Wednesday, 7 December 2016

How to Find Top Industry Influencers And Get The Most Out It

You know you love Ninja Outreach! That's why you are reading this blog post, after all.

You went through its extensive set of tutorials, and now you want to take things to the next level.

Ninja Outreach is the best tool when it comes to creating buzz around your website, products and services. And its power grows exponentially when you combine it with a couple of third-party tools.

Here are three ninja tactics that will help you discover influential industry bloggers, find lots of raving social media fans, boost website traffic and get links fast.

#1. Use ScrapeBox to Find the Top Industry Influencers Fast

ScrapeBox has gotten a bad reputation because it includes an automated blog comment poster. But it has a huge collection of useful SEO tools, including a fantastic URL harvester. And at Randombyte, we fire it up and use it whenever we launch a new project.
Start ScrapeBox, and then set the desired footprint. Here are a few good examples:

  • intitle:blog
  • intitle:blogger
  • intitle:author
  • inurl:blog
  • inurl:author
  • intitle:links
  • intitle:resources
  • inurl:links
  • inurl:resources

Input your target keyword(s), and then press the "Start Harvesting" button.

using-scrapebox-to-find-influencers

Google's search results continue to be the most relevant, but feel free to add Yahoo, Bing, or your favorite search engine to the list. Then, press the "Start" button.

scrapebox-detailed-harvester

ScrapeBox will query Google's database, returning the top 100 search results for each keyword.

Tip: You need to use proxies if you work with several keywords. Fortunately, ScrapeBox also includes a free proxy scraper.

Some of the harvested domains may show up several times in Google's search results, so we must filter them.

removing-duplicate-domains

It's time to export our results! Ninja Outreach can access clipboard data, so there's no need to export, and then import files.

exporting-scraped-urls

This is where things get interesting. Log into your Ninja Outreach account, and then create a new list. Skip this step if you plan to add prospects to an existing list, of course.

ninja-outreach-new-lists

Then, click the "Import" button and choose the "Click here to submit websites" link.

ninja-outreach-importing-prospects

Choose your list, and then paste ScrapeBox's output in the "Websites" field.

discarding-duplicate-domains

Keep the "Discard duplicate domains" checkbox enabled; otherwise, you may upset some bloggers by emailing them several times.

Ninja Outreach will send you an email when the data gathering process is done. From my experience, you'll barely have the time to grab a cup of coffee until all the data is processed 😉

start-emailing-your-new-list

It's time to start emailing your new list. Be sure to visit each website before emailing its webmaster, though. You want to personalize each email, and thus significantly boost your response rate.

#2. Use Ahrefs to Get Enthusiastic Fans, Retweets and Traffic

Just like Ninja Outreach, Ahrefs is a tool I simply couldn't live without. Let's see how you can use it to get lots of Twitter fans, who will enthusiastically retweet your content.

Log into Ahrefs, and then click the "Content Explorer" link. Type in the desired keyword, and then press the "Explore" button.

ahrefs-content-explorer

Ahrefs will display lots of articles that have gotten a huge number of social shares.

ahrefs-popular-content

Content Explorer gives us a big list of proven article ideas. It also shows who has tweeted the links to those articles.

Click the "Who tweeted" button next to the article that is similar to your content piece.

find-out-who-tweeted

You will see a list of people who shared that article with their followers.

This means that if you have a similar - and hopefully better! – content piece, you've already got a qualified list of prospects. Most of these people will be eager to share your content, and thus send you free website traffic.

Start by following them on Twitter. Resist the temptation to ask for a retweet right away, though. Your response rate will explode if you romance them first. And this is exactly the place where Ninja Outreach makes itself useful once again.

Export the list, and then open it in Excel or your favorite spreadsheet application.

open-prospect-data-in-excel

Sort your prospects, identifying the ones that have websites.

Click "Data" -> "Filter" -> "Sort Z to A" to display all the prospects that have a website at the top of the spreadsheet.

sorting-prospects

Select the URLs, and then copy them to the clipboard. Paste them into Ninja Outreach, following the same steps we've used to import the

URLs gathered by ScrapeBox. You will end up having a list of highly targeted prospects that includes contact info and detailed website metrics.

Send emails that demonstrate your respect for their work, write insightful comments on their articles, and then politely ask for a social media share and – why not? – a link to your article.

#3. Use "Live Search" to Get Easy Links

Ninja Outreach's "Live Search" feature is similar with ScrapeBox's URL harvester, so it can be used to find targeted prospects as well.

