The vast majority of content on the internet was posted within the past few years and it seems that many of us believe that to attract  more traffic, links and exposure, this prolific creation of content needs to continue.

However, despite constant researching, creative blog writing and ever increasingly ingenious infographics, many fantastic content pieces are never linked to.

There are several possible reasons for this:

• Poor promotional planning or budget management
• The incorrect use of media for promoting the content to audiences
• An unimaginative hook or story to sell the content to readers

However, there are several ways to ensure that every piece of content you produce is well linked to.

Who are your audience?

The first step to effective content promotion is to understand your target audience. Develop profiles to illustrate those audiences that you need to reach and their likely reaction to content. Ensure that you understand their persona, their goals, the types of sites they tend to visit, their interaction behaviour and how your content is of value to them.

How will you promote?

Many companies will spend significant budget on researching and developing content concepts, allocating only a small percentage to actually promoting it.

Every day we receive a barrage of information. To break through the billions of tweets, Facebook updates and emails, time spent planning your promotional strategy needs to be given a suitable level of priority and budget. A thorough analysis should be carried out looking at the pros and cons of media that is owned, paid and earned.

Getting influencer outreach right

If you have never bothered to interact with an audience, how can you expect to influence them? Begin by identifying those people who have an audience that you want to access. Don’t waste time targeting anyone randomly.

With preparation and an understanding of your audiences, you will maximise links.

Steven Morris