How To Market Yourself Without Marketing Yourself

You don’t need a complicated marketing plan, selfie strategy, or growth hack to market yourself.

If you want people to care about you and your work, double down on its quality, your commitment to those who consume it, and your willingness to share your expertise with the world.

Here are seven simple ways to do that…

1. Make things and put them into the world.

Your work is your greatest marketing tool.

People may ignore what you say, but they’ll pay attention to what you do.

The more you make, the higher its quality, and the more willing you are to share it with the world, the more people will discover and spread the word about you.

2. Help people.

Be known for being generous.

Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will get you noticed by the people you help and the people they know.

Selfish doesn’t spread.

3. Overdeliver.

An adequate job doesn’t get talked about.

Nobody tells anybody else about the person who did a “good enough” job on work they hired them to do.

To get noticed, you must exceed expectations — not simply live up to them.

4. Respond to everyone who reaches out.

You don’t have to have an answer to every question you get asked and you don’t have to agree to every request you receive.

But you do to have to respond to them.

5. Acknowledge everyone who mentions you.

It’s amazing how many people and companies want to better market themselves while they simultaneously ignore their existing audience.

Everyone is worth your time when trying to grow your audience.

I repeat: Everyone is worth your time.

6. Share what you learn.

That thing you learned today? There are millions of people who haven’t learned it yet, but would love to.

When you share your journey, it makes people want to come along for the ride.

7. Teach what you know.

Your knowledge is an asset that becomes infinitely more valuable when you share it.

Create vessels — mine are my For The Interested newsletter and blog posts like this one — to teach what you know to people hungry to know it.

Teaching not only attracts an appreciative crowd and creates opportunities, but it also unlocks a deeper understanding of your subject matter for you in the process.

Want proof?

After writing this post, I know a lot more about how to market yourself without marketing yourself than I did when I started it.

I hope you do too.