You’ve probably seen it on your own feed: Instagram ads promising $10,000 per month. Or people who keep talking about themselves on LinkedIn. Or the typical influencer. These are all examples of marketing that encourages self-promotion. While they can be a bit annoying at times, they work when done correctly.
Self-promotion is important as it increases awareness of your abilities and skills that can lead to opportunities that can aid you in advancing your career, or even change your career. You are also able to share your achievements with other people who may be able to help in the future. Without it, you run the risk of being self promotion a victim of the work of others, and not allowing opportunities to be considered.
It can be difficult to master self-promotion because it can be difficult to determine if it’s excessive or if you’re being viewed as a bragging braggart. Many studies have shown how bragging can make others feel envious, irritated and even lead to negative evaluations of your performance.
Constructive self promotion is, in contrast, is about showing others your unique value offering. It focuses on demonstrating how you can excel and what you are good at doing and how your expertise can solve their problems. This can be a daunting job for many particularly those who suffer from impostor’s syndrome or aren’t comfortable being open about their accomplishments. The art and science of self-promotion will bring more opportunities to the workplace.