It's easy to get links from people who have mentioned your content, but have forgotten to link back to your website.

Go to the "Content Prospecting" tool, and then search for your business name or website URL, excluding the results that come from your own site. Check out the picture below to see a search string example.

ninja-outreach-live-search

I don't know about you, but I will gladly get links from DA68 and DA94 domains anytime!

Don't be put off by the small PA (Page Authority); a value of 1 shows just that the PA was measured for the other (www/non-www) version of the URL.

Save the prospects to a list, evaluate their sites' metrics, and then start reaching out to them. Use an email template that's similar with the one below:

Conclusion

The top industry influencers are bombarded with dozens of requests each day. So take your time and write outstanding content.

Keep your readers in mind, teaching them as many useful things as you can. Be sure to create actionable content pieces. Show your website visitors what they need to do to get results, step by step.

Then, use the tips above to find popular industry bloggers and people who have shared similar articles in the past. Contact them using personalized emails, which demonstrate that you know them and you appreciate their work.

What do you think of the tips and tactics described above? How do you plan to use them? What would you do to improve them?
Let me know what you think in the comments below!

George Pirvu is the CEO of Randombyte, an online marketing company that helps businesses increase online sales, build and protect their online reputation. He has worked for big corporations such as General Motors, as well as for many small business owners. Don't be a stranger! Drop him an email at george.pirvu@randombyte.com

The post How to Find Top Industry Influencers And Get The Most Out It appeared first on Ninja Outreach.



source https://ninjaoutreach.com/find-top-industry-influencers-get/
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Sprout Social Named One of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work

We are excited to share that Sprout Social has been named one of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work in 2017, an honor based entirely on our employees’ reviews of the company.

The Glassdoor Best Places to Work list is released annually as part of Glassdoor’s Employees’ Choice Awards, and it is unique in that winners are determined based on feedback their employees have voluntarily and anonymously shared in Glassdoor reviews. This year, we are proud to be recognized among United States-based companies with fewer than 1,000 employees.

“Our team is the foundation of Sprout’s success,” said Justyn Howard, Sprout Social’s CEO and Founder. “Sprout’s culture and this recognition from Glassdoor are a testament to the incredible talent and spirit that our employees bring to the table every day. Ensuring that Sprout is an inclusive, collaborative and fun place to work has always been a priority, and we’re excited to keep growing with people who feel the same way.”

So what did employees have to say about being part of Team Sprout? Here are just a few thoughts they shared that contributed toward the award and made us feel incredibly honored to be recognized:

“The company culture is inclusive, open and friendly. I have honestly not seen this many talented and hardworking people together prior to working here. Both individual and team initiatives are highlighted and praised often, communication is very transparent and you feel like your voice is heard.”
—Anonymous Employee, Sprout Social

“Great work/life balance, lots of perks and great benefits. Awesome PTO policy and very flexible. Leadership team is easy to connect with and very transparent. I love this company.”
—Customer Success Manager, Sprout Social

“The best job I’ve had in my 15-year career…[Sprout has] a collegial engineering culture that prioritizes mentorship, quality over quantity and reasonableness over idealism…coworkers who are happy to help, take pride in their work and are fun to hang out with at baseball games, happy hours and other periodic social outings.”
—Anonymous Employee, Sprout Social

As one employee put it in their review, “there’s so much to be thankful for.” We are grateful for the employees past and present who took the time to share their valuable feedback and experiences on Glassdoor, and for everyone whose hard work makes Sprout one of the best places to work for 2017.

Want to join us? We’re hiring.

This post Sprout Social Named One of Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work originally appeared on Sprout Social.



source http://sproutsocial.com/insights/glassdoor-best-places-to-work/
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Tuesday, 6 December 2016

The Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimised Landing Page

image1

Goal conversions are such a beautiful thing to the online marketer. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my years as a web marketer is the value in getting higher conversions from your site’s published web pages in order to gain sign-ups, enquiries or sales conversions.

Optimised landing pages don’t just convert more sales. They attract better quality prospects, enhance the perception and credibility of your brand and inspire people to share your web content with the Internet community. By the end of this post, I want to give you the action steps that will allow you to make changes to your site’s landing page so that you will gain more conversions, credibility and wealth.

Why you need to make sure your landing page is optimised?

This is the most important factor when implementing your landing page strategy. You must know the problems, needs and wants from your target audience so you can communicate it effectively. Try to identify niches within other niches.

