Self promotion is part of the game of business. Careers, too, for that matter.

The difference between business success and business failure often has more to do with effective self-promotion than with technical competence. So if you want recognition, you must start promoting yourself. Hey, no one is going to know any of your achievements, if you don’t tell them.  (You could bring your mother along to all your networking event’s to boast about your achievements but that’s not a good   strategy. She could get carried away and and whip out your baby pictures, a sure way to downgrade your expert aura.)  Best to exude confidence and….

Learn to tell your own story.

Learn to weave your successes into a pithy story, which becomes as much a part of your repertoire as a handshake. Sit down and write out your story, the times you’ve succeeded, what you’ve achieved, times you’ve made a difference. That’s the story you need to commit to ready memory and weave into all your public speaking—and even your casual conversations with colleagues.

Determine to become a master of the visibility game.

How to begin?

Do you have the right credentials?

I’m going to assume you do.  If not, get them. Whatever hoops you have to go through…. whether it’s more course work, raising your profile through speaking, winning awards or becoming recognized for your achievements, at least in your own circles, do it.  That is your back story and the foundation for your future success.

Find your niche

Christianne Amanpour is known for her reporting of foreign news.  You don’t see her reporting on the Bronx, though I’m sure she could do that as well.  You don’t see her showing off her fresh baked cakes, either.  Just as you don’t see Martha Stewart reporting on tensions in the Mideast. What are you known for?  What’s your passion?

Establish Your Brand

My back ground is in business and as an entrepreneur.  For the past 12 years I’ve been an advocate for leveling the playing field for women.  I could write about art or travel or the five years I spent in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, where I ran a business. But that is not my niche. ( If you want to read a book on San Miguel and Mexico, see Tony Cohan’s Mexican Days, which has been called, ” terribly seductive” and, as he describes Mexico, “intimate, voluptuous-senses driven”. It’s a great subject and a great niche to write about, but I recognize it is not my niche.)

Your brand should be closely tied to your niche

Your brand has to be Brand You. It’s all about you.  But not all of you.  Select and well honed parts of you. Identify what is distinctive about your style and personality and  achievements.  Think Christianne Amanpour and her desert jackets.  Not for her Martha Stewart’s soft, unique colors or 300 pedigreed hens.  Everything from how you dress, how you write, how you present your self, should reflect what is unique about your style and the core of your brand.

I like business stories and business biographies.  You may like children’s stories or crafts or Egyptian history.  Whatever it is that you’re all about, wherever your passion is, make that the core of your brand.

Then get the word out – broadcast your brand.

Network with successful people in your own niche.

Attend networking events with the movers and shakers in your niche. Tell your compelling, engaging story to them, and let them help you tell it to a broader circle.

Start speaking to groups or start your own blog and use both of these to tell your story.  It’s all about networking either in person or over the Net.

Today is the best time to start.

If you have other suggestions or experiences about creating your personal brand, write and tell us!

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