Go Ahead Self-Promote...Just Do it the Right Way (where Right = Interesting)

7 Comments

Comment by Pat Coyle on June 23, 2008 at 9:23pm

Another great post, Nwokedi...for some reason I was reminded of this rant by steve Martin's character in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." Hope it amplifies your point...

Neal: You know everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have NONE of that. They're not even amusing ACCIDENTALLY! "Honey, I'd like you to meet Del Griffith, he's got some amusing anecodotes for you. Oh and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with Del Griffith. I can take ANYTHING." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah." It's like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back - you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea - have a POINT. It makes it SO much more interesting for the listener!

Comment by Nwokedi C. Idika on June 24, 2008 at 12:44am

Thanks Pat. I think time is our most precious commodity. And if someone is willing to spend this precious commodity to, say, read a post we've written, then we, at the very least, owe that person something interesting.

Comment by Cissi Sherlock on June 24, 2008 at 11:36am

I like shameless, blatant self-promotion! Everything just has to be put in perspective. I do believe that we are intelligent enough to see those who take shameless to the extreme. Being from an entertainment background, you see why I favor self-promotion. Everything, though, just always be done with a degree of respect for yourself and others - even if shamelessly.

So go ahead, tell us about yourself. If we see though you and know that it is a line of BS, that is the risk you take for being too shamless. That has happened - you know!

I we see that you have a sense of humor, a sense of respect and you generally have a product to offer - your message will get through - shameless or not.

Just enjoy yourself!

~C~

Comment by Erik Deckers on June 24, 2008 at 3:27pm

Since it's only a copy of a copy of his presentation, I just reserved a copy of his book at the library, rather than buying it. Had I seen the live version, I might feel differently. ;-)

Comment by Faith Wesstrom on June 26, 2008 at 2:37pm

Is it harder for (some) women to self promote? Coming from my Asian upbringing where it was instilled in us to assume a submissive and supportive role instead of an active or independent one has some serious long lasting repercussions. Breaking away from such "ill advised values" is really hard - considering that it's been beaten into us since childhood!! It's a constant battle especially when some family members still hold this idea about women! Some years ago, I read the book "Nice girls don't get the corner office", there were alot of things that resonate with me. In my case, it's almost shameful to self promote. That is why I usually cringed inwardly when I am asked: "So, what do you do (for a living)?" This is a weakness on my part and perhaps that is why I may not be as successful in the line of business that I chose currently.

Comment by Nwokedi C. Idika on June 26, 2008 at 3:43pm

Cissi - Your point is well taken. My post is just to help people be more effective at promoting their stuff. If some specific people make it known that they have a problem, and you have the right solution, go ahead and be direct--the most effective in that situation. Your solution will be welcomed. To explain the alternative case, it will be easier to confine discussion to the Smaller Indiana ecosystem. Someone on SI shamelessly posting (in forums or blog posts) about their product/service offerings get very few comments or responses. You can look around SI for yourself to verify that. Part of the problem with that approach that I don't touch on in my post is that such a posting is a solution looking for a problem. A solution looking for a problem is the quintessence of "spam." Promoting in creative ways is not only more fun, it's more effective in the general case.

Erik - You've inspired an unpublished post: "Keeping up with the Latest Books on a Budget"

Faith - Based on your comment, I went to your profile page and checked out your company page. I don't know what the drink is, but the Website looks sexy. One book I'd recommend if you haven't read it already, is "7 Habits of Highly Effective People." The first habit is being "Proactive." One of the things it tells us is that we don't have to live out of our past following scripts that other people have written for us. We can actually rescript ourselves and live out the script that we choose.

Comment by Faith Wesstrom on June 27, 2008 at 8:18am

Yes. I have read that book and I also liked "Reinventing work - the brand you 50" by Tom Peters. Branding oneself - to craft something really interesting that catches the audience's attention - that's the challenge. I've worked on this branding me over the years and have changed the script umpteen times. It's a on/off work-in-progress project and I try it out on friends and get their feedback. Occasionally I will try my script to acquaintances just to see their reaction! I think they might find me weird. The thing is, my branding script changes over time to reflect my own change of priorities or life situation.

Add a Comment