For example, Bemyhairmodel.com promotes free haircuts for men and women in the UK. The reason this web page works so well is that it forces people to take a specific action. When they land on the page, they have the option to search for a free hairdressing service or if they are a hairdresser, they can login and manage their ad.

image2

Image source: Bemyhairmodel.com

Always give your site’s visitors the option to opt into something

The most important goal should be to get the web visitor to opt-into a list. This will allow you to remarket to the person in the future so they can purchase any products or services that you are selling. Consider using:

  • Opt-in forms
  • Opt-in buttons
  • Opt-in pop-ups, welcome mats or scroll boxes

Use high-resolution images

“Pictures tell a thousand words.”

They also impact the professional impression of your website.

Use high-resolution images to improve your website’s aesthetics. You can use any of the following sites to source high-definition images.

Use ‘easy-to-read’ typography and paragraph layouts

Many people forget to optimise the text that is used on their website. The size and type of font that is used on the site can impact the site’s engagement and conversions. This was demonstrated in a case study by VMO when they ran a split test of 2 different font sizes and recorded a 32.68% increase in clicks with a font size of 18.

Experiment with different fonts and sizing to improve the legibility of your web content.

Additionally, spacing between the sentences and paragraphs also need to be optimised to improve the user experience.

Improve the credibility of your website

You only get one chance to make a good first impression. Web visitors leave if they feel that they haven’t received any value from the content that they visit. This can be improved by:

Using testimonials and reviews

What others say about you is ten times more powerful than anything that you will say. Ask for testimonials or reviews from current and former customers to enhance the credibility of the landing page.

image3

Image credit: Criminally Prolific

Referencing case studies

People want to see proof of the benefits that the product, service or content will offer. Case studies are a great way to illustrate this.

For example, if a woman wants to know why she keeps suffering from acne in her thirties, the content on the landing page can explain why it happens, the product used to improve her skin’s health and the proven benefits.

Using quotes

If there is a recognised expert in your field that you can quote, use it to your advantage to add credibility to your web content.

For example, if your site sells sprinting shoes, you could reference a quote from the 100m world record holder Usain Bolt talking about the importance of using the right shoes to achieve his fitness goals.

Optimise the web page’s titles and headlines

Advertising legend David Ogilvy once said that the heading that is used for your web content makes 80% of its success. In monetary terms, that means 80 cents out of every advertising dollar is impacted by the headlines.

It’s important to test and tweak the headlines and title on your landing page to improve conversions.

Make sure your web page loads up quickly

People on the web love speed.

If your landing page isn’t loading up in 2 seconds, it’s likely that you will lose that web visitor forever.

You need to optimise your website and web pages to ensure that visitors to the landing page will see it load immediately on any device that they are using. Here are some of the things that you should optimise.

Image sizes

Images that have a large file size cause the web page to load slowly. Before publishing your web page, you want to minimise the file size as much as possible so that it will improve the web page’s loading time. To achieve this, you need to:

  • Ensure that the image’s size dimensions are exactly to the specifications that’s required on the web page. You can find these dimensions in your CMS media library. Uploading the image in larger dimensions will still load the image in the heavier size, even though it might render on the web page in a smaller size.
  • Compress the image’s size using tools like Compressor.io. These tools should reduce the file size by up to 70% without affecting the quality of the image.

Use a reliable web host

The web hosting provider and service that you partner with will have a significant impact on your site’s speed and the experience that you provide for your website’s users. Ideally, you want to have your site setup on an isolated server (such as a dedicated server or a Virtual Private Server), so that you will have complete control over the hosting bandwidth and security.

You can opt to host your site on a shared server, however, there’s a risk that other sites also sharing the server might affect the bandwidth.

Before partnering with a web hosting provider, check their reviews to see how their current users rate their level of service. Some of the most popular services include:

  • Bluehost
  • GoDaddy
  • Hostgator
  • Ovh

Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Get your website uploaded to a CDN and then configure the site so that it serves the website content from the CDN. Selecting the right CDN partner is important as their server’s location will impact the speed at which the web visitor will be served the landing page.

As a rule of thumb, CDN providers like Amazon who have CDN servers in several countries are ideal for websites that serve a global audience. However, other factors such as SSL, support and customisations should also be looked into.

Website theme

The theme that you are using on your website will either make or break your landing page’s success. Check the web theme’s loading time and sequence by using Pingdom Tools and check for any recommendations from Google’s PageSpeed Insights.

