SUPERNAUT!

1) Figuring what keyphrases to target for anchors
2) Determining what competitors in my space have that works
3) Developing relations throughout organization and their outreach for opps
4) Measuring success/retention rates monthly + reporting of quantity, quality, effectiveness
5) Always look for new opportunities (paid ad campaigns, content bait, press releases a-text)

>What, if any, link building tasks would you be comfortable outsourcing?

I enjoy the challenge and the glorious triumphs of link building, but if I could spend more time strategizing  other projects to maximize conversion I’d have a larger budget next year based on ROI (projecting 87%). So, I would outsource  the whole damn process to the right company, but I’d want to learn from them – most lb co’s aren’t down for that (but I can think of one exception).

Based on a timesheet, I’m gonna say 2/5 of every weekday – but every moment I am clocked in, once I got obsessed with seeking link opportunities.

1) Garrett French is a total tool, and he also builds links.  - Seriously, having an industry thought leader to learn from is priceless GOLD + all the widgets make data intensive tasks easy for an over-caffeinated, aggro SEO.
2)Telephone/Email
3)Brand recognition in my competitive space
4) Ontolo’s Query Generator
5) Raventools tied with SEO for Firefox

>If a fellow inhouse SEO asked for help in developing a link building campaign, what questions would you ask them?

What are your core MDKW’s?, have you looked at what your competitors have that works?, Is your on-page sufficiently automated so you can dedicate most of your time to linkbuilding?

>What link building tactics work better for inhouse SEOs than agency link builders? Why?

Exploiting the outreach of the firm’s contacts – I can accost someone at the coffee station about his alumni status and his recent publication in industry manuals. I have access into their personal and professional interests on a more intimate level.

Anatomizing competitors by practice area focus. Our firm has many practice areas, I find the highest ranking local and nationwide competitors in those spaces and apply their tactics to my project.

>Can you describe techniques or tactics you’ve used to grow your internal trust and credibility with colleagues?

By showing results both in SERP’s and in quantity of links attracted. helping the casual blogger with their basic SEO. I show them in their own parlance – the same way they would compile empirical data for a case, I do the same in terms of showing them my ‘body of evidence’.

>How do you get colleagues to perform tasks related to link building?

By explaining the importance of linkbuilding to my job. Teaching them that every press story, donation made, community event that we take part in, contains an opportunity to link. Showing them that they are an extension of my abilities – (they too are linkbuilders).

>How have you grown your colleagues’ ability to identify and act on link opportunities?

I realize that you can’t beat some people over the head with a link building brick because they’ll not learn by any means until the pop culture demands it of them. I start with the online community; the fantasy sports player, the casual blogger, the type that can grasp galactic concepts such as “get the webmaster of your church to point a link from the church’s website to your business profile on our website”.  I then seek out members of the marketing department in other channels – because if I win, they win.