Self-promoting is very uncomfortable for many people, which can be a true source of stress especially if you’re running a business and need to promote your products and services. We all know someone who’s annoying and obnoxious in the way they promote their products online and none of us want to be that guy. The same goes for talking about your skills and area of expertise. The problem is if you want people to know about your product or your skillset, you’re going to have to talk about it. You have to toot your own horn.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when self-promoting online to keep from coming off those annoying people.
Not the “You show”
It’s about you but it isn’t. Don’t just talk about yourself and your skills, focus instead on other people and how you can help them. What skills or products do you have that can solve a problem for them? Say you sell household appliances; you can talk about a shared problem that’s solved by an appliance you’re selling. For example, share a picture of a child-safe peeler in the hands of your child who’s helping you in the kitchen as you’re talking and having a great time together. Think about your audience, centre them, their experience, their needs and how you can help them meet those needs.
Stick to a schedule
Restraint is key. Create a schedule and stick to it, making every effort to avoid clogging people’s feeds with your endless posts. Each post should be tactical. Be methodical in your approach, don’t just throw everything on there every day. People will learn to expect that from you and just skip your numerous posts and updates.
Be aware
Pay attention to your audience. What kinds of posts do they respond to? How can you tell they are engaging with your updates? Treat it like a conversation, pay attention to their cues as you would pay attention to someone’s cues in an in-person conversation. Are they listening? Are you boring them? Should you pivot or stop talking and listen? Pay attention to the ways your audience responds to different types of posts and make necessary adjustments.
Be honest
Resist the impulse to exaggerate, manipulate the facts or lie about the products you’re selling or your skills. You will lose credibility and people will stop believing anything else you say. Be honest about your strengths, successes, or products. Coming back from a damaged reputation can be near impossible. Humanize yourself. People relate to that and will feel connected to you.
Show your work
The book Show Your Work by Austin Kleon is chock-full of ways to self-promote without being annoying. One great one is showing the audience the way you make things, essentially taking them behind the scenes. If you’re a cook, post a video of you going shopping for supplies. It’s different. Share with people things that are open secrets in your profession but that outsiders may not know about. People love getting insider information. Tell stories about your job or your products in a way that gives people insight into your skills.
Develop a thick skin
As with all things on the internet, you need to develop a thick skin. The internet is a lot of things, but a safe space it is not.
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