Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

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July 25, 2011

12 Blog Posts that Tackle the Problem of Self Promotion

ME Liz Strauss published this at 7:26 am

No Need to Be Shameless

A while back, Mack Collier, raised the question Is ‘no self-promotion’ the great unwritten rule of social media? I don’t believe it is.

Though promoting the great work going on around us is the fastest way to get positive recognition, sometimes it’s we’re called upon to let people know what we do and how well we do it. A solid business person, especially someone in social media, needs to be fluent and facile in discussing the skill with which he or she can get the job done.

What follows are some articles I’ve written on the subject that you may missed if you recently tuned in to my blog.

  1. Branding, Self-Promotion, Selling: Are You OverDoing?

    2. We know those times well, when we try too hard to convince others of our brand, apologize for our writing, ask links instead of earning them, or quote text when we should analyze.

  2. Branding: A Tagline Is Not A Brand — How to Build a Positive Brand in 3 Steps

    3. Everyone has brand.
    Your brand may be as simple as You are unknown.
    Not everyone has a unique and positive brand identity.

  3. Two Important Ideas in a Brand Identity and Why We Have to Live Our Brand

    4. People have a way of letting us know we forgot to consider them. They do that by redefining what they think of us and telling each other the new definition.

  4. Shameless Self-Promotion: What Makes It Shameless?

    5. Shameless Self-Promoters see only the game — not the relationship or the other person’s needs. Shameless self-promoters are focused on getting, not giving.

  5. Self Promotion: A Winning Answer Every Time — Why is That?

    6. No one got tied up in the confusion that usually hangs around self-promotion.

  6. Self-Promotion: How I Learned to Stop Shooting Myself in the Foot

    7. As a result we often shy away from any attempt to talk about what we do — fearing we’d be mistaken for the opportunists that we’re not. I used to be the poster child for thinking about self-promotion like that, and it found me getting myself tangled in knots

  7. Self Promotion: Telling Stories for the Painfully Shy

    8. People looking at me make me very self-conscious. Many folks find that a surprise. I write this post for everyone who is shy.

  8. How Too Much Thinking Used to Screw Me Up

    9. I said something about the “ME” in self-conscious. I’ve always thought about it. RK came back and put to words in a pair of comments that said exactly what I always had wondered about . . . am I shy or am I egotistical?

  9. 3.3: Three Steps to an Intriguing Answer to “What Do You Do?”

    10. Many folks would tell you this is the time for your “elevator pitch.” I suggest that term might not be the best way to look at a relationship. Why don’t we say that an authentic conversation is our goal?

  10. Social Media and Promotion: How to Get Your Network Pulling for You

    11. A friend emailed me asking if I would pass along information about a product just coming out. The email was a sale pitch I could pick up and pass on. The rest of the message was over the top for me — kind of pushy and kind of “wink, wink, nudge, nudge — you help me and I’ll help you later.”

  11. Talking Decisions and Self-Promotion with JenChicago

    12. see video

  12. Mind if I Ask Your Network to Help Me Beat Your Car with a Sledgehammer?

    13. Just because you say you’re going to do it,
    doesn’t make it right and it doesn’t make it any more appealing.

Self-promotion is important to a business. If we don’t tell the world we exist and what we do, soon enough we won’t. Hope you find this helpful.

Let me know if you think a favorite is missing from the list. Thanks!

What do you find is the best way to promote your business?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Check out the Work with Liz!! page in the sidebar.

Filed under Marketing, Successful Blog | 22 Comments »


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22 Comments to “12 Blog Posts that Tackle the Problem of Self Promotion”

  1. July 25th, 2011 at 11:04 pm
    Annabel Candy, Get In the Hot Spot said

    Hi Liz,

    I agree with you – we have to promote ourselves effectively.

    All too often this is hard for small business owners. Especially women I think.

    The best way to promote yourself is to be subtle about it. Testimonials or case studies of clients you’ve helped and the results are idea. The fact that your skills helped them is then quietly inferred:)

    Social proof in social media such as followers, subscribers or details of people you’ve worked with are also good.

