Self Marketing: learn how to blow your own horn

In an increasingly competitive market, having technical abilities might not be enough to stand out professionally. That is why, if you want to stand out, it is time to improve your personal branding.

But do you know what Self Marketing is?

Self marketing is composed by a set of strategies that aim to enhance your professional and personal characteristics. 

It is not about creating a fake profile, but highlighting the aspects that are more relevant about you and the work you are developing. With the right strategies of personal promotion, you will be able to stand out, no matter your field of work.

Keep reading to learn how to invest in self marketing and take advantage of this strategy!

The importance of self marketing

Imagine the following situation: Cici is an entrepreneur with a vast technical experience.

For years, she has looked for qualifications to achieve better results in her business and she has developed important abilities for her position in the market. Nevertheless, she couldn’t stand out professionally among so many other professionals in her area.

In time, she noticed that there were other professionals on the same professional level she was, or even with fewer abilities than she had  and could bring more attention to themselves. All of these thanks to what they did with their personal images.

The Cici we have just presented is a fictional character, but she represents a lot of real people.

We use this story just to show that, more than technical qualifications, it is important to sell your own image.

The market is filled with great players in all the segments and, to stand out, it is necessary to show why you stand out among you competitors.

With personal marketing, each professional is capable of developing their own public image, making it more and  more appealing  to future employers. 

And for entrepreneurs, the investment in personal promotion should be even more present. As the saying goes: “you never get a second chance to make a good first impression!”

The more you work on your image, the greater the chances of your business being noticed not only by the market, but also by those who matter the most, your potential clients. 

The art of self-marketing

First things first: it’s important to highlight that personal marketing is not a single action, but is way more related to a set of habits followed by the professional. 

This is why the work should be continuous, with integrity and coherence, conveying reliability to the market.

Successful professionals know really well the importance of showing a well-constructed image so they can be remembered and respected as figures of authority in their field of work.

Of course there are a few tips that might help you improve the way you promote yourself, and this is what we are going to talk about. Here are the best strategies that you can start applying right now:

1. Participate in events in your area

One of the most efficient ways of personal promotion is the constant participation in events related to your field of work. This is important because those events  foster networking , contacts and professional connections that might endorse you as a professional in the future. 

No matter your segment, keep an eye out for events and opportunities that the brands that you follow participate in, and promote on social media.

This could be an opportunity to connect yourself to professionals that you see as references and, who knows, leave an open door for future partnerships.

2. Constantly update your LinkedIn page 

When it comes to social media, LinkedIn in the one that stands out the most when we talk about personal promotion. But contrary to what most people think, it is much more than a networking site for professionals looking for placement in the market.

With LinkedIn, it is possible to establish connections with other professionals, which makes the platform an excellent environment to attract business partners. 

To stand out in this platform, it is important to keep your profile always updated. More than simply creating an account, it is necessary to spend time building a profile with the most relevant information about yourself and your work.

If you are a blogger, for example, you can share your blog posts there and, if possible, write specific content aimed at people who use the channel. 

3. Keep a blog to build authority in a topic.

Blogs are great tools to sell your image.

Start a blog that presents to your readers what you do, creating relevant content that really inspire and help you target-audience. 

The more value you generate to your readers, in texts or rich materials, the better will your be image in your field of work.

4. Go beyond your field of expertise

Many highly-qualified professionals lose ground in the market by being limited in their own field of work.

For you to develop your personal marketing well, it is necessary to go beyond the scope of your job. Which means, do more than what your job description states.

Offer yourself to help people in other fields, show interest in tasks that other professionals perform, and try to absorb all kinds of knowledge that might be useful for you to carry out your work.

5. Take credit for what you do

One of the biggest mistakes made by professionals, especially when they are starting out, is not taking credit for their work.

Personal marketing depends on the way you position yourself in the market. Everytime you achieve a positive outcome, make sure you take credit for it, celebrate your victory and make your success stand out. 

Take care so you do it in a natural manner and without outshining anyone in your team, because there’s a thin line between being confident and arrogant.

6. Keep extracurricular projects

To present a good image of yourself, it is interesting that you invest in extracurricular activities that go beyond your field of work. 

Learning more and more about something you do, discovering new trends or interacting with other professionals, the activities and extracurricular projects enable you to add new experience to your resumé as a professional or entrepreneur. 

7. Update your knowledge 

You can be the best professional in your line of work, but there is always something new to learn. 

Constantly updating your knowledge is ideal to keep you from falling behind, especially in markets that are highly competitive and in constant change, like the digital one.

Read articles about your niche and keep an eye out for the latest versions of the tools that you use daily.

Are you ready to invest in self marketing and become the best version of yourself?

Thanks for reading, and see you soon! :)

This post was originally published in January 2018 and has been updated with more complete and relevant information with the help of Roger Darrigrand