Hook 'em with Link Bait

Link bait has been the talk of the “internet town” for the past year. We hear these questions all the time, “What is link bait? How can we create link bait? How do we market link bait?” Link bait is all about the wow…does it have the appeal that users need to want to send it to someone else?

Link Bait Definition:
Link bait is any content or feature within a web site that somehow baits viewers to place links to it from other web sites. Matt Cutts defines link bait as anything “interesting enough to catch people’s attention.” Link bait can be an extremely powerful form of marketing as it is viral in nature.

Although there are no clear-cut subdivisions within link bait, many attempt to divide them into types of hooks. This is a short list of some of the most common approaches with brief descriptions:

Although there are no clear-cut subdivisions within link bait, many attempt to divide them into types of hooks. This is a short list of some of the most common approaches with brief descriptions:

• Informational Hooks – Provide information that a reader may find useful. Some rare tips and tricks or any personal experience through which readers can benefit.
• News Hooks – Provide fresh information and obtain citations and links as the news spreads.
• Humor Hooks – Tell a funny story or a joke. A bizarre picture of your subject or mocking cartoons can also prove to be link bait.
• Evil Hooks – Saying something unpopular or mean may also yield a lot of attention. Writing about something that is not appealing about a product or a popular blogger. Provide strong reasons for it.
• Tool Hooks – Create some sort of tool that is useful enough that people link to it.
• Widgets Hooks – A badge or tool that can be placed or embedded on other web sites with a link included.
  

There is a great article that has been circulated in the online world titled “21 Keys to Link Bait.” It’s an excellent break down of what it takes to make a link bait successful. So many intriguing articles, games, videos, etc. have caught the attention of online users that link bait is even harder to accomplish than before. It’s like in High School when the boy you like is now more popular than ever and you’re faced with competing for his attention all over again with even more of those snobby girls.

Link bait is a natural way to build link popularity that will ultimately build your search engine rankings. You don’t have to be a well known brand or a big budget company to build link bait. All it takes is some creative thinking. Fresh, logical, creative ideas. One way to create link bait is to get ranked well for phrases that will become popular in the future. Link bait is an excellent tactic if one of your goals (it should be every company’s goal) is to be ranked high in the search engines. In January 2006, there were only about 25 results for the term “link bait” but today there are 404,000 results. Everything ranging from articles to news releases to companies interviews on how they have tried and made headway on the link bait bandwagon.

Here are some examples of past link bait success stories:

• The Onion | Evangelical Scientists Refute Gravity With New 'Intelligent Falling' Theory
• Wikipedia: Flying Spagetti Monster
• Boing Boing's $250,000 Intelligent Design challenge

Great forms of link bait…remember when those reports come out each year of the “Fattest Cities, Most Fashionable Cities, etc.”…these are all appealing articles not because it’s important information to know but because it’s interesting and relatable. Even if you think you aren’t fat or fashionable you still want to know if you live in either one of those cities. Those kind of reports sparked new more humorous articles such as “The Best Cities to Get Shot In” or “The Top 10 Worst Drivers Cities”. These are excellent examples of link bait. If you spent some time thinking about it, I bet you can come up with even more enticing forms of link bait. Happy thinking!

So, Everyone's Tweeting, But What's Twitter

So all your friends in the office are Tweeting, spending as much time on Twitter as they do on YouTube, but what is it? According to Wikipedia:

"Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length."

To say that Twitter's popularity has exploded would be an understatement. Started in 2006, the service has catapulted into mainstream vernacular and has seen spectacular growth spurts (i.e. over 900%) in the last 12 months alone. One could almost say today, that if you're not tweeting, you're definitely not cool.

To the casual user, Twitter is a way to keep friends in the loop about all the little things they have going on in life. Described in the video below, Twitter is a way to fill people in on all the little details in life you wouldn't include in an email or phone conversation.