The ability to moderate the theme varies, so it is important to invest or develop a theme that prioritises speed to avoid any loading lags in the future. Ideally, you want to invest in a theme that will allow the site to load in under 2 seconds.

Google AMP

Google’s Accelerated Mobile Project (AMP) is helping to serve web content faster across mobile devices. These are specific pages that use the AMP markup so that Google can reference the content and serve web users quicker. WordPress users can implement this by using Yoast’s SEO plugin, which will automatically configure the AMP code to the website.

You can also check this web page loading speed infographic to give you more insight to improve the landing page’s loading time on your site.

Make sure the landing page is optimised for all devices.

Google have publicly stated that they will favour sites that are optimised for mobile in the organic search results.

People are consuming more web content on their mobile devices and it is important that the user experience caters for the different types of devices, be it mobile applications or mobile responsive websites.

The easier it is for people to navigate and take action on the optimised design, which should lead to higher conversions.

Reward people for submitting their details.

When people give you their opt-in details, it's a sign that they are prepared to trust you with their private information. You can offer a free giveaway or reward for people opting into your list. This could be in the form of:

  • An ebook
  • Guide
  • Prize
  • Voucher

image4

image5

Use social proof

When people see other people interacting with the content, it brings more people. See if you can use things like Facebook likes or comments to show how popular the content on your landing pages are.

Buffer shared a thorough guide to social proof that can be used to convey more trust in your site’s landing page.

image6

Consider using videos

Videos can be a powerful way to get your message across to your audience and boost your conversions. Create a compelling video that will engage the audience and test the video presentation in different layouts for conversions.

Some web platforms you can use includes YouTube, Vimeo and Wistia.

Develop a landing page that clearly directs the visitors attention

Your landing page should instruct people what they need to do and provide them with few distractions. Make sure the page uses clear call to actions and formatting to grab their attention and persuade them to take your desired action.

We also recommend that you read the post “How to check if your web design is good for your site?” to learn more about the state of your website’s landing pages.

Conclusion

By optimising your landing pages, your site should receive more qualified traffic and conversions on your website. Each part that has been presented should be used as a building block to add credibility, trust and reduce risk so that web visitors are more likely to convert on your site.

Take a look at your existing landing pages for any optimisation gaps and see how you can make changes to improve your site’s landing pages today!

Nathan is the branch manager at Digital Next, a full-service digital agency based in South Melbourne specialising in responsive Web design, SEO, PPC and social media marketing. He's a passionate digital marketer specialising in business development and long-term strategy, with experience from a multitude of SEO disciplines combined into a role which supports and progresses online businesses.

The post The Anatomy of a Perfectly Optimised Landing Page appeared first on Ninja Outreach.



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21 Instagram Accounts to Follow for Brand Inspiration

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Monday, 5 December 2016

The Social Media Content Management Plan for Success

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Saturday, 3 December 2016

Top 10 Blog Tips From A Social Media Specialist

As a social media specialist, you must create quality content that will build a tribe of raving fans that will keep your business profitable both now and for years to come.

Here are the top 10 tips you as a social media specialist can take to insure the success of your blog:

