45 Industry Experts Share Advice on Content Marketing, SEO and Link Building

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Yes, social media works best when it’s integrated with all other marketing channels. It’s not a stand-alone tactic; it’s best when aligned with all the other activities you’re doing as part of your marketing strategy.

Think of it as the sauce that turns unseasoned ground beef into a tasty, substantive taco. (Although social media is also the lettuce, cheese, avocado, and hard shell, too, now that I think of it.)

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I’m a big fan of using a content calendaring tool to help you publish regularly. Use something like Pocket over Evernote to collect ideas and research, and something like Trello to organize and schedule ideas. CoSchedule is another favorite, because it helps keep you on track. All these tools help you avoid that dreaded feeling of Uh-oh-I-haven’t-published-a-post-in-weeks-now-what?

That doesn’t mean that you publish even when you don’t have anything to say – but instead it means that you’re adopting a publishing mindset.

Publishers build relationships. Publishers build audiences – which is key to a solid content marketing program.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

1. Guest-post on relevant sites.
2. Partner with local businesses or sites.
3.Partner with local, relevant influencers.

In all of these cases, of course, it’s best to go into it with a generous mindset. It’s important to give before you get. Or more specifically, to give-give-give-give-give-give-give-give-give-give before you get.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Content marketing.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Only writing when I have something unique to say.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Sponsorships.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social Media platforms works great with Search Marketing because you can create content that is targeted to a preferred audience (people who are most likely to like your offering based on your research or current customers), and have very detailed targeting options with Facebook ads that bring the people who click on the ads to your site.

If your product or service offering is compelling enough to get their attention, then some people will start putting your brand into the search engines to find out more about you. Giving search engines like Google signals with these frequent brand searches.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

You have to have a mixed strategy based on what is good for your business model and industry.

Your main strategy coming from heavy research of target audience, existing audience, keywords both main and long-tail, and of all major & upcoming competitors who are performing well online in the geographical locations that you compete in.

So the content ideas you get from that is your main objectives planned out for 12 months. If done properly, then you’ll probably have enough specific content ideas to cover a few years, or content types that can produce many pieces of quality content.

Then you have to add major holidays that affect your target personas/audiences and plan holiday perspective content pieces.

After that, you need a process in place for when newsworthy events happen in your industry, what do you write about and how to add value and commentary?

You’ll also need to add content that comes from case studies of ongoing benefits of your products and services. All serving as opportunities to reach more people that would likely buy your products and services.

To get them in the door, on to your site, so you can start marketing to them through retargeting, email capture on gated content or straight phone call, web forms like: book a consultation, get a quote, ask a question, get a free demo, subscribe to… or whatever action you are trying to get them to do.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

1) Analyze all your top and upcoming best performing local competitors.

• Use Ahrefs.com for any backlink, keyword or content analysis, it’s worth the money!
• Use Google’s Free Keyword Planner tool for estimated search volume in any given location.
• Use Answer the Public to find questions asked online about any keyword phrase.
• Use this free keyword tool to mine Google Suggest for long tail queries.

2) Then go look at those sites, and see which ones you can get from the same sources, which ones you can get from similar sources and get ideas on how you can get more diverse local links.

3) Find out what local events, groups or business your company already has relationship with and reach out to them and offer them something they value for a link on their resource page or any other desirable page.

4) Present your research to your team and brainstorm for ideas you may not have thought of.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I’m a huge proponent of using social media and email in tandem. It’s an incredibly powerful way to build your list while offering valuable content to your social media audience.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I suggest a clear roadmap that includes details for any upcoming content. Whether it’s blog, social media or marketing assets – each one of those requires research, focus and strategy.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

The method really depends on what you’re looking to achieve, but one that works for almost any business is building a community resource on your website. Design a page where you talk about everything from your favorite restaurant to the best things to do in town. Each one creates a link opportunity from local companies, vendors and city attractions.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Search Engine Optimization [SEO] is a marketing channel that has recently become more and more intertwined with social media. For the longest time, the biggest ranking factor for Google was links. But for the past 2 years, links have significantly lost their value and social media has picked up some of that influence.

Social media offers a realistic metric as to how authoritative and popular a specific brand is. To give you an example, you post a link to your most recent blog on Facebook and get 150 likes,30 shares, and 14 comments. Google indexes that sort of engagement and it proves that your brand is organic and popular. Social signals are only becoming stronger and stronger to search engines like Google, especially with the advent of Google indexing social content for the first time only a couple of years ago.

Social media also integrates perfectly with content marketing. It offers a free avenue to reach large audiences who are interested in your brand and message. Businesses who use the right social media platforms to promote their eBooks, whitepapers, data-sheets, infographics, and blogs tend to see a higher response rate than those who use more traditional methods of content distribution. Some businesses spend thousands of dollars a year on paid promotion campaigns to generate leads with content when they could easily create a well structured organic post that could generate the same type of engagement for free.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

We have all heard the old digital marketing catch phrase, “content is king!”, but the true magic behind creating engaging content is a content calendar. It is safe to say that I am a huge advocate of the content calendar approach to generating your own content. If you are a person who struggles from time to time with consistency then content calendars are the perfect tool to hold you accountable. Content calendars provide organization to your blogging habits because it provides a framework to build successful content.

