We all need the art of self-marketing, whether we are employees seeking a promotion, freelancers interested in attracting more clients, business owners, or authors trying to publish a book. The question, however, is how do we self-market correctly?

Here are five techniques for professional self-marketing:

1. Enhance your digital presence on different social media platforms:

Have you ever searched for your name on Google Search Engine to see your character in virtual reality? This is how people see you and get to know you today, through the content you share, your profile picture, and the identification under your name on various social media platforms. This does not mean you have to delete every information or picture you have of yourself online; not being online is not the best option for self-marketing either.

The best option, however, is to ensure that your digital presence leaves a positive impression, and enhances your professional image in front of others.

2. Expand your network and invest in it:

We cannot speak of self-marketing but ignore the importance of communication, especially when we find out that about 85% of the jobs available today in the labor market are filled through relationships. This is according to a statistic for LinkedIn conducted in cooperation with Lou Adler, founder of a development and training agency and a recruitment expert.

You can get there by building profitable relationships long-term with a network of people around you; professionals, colleagues, managers, business owners, and academics.

You can also use the Internet to grow the circle of your relationships with different people. Everybody has a presence in the digital world today, and you can communicate with many people through social media, e-mails, and communication groups such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

3. Be patient and consistent towards your goals:

You must clearly identify what you want and employ all the self-marketing techniques in service of this purpose. If you are looking for a job at a certain company, for instance, try to develop relationships with some of this company’s employees and executives, make them notice your skills and strengths in your field of work, and what you have accomplished in your career.

4. Keep learning and developing yourself and your skills:

Self-marketing depends, first and foremost, on the skills, experience, and strengths you have developed over your career life.

The exhibition in which you show the simple designs you have been working on at the beginning of your career, and the development of your skills and designs over time, give an impression that you are a consistent person who has worked tirelessly to grow and develop your skills.

5. Invest in your strengths:

Take a look at your skills; what are the things you can easily work with to overcome any obstacle without any difficulty? Focus on these points, whether in your Resume or on your CV. Make it more attractive than the other aspect in which you are less capable.

Some tools to help you better self-market:

  • LinkedIn profile:

LinkedIn is the best and might be the only professional communication network in the world. This makes it the go-to place for companies and organizations to attract efficient people and look for the skills best fitting their activities. Many of these organizations no longer announce their need for new employees but rather search for appropriate fits on LinkedIn.

  • A Professional Resume:

A professional Resume represents you in the best way in front of companies and businesses where you want to work. Think about the information any company wants to know about you, and delete all the other irrelevant points and information.

  • An Exhibition of your Work:

In some more creative fields, such as design, writing, programming, etc., a resume is no longer sufficient today, and an exhibition is required. Thus, make sure to build an exhibition of your work and to keep it up to date constantly; add the best-quality work you have done, in addition to the projects in which you have participated.

  • A Website:

It might be beneficial to own a website with your name on it or to have your work exhibition in the form of a website, where you can exhibit your work, projects, and the sum of your professional experiences, in addition to the latest accomplishments. If you are a content writer, make sure to write the content of your website in a manner that expresses how professional your work is. If you are a designer or a programmer, for instance, it is important that your site reflects your experiences and skills.

In conclusion, the art of self-marketing is merely a strategy we follow through a series of related tools and techniques to promote our skills and experiences, showing them in a most polished manner at a time when competition over opportunities is increasing, making self-marketing a necessity rather than a choice.