by Sarina

Have you noticed how competitive business has become? It appears these days that there are more advertising agencies, radio stations, doctors, lawyers, web designers, even coaches than ever before! If you find yourself nodding to this, and are trying to tell yourself that ‘the quality of my work will speak for itself’ I have some bad news for you. You might be doing an outstanding job, but if nobody notices, your efforts are likely to go unrewarded.

Marketing one’s self is a practice that every ambitious individual should get into the habit of mastering. Without a doubt it is one of the major stumbling blocks that I have found when dealing with business owners and executives in my coaching practice. That is why I have come up with 5 simple steps that, if followed consistently, will dramatically raise your professional visibility. Whether you are a company owner, solo professional or an employee looking to raise their workplace profile the below action steps will help you to create your very own personalized PR campaign. Feel free to drop me a line to let me know how it works for you!

1. See the Big Picture

Action Step: Attend one high visibility event every month for the next 12 months. These can include professional association meetings and/or social events, conferences, seminars, workshops, etc.

2. Lead by Example.

Action Step: At the start of each month, look at your To-Do list. What upcoming task can you effectively delegate either in-house or by outsourcing?

3. Stop Self-Sabotage!

Action Step: Every Monday, take one overdue task and resolve to complete it that week, either through your own efforts or through delegation/outsourcing.

4. Position Yourself As An Authority.
Warning!: This method only works if you are truly passionate about your industry/vocation. If you can’t work yourself up to a passion point this may be a warning sign that you are in the wrong line of work!

Action Step: Once a quarter create a mini-workshop, class, media appearance or other vehicle for sharing your knowledge and passion with your existing client base or the public. If you are still working on your public speaking skills then write an article for a trade publication or a local newspaper (be sure to put a promotional blurb for your company at the ending of your article).

5. Volunteer.

Action Step: Once a quarter volunteer for a professional association’s committee or event. Ideally you should be the member of 1 to 3 organizations serving your industry and/or target market.