Effective promotion of a brand or company is the key to getting the desired profits and increasing the number of customers. But aggressive presence on the Internet in the form of intrusive advertising and artificial reviews will not lead to results. On the contrary, this approach can roll back the site from the first to other pages of the search results. This will make it invisible to customers.

Therefore, it is very important to present advertising organically and with the benefit of the target audience. This is where the strategy of crowd marketing along with the introduction of crowd links helps. It is suitable for any niche and does not require large budgets. But let’s go in order…

What are Crowd-links

Crowd-links are links placed in forum posts, blog comments, answers to questions on websites and other platforms where users can freely communicate and share information. They fit seamlessly into the context of the discussion and are not perceived as advertising. This creates more trust for the brand among the audience and search engines.

Crowd-links are part of a crowd marketing strategy. The latter is aimed at creating a positive brand image and attracting the attention of the target audience by providing useful information and live recommendations. All this is one of the tools of external SEO optimization.

The main purpose of using crowd-links is to increase brand awareness, attract traffic and improve the position of the site in search engines. But for their placement it is necessary to use only relevant and authoritative sites. That is, the site on which the link will be displayed should be thematically related to the promoted site and be popular among the target audience of the company. This will allow the link to remain active for a long time, and the brand will eventually gain the necessary popularity.

For the link to work, it should be surrounded by a small text that concludes the benefit to the client. For example, the context should show how the brand helps to solve the customer’s problem, which is discussed in the forum, or what benefit the customer will get when placing an order.

Crowd links are similar to guest posting. But you don’t need to write longreads to publish them. It is enough to limit yourself to a few sentences. The main thing is to put in them the maximum benefit for the client.

Who uses crowd marketing

Crowd marketing is used by representatives of almost all business niches. It is effective both for startups and for large companies that have been on the market for a long time.

For some areas, the implementation of crowd-links can go beyond the classic SEO-optimization and become a real SERM (search engine reputation management) tool. This applies to:

• companies that provide services in the B2C segment;
• online stores;
• event management agencies;
• startups.

For these niches, crowd marketing is an integral part of their reputation. With the help of crowdsourced links, customers learn about the brand and are inclined to further interaction. They are especially actively used by companies that have problems with negative rumors. For them, the emergence of a positive customer experience is crucial.

But crowd-links are ineffective for representatives of the B2B segment, companies with a high average check and small businesses offline. Yes, they can be implemented, but there are more targeted tools that will bring more expected results.

Where to Place Crowd-Links

To crowdsource links become endless free advertising, which does not repel customers, but, on the contrary, attracts their attention, you need to choose the right sites. They should:

• be represented in the network for a long time;
• have authority among users;
• be on the first page of search results for a particular request;
• correspond to the theme of the service or company niche.

But there are several types of sites that potentially meet these criteria.

Types of sites for placing hidden advertising

Forums on a relevant topic

Forums are suitable for most niches. For example, for a baby food store, forums for moms are ideal, and for language courses – educational forums.

It is important to remember that such sites have a moderation system. If the link does not pass – it is worth removing the name of the brand or the address of the site. It is enough to insert a link to the site in one of the words. This will add organicity to the post, which will affect the passing of moderation.

It is also necessary to search for active topics and start whole dialogs with the authors of the topic branch. It takes time, but it brings proper results.

News sites and information blogs

Sites with news and expert blogs often have comments open. In them you can also add a short text on the topic with a presentation of the company and service. And a crowdsourced link can be disguised in one of the words.

Q&A platforms

Q&A sites are a great opportunity to insert a crowdsourced link. It is enough to actively engage in conversation with different users, gently suggesting to solve the problem or question with the help of your product.

Marketplaces

Platforms, where goods are sold by different sellers, will also be suitable for crowd-marketing. The main condition is that the company’s product or service should be presented on them. Then due to the correct presentation of the advantages of the brand through positive comments, it will be possible to get the desired orders.

Social networks and messengers

Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and other social networks and messengers are the ideal place to place crowdsourced links. Due to their huge audience, you will be able to reach the maximum number of target audience with their help.

It is enough to find a popular post on a relevant topic and create an entire discussion on a particular topic. And in some of the comments add a crowdsourced link. But you should not neglect the context of the comment chain and the messenger or social network page itself. When you need to promote design courses, you should not publish links to a style or cosmetics blog. Otherwise, the account can be blocked for spreading spam.

You can also create an official company account and implement a whole campaign to introduce crowd marketing in all posts and storis.

Where to Order Crowd Marketing

Promoting with crowd marketing takes time and the right actions. Unfortunately, just posting a link on one website or social media page is not enough. As with any marketing tool, it’s important to create an entire campaign. It should include:

• analyzing the business niche in order to assess the feasibility and specifics of implementing the tool;
• analyzing different types of sites for crowd-marketing in order to choose the best place to place links;
• searching for optimal sites;
• building contact with the owners of sites/blogs in social networks, if necessary, and thinking about the budget;
• development of an implementation plan and strategy;
• creation of texts for links for different sites.

When ordering crowd marketing, it is important to choose experienced and reliable performers to ensure quality brand promotion.

How to evaluate the effectiveness of crowd marketing

Evaluating the effectiveness of crowd marketing includes several key metrics that will help determine how successful the campaign was:

1. Increase in traffic to the site. An increase in the number of visitors who come to the site directly or through the sites where the crowdsourced links were placed. This will help you understand which sources are most effective.
2. SEO performance. Improved positions in search engines and an increase in the number of backlinks speaks to the positive impact of crowd marketing on SEO.
3. Increased brand awareness. An increase in the number of mentions and interactions with the text (likes, replies, etc.) on forums, blogs and social media indicates an increase in recognition.
4. Audience engagement. An increase in the average time spent on the site and a decrease in the bounce rate indicates that visitors find the site content useful and interesting.
5. Conversions and leads. An increase in the number of new leads (applications, registrations) and sales after a crowdfunding marketing campaign indicates its effectiveness.
6. Reputation and reviews. Changes in the perception of the brand in the eyes of consumers, which can be tracked with the help of special tools for reputation monitoring. The more positive these changes are, the better.