As a marketer, I’ve always prioritized the brands I worked for over my own profile. I would say it was because I was too busy, but in actuality, self-promotion was (and still is) very uncomfortable for me.
I’ve been conditioned to let the work speak for itself. That it’s “gauche” to brag about your own accomplishments and that you should let others sing your praises while always remaining humble.
Most women feel this way. We often face social pressure to be modest and to avoid appearing overly ambitious or aggressive. I am naturally both ambitious and assertive and have had to downplay these traits my entire career because gender stereotypes still exist, and women often receive negative reactions for this “unfeminine” behaviour (I have, many times).
Why add self-promotion fuel to the overly ambitious and aggressive fire? Because now that I have started my own consultancy, promoting my business means promoting myself. I had to get comfortable with self-promotion very quickly.
A few months ago, I challenged myself to step outside my comfort zone and apply some of the marketing magic I usually reserve for my clients to myself. I began treating it like it was part of my job and not an afterthought.
It felt weird at first. I’d get the “icks” every time I’d hit “publish”, especially on the posts with pictures of me. (Hot tip: selfies get better engagement.)
But it works (no surprise there)! LinkedIn has been very good for business. In the last 90 days, I have more than doubled my reach, tripled my clients, and turned down four job offers.
Whether you are growing your own business, looking for a job, or even happy in your current role, increasing your visibility on LinkedIn will help you achieve your career goals. And it’s a great way to ease into promoting your skills, talents and accomplishments.
Here are my top tips to help women get more comfortable with self-promotion through LinkedIn
(they apply to men too, but let’s face it women need them more)
Complete your LinkedIn profile
Just having a profile on LinkedIn is a great step to help establish you as a brand (even if your brand is currently Title X at Company Y). Make sure all the information is up-to-date with a current professional photo, and all your professional, educational, and volunteer experiences are listed.
Write a killer LinkedIn headline
Does your headline highlight your strengths and is crafted to further your career goals? It should! If you need some inspiration, ask ChatGPT for help.
Here’s a great prompt to try: “I am title at company, I excel at skill 1 skill 2 skill 3. Generate 20 headline suggestions for LinkedIn to help me career goal.”
Select the one that resonates the most with you, adapt it to your voice and publish it!
Use your own LinkedIn background image
A lot of companies now provide employees with a visual to use on their personal LinkedIn. That’s very useful! But if you wish to step up your personal brand, this is great real estate that can be used to reinforce your strengths! Hop over to Canva, search for “LinkedIn Background Photo”, find one you like, personalize it with your details, and use that one.
Show your work
Find any official communication the companies you worked for put out about projects you have collaborated on and add them as media to your job experience. Collaborated on a website? Link to the website! Worked on the launch of a new product? Post the press release about it! This can help establish your expertise without needing to be overly self-promotional.
Activate your network
Get back on people’s radars by reaching out to contacts you enjoyed collaborating with but haven’t talked to in over two years. So many people I have spoken to have confessed to neglecting their network while work is going well. It’s so important to continue nurturing the relationships you have built over the years. You never know how you may help each other in the future.
Give praise
Write an unsolicited recommendation for someone you have collaborated with. Often, a recommendation is reciprocated. That’s nice, but that’s not the point of this exercise. The goal is to get comfortable publicly highlighting successes and strengths—first, others’. Eventually, yours!
Schedule LinkedIn promo time
Set aside 10 minutes three times per week to interact on LinkedIn. Start off small by commenting on posts others have made, resharing a post that resonated with you while adding your thoughts, joining a group/discussion of like-minded individuals. This can build your presence without the need for direct self-promotion. It’s a great way to ease into eventually posting your own content or articles.
I share a lot more tips about growing your LinkedIn visibility for you OR your business, in my newsletter. Sign up to make sure you don’t miss a thing!
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