Everyone faces writer’s block. It has to be one of the most frustrating moments. A content calendar will help all writers avoid that scenario because the topic and a brief concept has already been outlined beforehand, eliminating the need to brainstorm when you actually sit down to write. A content calendar can help you maximize your content pipeline, drive more engagement from your audience, and serve as a road map long into the future for creating content that is in sync with your business goals.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

The method that I have found to be the most effective for building locally relevant links begins with your outbound link profile. If there is a specific local authority that you would like to gain a link from you need to begin by sending them some links to introduce yourself. Find opportunities to outbound link to them from your blog posts. Briefly incorporate their brand name, product, or service within your blog post and link to a relevant post or page on their site. This will get your foot in the door and peak their interest.

The next step I take is to leverage social media. I will follow them on Twitter, like their Facebook page, connect with them on LinkedIn. I do whatever it takes on social media to get their attention in a professional manner. I will interact with their posts by liking them, re-tweeting them, and commenting on them. These types of actions will get that local brand to take notice of your behavior and make you front of mind.

The final step is the outreach. I create a personalized email for someone at that local business and pitch myself to them. I give them a brief summary of who I am and what I am bringing to the table. I give several examples of prior content that I have created. Then I let them know how my content would benefit their site. I hand them a fresh piece of content that is relevant and has never been posted or used elsewhere. Then I wait to hear back.

This is a lengthy process, but locally relevant links are tough to obtain. You can only obtain them through organic relationships so begin establishing them as soon as possible.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I think social media works well with email as well

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

At NinjaOutreach we have a content calendar, but we try to make sure each post is interesting as well. I think both is the key to growth.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

We do a lot of outreach, albeit because we are an online business we don’t need links to be local. However, I still think outreach is the most effective way to build links.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media plays a key role in digital marketing. It is an essential component of ANY digital strategy so for me, it isn’t a question of what channel works best in conjunction because social media harmonises with all. It assists everything from following up on outreach emails to gaining greater visibility in Google results…

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Failure to plan = plan to fail. It’s always a good idea to have a content plan, especially for companies and larger brands. I draft out ideas on paper, typically my top 5 priority ideas for the month and expand on that as I go. If new things come along, that’s okay! Adjust and adapt but don’t get distracted.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

It’s all about relationships. Build strong connections with other businesses and organisations in your target locality and everything else will follow…backlinks, social mentions and partnerships to name just a few. Again, social media is your gateway!

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I like to think of search and social as almost yin and yang. Search is often the best way to be discovered yet social is the best way to give a real window into what it is you do. Social allows a two way discussion so search sets you up but social is where the relationship building is done.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

The best social accounts do a bit of a both. You will have a calendar so you can predict and plan and publish regularly but you will also be dynamic enough to respond to opportunities. The ‘you can still dunk in the dark’ tweet by Oreo after the lights went out at during the superbowl is a great example of this. 16,000 retweets and 20,000 likes. Social genius at work in a campaign that surely has a calendar but is also dynamic enough to respond when needed.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Always relationships. So social is key here. A lot is made of locally relevant links and in many ways PR can be useful to get in the local press but if you have a network of local bloggers or partners then simply building relationships with other local relevant folks can open up a sea of possibilities.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I believe social media works well with SEO. Those two are arguably the biggest drivers of traffic to my site. Twitter is huge and I get a lot of links from people from Twitter who read my stuff and write about it in their own blog.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I write every week. I don’t really have a content calendar though. It’s just that I need to produce a meaningful article that’s relevant to my audience at least once a week and that’s it. I try to keep it simple.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Be felt. Go to events. Get to know people. Give out your calling cards. Build relationships with influencers. The link will come when you can finally ask them fo

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

When you publish content on platforms you don’t own like like Facebook or LinkedIn, there’s a risk the rules may change and/or it become less effective or more expensive in the future. It’s a bit like spending a lot of money doing up a rented property and not knowing exactly how long you’ll be living there. So for social media it makes sense to bring your followers back to your website as often as possible and blogging and email marketing are my favourite ways in doing that. Email and blogging is more owned media, so you get to play by your own rules and this will likely help more will conversion.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Although a content or editorial content may seem a bit robotic, it’s usually the best way. When you grow fans or followers, they will more likely come back and visit your site if you post regularly and scheduling your content one, two or three months in advance is a great way of doing that.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

My most productive way is doing backlink analysis using tools like Open Site Explorer, Ahrefs and Majestic SEO. As well a looking at your competitors, go broader in your local area. So if you’re a doctor in North London, also research the backlinks of leading dentists, gyms and even local shops close by. You can also go a little broader by location, so check out the backlinks for leading doctors across London, the UK and even globally which can include the United States for example. Not all the links you will find will be local this way but you can learn the local strategies that have been applied successfully elsewhere and work out what you can do to replicate their success in your area.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Organic search is a no-brainer for marketing channels. It’s the single largest source of website traffic by a longshot. Businesses that don’t prioritize search are missing out big time. There’s quite a bit of evidence that social media shares support organic search, and they can provide a burst of traffic until your content starts ranking.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Content marketers shouldn’t limit themselves to when then have something unique to say. There are many ways to stand out beyond a unique perspective including my favorite, making your content 10 times better than anything else on the topic. A content calendar is great for accountability and planning, especially as you scale your content marketing, but there’s nothing wrong with taking a more flexible approach.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