But, to the professional, whether you be a business person, journalists, or professional blogger, twitter can be revolutionary in keeping your network abreast of all the little things that are relevant to your line of work. Take what I do for example. I own and run the popular blog PCBDaily.com, a news and information site all about Panama City Beach, Florida. I use Twitter for a variety of reasons. Twitter is cool, because I have my mobile phone set up so I can send updates via text or the app on my Blackberry from anywhere. Our readers can keep up with what is going on regardless of where we are. If I'm at a public meeting, I can Tweet updates as they unfold; at a real estate auction, I can Tweet breaking prices; if I'm driving down the street, I can Tweet that I just saw some crazy drunk spring breaker crush a can over his head (weird, I know); get the picture?

The uses for Twitter are only limited by your imagination. Our readers can set up their mobile devices to receive updates via text from us so they can keep up without even turning on their computer.

In addition to dripping with awesomeness as a stand alone application, Twitter is massively extendable through third-party applications. For instance, PCBDaily uses the self-hosted Wordpress blogging platform and has a plugin installed that will automatically Tweet our account when a new blog post is published. This is great because our "followers" know whenever we have a new article available. I also have my personal Facebook 'status' updated with our latest Tweets. I can see the gears turning in your head as you are realizing the network of connectivity we have created.

The uses for Twitter are only limited by your imagination. This is the 1st of a series detailing what Twitter is and how you can use it to enhance your social network, create greater visibility on the web and ultimately use it to find new clients, customers or create new opportunities for your business.

It takes an (online) community to raise a child

Have you ever sat back and thought of your school days? Ever thought of the friends that you had, your favorite teacher or even your favorite cafeteria food? Pizza day! I can almost taste the spicy pepperoni.

Now that I am older I look back and see the same with my children. Of course, they are much easier to wake up than I ever was. As they get on their bicycles with their hair freshly combed and clothes scented with Downy, they have a bright look in their eyes as they anticipate the day. With a smile on their face and their bellies filled with a good breakfast they head off to school to learn.

Rewind to my childhood (date undisclosed to protect the old).

The daily monotony of school seemed imminent with the only excitement coming from running away from someone with cooties or a game of well played dodge ball. The rest of the day was spent with knowledge being gently poured into my head that would soon lead me on my journey toward being an asset to society. Ahh, if everything was that perfect.

You see, growing up, I often used my fingers to assist in my counting. Actually, the shenanigans lasted well into grade school; not many people know that about me, please try and contain your laughter. After the semester meeting with my parents and teacher I received the not so exciting gift of spending an hour every day after school running regular math drills to keep the finger counting down. Needless to say, this particularly painful experience turned me off to math, even to this day.

Algebra never had a chance. In high school, by the time my parents realized I was failing it was almost too late. The communication gap between my teacher and parents was just too great. Months went by as my mother nursed my math back to a passing grade. Growing up, the teacher’s only resource at communicating with the parent was the infamous, yet antiquated Parent-Teacher Conference. Today, we have the internet and a beautiful plethora of online tools and resources to keep in touch with anyone we so desire.

Fast-forward to 2009.

Schools today use technology to communicate, some more effectively than others, but they use it none the less. With interactive web sites utilizing student/parent portals, assignments get forgotten less, test scores are more difficult to lie about and report cards make it home (or to your inbox). My kids teachers have my email address in which we correspond with regularly, we follow each other’s tweets, and some of them are even my friends on Facebook.

Had these communications lines been open when I was growing up, I wouldn’t have an aversion to math and could probably count without using my fingers. The problem could have been as Barney Fife so eloquently put it, “nipped in the bud.” Today, as parents, we are made aware of any debilitating habits immediately. We can address the issues and get our kids back on the right path quickly before any bad habits are formed.

The internet and all the valuable tools that come with that connectivity have given us a chance to become a stronger community. Our kids have more opportunity than we ever had at gaining knowledge in a greater variety of ways. If they want to learn something (or if we want to teach them something we don’t already know), it’s only a google search away. Our teachers can communicate with us quickly and easily; and conversely, we can respond fast and address issues before they get worse. As we strengthen the lines of communication between us and our kids teachers, a stronger bond is forged and we minimize the obstacles our children have to pass through in order to achieve success.

