Reader Comment: Shameless self promotion or good blog marketing?

HowToMakeMyBlog reader Haider wrote the following comment to my recent article on not being a passive blogger, but being a blogger who actively promotes the blog.

I thought the comment had some great points and was very relevant to my blog post, so I wanted to share it with you:

I think the main reason why people resist promoting their content is that they feel embarrassed to do so. Self-promotion seems cheesy, and it’s usually frowned upon (or so we believe).

But as long as we’re offering content that’s of value (i.e. *we* personally believe that it’s of value), then we should help others find it. That usually means using the sites where people (traffic) can be found.

Although there are many ways to promote a site, I think it’s important to consider other factors, besides number of visitors. For example, I like leaving comments on other blogs because:

1- I get to contribute value
2- I participate in the discussion
3- I become part of a community
4- I target the people who are interested in what I have to offer

Even though other approaches can bring in more traffic (which is why they shouldn’t be neglected), they don’t always come with the same advantages.

My response to the blog comment

Definitely true. If you promote bad or unoriginal content, you may get a click once but that visitor will hardly ever come back and will see your future “promotion” as spam.

On the other hand if you create value and help your visitors, then self-promotion has huge benefits as you actively seek, help and provide value to your target audience.

Some thoughts from twitterers

• 
  EyeSpyPro: @HowToMakeMyBlog thats the only way to go, you have to promote yourself.
• JanetBarclay: @HowToMakeMyBlog Self-promotion is necessary and isn’t cheesy if it is done properly
• exuvia: @HowToMakeMyBlog I think self promotion is necessary as long as you’re modest about it. No one likes a self-promoting stickler.
• bloggers_guide: @HowToMakeMyBlog It’s cheesy, but I think we all do it. I know I’m guilty of shamelessly plugging…

How do you promote your blog?

What do you think? What did you do today to grow your blog, increase your readership and increase your authority? Do you use self-promotion or do you rely on readers to spread the word about your blog virally?

Image by Striatic