Promoting content to real users involves Google.
No it doesn't.
There are MANY MANY ways to get your URLs in front of people and NONE of them include or even NEED Google. That is where you have SEO completely wrong, it is NOT about search
engines it is about users of Search and Search (with a big 'S') encompasses EVERYTHING that has a search capability.
This forum for example has a search box, the short sighted idea that Search is only about Yahoo and Google is WAY, WAY off the mark, that may have been the case in 1994 but Search is now EVERYWHERE.
People search Facebook, Twitter, Ebay, hundred of blogs, "Bookmarking" sites etc. etc.
Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Pintrest etc. are NOT there for building links to one page on your site. You use them for interacting with
YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE and if those links just happen to be useful for search engines
THAT is a bonus!
http://webmaster-talk.eu/articles/7-website-marketing-and-search/26-links-the-secret-life-of
Google and Yahoo referrals should be EXTRA to the direct traffic you get NOT the ONLY traffic you get.