Professional mourners – or moirologists to give them their official title – have been in practice for well over 2,000 years. Now you can even find them in parts of the UK.
In fact, the number of bookings for professional mourners has gone up by 50% in the last year!
Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Chinese cultures have a common history of professional mourning, with grieving and wailing common at Chinese ceremonies.
In fact, professional wailing has been a Chinese custom since the time of Emperor Wu of Han (156BC to 87BC) and was common during the Northern and Southern dynasties. It was stamped out during the Cultural Revolution but is currently enjoying a revival. It isn’t just China that has a history of professional mourning too. In ancient Egypt, “wailing women” were paid to cry and clutch at the dead body of the deceased.
In Western civilizations, professional mouring dates back to ancient Rome were the theatrics were in full force with some mourners even going as far to pull out their own hair. Here, the size of the funeral procession was also considered a measure of achievement (the larger, the better). However, after the fall of the Roman Empire, professional mourning died out – pun intended – in Europe until the 18th century. In Victorian England though, professional mourning was reignited under a new guise, “funeral mates”. Even Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ beloved character, featured as one.
Today, the practice of professional mourning is very much alive across the UK.
How do you become a professional mourner?
Oddly enough, there’s already a market here for professional mourners in the UK. So much so in fact that Rent a Mourner, the UK’s former professional mourning hub, has had to cease operations because of overwhelming demand – sob. Before their fond farewell though, the company did reveal that there bookings were up 50% year-on-year. So, there is money to be paid in professional mourning. Arguably, there is even more now that the market has opened up, making it the perfect time to start your own professional mourning business.
Ian Robertson, from Rent A Mourner, explained a little bit about the business before they shut shop. The most common reasons people requested a mourner was because the deceased had outlived family and friends, or didn’t have anyone else. A representative of the deceased would meet with the company and discuss the background details of the deceased. The company would then be able to provide an attendee to the service. It is a discretionary service with only the immediate family aware of their presence.
Robertson also goes one step further to explain that staff would meet with the client before the service to agree “the story.” The professional mourner will then be informed of the “deceased’s background, achievements, failures etc, so they can converse with other mourners with confidence.”
What does professional mourning involve?
A great deal of social skill is required to be a professional mourner, with the role not simply a case of ‘making up the numbers’. It’s essential to be able to engage with fellow mourners and be part of the occasion.
You need to be confident in social situations. Ultimately, you will be dealing with complete strangers and they may be in a highly emotional state, as such you will need to be confident and cool under pressure.
You need to be a good conversationalist. The ability to engage with others easily and to understand the discretion that is required in such a situation are very important in professional mourners. Previously, Rent a Mourner would ensure that at least two professionals attended each funeral so they can be of assistance to one another. This may be a tactic you would like to adopt in your own business too!
Good timekeeping. An ideal mourner would have to possess great timekeeping, a good memory and be a relaxed and laid back individual too!
How to get work as a professional mourner
At the moment there’s not really enough demand in any area to get you full-time work as a mourner. It’s not the sort of thing you can treat as a career at the moment.
You also have the issue of time and distance to get from one funeral to another.
But there is nothing to stop you earning money from professional mourning by setting up your own business.
Intelligent transit information can enable transport operators to provide smarter journeys. With technology continuously evolving, the systems in place for vehicle monitoring and keeping people up to date with transport schedules, continue to improve.
Read on to find out more on how they can maximize efficiency and safety for transit agencies and operators.
A brief guide on intelligent transport solutions
To understand the benefits of ITS, it’s best to briefly know what they are. ITS are systems and technology applied to the transportation infrastructure, which manages the reliability of the transportation network, ensuring it runs smoothly.
ITS can improve many aspects of transportation, for agencies, drivers, and riders, by combining leading-edge information and communication technologies.
Real-time vehicle monitoring
A prime example of ITS is real-time vehicle monitoring, which takes positional information from tracking devices on public transport, and relays them to transit agencies to manage and monitor.
This links in with real-time passenger information, which gives riders live service updates that can be seen on various displays. For example, for train updates this would be on-platform.
Live service updates give more reliable information related to public transport schedules and predicted arrivals, so passengers can make journey decisions based on this information.