In an old story I can sign off by telling you, “… My part will not be missed.” - unless it comes to math.

Google and Microsoft – Battle of the browsers... one small step

Most of you have probably heard about Google joining the European Commission antitrust case against Microsoft.  Here we have Google leveraging its dollar power on the side of the Mozilla foundation all in the effort to unhinge Internet Explorer from the Microsoft build.  If Google and Mozilla win, I see this a large win for the user.  Now, you might think...“ How will I get on the internet and download Chrome, Firefox or Safari if I can’t use internet explorer to get online when I receive my computer!”  Well the simple answer is the machines manufacturer is not going to let it go out without the option to choose a browser, otherwise their market share will go down the toilet.  A win against Microsoft will be one more brick removed from the wall of proprietary software and one more brick placed in the steps being built toward open source.

According to Wikipedia we see the following statistics:

Internet explorer             67.55%

Mozilla Firefox                  21.53%

Safari                                     8.29%

Google Chrome                    1.12%

Opera                                       .7%

Netscape Navigator             .57%

Other                                     .22%

Not to knock Microsoft, they have been a way to bridge our computing and everyday needs into a seemless communication standard…Well...as good as can be with the obvious glitches.  They provided the next step in software evolution that was necessary, but the past is the past.. and this is the future.  Now that we have moved farther into the future, their market stranglehold stifles the independents and new generation of problem solvers' revolutionary ideas.  The next great open source ideas are waiting in the wings.  Unhinging I.E. will lead to more of an open source hold.  More revolutionary ideas and products all built by the people around us… and wouldn’t we all like to see that 12 year old that is creating viruses divert his attention to something more productive?

This is a time for open source methodologies. Let the community lead the way.

You Can’t Teach an Old Brand New Tricks

My roots and background are actually in traditional branding, few people know that.  I defected to the geek side of advertising so long ago, it’s almost not even relevant….until the last few years.

For so many years, us geeks weren’t allowed around brands with the exception of the brand bible given to us by the branding agency.  When we started building websites and executing web marketing for clients, there were only so many ways you could translate the fonts, colors, tag lines, tone, imagry, etc.  It was actually nice, we didn’t have to do the heavy lifting, and we were able to leverage the success of what worked traditionally.  And just about the time when we mastered how to “translate a brand” into this online brochure thing, web 2.0 reminded us that managing a brand online is like trying to rope a tornado.  And, we really knew better, but control was the name of the brand game .. back then.

It also took a lot longer to manage brands before open communication forced us to become transparent in brand creation.  To “Manage” a brand in today’s interactive communication is both ardent and cost-prohibitive.  Instead of working to “contrive” a thought, feeling or image about a brand, new brands/open brands plant seeds and allow them to grow naturally with consumers.  If you are a gardener you know, seeds are cheaper than full grown trees.

“The bar is being raised by Innovators like YouTube, Flickr, MySpace and Digg, which are redefining cultural relevance, paving the way for brand co-creation, social networking, citizen journalism and more.  Now brands are expected to provide faster and more customizable experiences, more enhanced content, and more opportunities for consumers to exchange and ideas and be both seen and heard.” Nita Rollins, PhD and author of The Open Brand.

The Travel Industry has shining examples of open brand, loyalty marketing and advertainment. (Las Vegas, Hyatt, Travelocity).  Smaller budget destinations have made great strides in developing popular, open brands (Virginia, Colorado).  It is a normal adoption cycle that the destinations and travel companies with less budget would take much longer to achieve a similar impact.  But, in today’s instant, low-cost communication, the only challenge for a creative destination with a modest budget to succeed in mass-market appeal is having new media focused, right brain capital…in droves. There is also a trend to choose an interactive communication agency to lead the brand.  Yea, I know it benefits us to report that.. but it’s true. J  But, still this misses the point of opening the brand up.  It doesn’t matter who leads your brand if they don’t understand the marketplace is not theirs to control.  The people leading your brand should be great promoters and know where they can help .. and where they are in the way.

