(photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95572727@N00/2366980580/)

I‘ve made a few posts on here about writing good link bait, some a bit tongue in cheek, and others I think a pretty good overview of some effective ways to get your name up on the marquee a bit faster than waiting around for the guy with a crane for sale.  Quite simply, link bait, for those of you who haven’t been hit by the Wiley coyote two ton rock of web 2.0 terminology, is essentially the process of premeditated, purposeful and strategic content creation that is designed, ostensibly, to drive boatloads of backsides and lots of incoming links, to your site, service or offer.  Iran‘s president Ahmadinejad is a great link baiter for example.  Unfortunately, he isn’t a blogger, but if he was, he’d probably be making a killing on adsense or the Travelocity affiliate program on CJ.  

Saying things like the holocaust never happened, publicly celebrating Iran‘s status as a nuclear superpower, and actively recruiting Jack Bauer from 24 to join the Iranian Qud Force are all great examples of great link baiting strategies when you are a world leader, even if you haven’t yet opened your first blogger account.   

With this in mind, I’ve always been a big believer in using controversy, and confrontation in my own link baiting efforts.  And it does work.  Just like the Bush axis of evil speech set off the ticking timing bombs above, getting your head into peoples underpants tends to cause a bit of ripple effect and lots of sideline screaming…and squirming.  But you know what?  It’s tiring.  And draining.  And after a while, it stops being fun. 

The good news is, there IS a better way.

If you can make other people feel good about themselves, you have the key three quarters of the way through the door…you just need to turn the knob. This applies to every market online that has a social community, meme or fabric in place.

Especially if you are in the vast but silent majority of people trying to make a living online, but NOT in the proverbially pushed SEO space.   It’s not as sexy, but it’s less taxing on your time, and your spirit.  And it’s EASY.  It doesn’t’ require a lot of heavy thinking, duplicitous strategy, or pot stirring when the soup is already smooth and ready to serve. 

 

 Simply be NICE.  And endearingly complementary.  Flattery can indeed get you everywhere.  Find things you like and point them out.  Find the VERY biggest fish in your little sea….and saturate them with fish food:  a good old fashioned EGO stroke of infinite imagination and hyperbolic praise. 

I don’t care what market you are in…this WILL work, and work fast.  On this blog – I have very little extraordinary, laudatory sort of language for my peers.  But I can tell you this without any shred of doubt, EVERY person, site, product or service that I have mentioned in a blog post, every plugin that I have praised, every blog that I have cited as good, every one way link I have offered to others, as is illuminated from my very own and often obsessed upon analytics, has been followed by a visit, or two, or more – and about half of these have sent a thank you email for the mention. 

And if you look back at some of these posts…NONE have been premeditated for this purpose. Simply offhanded commentary on things I like, and enjoy using in my own business.   

How would you do this in your own business? 

Very simple.  Go make a list of the most influential writers or movers and shakers in your market – I don’t care if its arts and crafts, a small tourista web site on a local resort (of which I have several and have used this strategy VERY successfully) or you are in the large and stormy sea of internet marketing megalomania. You can take a reasonably new blog, and by simply letting someone know how INFLUENTIAL they have been on your mindset, your thinking, or your ambitions, that person is going to be dancing and prancing to show off the praise on his (or her) own blog.  Let’s look at an example.  Let’s say you like MY blog and were to write something like this on yours: 

Ian never ceases to amaze me with his uncanny insights.  It’s unusual for someone so devastatingly handsome to be so smart.  In many ways, I would say that reading Ian’s blog has changed my life – I have a skip in my step, a gleam in my eye and find renewed faith in my fellow man every time I read his pithy, yet transformative prose.  If I am to be blessed with a first borne son, I will undoubtedly name him Ian. 

Or even something like this –

 If Ian was a Scientologist, he’d probably be a Thetan, or whatever Tom Cruise is – only higher up.  Not only has he taught me how to spam diet offers on Craigslist, he has also shown me how to be a man – and these are lessons I will carry close to my heart, and keyboard always.

 I would link to either one of these posts for sure. I’m going to be honest with you – even though I just wrote them, I’m still feeling pretty good about what you said. 

Once you ping the person – or comment on their blog – or push the positive commentary out into the blogosphere otherwise…the law of intended consequences DOES come back to bear. 

Everyone loves to hear their own name…and not ONLY in Bandcamp

There is an old saying in the direct response business about the art of testimonials and to paraphrase, it goes something like this:  "let them say it for you".  It’s much easier to sell when your customers sing your praises. Plus you don’t have to puff your chest out quite as far about your product.  Let them do it for you.  It’s the very same thing here…and if you say it strongly enough, your message will get it out.

 

 The key is, and I mean this sincerely for a moment….just breathe in, and pay homage to what you love. 

Everyone loves to hear their own name. And not only at band camp. 

If you can make other people feel good about themselves, you have the key three quarters of the way through the door…you just need to turn the knob.  This applies to every market online that has a social community, meme or fabric in place.

Interestingly enough – I spent a few hours last night reading the blog of a very famous American philosopher who has spent the last 25 years of his life studying the destruction of the human ego through meditation and Buddhist spiritual practice. 

Do you know what his blog posts are primarily comprised of? 

Other people’s letters to HIM about how much his books have transformed THEIR lives. 

None of us lose our ego. Ever.  Its part of the human condition and learning how to appeal to its very nature in your business relationships is a huge part of being smart – and successful.  You can be genuine, sincere and simultaneously a bit self promoting as well.  There is nothing wrong with this, and you may even make some friends to boot.