The best linkbuilding method is variable from business to business. Local business should always start with citation links through local directories, review websites, and social profiles. Beyond that, local press can be a great way to get links. Local bloggers are typically easier to get attention from because their websites are smaller, and local news outlets are more often willing to support a local business with a good story.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I believe Social Media Marketing works best with Email Marketing, SEM, Forum Marketing, Guest Blogging, Video Marketing & Influencer Marketing.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I prefer having a content calendar in place as a base and adjusting it accordingly as breaking news or certain events occur.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

My preferred method for building locally relevant links is by ensuring my Social Media posts and updates are optimized with “local elements” and helpful to my audience while encouraging shares, likes and comments to them. For example, you might have noticed Tweets currently ranking very high in Google’s search results for certain keywords or phrases. Therefore, we need to focus on growing our local following and remember to include our location’s details and website URL in the appropriate fields of each Social Media Platform we belong to.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

In the majority of cases it’s good to combine Social Media with search, as Google indexes the shared on Twitter urls incredibly speed.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I usually prefer to develop a content plan rather than having an organized process. However, sometimes an idea materializes absolutely unexpectedly, so it really depends.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

I try to discern how competitors acquire links with the help of Ahrefs, then develop a solid strategy. But to be honest I prefer to build links through PR campaigns or at least through content.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I tell my clients not to focus so much on the tools and channels, but on the content they’re producing. You could have the snazziest layout for an email blast, but nobody’s going to read it if it’s boring. There’s always going to be some new tool to try (hello, Snapchat), but if you don’t have your marketing strategy in place before you use it, you’re wasting your time.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

It’s definitely important to have a content calendar—not only does it keep you organized, but consistent posting can improve your SEO. But do you have to know all the topics you’re going to write about, five months in advance? Not really. As long as you know you’re going to post at a certain date and time, that’s enough to get you started.

You should only write something that you think people are going to read. Pace yourself and be honest with how much time you can dedicate to blogging. It’s better to start slowly and then, if you like doing it, increase the number of blogs you’re writing each month.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

There’s all kinds of ways to do this, but our favorite way is doing something like this—participating in conversations and guest blogging for other websites. See how easy it is? Take a look at our link below!

You can follow Aha Media Group on Twitter or their blog.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Hard to believe but Escorts. We did a social campaign for a brothel in Amsterdam where customers were incentivized to share on Facebook “I got lucky at {Biz Name}. Share this and you can too!”. It drove huge conversion. A few customers had to later delete their Facebook accounts but the ROI was fantastic.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Our clients always have something unique to say.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

We have an amazing new tool called Local Link-o-Matic that automatically contacts thousands of local authority websites with a custom email solicitation and PayPal link. The publisher just clicks on the link and they get $500 automatically deposited into their account. They then have 24 hours to add a link to their site else we start collecting interest. It’s at http://www.localseoguide.com/local-link-o-matic/

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I think the best channel to work smoothly with social media is your content marketing channel. Although there are some theories that social can influence your search results, it all really starts with having valuable content to share. Whether you create unique images, videos, or text to share on your social channels, it is all content. Ideally you create useful or engaging content on your website, share it on your social channels, and watch the magic happen.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I am 100% convinced that if you do not have a content editorial calendar you will fail at content marketing. That is not to say you cannot deviate from the calendar to produce something timely or to create something that was not thought of 60 days earlier. But those without a road map are quickly lost. I would recommend creating a content calendar filled with unique things to say.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Our preferred method it to create a locally relevant page or download on our website, then reach out to related websites asking them to link to this page. If the content is titled correctly, it should attract links that are also locally relevant.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social complements all other channels and is a natural one for content promotion. These days, as the social platforms squeeze out organic reach in favour of advertising, social has become more of a paid channel than an earned one.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Starting with a strategy that includes a calendar is important. It’s not critically important that you stick to every item on the plan (though you do have to keep commitments to your audience). But it is important that you have a plan.

If you just wait for inspiration, you’re committing what Robert Rose of the Content Marketing Institute calls ‘random acts of content’.

Having said all this, don’t commit to a cadence that you can’t deliver with quality.

If you’re churning out crap just to meet your schedule, rethink the plan!

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

In general, link-building starts with creating content that your target influencers would want to link to because it serves their audiences.

Making relevant, thoughtful, insightful, entertaining content is the best place to start.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

The channels we found the most efficient along with social media marketing are email marketing and online monitoring. Making sure that our subscribers receive a weekly roundup of the best articles about content marketing, and actively looking for great content being published about our topics and engaging with the content/author by adding our insight.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

We stay consistent with writing 3 articles per week. On every piece of content we write, we try and have a unique angle or approach. But in order to keep up with this high goal of production, we leverage content curation to save time. Content curation is using an existing piece of content and quoting a paragraph or a sentence to serve as the introduction of our article, and then adding our own commentary to build a unique article in much less time than it takes to write one from scratch.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

We build relevant links by constantly monitoring the relevant articles trending on our topics. We read them and if there is something interesting we could add to the piece to help strengthen a case or bring a different take/angle on the subject, we add a comment and when necessary, we’ll add a link to an article we wrote going more into detail about that angle.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media works well with various other marketing channels. The question is not what channels work best for social media. The question is what do you want to accomplish. Determine your marketing objectives, identify your target audience and understand the best ways to reach them. Then, create your marketing campaigns based on your budget and the relevant channels.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Again, it depends on what want to accomplish. I prefer to mix the established content calendar with real-time content when you have something unique to say. Have a plan so that you know what content you would like to produce and provide the editorial direction for the team to follow. Things happen in the real world such as customer complaints, real-time PR crises, early product launches. Your editorial needs to be agile to adjust to the changes which may impact your company’s brands and perceptions.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Google optimization is based on the premise that the more people like your website, the more valuable it must be and the higher ranking it deserves in organic search results.

