Everyone loves being called out for doing great work. Recognition gives us a sense of value and validation that what we do matters. So, naturally, we were thrilled when GetApp ranked Kapost #8 on their quarterly ranking report, Top 25 Content Marketing Solutions.
The report researches and ranks the top 25 content marketing-focused, cloud-based apps. Its purpose is to act as a non-biased resource to help business owners and decision makers find the right cloud-based solutions for their business. For the companies included on the list, a solid ranking by a respected vendor can lead to endless marketing opportunities.
But the benefit is two-fold. GetApp’s quarterly report is more than a helpful market resource, it’s also an equal opportunity for the brand itself to form authentic partnerships, tap into new audiences, and build links for SEO.
Called Out: Why Link Building Campaigns Matter for B2B
Building links across the web to gain keyword authority is a strategy used by many SEOs but is widely considered incredibly difficult. While guest blogging has long been the go-to tactic for giving and earning links, there are a multitude of other opportunities to build links for your brand. When executed strategically, microsites that call out industry leaders are successful tactics for B2B marketers aiming to boost their SEO value.
Tip: If you’re new to SEO, I recommend reading Moz’s The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building to understand the technical operation of how link building works before planning a link building campaign.
Here are some of the crucial benefits of investing in a targeted link building campaign:
Benefit 1: Gain keyword authority. By creating a valuable piece of content that is relevant to your target audience and optimized for SEO, a link building component can help you move up in the rankings for a specific keyword. Valuable and relevant content is at the heart of SEO and adding an industry leader list or report component can amplify a microsite’s organic search value through natural backlinks from other trust-worthy sites and social media accounts.
An industry leader list or report component can amplify your link building strategy
Benefit 2: Build partnerships and authentic relationships within your industry. Again, while relevancy and quality is the number one factor for SEO, building trust and loyalty for your brand is a powerful way to build links and, eventually, domain authority. Publishing a list of industry leaders gives your brand an opportunity to engage with a variety of top-tier brands. This could result in future opportunities to co-create content and continue to earn links from other brands’ websites. In the world of B2B digital marketing, few things trump brand trust and loyalty.
Benefit 3: Exposure to new and relevant audiences. Publishing a report that calls out specific brands within an industry is a ripe opportunity to get in front of new audiences. Include an winner outreach program as a part of your link building campaign and make it easy for the winning brands to promote their accomplishment with a link back to you content.
Creating Microsites for Industry Leader Reports
Calling out a list of leaders—brands, teams, or individuals—is a great way to establish your brand as an authority and resource within an industry. When done well, leader reports can introduce your brand to new audiences via social sharing, build partner and influencer relationships, and gain keyword authority through link building.
Tip: When building a link building campaign, make sure you’re creating something valuable to link to.
GetApp’s Content Marketing Category Leaders Q2 2016 report is a robust, multi-faceted initiative. By conducting neutral, third-party research targeted to a specific industry, GetApp is working to position itself as the resource for both vendors and customers alike, making it a natural and valuable place for many parties to link to.
By calling-out 25 big-name industry vendor solutions, GetApp has the opportunity to get links back to their report from 25 different, well-respected websites, blogs, and social posts. The probability that most of these vendors will link back to the report is high because of the quality of information presented. Each vendor has it’s own page that explains their ranking, what the company does, pricing info, and competitor comparison.
Likewise, buyers looking for cloud-based solutions are likely to share and link because of the report’s neutrality and high-quality information. It’s a win win.
Key Takeaway: The reason GetApp’s report is successful is because it contains highly valuable information for both vendors and customers. Vendors called out on this list want to link to the article to help it gain authority because it’s an organic way for customers to find their brand via a trusted third-party advocate.
Did you find this article helpful? Check out these related posts:
Planning a Content Strategy with SEO in Mind
The Blogger’s Simple SEO Checklist
7 Articles You Need to Read for Effective Search Engine Optimization