Automated fare collection
ITS can use automation through automated fare collection — an efficient way to streamline ticketing for passengers.
By streamlining the ticket experience, riders can access the best value fares and have the choice to pay in the most convenient way for them. Part of this can involve mobile ticketing applications, which make travel plans for riders easier.
Automated fare collection can save time through the function of contactless processes, removing cash and the human element of buying a train ticket. Speeding up this process allows for a punctual service, with riders reaching their destination effortlessly.
The impacts of intelligent transport solutions
With a few specific examples of how ITS works, there are further impacts that these systems have, particularly on efficiency and cost cutting for transport companies.
Here are a few showing just how powerful they can be when used effectively and on a wider level:
Safer roads – Using ITS is one of the greatest ways to make transportation safer. Real-time data collected with ITS helps with quality of driving, in turn reducing accidents. Not only this, but immediate updates can be sent if an incident was to happen, ensuring further accidents are prevented.
Public transport and passenger loyalty – ITS can help encourage more people to travel on public transport. But when using this form of transportation, riders want efficiency. ITS do this by providing more accurate schedules for travelling, and better information about delays. Riders will have increased trust in using public transport, which will encourage more people to use it.
More transport data – With ITS gathering such vital real-time information, there is a large array of accurate travel data that can be accessed to aid towards developing transport systems.
Drive revenue – For transit agencies and operators, ITS can help to drive revenue, as the data collected can locate unmet demand, whilst creating revenue streams from sales of live service data.
Reduce costs – By using ITS and properly managing the transportation network, it allows for capacity optimization across a whole transit network. Not only this, but the use of ITS generate operational reports that can support transport grants.
The impact of ITS is clear, especially with regards to its efficiency and helping to streamline the future of transportation. By improving efficiency, the safety and reliability of transportation networks will only improve, as this technology continues to evolve.
Social media has become essential in advertising and promoting vacant rentals. From Facebook to Instagram and beyond, using these platforms to their fullest potential can help drive qualified leads that result in more renters. Whether you’re looking to fill a one bedroom apartment in New Jersey or a luxury high-rise in Los Angeles, here are a few tips on using social media for apartment rental marketing:
Identify Your Target Audience
Knowing your target audience is vital to the success of any business. Understanding who your customers are and what motivates them to make purchasing decisions is essential. By identifying your target audience, you can tailor your marketing strategy to their needs, preferences, and interests. It allows you to create content that resonates with them and ultimately drives conversions.
Using market research and data analysis to gain insights into your audience’s behavior and demographics is crucial. With this knowledge, your business can effectively communicate with your audience and build long-lasting relationships. Invest in understanding and identifying your target audience, and watch your business grow.
Utilize Paid Advertising on Social Media Platforms
Increasing your footprint on social media platforms can significantly boost your brand presence and growth. Utilizing paid advertising on social media is an effective strategy for targeting potential customers and driving traffic to your website or other platforms. Targeting a specific audience increases the likelihood of gaining new customers interested in your product or services.
Paid advertising campaigns can be customized to different audiences, budgets, objectives, and more. With A/B testing options available, you can have up-to-date data that allows you to adjust your campaigns as needed and maximize the results of each campaign. Investing in paid advertising on social media platforms helps you reach a broader audience while saving time and money vs. other marketing strategies.
Share Photos and Videos of Your Listings
As a real estate agent, sharing photos and videos of your listings is vital to your marketing strategy. These visual aids allow prospective buyers to glimpse what could potentially be their new home. By incorporating high-quality, professional photos and videos of your listings, you can showcase the property’s standout features and attract more potential buyers. Remember, visual content is king in the technology and social media age. So, use this powerful tool to help sell your listings and establish yourself as a top-performing agent in the industry.
Engage with Potential Tenants
Finding quality tenants for your property can be challenging, but engaging with potential tenants is vital to securing a successful rental agreement. As a landlord or property manager, it’s crucial to be approachable and responsive to inquiries and communicate clearly throughout the application process. Utilizing online resources and social media platforms can also aid in reaching a wider pool of potential tenants.