  1. Begin with your keywords. If you’ve been following Ramajon Cogan and Catherine Carrigan of www.whatissocialmediatoday.com, you’ve learned that the entire success of your social media strategy rests on how successful you are at researching and employing your keywords. These are the words and phrases people use to find you on the vast world wide web. Once you do the research, memorize your keywords. Use a mind map to brain storm articles based on your keyword. Then slowly but surely begin to drip out content based on these keywords.
  2. Put your keyword in your headline. 
  3. Analyze your headline. Once you know the keyword you’re planning on using in your article, the importance of writing a killer headline can not be overstated. You can analyze your headline on this website. Realize you have 15 seconds to grab a person’s attention once they go to your website. In fact, 55 percent of readers spent less than 15 seconds. The most important part of your blog is in fact your headline, so spend time making it work.
  4. Include your keyword in your first paragraph.
  5. Include art. Colored visuals increase your chance of a person reading your content by 80 percent. Because you may have to pay to use images captured from the web, you may be better off using your smart phone to take photographs or videos telling the story of your business, products and services.
  6. Evoke emotion. The more your writing evokes positive emotion in your reader, the more likely your readers will be to share your content. The top four emotions to generate include 1. Awe 2. Laughter 3. Amusement 4. Joy.
  7. Write at least 500 words for a basic blog, 2,300 if you want Google to consider you an expert on that topic or 3,000 to 10,000 words if you want your article to be shared most often. Even though the average attention span of 9 seconds is now shorter than that of a goldfish, you need to write at least 500 words because Google considers 200 word blog posts to be thin content. According to our search engine optimization guru Scott D. Smith, Google will consider you an expert when you write articles 2,300 to 2,500 words long. Research shows that blogs that take about 7 minutes to read capture the most total reading time on average.
  8. Consider writing your blogs as a list. Because people don’t so much read on the internet as scan, lists become a highly effective way of writing your content. In fact, when researchers look at what causes blogs to go viral in the social media, list posts come in second after infographics. Other ways for you as a social media specialist to blog successfully include writing what blogs, why blogs, how to blogs as well as videos.
  9. Use Google Analytics to determine the topics readers really want to hear from you about. You already have a built-in generator of prime research information about your website – Google Analytics. Connect your website to Google Analytics. Then go to Behavior. Then click on Overview. You will find a list of your most-read articles. Use this list to discover what people really want from you. Create more content based on these topics.
  10. Blog at least once a week. Our search engine optimization guru Scott D. Smith says you can get 80 percent of the benefit from blogging by posting once a week. However, realize that companies that post 16+ times per month get 350 percent more traffic than those that only post 0 to 4 times per month. To avoid burnout, create a blogging schedule you can live with. Once your website has been around for awhile, you will benefit from the body of work you created. Some experts find that 90 percent of their leads come from old blog posts. Realize that as a social media specialist that when you create content, your blog posts will have an average lifespan of 2 to 3 years.

Want to learn more about how you can Win the Game of Social Media?

Putting all this together takes time and is part of creating a successful social media strategy.

Join Catherine Carrigan and Ramajon Cogan at www.whatissocialmediatoday.com and we will show you how! Call Catherine Carrigan today at 678-612-8816 or email catherine@catherinecarrigan.com or contact Ramajon Cogan at (928) 821-4553 or email wheresramajon@gmail.com.

The post Top 10 Blog Tips From A Social Media Specialist appeared first on What is Social Media Today.



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source http://whatissocialmediatoday.blogspot.com/2016/12/top-10-blog-tips-from-social-media.html
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Friday, 2 December 2016

#SproutChat Recap: Best Practices for Distributing Content From Brand Advocates

Marketers know that content drives traffic. But figuring out which social channels’ content should be distributed on and how it should be shared can be a challenge. Creating a successful content marketing distribution strategy is essential for success. During this week’s #SproutChat we were joined by Arment Dietrich from Spin Sucks and Sprout All Star and Chief Content Officer, Erika Heald.

Both experts shared their advice on how to craft a content distribution strategy that focus on advocacy and generates real business value.

A/B Test to See Where Advocacy Content Generates the Most Success

Determining what success looks like for your advocacy content distribution plan requires the resources to test and learn. When sharing a new piece of content try two different headlines and/or different creative.

Anecdotally monitor the sentiments and responses around your content to learn more about how the piece is resonating with your audience. Be creative with your A/B tests but always be sure that you only have one variable that differentiates your evaluations.

When testing new content distribution channels it’s important to include multiple networks, even more niche ones. Based on your industry it might be worth exploring Quora, Reddit or Medium. Regardless of where your brand is sharing its content, make sure that you’re diligently tracking your results.

Involve All Interested & Passionate Colleagues

Employee advocacy has been gaining steam as a beneficial, organic distribution method. Don’t be afraid to authentically tap into your existing employee base and excite them to share social content on behalf of your brand.

Enlist Your Most Passionate Community Members

Social media marketers can likely name five individuals who are already acting as a champion for their product, brand or content. Encourage these individuals to consistently advocate on your brand’s behalf.

Having trouble finding your customer advocates? Do your research. Work across internal teams to find out which customers have been with your brand the longest or use a social conversation history to identify your most active fans. Reach out to these people. You may be surprised at the advocacy and content sharing they’re willing to commit to just because you showed them your appreciation and asked.

Next week we’ll be hosting a product focused #SproutChat where we’ll be discussing content management and best practices for using Sprout’s new Asset Library. See you Wednesday, December 7 at 2 p.m. CST on Twitter! Until then, join our Facebook group and connect with other members of our community.

This post #SproutChat Recap: Best Practices for Distributing Content From Brand Advocates originally appeared on Sprout Social.



source http://sproutsocial.com/insights/distributing-content-from-brand-advocates/
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