Page 110 - The Content Code: Six essential strategies to ignite your content, your marketing, and your business - PDFDrive.com

6. Market yourself.7
You’ve found your niche, toiled tirelessly at your craft, and networked with the
best in the business. The work is just beginning because none of this matters if
you’re not known. The trick is, how do you do promote yourself and not come
across as a jerk?

The first step is understanding the true value of self-promotion. Sure, you
have a self-interest in the activity, but when done the right way and not seen as
merely transactional, it can also help others know what talents and knowledge
you have that can help them.

The next step is to focus on facts, not brags. No one can argue if you say that
you’ve been blogging for more than a decade, or that you have a degree from
Michigan State University. But they can argue plenty if you call yourself a
“social media expert.” Whatever your field, it’s fine if other people want to
christen you an expert, but it’s presumptuous to do it yourself, and you risk a
great deal of blowback.

Third, demonstrate your expertise with actions and stories, not words. Saying
“I’m great at pitching investors” sounds egotistical. But sharing a compelling
tale of how you rounded up seed funding allows others to deduce your skill
without making it explicit. Also, research shows8 that when listeners are exposed
to your stories, many more sections of their brains light up; they’re literally
immersed in the moment with you, making a far deeper impression. They may
hear your words if you say you’re awesome, but telling them a story allows them
to feel it for themselves.

There is power in humility. According to research published in Psychology
Today,9 the overwhelming emotion people feel when viewing their Facebook
timeline is jealousy. In a world where we always present our shiny best selves,
it’s easy for feelings of jealousy to become inflamed. It’s fine to present
information about your successes, but keep in mind that every brag may also
elicit feelings of inadequacy from your audience.

Another factor to consider when promoting yourself is cultural sensitivity. In
a speech I gave to an audience in a Baltic country, I mentioned that I had just
come from England where I lectured at Oxford University. I thought this was a
point of interest but also a way to quickly establish credibility with an audience
who was unfamiliar with me. After the speech, one person told me how he
admired the boldness of the Americans—people in their country appreciated
humility and would never make such a comment in public! A week later I gave a
talk to a group of Chinese MBA students and was told to leave humility at the
door—I needed to list my accomplishments upfront to establish my “worthiness”