I think, as long as one is still a plankton and hasn't become a minnow (SP=500), self voting is one of the major revenue generators on Steem. Otherwise, to get noticed is really difficult.
Though good analysis and I really enjoyed reading it.
Here's my 30 day chart:
I started as a plankton just 3 months ago. You really have to experiment and learn what works and what doesn't work. One thing is certain, you need to invest to get anywhere.