Analyze Performance Data to Optimize Results
Analyzing performance data is crucial in optimizing results in any industry. Whether it’s tracking website traffic, sales numbers, or employee productivity, the ability to gather and analyze data is pivotal in identifying areas for improvement and driving success.
By deep diving into performance data, businesses can pinpoint bottlenecks, identify top performers, and make informed decisions about resource allocation. The beauty of data analysis is its ability to cut through the noise and provide a clear picture of what’s working and what’s not. With the right tools and approach, organizations can turn data into actionable insights and maximize their potential for success.
Incorporate User-Generated Content for Authenticity
Incorporating user-generated content into your marketing strategy can be a powerful tool for establishing authenticity. With more and more consumers turning to social media for recommendations and opinions, having genuine user reviews and experiences can provide trust and transparency that traditional advertising simply can’t match.
By actively engaging with your audience and encouraging them to share their stories and feedback, you demonstrate that your brand is open to feedback and eager to improve and create a sense of community around your product or service. The key is making it easy for users to share their content while ensuring it aligns with your brand’s messaging and values.
Final Thoughts
The power of digital marketing is undeniable, and real estate agents, landlords, and property managers can benefit significantly from incorporating these strategies into their businesses. To get the word out about the one bedroom apartment in New Jersey or the three-bedroom house in Florida, utilizing digital marketing tools and strategies can help you reach a broader audience and maximize your success. From creating content to optimizing campaigns, focusing on these essential tactics can help you stand out from the competition and establish yourself as an industry leader.
Lost in the non-story about Bing adding ads to Chat (ads were already there) was a blog post by Microsoft attempting to assure content creators that the goal of new Bing is to “drive more traffic and revenue to publishers.”
“The Internet works because of an important ecosystem which starts with publishers creating great content which drives traffic and interest by people to consume that content, and then ultimately advertisers that want to reach people in a high quality and targeted environment.”
Mehdi was addressing concerns in the content creator community that search engines that provide results assembled by generative AI (a.k.a., “Chat” and “Answers” in Bing) will upend the ecosystem. The value exchange (content providers creating content in exchange for search engines sending monetizable traffic) will overwhelmingly favor the search engines.
Mehdi admits the concern is widespread by authoring this post. Why else would Microsoft need to assure content creators that things will be better in an AI-driven search results world?
Microsoft knows that content creators – publishers, content marketers, brands, and SEOs – are fretting about the prospect of less traffic and revenue.
Microsoft’s goals are laudable
Microsoft is expressing the best of intentions for all of its constituencies.
Searchers first. “The new Bing is helping to better address people’s search needs with new capabilities like chat, answers, and content creation,” Mehdi wrote.
Microsoft’s vision is to move “beyond search to create your copilot for the Web.” “People are finding value in having search, chat, answers, and creation capabilities all in one experience,” Mehdi wrote.
It’s difficult to argue with putting users first, but that doesn’t ensure that results generated in this way won’t disadvantage content creators.
For publishers, Mehdi said Microsoft’s goals are to:
Drive more traffic to publishers. Measure success in part by how much traffic is being sent from the new Bing/Edge.
Increase publisher revenue. Drive more traffic to publishers with new features like chat and answers, and pioneer the future of advertising in these new mediums by sharing revenue directly.
Traffic/revenue for all, more for Microsoft Start participants
Microsoft claims the benefits of adding a chat interface to search will inure to all publishers. But members of its Start program will reap the lion’s share of those rewards.
For all publishers, additional engagement generated by chat and the inclusion of citations in chat results will drive more traffic and create an opportunity for publishers to monetize that traffic.
Microsoft has experienced a traffic gain of about 15% since launching the new Bing. The service has approximately 100 million users and 100 million chats daily, the company said. About one-third of those users are new to Bing; Microsoft concludes those new users are an opportunity for publishers to get more traffic and sell more ads.
Start, launched and in beta September 2021, is Microsoft’s version of Google News or Apple News. It’s a personalized news portal, available as a website or mobile app, where you can manually add or remove interests and content from Start publishers.
Start publishers include heavy-hitters (e.g., The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Fox News and USA Today) along with less mainstream publications like Past Factory, The Stock Dork and Neon Moon.
