Today we’ll talk about shameless self-promotion. That’s right, I said it! Shameless! After all, we are learning from Paris Hilton here.

It’s all about self-promotion! Self-promotion comes in many forms and you can use different tactics to get your name out there. Look at politicians! They’re into self-promotion and in some not so discreet ways, at that. But, seriously, consider some of the major superstars we all know.

We all self promote. Did you raise your hand in class to show the teacher you knew the answer? Of course! That’s self-promotion. This is the kind of self-promotion we are talking about. You should have dignity, integrity, class and knowledge to back it up. If you self-promote only to prove you don’t really know what you’re talking about, you’re going to lose business.

Natural self-promoters have three major traits to use to build themselves and their businesses.

1. The first is position. You need to position yourself around people who can make a difference in your life. Do this frequently. Wake up every morning and ask yourself “Who can I meet today who will make a difference in my success?” In fact, go a step further. Write it in big, bold letters and tape it on your bathroom mirror.

Also consider:

Who can help me meet my goals?

Is it a prospective customer/client? A colleague with contacts? An association with key members who may become prospects?

Don’t settle into interacting with the people who are the easiest to access. Reach outside your comfort zone to find a wealth of new connections that will bring you great success.

2. Now, let’s talk about Style. No, this doesn’t mean you need an Armani suit to bring in more business (though, let’s be honest, in some fields it wouldn’t hurt). What this really means is how are you different from your competitors and others in your industry? What makes you memorable with customers?

If you are meeting a lot of people and they don’t remember you once you leave the room, you have a serious problem! It also means you have an opportunity to present yourself in a more memorable way.

There are lots of little subtle changes you can make. Reassess your:

• Business cards
• Company message
• Your picture
• Your wording
• Your hair style
  

I’m not joking about your hair. Once upon a time I won a squeaker of an election to a position on the board of directors of a national non-profit. Unfortunately, knowing it was a squeaker, I realized nearly half my constituents hadn’t wanted me in that role. From conversations, I learned they thought I was too set in my ways and wouldn’t hear new ideas from them. I changed my hair. For a year, I wore what I called my political permanent, curly and completely unlike my usual hair. It worked. It shook people into believing I was openminded after all, so they brought ideas to me and I became one of the leaders on the board.

You get the idea. There are lots of little ways you can work on making your image and business more successful. Consider how you sound on the phone and how you greet people at meetings or other events. Think about your 30-second elevator speech. What impression are you making? What impression do you want to make? What can you tweak to accomplish that?

3. The third trait of natural promoters is repetition. You can’t say it once and leave it at that. Successful self-promoters say it as many times as needed until they get a response. Would you remember a commercial for Coca-Cola if you only saw it once? No! You see it over and over, and eventually you head out to the store.

You have to make multiple impressions on those you are networking with in order to build brand awareness. Repetition is directly connected with positioning. Once you find people to network with, reach out and find hundreds more who can help in your success as well.