Seven Keys to Successfully Promoting Yourself and Your Business

I recently realized that I've been my own boss for over a year now! That's crazy! I never, ever thought that would be the case. And as many of you other freelancers know, work comes and goes, so labeling this a "career" may be a stretch.

Prior to launching out on my own, I was a publicity and marketing professional in the Christian publishing industry. For almost nine years, I worked with books, authors, television and radio media, newspapers, bloggers, and magazines. It was an exciting industry to be a part of, and my job was always changing and adapting. I worked with both new and experienced authors. Every author wanted to see their work promoted, to help spread the word about their book, and interact with their readers. And I'd like to share some advice from those years in the industry with you--advice for promoting whatever it is that you do, or want to do. While I talk a lot about publishing, you can adapt these "Seven Keys to Successfully Promoting Yourself and Your Business" to your specific situation.

These may seem completely unrelated to promoting yourself or your idea, but trust me...they are intimately connected. Some of the easiest authors to work with had a firm grasp on all of these things. And their readers loved them with fierce loyalty, and helped promote their books by spreading the word. Their books were the most successful (from a publishing standpoint), and they were some of the most contented individuals I worked with.

1. Know who you are. This may seem elementary, but it's not. I can't tell you how many individuals I've worked with who had not allowed themselves to be comfortable in their own skin prior to writing their book. It's almost as if they were looking to their book to make them who they want to be, which never, ever works in the long run. Your success depends on you knowing who you are--that way, whether your succeed or fail, your world isn't shaken apart. You are you, and nothing and no one can shake that. Don't try to find your identity in the book you wrote, or the business you're trying to start. Know who you are beforehand, and don't shy away from that.
2. Don't just take "yes" for an answer. Most of us have people who are in our corner--people who love us.  And those wonderfully dedicated cheerleaders are great at telling you how wonderful you are. So, now you have this GREAT idea, and you want to share it with those who love you. And of course, they're all thrilled and think you'll do amazingly well, and can't wait to see you succeed. However, I would caution you. If no one is telling you "no," there is cause for concern. Just like we all need dedicated cheerleaders, we all need realists in our lives who will bring us back down to earth and shoot straight with us. Not every idea is a good one, and you should WANT to know if you're idea is a good (or a bad) one. Seek out people who will tell you the honest truth, and love them for it.
3. You're going to have to get your hands dirty. Before you dive into an endeavor that will require you to promote yourself, you need to know that YOU--yes, you--are going to have to do some promoting yourself. You may have a publicist working for you, or a teach of specialized marketers at your disposal, but only you are your best promoter. The quicker you accept this fact, the better. Publicists, marketers, sleek advertisements, social media, etc. all only play supporting roles. They should never be viewed as magicians, who can make you a star. If you don't give them anything to work with, magic can't happen. Genuine, authentic success can't be conjured out of thin air.
4. Let your passion shine through. Curb your vain ambition. There are countless individuals I've witnessed who want to be (for lack of a better term) a "star." They want recognition. They want authority. They want to be well-known. Now, don't get me wrong. I don't think they were always like that. Many of them started out with a passion and a message to communicate--and usually a good one (see #2)! But, somewhere along the way, ambition took over and thwarted their passion and turned it into something that won't inspire, won't encourage, and won't benefit anyone. An idea, concept, or book that truly grabs ahold of people is pregnant with passion. People crave authenticity and transparency (see #1), and will see right through vain ambition. Embrace who you are and what you're passionate about, and check your vanity at the door. Ambition isn't a necessarily bad thing, but when it clouds your passion and thwarts who you are, it becomes a bad thing. No one wants to listen to someone who is only out to promote themselves, and nothing more.
5. Stay humble. Would you describe yourself as arrogant? Self-absorbed? Cocky? You probably would not--most people wouldn't. But you would be surprised at how many authors, speakers, and others can come across this way, when it comes to their book or platform. Now, I attribute this change in persona to many of the things I've already talked about. They allowed themselves to get lost. They only listened to yay-sayers. They started to expect magical fame. They lost sight of their passion, and grabbed hold of vain ambition. Staying firmly rooted in the reality of who you are is the key to staying humble. Remember who you are, and where you've come from. Don't forget to love on the people in your life. Be kind to those who cross your path. These are simple truths, but you would be surprised how many of us, many times in our lives lose sight of them. As a Christian, I have a different term for it, but you can ask me about that some other time. Love your neighbor. Do good to those who cause you harm. Give without expecting anything in return. Take care of the poor, the widowed, and the orphan. Serve. Combine ambition from #4 and a lack of humility, and you get someone who's hard to work with, hard to love, and someone no one wants to listen to or support. And you may be able to disguise your ambition (and sometimes, lack of humility) for a while, but true motives will always shine through in the end--both bad and good.
6. Keep your eye on the prize. Your journey will undoubtedly not turn out how you expected. Author Nancy Guthrie has written many wonderful books that talk about this. Keep a firm hold on your passion and who you are, but accept that this passion may take you on an unexpected journey. Stay focused on what's most important, and don't sacrifice those things for anything else. If you're left with an empty, icky feeling because of a choice you've made that strays from what is most important, odds are it was a bad choice for you. It's like our childbirth educator told us, "It's never too late to change doctors." She was talking about people who ended up being uncomfortable with pressures from their OB or childbirth team, and was making the point that you should never feel forced into something that takes you away from what's most important to you.
7. Embrace failure and re-defined success. Let's face it--your book or idea may be a flop. But, if you've held true to who you are, and the other pieces of advice I've offered, you will still be successful! "Success" may just look significantly different than you (or anyone else) thought it would. I realize this may be a hard pill to swallow, especially for someone who faces pressures from publishers, publicists, marketers, sales teams, editors, banks, and on and on. But, don't let anyone define your success for you. You alone know when you're successful. Several years ago, I knew some people who started their own business, but there were some personnel complications down the road, and they had to file for bankruptcy. Watching their journey was a profound lesson for me. Despite their financial struggle after the business folded, they were ok! They were still the same people, and still had the love of their family. Even though it was a painful experience, they were ok! They embraced this new chapter, and accepted it for what it was...a chapter, and not forever. In my opinion, they were infinitely more successful despite their financial woes. They accepted a new reality and newly defined success, and you can too.