Microsoft is exploring placing ads in chat and sharing ad revenue with Start partners whose content contributed to the chat response.
Traffic-driving tactics for Start members include:
An “expanded hover experience” where hovering over a link from a publisher will display more links from that publisher, increasing user engagement and driving more traffic to the publisher’s website.
A “rich caption” beside the chat answer helping to drive more user engagement with the content on Microsoft Start. Users engaging with content on Start will be the catalyst for sharing ad revenue with partners.
Start participation is ‘limited’
Start “participation is limited right now while this program is in beta,” Mehdi wrote. It’s been in beta for 18 months. Publishers/bloggers can apply if they meet these criteria:
Are based in the U.S., Germany, Spain, France or Italy.
Post frequently and have an “active content site.”
Bloggers/non-news content producers generally need to produce five articles or more per month.
News publishers need to produce a minimum of 10 articles per day, including live/breaking coverage.
All must use WordPress, Substack, or Medium – or have a website that generates an RSS feed.
Fiction isn’t permitted.
As for benefits? Microsoft says Start has “millions” of daily users, so it’s good for brand building. You can also earn ad revenue from your content and reader gratuities.
This is the message we received after filling out the “Start” application.
Paying publishers: The Facebook experience
Facebook dabbled with paying news publishers from 2019 to 2022.
The company shelled out more than $100 million to publishers including “more than $15 million to the Washington Post, just over $20 million to the New York Times, and more than $10 million to The Wall Street Journal,” according to a June 2022 WSJ article.
Microsoft has boldly stated its ambition to double the sales of its ad business to $20 billion in the next several years. Clearly, the company is betting on generative AI to play a role in its ascendance.
Microsoft also knows that it can’t do it alone, and is trying to convince publishers that its vision of a win-win publishing ecosystem will materialize.
At this early stage, who’s to say the brain trust in Redmond is incorrect?
It’s clear that traffic-hungry content creators have to go along with the ride for now. There is no alternative. (Although doubling down on building brand and non-mediated channels like email are wise investments.)
It’s heartening to see Microsoft acknowledge that publishers should be compensated for fueling new Bing, but we’re looking for more transparency on the Start program.
We understand that managing Start is an enormous task, even for a company of Microsoft’s resources. Microsoft’s minimum obligation should be to tell aspiring Start participants more about it. Here are some examples:
How many applications are being approved each month?
How many program participants do you expect by the end of this year? 2024?
Are you committed to publishing a roadmap for the program that informs participants and aspiring participants of plans and progress, e.g., how much traffic are you driving to member sites?
Finally, not mentioning Google’s silence on its vision for the future of content creators would be an omission. Consider it done.
Google has prioritized rating chatbot prompt responses above rating the quality of search results, at least for some of its contract workers, since January, Insider reports.
Why we care. Google is clearly committing a lot of resources to Bard and other AI initiatives right now. Search remains its core product – and chief money-maker – so it’s interesting to learn that Google is so heavily invested in Bard that they have reportedly taken resources away from rating search results, which could potentially impact quality.
Reviewing AI prompts, not search. Raters are given a user prompt (e.g., a question, statment or instruction), along with two possible responses generated by an AI chatbot (the name “Bard” was not used). Raters were instructed to pick the best response.
But. Raters are finding themselves guessing vs. assessing and verifying the chatbot responses. That’s because some raters said they don’t have enough time to research which answer was better, especially on technical or complex topics they may not be familiar with, according to Insider.
So much for E-E-A-T. Google’s raters have a specific amount of time to complete their tasks, which vary from 60 seconds to several minutes.
“Three hours of research to complete a 60-second task, that’s a great way to frame the problem we’re facing right now,” a rater told Insider.
Search quality raters. Google has employed human raters since at least 2005 – tasking them to rate the quality of pages, websites and search results, using an extensive set of guidelines. Google has always said the feedback from raters doesn’t directly impact organic search rankings but their feedback could be used to evaluate changes.
Love horror films? Earn £5 for watching two films.
A new study has revealed that Birmingham is home to the biggest horror lovers in the UK. People from this major city love horror more than any other region in the country. In fact, 26% of people named it their favourite genre.
