Julia Gifford from Draugiem Group in Latvia teaches us how to crush it with guest blogging
To kick off this weeks startup interviews, we have a great conversation with Julia Gifford, who manages the content marketing for the tech incubator and accelerator, Draugiem Group in Latvia.
She tells us about some of the larger and smaller projects of about 16, in the company which include the largest social network in Latvia, draugiem.lv that gets over 1.2 million visitors daily. Targeting Latvia allowed the network to offer a cultural experience unmatched by facebook.
A few of the international projects from the group are Startup Vitamins, BeHappy.me and Desk Time. Julia says an emphasis for each of the startup projects is to be profitable right from the get go. Each product has a game plan and are only supported for the first few months before they should become sustainable.
Julia's advice for startups is to make sure that your product is findable. Advertising can be expensive, but organic search results are free. Search engine optimization, link building, keyword targeting, and social media presence are all essential to successful content marketing. She shares the example of Wikipedia's strength as a link source, but notes that it requires references and credibility from editors.
Another great place to build content marketing is by guest posting with other blogs. Julia shares her process with us, starting with targeting blogs and audiences that she's interested in, reaching out to editors, and the writing process. She mentions a few notable posts: "Infographics are dead. Long live webgraphics" in VentureBeat, "Keep Employees Away From Cat Videos With Time Tracking Software" in Forbes, & "Remote Work: Does Telecommuting Really Work?" in ReadWrite. It's also worth checking out the uber converting DeskTime Blog.
We discuss journalistic integrity, and the fine line of plugging your product or service. It's important to know a blog's brand, audience and voice before writing content for them. When you write quality content that's on context, it's easier to be accepted by an editor. Extra content for them, can be powerful links for your site. Plus you're getting engaged readers interested in your topic.
Amul asks how we can turn guest blogging into a machine that scales, but nothing beats a lot of hard work and the time that it takes to build relationships.
Draugiem "dog foods" their projects as a first pass filter, proving the product fit and demand for a solution to a real problem.
We're grateful to have Julia share her experiences and tips with us! Thank her by checking out the group's latest projects http://inboardapp.com/ and http://getcharacters.com/ .
DraugiemGroup http://draugiemgroup.com/en
She tells us about some of the larger and smaller projects of about 16, in the company which include the largest social network in Latvia, draugiem.lv that gets over 1.2 million visitors daily. Targeting Latvia allowed the network to offer a cultural experience unmatched by facebook.
A few of the international projects from the group are Startup Vitamins, BeHappy.me and Desk Time. Julia says an emphasis for each of the startup projects is to be profitable right from the get go. Each product has a game plan and are only supported for the first few months before they should become sustainable.
Julia's advice for startups is to make sure that your product is findable. Advertising can be expensive, but organic search results are free. Search engine optimization, link building, keyword targeting, and social media presence are all essential to successful content marketing. She shares the example of Wikipedia's strength as a link source, but notes that it requires references and credibility from editors.
Another great place to build content marketing is by guest posting with other blogs. Julia shares her process with us, starting with targeting blogs and audiences that she's interested in, reaching out to editors, and the writing process. She mentions a few notable posts: "Infographics are dead. Long live webgraphics" in VentureBeat, "Keep Employees Away From Cat Videos With Time Tracking Software" in Forbes, & "Remote Work: Does Telecommuting Really Work?" in ReadWrite. It's also worth checking out the uber converting DeskTime Blog.
We discuss journalistic integrity, and the fine line of plugging your product or service. It's important to know a blog's brand, audience and voice before writing content for them. When you write quality content that's on context, it's easier to be accepted by an editor. Extra content for them, can be powerful links for your site. Plus you're getting engaged readers interested in your topic.
Amul asks how we can turn guest blogging into a machine that scales, but nothing beats a lot of hard work and the time that it takes to build relationships.
Draugiem "dog foods" their projects as a first pass filter, proving the product fit and demand for a solution to a real problem.
We're grateful to have Julia share her experiences and tips with us! Thank her by checking out the group's latest projects http://inboardapp.com/ and http://getcharacters.com/ .
DraugiemGroup http://draugiemgroup.com/en