It's Valentine's Day so you know what that means -- it's show-the-love time.
However, on the interwebs, you could say that every day is Valentine's Day.
There are lots of way you can promote your site or product: through social media, as well as attending conferences to learn, meet other bloggers, and share your expertise. Those are are all good ways to promote yourself, but did you know that promoting others can help too?
Business consultant MaryEllen Tribby's Success Indicator compares successful versus unsuccessful people. One indicator of success is "Share information and data." Doing so shows generosity of spirit and your openness to learning new things. Share enough and you may become known as a hub of high-quality information.
Here are five ways you can show the love by promoting others:
Host guest bloggers. Contact your favorite bloggers and ask them to write a guest post. They'll have a unique perspective and expertise, and may invite you to guest post in return.
Highlight your favorite posts from other bloggers. A weekly "best of" roundup is a great way to share what you've learned or enjoyed, and to give props to blogs and sites that you're already reading.
Help spread the word. Retweet that tweet about a new blog post. Share that Facebook status about a success. Reblog that hilarious GIF (with credit to the original poster). But of course do it sincerely, and not because you expect something in return.
Cite the source. Even better than linking to an article in your blog post is citing the author or site. That will give more exposure to that author or site, and will bring those who use those names as search terms to your blog.
Give real-life support. Promotion, whether for yourself or other, goes beyond the Internet. If a fellow blogger is giving a talk or reading, attend. You'll meet that blogger, show your support, and perhaps meet others with similar interest. You might even learn a thing or two.
What are some other ways to promote others?