    The photo of you speaking up top here is a perfect example. You don’t have to tell anyone who visits your blog you’re a respected and popular expert in your field – they can immediately see it:)

  2. August 2nd, 2011 at 9:04 am
    Top 50 Social Media Blog Content For June and July 2011 | Garious Blog said

    [...] 12 Blog Posts that Tackle the Problem of Self Promotion Publisher: successful-blog.com   Author: Liz [...]

  3. November 10th, 2011 at 7:33 pm
    Self-Promotion - do you let your light shine? | Dr Les Kertay said

    [...] 12 Blog Posts that Tackle the Problem of Self Promotion (successful-blog.com) [...]

  4. April 21st, 2012 at 11:22 am
    Mitch Labuda said

    It’s a balance of self promotion and interaction with others to lift us all up.

    Great tips.

  5. April 21st, 2012 at 11:28 am
    Toon Kerssemakers said

    The most important thing for me is “Shameless Self-Promoters see only the game — not the relationship or the other person’s needs. Shameless self-promoters are focused on getting, not giving” If your possible customer has even the slightest feeling of being only a tool in your acivity, you’re gone and you never get it back.
    Thanks for posting

  6. April 21st, 2012 at 11:44 am
    Kimberly said

    Great Post! :)

  7. April 21st, 2012 at 11:50 am
    Sandy said

    I think most women have issues when it comes to promoting their business. For many,it just goes back to the way we were raised and societal expectations (depending on your generation :)

  8. April 21st, 2012 at 12:03 pm
    Roger Anderson said

    Every time I sit down to write my own bio, or start really working Social Media, I feel embarrassed and find other things to do. So, on Monday, I’ll try these things and see if they get me past my hesitation.

  9. April 21st, 2012 at 12:57 pm
    Lori Moreno said

    Great post Liz!

  10. April 21st, 2012 at 1:00 pm
    David Sanger said

    thanks Liz. bookmarked so I can read them all

  11. April 21st, 2012 at 1:22 pm
    Martin said

    Great post!

  12. April 21st, 2012 at 1:38 pm
    Slavica. said

    Sometimes it feels hard to judge the limit between over self-promotion and shyness…

  13. April 21st, 2012 at 2:08 pm
    Jyoti Prakash Haldar said

    Good column, thanks Liz!

  14. April 21st, 2012 at 3:03 pm
    Anne Thomas said

    Thanks Liz, that is indeed a challenging topic, subtle is the word but we do need to let people know we are out there :) Have an awesome weekend

  15. April 21st, 2012 at 3:14 pm
    Rick Thomas said

    In the course of promoting ourselves we share something of use to our public it will generally be appreciated as opposed to resented. Knowledge is one of the few things that you can give away freely, and still have!

  16. April 21st, 2012 at 7:33 pm
    Karen Marie Shelton said

    Hi Liz,
    Excellent topic. For me when I feel I’m being authentic or helping people I am able to overcome some of the blocks you mention.

    I agree with you that if you come from an authentic place wanting to form a sincere connection you are off to a great start in self promotion.
    Thanks as always.

  17. April 21st, 2012 at 9:41 pm
    Douglas Skinner said

    Trying to reach the state of guiltless self promotion. Interesting. What has worked for me is honor my reader and write on subjects that are interesting.

  18. April 22nd, 2012 at 12:20 am
    Alex Zmushka said

    great collection of posts! worth sharing… one at a time! :) Thank you so much Liz for all you do!

  19. April 22nd, 2012 at 6:26 am
    LUBStraining said

    Nice collection – a worthwhile read!

  20. April 22nd, 2012 at 6:34 am
    soror Nishi said

    Yep, I’m english and very careful, maybe too careful, about self promotion…. but I’m getting better.

  21. April 22nd, 2012 at 6:52 am
    Michael Q Todd said

    You missed the best one!1 ROFL. Just joking but thought I should promote myself a bit http://michaelqtodd.com/selfpromo

  22. April 23rd, 2012 at 3:56 am
    Wayne Mansfield said

    Best collection on this subject that I have seen… how do you do it??

  23. April 24th, 2012 at 10:46 am
    Alicia said

    Very nice collection. I particularly enjoyed the article “How Too Much Thinking Used to Screw Me Up”. In Navy Nuclear Power School, they call this Nuking It. My husband and I are both guilty of over-thinking.

  24. April 24th, 2012 at 2:13 pm
    Ramesh Shankerlal said

    Great Post Liz!

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