The nationwide survey, conducted by Showcase Cinemas, has delved into the film fascinations of the UK. This is to celebrate a spooky set of releases coming up within the next few months.
To mark the run of freaky flicks, Insider members at showcase cinemas who watch any two (or more!) horror films between now and May 4th, will receive £5 in rewards to use during a future visit.
Horror fans will be in their element, with films such as Scream VI, Renfield and Evil Dead Rise available to watch this April.
On the other end of the scale to Birmingham, the study showed Portsmouth is home to the biggest ‘scaredy-cats’ in the UK. Just 6% of those surveyed chose horror as their favourite genre. This is less than any other area in the country!
Jon Dixon, UK Marketing Director for Showcase Cinemas said:
“Horror has always been a huge hit at the cinema, as people love for their emotions to be pushed to the limits. There are some amazing horror films coming out this year, which is why we wanted to give something back to cinemagoers who suffer a scare or two.
“We’ll be offering any Insider members who watch any two or more horror releases until early May an extra £5 in rewards, which means they can put that money towards their ticket for another horror, or maybe save it for something else if they’ve had enough scares for a while!”
To claim the reward, guests will need to be an Insider member and watch at least two of the participating horror films before May 4th. Anyone who isn’t currently a member can sign up for free via the Showcase website.
Flaming Grill are giving pub goers a challenge. The company has launched a competition on social media platform Instagram, in which it is asking people to put their wit to the test and rename a signature burger from its menu.
The best part? You could win the huge prize of £2,000 if your name is picked.
The pub chain is asking Brits to put their best puns forward to rename the Flaming Grill Signature Stinger burger. So, if you think you’re a bit punny, why not apply?
The Signature Stinger features a southern-fried chicken fillet and mouth-watering crispy chicken strips. This is then topped with cheese, a piri piri sauce kick and jalapenos for extra heat. The pun opportunities are endless.
If puns are your grill-ty pleasure, head over to the Flaming Grill Instagram account to enter. You will need to follow the page, share the pinned post and share their suggestion through a comment on the Signature Stinger burger post.
You can enter as many times are you like, with the company encouraging people to suggest the weirdest and wackiest names you can think of!
Mia Broadbent, Marketing Manager at Flaming Grill, said:
“We’re looking for a Flamin’ great new name for our Signature Stinger burger, and who better to choose the new name than the great British public?
“With a £2,000 prize up for grabs for the winning name, this is a fantastic opportunity for customers to stretch their creative muscles and potentially pick up a grand prize at the same time!”
The competition is open anyone to anyone who has an Instagram account and will be live until 23:59 on Monday 24th April. Jack Rear, Telegraph Lifestyle reporter, will then shortlist the ten most creative contenders, before opening it up to the public to decide the winner via an Instagram poll.
In ecommerce SEO, ranking category, product or brand pages should be the main focus of most efforts.
Sitewide conversion rates for ecommerce hover around 2-3%, but product pages can reach over 30% (average of 7%) in the right scenario.
But getting links directly to these pages can be time-consuming for many in-house SEOs.
This article covers six effective link building tactics for ecommerce brands today.
Image by author using Bing Image Creator
Ecommerce link building: Challenges and solutions
For ecommerce sites, driving traffic to category, brand and product pages can lead to greater returns.
But earning links to these pages is complicated as many of the highest quality publishers prefer to link to informational content.
Many ecommerce sites also don’t build long-form, helpful content because blogs and content hubs tend not to yield direct sales and often take months to rank.
In addition, affiliate sites with robust link profiles to long-form content frequently outrank established brands.
But SEOs have found ways to overcome common ecommerce link building hurdles.
Content-led link building coupled with internal linking for ecommerce provides links to your target pages indirectly. This is important because long-form content generates up to 70% more links than short-form content.
Building homepage links or profile image links through guest posting, podcast guest appearances, PR, and webinars. Typically, you can get the site or podcaster to link to the homepage of your site and even a link to your headshot hosted on your website.
Paying for links is just as common now as it has ever been, but it’s important to note that it’s against Google’s link spam guidelines
Build and maintain a list of relationships with publishers. Cold email campaigns typically have a reply rate of under 10%, so having a contact that knows you will save a lot of time with a higher response rate.
