INDY REVIEW: Do-It-Yourself : Get to know Self-Promotion

In the digital age, social media kill traditional promotion. The old mass media industries are being fundamentally restructured by the digital economy. Advertising is too expensive when free Internet tools exist. Why do not you consider using social media and self-promotion strategy for your brand?

Most people think that self-promotion is a shame without knowing its benefit. There are numbers of reasons why you should consider using self-promotion instead of traditional promotion. With self-promotion, you can be right or wrong depends on your strategy. It is the art of selling yourself to your audiences. Selling yourself seems not a proper word, but believe me that it perfectly defines the word “Self-Promotion.”

The first thing to do is learning what is right and what is wrong. Self-promotion can increase harm than respectable if not performed it correctly. The effective self-promotion contributes useful information and discussion in a leading role. In other words, you must have known and be an expert in things you want to self-promote. It is not about talking out yourself and claim relevant to nothing. If you want to look good, you also have to be good.

The next step is to build your brand awareness. It is necessary to create a network and expand it. Ann Mah, a consultant and past president of the Kansas City, Mo.-based American Business Women's Association (ABWA), state “Effective networks are simply mutual obligations between people," Mah says, "Show your boss and others in decision-making positions that you can get things done through others. Show them, you are connected."

Regarding to what I stated above, it is your advantage to be an expert in things you want to self-promote. You have to know yourself, know your resume, know your strength in order to make someone else believes in you. Peggy Klaus, the author of Brag! The Art ofTooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It, says “We need to talk about ourselves with the same passion with which we talk about others we care about. That does not usually happen."

Wong Fu Productions, my favorite independent production group that I always mention in this blog, has been using self-promotion for their company, and it has worked remarkably well. They had an interview with National Film Society recently. They posted a video on YouTube explained how self-promotion works for them and why YouTube should be considered as an effective tool.