Get Noticed – Six Tips for Self-Promotion
For some people self-promotion comes naturally. They appear
completely comfortable meeting new people and seem to converse with ease. They
contribute in meetings and are viewed as competent and even influential by
colleagues. It’s one thing to develop a professional relationship with a client
or teach a group exercise class, but physically promoting yourself can be
daunting and even painful. You might be thinking, “I am not a salesperson; I am
a trainer”. I know I did not get into this industry to sell. However,
generating a client base is a must for a thriving business. I recently read an
interesting article in Psychology Today that gave six tips from Nancy Ancowtiz,
the author of Self-Promotion for
Introverts, on how to get noticed.
- Sell Yourself –
Ancowtiz suggested effective self-promotion starts with discovering
the overlap between what your target audience wants and what you have to
offer. How do you find out what your target audience wants? Here are some
ideas:
- Use a survey
– www.surveymonkey.com is
ease to use and FREE!
- Checkout
on-line forums and read magazines and newspapers that are directed toward
your target audience.
- Write – start a blog or forum. Twitter
or use Facebook. Contribute to your gyms newsletter. Write articles for
fitness websites and publications.
- Host – organize an event and become
the go to person. The holidays are a great time to arrange group
activities and promote charitable organizations.
- Public Speaking – prepare
and present a topic of interest to gym members, corporate wellness
centers, community centers and public health out reach forums.
- Network – Ancowitz suggested preparing
some opening lines and practicing using open-ended questions for
networking events. The focus should be easy, simple and friendly.
- Say Hi – make yourself visible by
regularly exchanging niceties and showing interest. I make an effort to
ask how members are doing and remember to inquire about special events and
family members. Sometimes just a friendly smile and greeting can make a
difference.
Karen
Moreno, MA Candidacy Kinesiology/Exercise Physiology
BA
Social Science/Education
Reference:
Huston,
M. (2009). Psychology today. Self-Promote
(The Introvets’ Edition) Fight Your Nature and Get Noticed. 42(6), 25.
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