Stepping up Your Content Promotion Efforts in 2015

Each new year brings with it revolutionary developments in the world of online marketing and new strategies for calling attention to content out on the Web. While it will be important to stay on top of new tactics as they come to light in 2015, you still should be taking advantage of the tried and true methods of the past.

Going into 2015, there are many different content promotion strategies that you will want to already be exploiting through your brand's online presence. A successful online marketing campaign involves creating an effective aggregation of the best content promotion methods- methods that have withstood the test of time by maintaining their strong impact and high ROI despite the rapidly evolving nature of search engine marketing, social media marketing, and content marketing.

Starting the year off right

Do you want to take content promotion to the next level in 2015? Get off to a great start by incorporating the following methods into your campaign so that you'll be ready for the changes and challenges of 2015 as they arise. Companies that are looking to make waves in their industry in 2015 by offering superior content should understand the following content promotion trends and resources:

Becoming an authority

A key aspect of content marketing is becoming an authority in one's industry. Through content, successful online marketers are able to establish a brand name as a trustworthy resource for information and expertise. 

How can companies become authorities and noted industry influencers? The following are three things brands can do to become authorities in their industries:

1. Reach out to prominent figures - If you want to establish yourself as an authority, you should be paying attention to already established authorities. By building relationships with well known figures in your industry, you may be able to take advantage of endorsements and expert sources that can build upon the credibility of your brand image. 
2. Be part of social media communities - Social media networks often offer communities of people interested in a certain niche or subject. You can join these companies and provide useful input to other members to build up recognition of your brand. Examples of some prominent social media communities are Google+ Communities and LinkedIn Groups. 
3. Consider syndication - Syndicating your content can help you to reach more people. When your content is syndicated, readers may be more likely to view your company as a major authority in the industry. 

Doing the research

Brands optimize their content promotion efforts by doing research on a variety of topics. What types of research could optimize content promotion for your brand? Consider the following...

1. Social insights - Social insight research involves looking into feedback on your content that has come in from audience members. These types of comments can clue you in on the interests, needs, opinions, and mood of your audience members regarding specific topics.
2. Content sharing habits - By paying attention to the content sharing habits of social media users, you can get an idea of who might be interested in your content. Reach out to those who are sharing or showing an interest in content that is similar to yours. 
3. New resources - Research is vital to tracking down all the resources that you should be taking advantage of. Every month, new sites focused on content pertinent to a certain niche or industry come to prominence. You can only take advantage of new resources if you are aware of them. An example of the types of content promotion sites that you should be aware of and utilize if appropriate are aggregator sites like Reddit or HackerNews, which can potentially bring in a great deal of website traffic. 

Making things convenient

Members of your audience are important resources in content promotion. The best way to promote content on a large scale is to get your audience to do the work for you. If you offer great content and make it easy for others to share that content, you will see your marketing campaign take off. 

Encourage content sharing among readers by making sure your site and its content offer the following:

1. Integrated sharing opportunities - If a reader wants to share your content, they should be able to do so with minimal effort. 
2. Social media snippets - Snippets sent out on social media sites are a convenient way of getting the word out regarding a new piece of content. Every time you post, you should be sure to send out snippets numerous times via each social media network on which you are active.