Although tweets, likes, and +1’s are now becoming important ranking factors, having websites link back to you is very much still a basic requirement for getting search engine fueled website traffic. A lot of social media sites have no-follows, but many sites provide juicy link opportunities such as Google Profiles, Google Places, LinkedIn, Digg, StumbleUpon etc. Other methods are to give testimonials; “Best of” blog posts, Blogger reviews, link reclamation. Backlinks is one of many ways to increase your organic search ranking, you need to determine what tactics works for you.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media works best with blogging because it can be used to drive visitors to read longer form content on the same topic posted on social. Not only can it be used as a promotional vehicle for blogs, but also an engagement medium as well. Many blogs are now disabling their comment threads and encouraging people to discuss on social media instead.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Leaving content production up to a whim is not a successful strategy for a content marketer. Establishing a content calendar gives you the discipline of deadlines, which help give you clarity and focus, and prevent you from endlessly tweaking something. A calendar also ensures you have a steady, predictable stream of content. A sufficiently flexible content calendar will also give you the space to allow for spontaneous pieces that are prompted by something in the moment.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

My preferred method is to use the Content Marketing Pyramid framework where you create key long form content at the top of the pyramid and then atomize it into smaller and more digestible content lower in the pyramid. The base of the pyramid is formed by content that’s syndicated and published on other sites (such as guest posts) all driving traffic back to your high value content at the top of the pyramid.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I feel like social media works best when you have a real connection. That doesn’t mean you have to know everyone in your social circle, but you shouldn’t be afraid to have real human conversations out in the open from your branded profiles. For example, having XYZ company say, “It was an honor to meet Mr. Big at the industry conference this afternoon.” humanizes that brand a little bit. What humanizes a brand even more is when they say, “Great conversation with @someone-not-famous at the industry conference this afternoon.” Making someone else the hero always looks good on you.

In the final analysis, social media is just one more way to expand a conversation beyond the usual echo chamber.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Absolutely only creating content when you have something worth sharing. What we don’t need is more “It’s Tuesday, so I wrote this” type of content. Show me something you’re proud of. Show me something that will make a difference in my world.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Building great local links is harder than it first appears. Everyone can get the low-hanging fruit links, but to set yourself apart, you need to actually do more work and be better than your competitors. Getting other established local brands to mention you means building strong relationships and constantly looking for ways to help out. Sponsoring local events (little league teams, 5K runs, Meetup.com groups), offering scholarships to local students, running for local office, becoming a go-to resource for the local newspaper website or chamber of commerce.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I think it depends on the client, but generally social ties well with nurturing or customer service, which means whatever channel converts the most for you. That’s probably search, and if so, I’d say that. But in general I don’t think it behooves anyone to necessarily think of social media in this way/as if you only need to use two channels — use as many that work for you.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I think there’s a benefit to a hybrid — knowing that you need to publish and think about publishing, but not necessarily say “I have to publish Monday”. This combines the two in the best possible way. For example, our site Your Best Digs puts people on product reviews and doesn’t say “one a week”. If we did, we couldn’t decide to make the posts as awesome as possible, such as this one on personal blenders that took 40+ hours to create. If we said we had to publish three times a week, that’d be impossible. There must be a balance between accountability and output, though, also to keep your customers satiated.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Local link building really isn’t our forte, so I can’t speak to it, but if I had to do it, it’d probably be through relationship building and also attending local events/sponsoring them. There are opportunities to get nice links and also network locally by doing this/gain double benefit from not just the links, but the natural business development that comes from local awareness.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social is a distribution channel that should be built on top of your central content strategy. It is a given for the majority of businesses but shouldn’t be an automatic addition. Learn as much as you can about your audience and prospective customers and build up a picture of their digital habits. If social is part of that (and it most probably will be) then it should part of an holistic distribution strategy which may include email, PR, influencer marketing, search and so on. We shouldn’t be looking at which channels work best with each other but should take an audience-centric view on what our customers want and how do we reach them most effectively. Tactics like our social data analysis process can help with this process.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

You have to have a content calendar. Working without one is like driving blind and makes it very easy for your competitors to out think and out manoeuvre you. The key to great content is the consistently delivery of variation that adds value to your customers’ journey. You can use our free content strategy toolkit to help ensure you have that.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

The key is ensuring your content strategy includes campaigns that will resonate with that audience. If you are looking at local opportunity then ensure you brainstorm ideas around how to get local media interested. Surveys, locally focused campaigns and general local community initiatives work well here. Again, you are looking to add value to people’s lives.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Definitely search! Your social profiles can rank with search engines. When searching for a brand name on Google, chances are one of the top results will be that brand’s Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Not to mention, if you have a Google + profile, information from your profile could also be displayed. Always make sure you’re updating your profiles on a regular basis.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