Find content that already mentions your brand or the brands you sell with unlinked brand mentions.
Let’s explore these ecommerce link building techniques in depth.
1. Unlinked brand mentions
An unlinked brand mention is an existing article or webpage that mentions your brand name, the brands you sell or team members’ names but doesn’t have an active link pointing to your site. These options work to secure links to the homepage or brand pages.
You can find unlinked brand mentions using Google Alerts or Ahrefs.
Set up Google Alerts
Start by setting up Google Alerts for your brand name and variations of it. This will send you an email notification whenever your brand is mentioned online.
You can then check if the mention includes a link to your website and, if not, reach out to the site owner to request a link.
Use Ahrefs Content Explorer and Batch Analysis tool
Ahrefs’ Content Explorer can help you find unlinked mentions of your brand or the brands you sell.
Just follow these steps:
Log in to your Ahrefs account and click on “Content Explorer” in the top menu.
Type in your brand name in the search bar and press Enter.
Apply the “One article per domain” filter to avoid multiple results from the same website.
Export the list of articles mentioning your brand.
Go through the exported list and manually check if each mention has a link to your website. You can use the “Find” function in your browser (Ctrl + F or Command + F) to search for your brand name and check if it’s linked.
Once you have a list of URLs with unlinked brand mentions, you can use Ahrefs’ Batch Analysis tool to gather more information about each website.
This will help you prioritize which websites to contact for link building opportunities.
Go to “More” in the top menu of Ahrefs and click “Batch Analysis.”
Paste the list of URLs with unlinked brand mentions and click “Start Analysis.”
Once the analysis is complete, you can see metrics like Domain Rating (DR), Ahrefs Rank (AR), and the number of referring domains for each website. Use these metrics to prioritize which sites to contact for link building opportunities.
2. Reverse product image link building
Reverse image link building involves finding websites using your images without proper attribution or a link.
Finding images that are not properly attributed is relatively simple but still time-consuming.
Identify your original images
Choose the images on your website that are original and unique, such as infographics, custom illustrations, or high-quality and custom photographs.
Perform a reverse image search
Use a reverse image search engine like Google Images or TinEye to find websites that have used your images.
Analyze the results
Manually review the list of websites and check if they have provided proper attribution and a link to your site.
Gather contact information
Find the contact details of the website owners or content creators on each site, such as email addresses or contact forms from the site.
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3. Resource page link building
A resource page is a webpage specifically designed to list and link to valuable resources, tools, or content related to a particular topic or industry.
The process of resource page link building typically involves the following steps:
Identify your link-worthy content
Start by identifying or creating high-quality, valuable, and informative content on your website that would fit resource pages well.
This could include blog posts, articles, tutorials, guides, infographics, tools, or other content types that provide users value.
Find relevant resource pages
Search for resource pages in your niche or industry that might be interested in linking to your content. You can search Google for queries like these (replace “keyword” with your target keyword or niche topic):
“keyword” + “resources”
“keyword” + “useful links”
“keyword” + “helpful resources”
“keyword” + “links”
Evaluate the resource pages
Analyze the quality and relevance of the resource pages you find. Look for pages with high domain authority, good user engagement, and relevant content.
Craft a personalized outreach email
Write a polite, personalized email to the website owner or editor explaining who you are and why you believe your content would be a valuable addition to their resource page.
Be sure to mention the specific benefits your content provides and how it would be helpful to their audience.
4. Build a database of publishers
Plenty of tools can help you prospect lists of sites, but not all allow you to upload your own list and then manage outreach to the contacts.
I’ve found that Pitchbox works well for this, but you can also use tools like Buzzstream, which is much cheaper.
Pitchbox is an outreach and link building tool that simplifies finding potential websites to connect with, automating outreach, and managing relationships.
Here’s how you can build a database of sites using Pitchbox:
Set up a new campaign
In the Pitchbox dashboard, click on the “Campaigns” tab and select “Create New Campaign.”
Enter a name for your campaign and choose your desired campaign type (such as “Blogger Outreach” or “Link Building”).
