How to master the art of self-promotion

Have you ever heard people say "to get ahead you have to self-promote"? Initially, this statement made me uncomfortable. However, as I have progressed in my career, I fully agree with the importance of being able to promote myself. I recently attended an "Iamremarkable" training and it made me start thinking about the power of self-promotion. Making time to think about what makes me remarkable and sharing with people around me made me feel empowered and proud.
 
In this blog post, we will explore the definition of self-promotion, reasons to promote yourself as well as tips to help you learn how to promote yourself.
 
What does self-promotion mean?

• things that you do or say in order to make people notice you and think you are important (Source: Macmillian)
• the act of furthering one's own growth, advancement, or prosperity : the promotion of oneself (Source: Merriam Webster)
• To publicize, advertise, promote, or sell one’s own features and benefits in order to achieve personal and professional goals. (Source: McCombs Career Webinar)
• To attempt to further, advance, foster, boost, support, or to advocate for the fulfillment of one’s own needs and personal & professional goals. (Source: McCombs Career Webinar)

 
Reasons why you need to promote yourself

• You owe it to yourself - If you don't who will?
• Being able to promote yourself will help you grow and achieve greatness.
• You can be a role model for girls and women.

 
Mastering the art of promoting yourself
Explore some questions to help you assess how well you promote yourself and tips to start self-promotion.
 
Do you know you are remarkable?
Let's start with the most important thing - you are unique and amazing. There is no one like you on this earth. I know we are not trained to love ourselves. There are many negative words used to describe self-love. It's time to break free from that mold and start loving yourself. It's ok that you're not perfect. You are you!
 
MC's Tip: Accept and celebrate your whole self.
 
How do you talk about yourself?
When people ask you the question "tell me about yourself," it can be a difficult question to answer, especially if you are not prepared with a response. Thinking of an answer on the spot does not come easy to most of us. The good news is that you can learn how to talk about yourself. Personally, thinking about the one thing I want people to remember about me after they walk away from our conversation helps me. There are many great resources that can help you perfect the first impression.
 
MC's Tip: Practice introducing and talking about yourself as much as you can. It will get better with time.
 
Do you know and talk about your strengths?
Many of us find it hard to talk about what we do well. A few years ago, I started my journey to discover my strengths. I found it easier to talk about my weaknesses but struggled to think about my strengths. Read more on how I discovered my superpowers in my post, "Know your strengths." Talking about your strengths is what gets you those great opportunities.
 
MC's Tip: Discover your strengths and talk about them.
 
How do you talk about your accomplishments?
It took me a long while to embrace the opportunities to promote myself. I believed that my work will speak for itself and that I didn't need to do anything else. Especially with my move to the US, that theory was proven wrong. Doing great work is essential; however, talking about it may be more important in some cases.
 
MC's Tip: Start tracking your accomplishments and celebrate them.
 
How can you learn to promote yourself more?
We all know those people who quickly talk about their skills and services in every conversation. Two things may happen when we hear them. We either dislike their approach or feel impressed by their ability to promote themselves. I want to encourage you to surround yourself with people who self-promote well. It will help you learn how to promote yourself.  
 
MC's Tip: Observe people around you who promote themselves well and get ahead. Start promoting yourself.
 
Call to Action
What makes you remarkable? Think about three things that make you amazing and share it with three people this week.
What makes the people around you remarkable? Ask people about themselves and give them the opportunity to promote themselves.
 
Final Thoughts

• When we start thinking about our strengths and talking about them, they become more prominent.
• People need to know how amazing you are, tell them.
• Promote yourself and don't be shy!

 
Great Resources

• Stand Out for Success: The Secrets of Self-Promotion
• Building Relationships: 11 Rules for Self-Promotion
• Self Promotion Is A Leadership Skill
• 5 Tips for Practicing Self-promotion Without Being Totally Annoying
• How To Take The Shame Out Of Self-Promotion