For me, planning out content with a content calendar is what I prefer. I’m the type of person who needs things to be organized and planned out so I can efficiently tackle what’s on my plate. I spend one day each week planning future content – why do this on a weekly basis? There’s always new tactics, strategies, and just plain old news that happens on a regular basis. Yes, evergreen content is necessary to have, but so are time-sensitive pieces; when you’re creating content you want to be seen as the authority by your readers, so establish that with useful information and being the first to address a major issue, trend, or update.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

My preferred method is one that tends to get overlooked, but it’s a tried-and-true method: online directory listings. For local links, take a look at local online directories, get listed on your Chamber of Commerce’s directory, Better Business Bureau, county directory, state directory, and don’t forget about specialty-specific directories! This is one of the easiest ways to build quality links, and boost your local SEO.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

There is no “best” channel that social works with–it depends on the situation. Marketing is fundamentally two things; 1) content, and 2) channel or distribution. The questions to ask are then first, what content are we going to create that will cause our target audience to do what we want them to do, and second, what’s the best way to deliver that content? There are virtually unlimited situations and options, so it’s difficult to say what’s going to work best. That said, I’m a big fan of using social to build an email list to market to because while social works until the networks change the rules (like Facebook just did–again), and search works when people are searching for what you do, once you have an email list you have an asset nobody can take away from you, and you can market directly to your audience.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Both–stick to a content or editorial calendar and always be on the lookout for something unique to say. But if you can’t say something unique, it’s often good to still say something, even if it’s something that has been said 50 times before. When I wrote my piece 4 Tips For Hiring The Right SEO Firm for Forbes I guarantee there were 100 other blog posts out there saying more or less the same things I was saying, but 99.99% of the people who have read my post have never seen those other posts and don’t know they exist. Having content that is unique to the internet is not what matters so much as having content that is unique to the individual who is looking for that content right now.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

First, let’s kill an old beast whose time has come–if you’re building links purely to boost rankings in search engines you’re doing SEO the old way. Sure, it may still be working, for now, but Google is getting smarter and the day will come when Google will recognize when a link delivers real value (outside of SEO) or when it has been built just to game the system. If you want to build links for long term SEO benefit, then focus on the user and deliver real value through the links you build.

With that in mind, the question of building links is still answered by what I said in my first answer, that is, it’s a matter of content and channel. What content do we need to deliver to our audience, and what’s the best way to deliver it? In the case of link building, it’s a matter of getting your content onto other websites where it will have the maximum effect on your target audience. That could be a local directory, a blog maintained by an online influencer who writes about your niche, or a local news source. I don’t worry much about domain authority or any other metric–I worry about whether it makes sense for there to be a link to my client’s website from a particular other website. If I think the link will drive relevant traffic to my client, then I know it’s going to be a good link for SEO as well. But if I had to choose a certain channel I would always go for PR, or getting mentions in news and industry media. Why? Because those are the hardest links to get, which makes them more valuable, and in this game whoever can get the most valuable links wins, all other things being equal.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

When it comes to content I prefer a mix of scheduling and spontaneity. It’s important to keep a regular editorial schedule for whatever size blog or publication you’re running. That could mean one post a week, five posts a day or anywhere above and beyond that. The important thing is consistency. At the same time, always be open to creating a fresh, spontaneous post, whether it be about your primary subject area or the latest news trends. You definitely don’t have to choose one method over the other.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media works best with blogging

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I prefer sticking to a content strategy (not necessarily a fixed calendar)

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

I build all my links using painstaking outreach

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Tweets appear in the Google SERP, so this presents an easy opportunity for a free, faux, “rank”. Social citations also carry some weight (Panda update) so generating conversation and encouraging genuine engagement on social channels can provide a minor boost to your overall presence.

In terms of traditional marketing, social has a whole world of applications. So many brands struggle to get organic reach (particularly on Facebook) and yet I see so few of them actually take the one step that will resolve that issue – engage, engage, engage. If you have traditional marketing channels, such as attending expos, dropping flyers, financially assisting a hospital or sports team etc, then this should be emphasised on social media. People should be tagged, asked to share, and otherwise encouraged to engage with the brand. Social works at its absolute best when it’s combined with the “real” world. Nothing beats genuine engagement, and nothing beats word of mouth. Facebook knows this, which is why reach is greatly skewed towards actual people sharing things with their friends, rather than brand pages pushing a product.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

The age-old debate of planning vs inspiration is a tough one. I, personally, have greatly advocated planning in the past. However, my method of planning is a little different. I plan goals and targets, not the methods of achieving them. So if I need to reach a particular KPI that I have set for a month, I won’t necessarily publish a funny post on Monday, informative post Tuesday, throwback Thursday or whatever other pigeonholed strategies that thousands of people use to little effect. I’ll simply do what works best to achieve my goal. If that’s email registrations, I’ll write something super compelling and unique that really sparks a fancy. If the goal is social engagement, I’ll go with something tried and true. If I want to generate a conversation, I’ll piss people off, usually with political commentary.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Link building is the bane of my existence. It’s difficult to do genuinely, and oh-so-tempting to simply fork over cash and have it done elsewhere. Google is rapidly shifting towards an era where keyword anchor texts are irrelevant and context is everything. For this reason, purchasing backlinks is a risky and needlessly expensive strategy.