Configure your campaign settings
Customize your campaign settings, such as the email account you’ll use for outreach and the domains you want to exclude (e.g., competitors or sites you’ve already connected with).
Conduct a prospect search
In your campaign’s “Prospects” tab, click “Add Prospects” and select a method for finding potential websites to include in your database.
You can use Pitchbox’s built-in search, import a list from another tool like Ahrefs or Semrush, or manually add websites.
If you choose Pitchbox’s built-in search, enter your target keywords and select your desired search method (such as “Blogger,” “Resource Page,” or “Guest Post”). Pitchbox will then generate a list of relevant websites for your campaign.
If you prefer to import a list of websites, export the list from your preferred SEO tool in CSV format and then upload the file to Pitchbox.
Review and filter your prospects
Once you have a list of potential websites, review the list and filter out any irrelevant or low-quality sites.
You can use Pitchbox’s built-in metrics, such as domain authority (DA), to help evaluate the quality of each website.
Click the checkbox next to each website you want to include in your database and click “Add Selected Prospects.”
5. Podcast interviews
You can use simple podcast directories to pitch your own or find a podcast booking service. Preparing for a podcast can consume a lot of time, so you’ll want to find a few targeted podcasts that are hyper-relevant to your niche.
Try searching through Stitcher, Podbean, or TuneIn and building custom outreach.
Identify your niche
Determine the niche you want to reach and the goals you want to achieve by appearing on a podcast.
Research podcast directories
Look for podcast directories that are relevant to your niche or industry, and make a list of potential podcasts that you want to pitch.
You can use the examples provided earlier or do a Google search to find additional directories.
Listen to episodes
Before pitching, listen to a few episodes of the podcasts to better understand the show’s format, style, and tone.
Develop your pitch
Craft a compelling pitch highlighting why you would be a valuable guest on the podcast.
Be sure to include a brief introduction of yourself, your area of expertise, and why you would be a good fit for the show. Also, mention any relevant topics you could discuss or offer a unique perspective.
Send your pitch
Contact the podcast host or producer via email or Twitter. Keep your pitch concise, personalized, and professional.
6. Rank curated statistical pages
This is one of my favorite approaches to securing links for ecommerce sites.
Ecommerce sites don’t always have a ton of resources to do unique studies, so a simple way to execute this is by curating statistical pages.
Curate a list of statistics from government data websites or primary data studies and spend time aggregating them for the reader so they don’t have to.
As you can see in the screenshot below, this list of 50 crazy stats and facts ranks for “promotional product statistics,” and as a result, will secure links naturally as journalists and bloggers search for statistics to reference.
Conclusion
Ranking category, product, or brand pages in Google search results is essential for ecommerce businesses to drive high conversion rates. However, securing high-quality backlinks to these pages can be challenging due to the nature of ecommerce.
To overcome these challenges, you can combine content-led link building, strategic internal linking and creative outreach techniques.
By employing these strategies, ecommerce businesses can overcome the challenges associated with ecommerce linking and improve their search engine visibility.
Are you a brand looking to take advantage of the explosive growth of TikTok and its wide audience? DISQO has just released a report that provides answers to your most pressing questions about the platform.
With data from 28,139 adult consumers, DISQO’s TikTok Ad Effectiveness report provides an in-depth look on how U.S. consumers engage with brands on TikTok and how ads impact buying behavior.
Learn who uses TikTok, what they’re looking for, and how to measure your ad effectiveness. Get the insights you need to create effective campaigns and measure their impact on perceptions and buying behaviors. Learn:
How TikTok usage vary across demographic cohorts
What TikTok users think about efforts to market to them on the platform
How brands can effectively engage the TikTok audience, from creating content that fits with what users love about the platform and leveraging the platform’s native formats.
The use of Artificial Intelligence is very much in the news at the moment, with the tech wizards pushing all kinds of AI on us, from programs that make art to ones that write screenplays.
But these geniuses have already started rapidly back-tracking as they realise we should probably proceed with caution, before computers start removing humans from strategic decisions and creating a Terminator-type scenario where it’s humans versus machines.
