Tips from the 6th new rule of online marketing:

Old Rule: If you link out to other websites, prospects will never come back.

New Rule: If you're not networking on the Internet, you're not working.

In the old days, we would have called it word-of-mouth marketing and would consider ourselves successful if we got only a fraction of the number of leads obtainable today through online strategic linking.

Qualified Leads Spring Up Like Popcorn in a Hot Skillet

Strategic linking is ranked by many as the second most powerful technique for driving visitors to your Website, second only to offline site promotion and before search engines. This effective new strategy, combined with search engine referrals, is called "search marketing," and using it to your best advantage is described as "leveraging the search channel."

With strategic linking, a hyperlink featuring your special service or offer appears on the websites of related service providers who are your link partners. Visitors to mortgage lender sites, for example, will see your real estate link and one click later, the prospects are at your home page. What could be easier?

Even better, prospects that arrive at your site via strategic linking are self-qualified because they have purposely sought out your site after visiting a related site (in this example, mortgage lender). Better still, this reciprocal arrangement is typically free.

Think of strategic linking as a perpetual referral network using the Internet.

Your first step in a strategic link campaign begins with a search for compatible link partners. Start with real estate and home service websites, especially local providers. Expand to include your realty board, association, franchise, relocation network, designation, brokerage sites and out-of-town referral contacts. Over the phone or through e-mail, propose a mutual link swap. Agree to add their link to your website, and in exchange, they will place your link on their site.

Make as many reciprocal link arrangements as you can, because there is yet another payoff. Some search engines factor in your website's "link popularity" to determine your rank in their search results lists.

Four Simple Steps That Rhyme With Great!

1. Relate to your prospects' needs with relevant content. You and your link partners share a mutual audience. You know what your preferred customers want, so offer it to them on a silver platter. One click puts them in your website and on the receiving end of interesting features, free services, and special information. Tailor your offers according to services provided by each link partner.

2. Create pages or locations on your website where you can display the links to your link partners' websites. As the number of your link partnerships increases, you can organize them on your website according to geography or the type of services they offer.

3. Automate the process. Once you have established your strategic link set up, make it as easy as possible to add more links. There are web-based applications that can fully automate the task of swapping and maintaining links. Check with your website provider for any help they can provide. Some eRAINMAKERS post a simple form that facilitates link exchanges.

4. Delegate responsibility. Once your strategic link campaign is up and running, hand off day-to-day tasks to your staff or virtual assistant. Another option is to hire a service to do the routine development, maintenance, and management chores. (See www.eRainmaker.com > Advanced Search > Marketing > Advertising > Electronic > Internet > Website Promotion > Link Management.)

Keep Those Referrals Coming In

E-RAINMAKERS have long known the value of personal referrals for finding and keeping customers. Now, with the addition of online strategic linking, a whole new avenue of exposure has opened up. The more through-links to your Website, the more relevant and popular your site becomes. The more popular your site becomes, the greater your chances of exchanging links.

Today, well-rounded e-marketing plans aren't complete without a solid framework in place for long-term strategic linking.

Published: December 16, 2004

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