My “preferred” method is to let them happen naturally. Position your business as somewhat exciting, make regular announcements, and rely on other publications to do the hard yards. Of course, most media outlets will go rel=nofollow, so that’s less than ideal.

Something that I’ll be including in my arsenal more often is link-bait – finding a niche and publishing solid content on it, hoping to attract links from other sources. This can be as simple as a great blog post, or an extensive and well-researched white paper.

In addition to that, working with partners can help. We’re about to roll out a new set of links that we came across via an investor – many of these are on very comfortable sites with DA around 60+. We also sometimes exchange links with industry partners simply as a quid pro quo arrangement.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

It’s really a team effort anymore. Social, email, search, blogs, etc. all work best when they are used together.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Both. I do have a weekly calendar for my own and client blogs. For social media the editorial calendar is daily. That’s the content that is planned. It’s not unusual to add something spur of the moment so to speak when it’s deemed relevant.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Keep sharing useful content and people will start linking to you more and more. For local specifically, make sure to add local information or trends into your storytelling mix. If you mention a local person or business, make sure they know so they can link and share your content.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

“Omnichannel”, the concept of creating a unified customer experience across marketing channels, should inspire marketers to continually evolve in their understanding of what other channels work best with social media. It’s a moving target.

I would encourage marketers to consider carefully how “the Internet of Things” is changing our understanding of marketing platforms.

What other channels works best with social media depends on the enterprise and where its community is gravitating to. Think customer-centric and personalization.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Being a good content marketer isn’t about always having something unique to say, it’s about the ability to create or curate content that is helpful or interesting to a community. Being able to share unique content grabs attention, but being able to consistently share good content creates community.

A content calendar is a tool of the trade we may dread at times because of the work it requires, but when we’re passionate about our community, we should be able to succeed in finding or creating sufficient interesting content to share at predictable times.

A brand should not, however, use a content calendar as an excuse not to be agile or responsive in content marketing.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Building locally relevant links comes with sharing locally-relevant content and connecting with local influencers.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media is an essential tool for most marketers and businesses nowadays, and I believe in using it as much as possible to your advantage. Thankfully, social media works with a lot of different channels, and it usually boosts results. Social media can and should be integrated with other online marketing channels, and sometimes-even offline. Your social presence can help you boost your search engine ranking, can help you get more out of your email marketing, your blogging and many more.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Definitely sticking to a content calendar – this way you make sure you get the most out of your blog. With an editorial calendar in place, you’ll know when you have to post to keep readers interested and that you’ll always be consistent. Content marketing requires a good strategy to be truly effective, and a good strategy can only come from thorough planning.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Locally relevant links are very important as they help you increase awareness of your business where it matters – with the local community. I like building relationships with other local businesses, both online and offline. That way you not only get more backlinks and more credibility in the community, but you also get to meet a lot of people and grow your network.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

When it comes to “other” marketing channels that provide a good fit for social media, it has to be email marketing (hands down). There’s no better way to reach and connect with your audience to provide them value and develop an ongoing relationship of subscribers that are more likely to become customers and repeat customers.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I like to use both methods of content creation: a content calendar with flexibility built in. For example, I plan my content ahead for weekly blog posts but if a new tool is launched or there is an event or marketing story that comes up that is time sensitive, I will sometimes move the scheduled post and write a timely content about it. It’s good to be a little and I think that readers appreciate it if you are spontaneous.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

I don’t personally focus on my local area with my business as my blog and business are now global, but when it comes to providing advice to my readers and subscribers about local marketing, the best method of attracting local links is to have a business blogging strategy. If they blog about content that their local customers are searching for, they are more likely to be found on google search and also to be linked to by other local websites, especially if they feature other businesses, events, and websites on their blog.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

There’s honestly no medium that social media doesn’t work with. However, we’ve seen some incredible results between content, search and social strategies. Putting amazing, well-optimized content out there is a great strategy – but promoting it via social where relevant networks of readers are reading and sharing it drives additional ranking when they share and link to that content.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Honestly, we’ve abandoned mass and sporadic content production for more long-term scheduling of content. We work with our clients to develop a “library” of content. That requires analysis of all of the topics that consumers or businesses are researching online and developing a plan to have a complete, up-to-date library of content. That doesn’t just require new content, it also requires ongoing maintenance of current content to keep it relevant and fresh.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

We continue to have amazing results for our clients utilizing infographics, social graphics, and whitepapers with articles and paid advertising that drives new readers. It’s a beautiful conversion funnel that empowers the reader to go as deep as they’d like within a topic and convert at their own leisure.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

It does really well with email and with search. It does great with content marketing. So much so, in fact, that many journalists today ask if a potential expert source has at least one active social media account and a blog.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

It depends. Me, personally, I would have zero creativity if I had to stick to a calendar. But we have calendars for all of our clients and make them stick to it.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

