Today's question is about self-promotion and what you can do to get over feeling uncomfortable about putting yourself and your products “out there.”
Community Question – I feel lame promoting myself
“How do you not feel like a lame-o for promoting yourself? I have a few different skills (candle-making and tutoring) and I always feel like a creep if I self-promote, even though the things I make and do are high-quality products. How do you get past feeling like a used car salesman?” — Katie G.
How to not Feel Icky or Lame with Self-Promotion
Hi Katie. Thanks for asking. Self-promotion is a challenge for a lot of people. Sometimes it is due to simply not knowing how to do it and other times it is because of deeper visibility blocks.
Let me ask you this:
When do you feel okay with receiving promotions and when don't you?
I love hearing and seeing things that are of interest to me, but I don't enjoy seeing ads for stuff I don't care about. Some people don't mind either way. Others take exception to any and all advertising.
If you are like me, consider this:
Where you promote matters in its interpretation as spam or something really helpful.
You might consider giving content marketing a try
Content marketing is a strategic approach to marketing and promotion that is focused on creating and distributing relevant, valuable, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience. The ultimate goal is to drive client and customer action.
Let's look at a few promotion options for you.
Promotion of candle making (or any other hand-made item) and selling
- List your candles with a detailed description in the Facebook marketplace. The marketplace is where people are going when they want to buy something. There are a number of other online sites where you can list your hand-made items too.
- Try live streaming your process on your Facebook profile. Do a live stream where you actually perform your craft and make some candles. You could talk about the process, color, and fragrance choices, etc. I have a friend that owns a bakery and she does nightly videos of her decorating cookies. People are fascinated by it! She talks about what she is doing as well as miscellaneous things on her mind. Nowhere does she say “buy my stuff.” Once your live stream is done, download it and upload it to YouTube.
Promotion of tutoring
Content marketing works great in this field of service. Again, picking your audience is key. People that don't have kids, like my friend that says all of us with kids are “breeders”, would not care or like it. However, if you zone in on groups of people that are interested in your topic, you become their hero! Parents that have kids that are struggling don't want to see them struggle. They are looking for solutions to those problems. You could write blogs, create a podcast, do live streams, etc. talking about:
- how parents can help their kid to be successful in school,
- why different kids may excel with the help of a tutor,
- how to set up an effective study zone,
- techniques to avoid test anxiety,
- test prep tips,
- etc.
Go where your audience is and help them.
Research and use hashtags so your audience can find you.
When you help interested people find you they are thrilled to find the solution to their problem.
When using social media, remember to do more than promote yourself. Using an 80/20 or 90/10 ratio is a good split, where the larger number is the non-promotion posts.
The bottom line, stop letting your ego get in the way.
When you are in business it is not about you. It's about helping the people that need your help. You can't do that if they can't find you.
Resources to Strengthen Your Visibility Muscle
Accelerate Your Business Growth: Understanding & Removing Visibility Blocks – audio
Soul on the Run: Understanding #Visibility Blocks & Fully Expressing Your Brilliance – audio
Getting Rid of Visibility Blocks and Blocks to Your Success – audio
Eliminate the Blocks that Keep You Hidden from Your Ideal Clients – audio
How to Sell w/o Feeling Sleazy: Build Your Practice Show – audio
Success Saboteurs that Block You from Getting Your Message Out – video
Increase Sales by Changing Your Mindset – video 17 min
Get Your Message Out Farther by Getting Rid of Your Visibility Blocks
Get Your Message Out Farther by Getting Rid of Your Visibility Blocks (Part 2)
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Your Turn
Do you have any tips or thoughts for Katie? Share them below in the comments!
Until we talk again,
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