That may seem on the alarmist side, but AI really is a new thing and anything that powerful and unknown should be treated with extreme caution. For example, the ‘art’ and ‘writing’ AI bots aren’t coming up with new ideas (they’re mining the ever-unreliable internet for content) or being ‘creative’ (merely creating an amalgam of work already done by others.)
There is little to no accountability for AI programs that use any of this data, even if it breaches copyright or puts people out of jobs, which is already happening worldwide in many industries.
So where does that leave us with using AI to generate money-making ideas? We looked into both aspects of this: first of all, the use of AI to make money for your business or yourself; and second, using AI to come up with money-making ideas, to see if AI could outperform the human mind.
AI-powered chatbots can provide 24/7 support and assistance to customers, and you’ve probably already used one – on a banking app, for example. These bots can answer questions, help with purchases, or even help you track your orders.
Predictive Modelling
You can use AI to create predictive models that help you make financial predictions, which can then be sold on to investors, financial institutions and other companies.
Content creation
AI can generate a LOT of content, based on algorithms and data, which may enable a business to scale and personalise their content BUT beware: the quality of the generated content is highly variable and you’ll still need to personally fact-check the content generated for inaccuracies or unusual wording.
e-commerce
AI analyses customer behaviour and preferences, to personalise the shopping experience for each individual customer by recommending products, target customers with tailored marketing campaigns, etc.
Trading using AI and Machine learning algorithms
AI and Machine learning algorithms can potentially earn you passive income, but again, you have a to do a LOT of studying up on the subject first, as it’s a highly nuanced and complicated field.
Generating AI Content
The most-used methods to monetise content is to put advertisements on your blog posts or website, or publish sponsored social media posts, BUT you need to create unique and engaging content regularly to really see some money come in.
Using AI for Web Design
Running your own website is an excellent medium by which to reach more audiences and online customers.
Using AI to come up with money-making ideas
We wanted to use an AI program to come up with a list of ways to make money. Does this rival our own human brainstorming sessions, we wanted to know.
So we tried Anyword, an AI site that generates ideas in various ways. We used the Prompt feature to come up with the following list of ways to make money at home, to see if it generated a list of great ideas.
What it came up with, and bear in mind this was its first attempt based on our simple premise of ‘come up with ten ways to make money at home’, with this list:
1. Start a Blog: Use your knowledge, skills and experience to start a blog and generate income through ads, affiliate marketing and sponsored posts. 2. Become a Virtual Assistant: Leverage your skills to help others in completing tasks from the comfort of your own home. 3. Do Freelance Work: Whether it’s writing, graphic design, programming or another skill, take advantage of opportunities for freelance work. 4. Take Paid Surveys: Share your opinion with companies who pay you for it. 5. Create an Online Course: If you are an expert on a subject, why not share it with others by creating an online course? 6. Publish an eBook: There are plenty of online marketplaces available where you can share your work with others. 7. Sell Photos Online: If you are a budding photographer, selling photos online can be a great way to generate income. 8. Become a Tutor: Tutoring is a great way to share your expertise with students. You can teach virtually, in-person, or both. 9. Create an App: Tap into the power of the mobile app market and create your own app. 10. Create a Drop-shipping Store: Drop-shipping stores allow you to create your own e-commerce store without having to keep inventory or ship orders.
Now, the above are all ideas we’ve discussed plenty of times on MoneyMagpie, and they’re pretty good. But they’re nothing new, and simply based on a skim of the internet to collect ideas to make a list.
Pros and Cons of AI and Money Making
The pros are that each of these could be further researched, as is true of most things: don’t trust the internet to come up with all your answers, or for those answers to be 100% accurate or reliable.
The cons of this kind of AI is that, if your goal is to take the effort and time out of thinking and researching such things as looking for ways to make money, you may be limiting your own search by relying on a computer to do it for you. Part of the brilliance of the human brain is in thinking laterally – using personal experience and unique thought processes that just can’t be mined by computer intelligence.
Using BOTH of these techniques seems to be what pro-AI companies are pushing right now: use the AI as a kicking off point that then starts conversations and ideas in your own mind or within your own team to generate ideas. It’s certainly given us a lot to think about!