Earned media or public relations or publicity…whatever you want to call it. The best way to do this is work with the journalists and bloggers you have relationships with to link back to a valuable piece of content on your site from their news site.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I’ve always been a fan of linking social media to my SEO efforts. Each time I use Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ or any other social media platform to share my content, I can be reasonably confident that it’ll drive extra traffic back to the 60 Second Marketer. Of course, traffic is only half the battle. Then, I have to be sure the content that’s on the site gets shared by the people I’ve driven to the site. And after that, of course, I hope to get inbound links pointing back to the 60 Second Marketer. That’s the best way I know to use social as a tool to improve SEO.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I’m definitely a “share when I have something to say” kind of guy. For a while a few years ago, content calendars were all the rage. They’re important if you have a large business because you need your entire team to know what the schedule is. But if you’re a smaller company, then they’re not all that necessary. Plus, by not having a content calendar, I can react to what’s trending or newsworthy and write articles about that.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

The best approach for locally relevant links to write content that’s geographically relevant and then alert people in that region that you’ve uploaded a post that’s relevant to their part of the world. It’s a two-step process, but it’s the only way I know how to generate local links.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Email marketing helps to drive social engagement. With a healthy database of contacts, you can use your email campaigns to embed social media icons and include shareable content, from visuals and videos to 140 character phrases you can tweet from your emails. At the same, time launching contests via email can help to increase awareness and drive your customers to share more with their own networks via social media.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

We believe that every company is a media company. When you work by this philosophy, you are constantly producing content and have a robust calendar every week. However, a lot of our engagement is not just around our own content but participating in real-time with our influencers and community members. Whether you’re planning content or jumping into conversations on a pressing issue, all of your participation and information you share should be meaningful and relevant.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

There are easy ways to build locally relevant links as long as you invest in relationship building. Being in PR for 25+ years, I’ve learned the value of a good relationship. You can leverage your relationships with other businesses by displaying their hyperlinked logos on your partner pages with reciprocal links back to your website. You can also find and build relationships with influencers in your community such as journalists, government officials, and community organizations with opportunities to link via blogs, local websites and or social media posts.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

You can include social media channel links in your RSS feed and newsletter blast if you have one so people can learn about and follow you directly from their inbox. I am also a big believer in cross-promoting your social media presence from as a way to expand your reach to viewers on one platform who may not be following you on another. Seminars and speaking panels are also great ways to promote your social presence as well as including your handles on every presentation you give.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Both. I don’t believe in sticking to one or the other. Editorial calendars are a great way to give vendors and potential advertisers the heads up on the topics you plan to cover at a designated time – it also gives you ample time to do the necessary research to make the content even better. Additionally, I have always written random “reflection” pieces which range from my views on a topic or issue to industry trends that may have a negative or positive impact on society. Having both makes your platform a little richer.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

If you can team up with events or festivals in your category and become a media partner, that is a great way to cross promote links and be connected to an industry or cause you really believe in. The same goes for others in your community. Obvious other ways are contributing content to other online magazines or blogs or doing interviews on blogs that are related to your industry. Giving your site an authentic and relevant plug on your social media platforms is also a great way to get people to know about you and link back to you either from their own social platforms or from their site.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social fuels all channels. A robust social presence is imperative for great SEO results, it can impact your local SEO results. Social can fuel the distribution of your content and power your content marketing efforts, and can play a role in your email marketing efforts. If you do lead generation, especially events or webinars, social can impact your results there as well. Social can also impact your offline marketing efforts. There many examples of this, and these tactics can have a big impact on local SEO, but an example that relates to the B2B sector is perhaps when you can have a team attending an industry trade show, or are having a live event somewhere.You can use social media to help make those things more successful.

Bottom line: social can have an impact across many marketing channels. But only if you treat it as an important part of the marketing equation.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Both. There are many times when I write about something that I’m particularly passionate about. However, not having a content calendar and sticking to a content development timeline is something I can’t fathom. No matter what your business, industry, target custom—it won’t happen if you don’t have a commitment to making it happen, and a content calendar is how you make that work.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

We love pairing email and social media together. While social helps us gain awareness and engagement, it also helps us push permission-marketing pieces (like lead magnets to sign up for one of our lists). Then, combined, email and social help us gain trust, build communities, and hopefully gain conversions!

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

We DEFINITELY believe in using a content calendar – not only for our clients, but for all of B Squared Media’s content as well. This way we stay organized and ensure that our media mix is doing its job (which is very different depending on the social platform we’re publishing to). Personally, I don’t use a calendar and share only when I have something to say.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

There are a few ways we garner these types of links: Networking events, sponsorships, partnerships (like with our local web developer), business cohorts and friends, and of course, influencers in the marketing and social media industry. There’s no one way, really. But having and building relationships is key. We like having a diverse link ‘outreach program’ to help us hit many areas in the hopes of one link.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media goes hand in hand with content marketing, and both are key ingredients in a successful inbound marketing recipe. Of course, growing and engaging with your followers on social media is super important, but not much use if you don’t have valuable content to entice those followers back to your site with. Equally, there isn’t much value in creating awesome content if you don’t have a way to promote it and drive traffic to it; social media marketing being one of them.

And at the same time, social signals help Google understand when a web page or blog post is worthy enough to present on page 1 for a particular search term.

So, to sum up; all marketing channels tie in together, and social media plays a key role in and amongst them.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

In theory, I believe it’s important to stick to a content calendar. One which has been strategically created and incorporates the right mix of everything necessary to run a successful blog; SEO, branding, influencer marketing, storytelling, content buckets, buyer persona-led value and so on (far too much to cover in detail right now).

