BLOG

Do you find self-promotion embarrassing? Does it feel like you’re bragging? Not all business people are comfortable telling others how fantastic their product or service is. Many are hesitant to discuss their accomplishments in fear of sounding pushy, unprofessional or “full-of-themsleves.”

But it’s important to remember being humble doesn’t mean hiding your skills and achievements – only being sensitive about how you share your accomplishments to others. How can you do this? Let’s take a look at 5 methods you can use to market yourself and your business without bragging.

1. Share Your Expertise

Putting your expertise in writing and sharing it with your audience is a powerful — and very professional — way to let more people know about your unique talents. Think about how your unique experience and knowledge can help others. Start a blog or submit your articles to print publications and web sites that serve your target audience to improve your visibility.

 

Another great way to get your name out there in a positive way is by getting involved in as much as you can. Are there any public speaking opportunities available through networking groups or other sources? Participate! Are there any industry conventions or trade shows coming up? You better have RSVP’d!

 

Appearing as a speaker allows you to showcase your expertise with three different audiences — the people who attend your presentation, the people who are invited by the sponsoring organization but can’t attend, and the people you tell about it before and after. If standing in front of a room makes you too nervous, serve on a panel of experts instead. You’ll get to sit behind a table and speak from notes.

 

In a similar vein, being interviewed by  magazines, newspapers, or on radio and television can spread the word quickly about your capabilities. Landing interviews is not that hard to do if you remember to start small. Begin by approaching easy targets like association newsletters, neighborhood newspapers, and local cable programs or talk radio.

 

It’s not just artists who should capture their best work to show off in a portfolio. You can collect photos, examples, and other evidence of your accomplishments and display them on your website, highlight them in a marketing kit or with a PowerPoint presentation. You don’t have to sell people on your abilities when they are seeing for themselves what you can do.

 

But don’t just stop there. Whenever you do a good job for a client, ask them to provide a recommendation through LinkedIn and other social media channels describing what you did to make them happy. Then make their recommendations available on your website, corporate collateral and other marketing materials. Let them tell others about your value and you won’t have to say it yourself.

 

When sharing your accomplishments, don’t be shy about sharing the credit with those who deserve it as well. A willingness to promote others indicates confidence in your own abilities.

 

“In my experience, glad-handing self-aggrandizement is rarely an effective technique,” says entrepreneur and author Seth Godin in an interview with the New York Times. “What works instead is a combination of relentlessly giving away credit and generously taking responsibility,” he advises.

 

Rather than focusing on entitlement, this approach focuses on your engagement with your work, he explains. Or in in other words: “Successfully tooting your own horn is more about the horn than the tooting,” Godin says.

 

We all have stereotyped images of success, such as the consummate professional or the charismatic entrepreneur. But your personal or business brand should represent your own unique qualities – not what you think other people want to see.

 

It’s easier to sell yourself when you’re being yourself, so be authentic about who you are. Focus on your strengths and stick to your own style of communication, whether it’s writing a weekly blog post for customers or sitting down with a decision-maker and sharing how you can help their business succeed. Reminding people who need your services about how you can make their jobs easier is a positive message they’ll be happy to hear.

 

In short, learning how to brand without bragging is a great way to advertise what you can do and to help others succeed by using you as a resource. It’s a win-win for all involved — and a message worth sharing.