Today’s brands are co-created with consumers.  The web is littered with case studies that show the aging brands are those that are “too tight” and “scripted”.  Newer, fresher brands are done transparently with customers.  Take Doritos for one example.  They definitely get an award for one of the most hilarious, hip commercials during SuperBowl (and still playing).  Check it out here.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPhabSD02X4 Two guys entered the contest for creating a commercial, and with 2K and some cool ideas of “advertainment”, won 2 Million Dollars for the winning commercial.  Doritos leverages another major trend that reality tv brought us:  Advertise the Byproduct.  It’s a huge story for Doritos that they held this contest + the marketing directly to consumers with the kitchy commercial.  That’s an open brand.  Advertise to us, share with us, entertain us.

The gap is closing fast on who can leverage emerging medias before they wear out or cost too much to produce.  Blogging is a form of authentic brand communication, and it’s two way.  Social Media (Interactive P.R.) is growing at the speed of the internet.  Wildly successful blogs have been largely due to a good idea and a lot of work.  In October, the blog Bankaholic was sold for a record 15 Million (popularity, readers, advertisers = dollars).  Bankaholic was a one man shop.  The New Media shares the American Dream –anyone with an idea, ingenuity and hard work can make their fortune. 

But, my friends, I am talking about engagement past blogs, past user comments.  Though I applaud those DMOs who bravely have communities on their sites and user review on their listings, this is a great start.  But, this is not a dialogue.  It’s an invitation for scrutiny.  Our websites are not live online focus groups.  These are real consumers who can be brand evangelists if they are moved. 

The open brand marketer creates dialogue and engagement in lieu of a monologue and awareness.

Relax the brand control and solicit the help of your consumers.  Ask them to talk about you, tell friends, give you ideas.  We are really helpful if we like your brand .. and actually, really helpful even if we don’t.  The big thing here is that, as marketers we can’t be afraid to be wrong.  Coming from a long interactive background, if I was afraid to try something that I hadn’t before… I would have never gotten my first site off the ground!  We have to get comfy with feedback and dialogue.  We have to learn how to create a constructive platform for brand communication.  Ya know what, we have to PLAY!  Inspire authentic communication, run a contest for a new branding campaign.  In the coming times, the DMO who can differentiate and communicate authentically with their end-users will be the most viable. 

What’s our lesson:  Loosen Up Brand Managers!!

No one gives a flying fig if the font is correct.  What new brands are about?  Can you Change Minds?  Can you Communicate?

JB University...Unveiled!

We've done it...officially unveiled the program we have been working on for some time. We at JB Inc. are all so amazed by the overwheming response from destinations and the media. It's a program we are all very proud to be a part of. JB University is a virtual education program that allows agencies, marketers, pr professions, media, etc. to be involved in a one on one education program combining classroom style education with individual training. Each month JB University will host a live webinar attended only by JB University students where topics and discussions are left open and to the point. Students can discuss challenges, concerns and questions and our panel of experts weigh in with helpful suggestions, thoughts and actions you can take to improve your program. We've thrown in a ton of extras including quarterly consulting, assignments we grade and review with you, online polls and surveys about YOUR questions and thoughts...and so much more. We are very excited to have the opportunity to do something no other agency is doing right now...educating and empowering the travel industry to rise above the times and build the strongest marketing strategies seen so far this decade. Our first webinar is March 2nd. Don't miss this exciting start to a program everyone is buzzing about. It's well worth it. www.jenniferbarbee.com/jbu 

Evolution of "Web 2.0"

Is there anything we can't do online anymore? After reading a very interesting article today about how much of our time spent and activities are done online, I began to think...what does all this movement to the web mean for things we are all used to...like cable television, our video game systems, etc. Like many other people I know, I watch almost everything that most of you see on television, online. Network cable shows, news, commercials, etc. I see it all on my computer screen, not my flatscreen. What does that mean for cable television companies? Satellite TV companies have been feeling the shift of the "digital" evolution for a few years now. We predict cable companies will be next. What does this mean for us marketers? More areas of promotion for our clients and brands...more video...means more need for rich media and video inspired ads. Your typical banners are no more. Video and live stream is the new wave of the digital evolution.