In practice, however, I’m sometimes guilty of being the plumber with a leaking pipe at home – and not posting as frequently as I would want. But that’s the curse of having to run a fast-moving company as well as creating content!

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

With my business I don’t need links to be local, as we create copy and content for companies the world over. And I’m also a believer that if your content is unique, valuable and awesome enough, then people will share and link to it organically, from relevant blogs and social media profiles in your niche. But if you want to give yourself a better shot at making this happen, then creating influencer list posts like this very one will certainly help!

By involving influencers in your content and asking them to share it to their mammoth audiences, you’ll get a whole lot more exposure and thus potential for more people to organically link back to your site.

At the same time, guest posting is a great way to get your brand and voice out there on relevant sites, and to gain those much-needed links back to yours.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media coupled with email marketing works well because it provides a direct channel to promote recent content that has been published. It’s important to not solely rely on social channels for distributions because the likelihood of content being missed is high.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I believe in a combination of both. Creating a content calendar that follows the content strategy while keeping a pulse on the conversation to produce content that will perform well due to a trending hashtag or relevant topic.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

There is a combination of strategies that can be leveraged including writing about a controversial topic to hosting meet ups or events in your local area. For me, it’s usually writing about a topic that is currently trending in the news as it allows the brand to take a position and creates conversation among the community.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

I think an important strategy for content marketers is to ‘be everywhere’. So you should pop up in search, on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, and in your customers’ inbox too. So in that sense, I think Social Media works best with ALL channels. Be everywhere at once.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

Well the conventional wisdom is that you should create a content calendar, and stick to it. That is a good discipline, and it does at least ensure that you are posting regularly, and to a schedule. But personally, I only produce content when I have something to say. I cannot necessarily produce this on schedule! On the other hand, I can set a goal of so many pieces per month and if I see I am falling short of this goal, I can focus on creative thinking to come up with some new ideas. It’s not a daily practice, but it does prompt me to do something about it if my output is below my goal.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

There is only one way to build links, and that is to produce content that people WANT to share. That’s not enough in itself, you then probably have to reach out to them and ask them to share it as well, but it all starts from great content. Nobody will share something that isn’t valuable to their audience.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

In my experience, a well-thought out social media marketing strategy is complemented best by great content marketing. If your organization places a high value on producing top-notch content to help your audience achieve their goals, that content will provide the foundation for building a highly engaged following on your social channels. If you share great content and drive people back to your website, you’ll quickly build a strong reputation within your space.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

With my personal blog, I stick to a pretty rigid content calendar when my priority is on publishing new content to my blog. Having some frequency to your content publishing gives your audience a much clearer expectation of when they’ll be able to come back and read more, which is very powerful for building relationships that go beyond the surface with your most loyal audience members. If you wait to publish new content only when you feel like you have something to say, you’ll spend a lot of time waiting around when your competitors aren’t just sitting around twiddling their thumbs. Train yourself to regularly come up with content topics you’re interested in (and your audience is too), plan out your posts and publish with frequency. That’s how you’ll make yourself relevant within your industry.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

For building locally relevant links, I’ve always had the best results by sharing unique story ideas with local reporters and writers who may be interested in covering a new project I’m working on. I take the time to carefully research who the best person would be to reach out to, make my pitch genuine and not too sales-oriented and offer something like promotion of the story to my audience in exchange.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Email or mobile marketing are crucial I feel for marketers today. I believe it’s Gary Vaynerchuk who says, “Marketers ruin everything: Whether it’s radio, direct mail, television, Facebook, Twitter…”

It’s true, today’s most popular Social platforms will become saturated, and we as marketers have very little control over them. We do have much more control over email marketing and/or mobile marketing and the marketer who puts out consistent GOOD content will win.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I think having all marketers should have a content calendar where you’re consistently putting out great content in a unique voice. More important than putting out consistent content is making sure that you’re consistently marketing your content.

Creating good content is a must, but that’s only a portion of the task. You’ve got to make sure to be consistently marketing that content and repurposing it. For example, if you right a great expert round up, create a video for YouTube about the roundup, post the video to LinkedIn publisher, create a slide presentation and share it on Slideshare and so on. You’ve got to market your content just as hard as you do creating it.

Which marketing channels (e.g. email, search) do social media work best with?

Social media marketing should never be seen as a stand-alone marketing channel. I believe social media can and should work with your traditional and other digital marketing channels. For example, highly targeted Facebook ads and page posts can send users to a landing page where you incentivize them to sign up to your email list or tag them for remarking Offline examples include utilizing a company specific hashtag on physical product packaging or in-store signage with calls to action to engage with you on social media.

What do you prefer – sticking to a content calendar or producing content only when you have something unique to say?

I’m all about utilizing a content calendar though I do feel there needs to be room for nimble content creation and distribution depending on current events or and unexpected industry announcements. I like to stick to a 60/20/20 rule where 60% of the content posted on your social profiles is industry relevant resourceful or entertaining leaving 20% for your own brand messaging/sales and 20% for pro-active community management.

What is your preferred method of building locally relevant links?

My best advice with that would be to start with easy link opportunities like register with your local Chamber of Commerce, Yelp and other legitimate location-based websites. You can also join or collaborate with local groups and associations in exchange for inbound links from their website, just make sure the links would send a relevant signal to search engines.