If you’re a link builder, you know better than most that certain industries are quite a bit more difficult to promote than others.
For some, this is an exasperating truth; for others, it can be seen as a new and welcome challenge.
No matter which group you identify with, however, you may need a little bit of inspiration to get your link building campaign started on the right foot.
I’m going to go over three useful link building techniques, and explore some difficult industries along the way.
Newsjacking
This particular tactic can be one of the most important tools in the link building arsenal. The thing is, it requires more than a little foresight and planning on your part. In short, you need to be in the right place at the right time.
So what is newsjacking? It requires you to keep up with breaking news and jump on any stories that might have something to do with your particular niche. From there, you can write content that not only keeps your readers informed, but also lets you interject with your two cents of commentary.
If it sounds like a full time job, know that it probably is. The law industry is a particularly difficult (not to mention overcrowded) niche for link builders, so it might make sense for you, if you have the budget, to turn to a third-party content writing service.
Infographics
We may be heading toward “peak infographic” (think “peak oil”), but right now, infographics are still hugely popular and still manage to drive a lot of traffic on the Internet.
Creating an infographic, just like newsjacking, will require you to stay up-to-date on important events, issues, or news stories. Infographics are your way to create an instructional or educational resource for your readers.
If you don’t have the time or the budget to create an infographic yourself, there are lots of services out there like Fiverr and oDesk that can help put you in touch with skilled freelance designers.
The construction industry is particularly difficult from a link building point of view. There really aren’t that many blogs out there about backhoes or cement mixers. But if you can find a topic that has mass appeal – such as demystifying how road construction works – you’ll have much better luck.
Special Offers
Finally, let’s take a look at a link building tactic for those companies that might have a slightly larger budget than your average small business.
It’s not at all uncommon for businesses to send out free samples of their product for reviewers to get their hands on. It’s not exactly free publicity, but it’s definitely publicity.
You can do something similar even if yours is not a physical product, in the strictest sense. Vista College, for example, makes a habit of offering scholarships and other financial aid to struggling students. The web traffic brought in by these scholarship offers can handily make up for the cost of such offerings.
Parting Thoughts
As you can see, there are plenty of out-of-the-box possibilities if you’re engaged in link building for a difficult client in a very specific industry. Get creative with it, and you might just be amazed at what you can accomplish.