, or to get a few tech savvy students to work for you during the summer (cheap labor!), but it can also get you a few (.edu) links.
Keep in mind that some of these students may know more about the subject than you, so you’d better know a lot about the subject you’re teaching.
Are there no schools looking for Search Marketing teachers near you? If you happen to speak a second language, you can try to teach SEM in that language.
Warning: offering your services in exchange for a link definitely makes you a link whore.
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