3-in-1 Tool For Link Outreach Tracking in Gmail

It’s always nice to stumble across a link building tool that helps keep you and your contacts squared away. But, it’s even more exciting when you find a gem like Streak.

Streak allows you to track different processes and can be customized for other needs. Some already established uses include:

  • Sales
  • Bug Tracking
  • Customer Support
  • Human Resources

However, let’s take this a step further with some outreach tracking magic. This 3-in-1 tool combines basic functionalities of Excel, Boomerang and Gmail’s Canned responses.  We all know how many tools there are, so it’s nice when there’s an opportunity for consolidation.

Let me give a quick walk-through of what I have done.

Install Streak, Create a New Pipeline

After installing Streak, create a new pipeline. Streak provides different templates, but they forgot about us link builders, so you’ll have to select the blank template and customize your own.

Create Custom Stages

Stages are used to track the progress of your efforts.  You can create as many custom stages as you want.  I like to keep it simple, so I use:

  • Discovered
  • Contacted
  • Responded
  • Link Acquired

Create Custom Fields

Custom fields are used to track information about your link prospect (i.e. email, website, type of potential, mR, anchor text, notes, etc.). You can add as many fields as you want, just click on the dropbox next to any column and insert a new one.

Snippets

Snippets save you from having to type parts of an email over and over again, similar to Gmail’s Canned Responses. You can compose a message and save the snippet to use it later.  They can be a real time saver, but remember to avoid being impersonal when asking for a link or responding to requests. Link building is about kindling relationships and building rapport. (Check out some awesome linkbuilding email templates from industry linkbuilders, you’ll just have to scroll down a bit)

Note: the snippets you see below are the assigned titles.

Another cool thing about snippets is that you can manage your snippets within a popup window (you can see the “Manage Snippets” selection in the screen shot above).  You can change the name, edit the text and other things.  I like this better than Canned Responses because you don’t have to load it in the email.

Boxes

Create a new box (a place where you can put emails, files and contacts), or else add them to an existing box. Once you create a new box, it will have you select a pipeline for that box to go into.  Once they are added to a box for tracking purposes, you can either send off the email right away or choose so send it later (Similar to Boomerang) with the “Send Later” button you see by the “SEND” button.

When your contact responds, update their status to Responded as shown below. These updates also appear in your pipeline.

Final Product

You’re all set to practice some Streak magic!  One last thing though, you can share and collaborate with others on your link building efforts!  See that blue button in the screen shot below?  That button is the “Share” button.  It works just like sharing a Google Doc.  You can share specific pipelines (or clients) with anyone else who has this extension and Gmail.  That feature is invaluable when working on a team.

 

Some quick suggestions of what I would like to see:

  • Import excel files directly into a pipeline
  • Ability to create custom templates instead of having to re-create my link building template every time
  • Add the follow up reminder functionality of Boomerang

Do you have any additional tips/suggestions on how to use Streak?  Let me know in the comments below!

 

About Devin

Devin Harper is a search engine marketer at Maple North. He enjoys doing occasional French freelance work, drumming up business ideas and exploring the great outdoors of Idaho. Follow at @monsieurharper.

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