How to Promote Yourself Without Promoting Yourself

The plethora of social media outlets sure makes it easy to toot your horn these days. And most of us have done it--including me. 

You’ve seen the tweets and posts. “Just got off a quick call with Richard Branson; he said he loved my book” or “Feeling humbled to be included on this list of the top 1,000 accounting bloggers.” 

The thing is, even though there will always be people that are impressed by your self-promotional messages, an even greater number of people will be turned off by them. At the same time, social media is the perfect venue to get the word out to your customers and contacts. So, what’s a person to do? 
One of the most effective ways to promote yourself is to promote others. 
I’ve used this tactic consistently and authentically for years. Let me talk about the word “authentically.” In no way am I suggesting this as a corny, slimy way to gain exposure. This is an intentional practice, done in the spirit of sharing and referring, and just happens to pay dividends. 

The idea behind reverse self-promotion is that you point out the success of others, give public testament to a great product or service, or share the promotional efforts of members of your networks as much as you share your own successes and offers. Not sure how to start? It’s easy. 

• Write a blog post reviewing a great product and then @ mention the tool provider in your tweet. They’ll retweet and expand the audience your post reaches. 

• Pick up on the promotional efforts of members of your network and share them. 

• Thank people whose content you dig or whose webinar you attended. 

• Write an unsolicited testimonial and send it to a company that makes a tool you love. Here’s an example.

• Create content, such as an eBook, offer it to a blogger or site you love, and let them co-brand it (or vice versa). Here’s an example.

There are so many reasons that promoting others makes sense. 
• It’s a good thing to do. 
• It makes you feel good. 
• It activates the law of reciprocity. 
• It creates influence and authority. 
• It reins in blatant self-promotion. 
• It makes sharing easier. 

While I am advocating this approach as a standard marketing tactic, it can’t be overstated that if your efforts along these lines are insincere and only driven by the hope that you’ll get something, you will not only be ineffective, but you may actually damage your outreach efforts. 

Look for ways to promote others as a full 50 percent of your social network activity, and you will find your own exposure and opportunities growing at a rate unmatched by any other practice.

BY JOHN JANTSCH

 

Marketing Consultant, Speaker, & Best-Selling Author

Western security organisation broken into IS identity reports

Western intelligence services examined Thursday a potential treasure trove of leaked IS registration documents, some of which were deemed likely to be authentic by the German intelligence service despite the doubts of many experts.

The information, which could help track down current and former Islamic State group jihadists, was included in forms which new recruits had to fill out, British and German media reported.

The documents contain details like names, dates of birth and phone numbers for people from 51 countries including from Britain, northern Europe, the Middle East, north Africa, the United States and Canada.

British broadcaster Sky News said it had shared with British security services documents with the identities of some 22,000 IS group members.

While Britain’s interior ministry said it would not comment on national security matters in line with normal policy, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister David Cameron said the government would “look at how this information can be used in the fight against Daesh,” another term for Islamic State.

“If it can, then we would welcome that,” she said, adding that the government had not been aware of the story before it was reported by Sky.

German federal police spokesman Markus Koths said there was “a very high probability” that documents reported by German media as identifying German jihadists were genuine.

“We are therefore taking them into account as part of our law enforcement and security measures,” he added.

Fredrik Milder, a spokesman for Sweden’s Sapo intelligence service, meanwhile told TT news agency: “We are aware of the existence of this list.”

“Our security services have received such information,” he said.

– Inconsistencies? –
The developments follow German media reports earlier this week about a questionnaire which new IS recruits from Germany had to fill in.

German Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said they would help “a better understanding of the structures” of IS and pave the way for “faster, clearer investigations and higher prison sentences”.

Experts said the documents would be valuable if authentic, although they pointed out mistakes and uncharacteristic language in the forms.

Richard Barrett, formerly a senior figure in Britain’s MI6 overseas intelligence service, said the leak would be “an absolute gold mine of information of enormous significance and interest”.

But Charlie Winter, a researcher at Georgia State University, said: “There would be big alarm bells for me, because when I’ve seen inconsistencies like that in the past they’ve been on really shoddily-made forgeries.”

The Arabic name for “The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,” IS’s previous nomenclature, is written in two different ways, including one that is not consistent with past practice.

Files documenting the deaths of IS militants use the words “date of killing” instead of the typical jihadist term “martyrdom.”

Romain Caillet, an independent jihadism expert, also noted that some documents feature a second, circular logo not previously used on IS files.

Syrian opposition news website Zaman al-Wasl said there were thousands of repetitions in the leaked documents and the names of only 1,700 people could be identified in the 22,000 documents.

– Detailed list of questions –
Sky reported that a disillusioned former member had handed over the documents on a memory stick that had been stolen from the head of the group’s internal security police.

Questions on the documents include asking recruits their blood type, mother’s maiden name, “level of sharia understanding” and previous experience, it said.

Names on the list include Reyaad Khan, a 21-year-old British jihadist who Britain’s government said was planning attacks on Britain before being killed by a British drone in Syria last year.

Another on the list was Junaid Hussain, a British computer hacker described by British authorities as a key IS operative, who died in a US air strike last year.

The alleged leak comes with Western security services on high alert against the possibility of fresh jihadist massacre following the Paris attacks spree last November.

On Monday, Britain’s most senior counter-terrorism police officer warned of the risk of “spectacular” attacks targeting the “Western lifestyle”.

“You see a terrorist group which has big ambitions for enormous and spectacular attacks, not just the types that we’ve seen foiled to date,” said Mark Rowley, assistant commissioner at London’s Metropolitan Police.

British police say they foiled seven plots between late 2014 and early 2016.

Oil workers end strike after 'no job cuts' deals with Kachikwu

Nigerian oil workers unions under the aegis of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) have called off a day-old strike after the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu,  following the unbundling of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Both PENGASSAN and NUPENG embarked on the strike on Wednesday, an action which had heightened fears that the current fuel scarcity being experienced across the country might persist.

Kachikwu announced on Tuesday that the NNPC had been restructured and broken down into five business-focused and two service-driven units, The Guardian reported.

He explained during a world press conference that the reorganization is aimed at fulfilling one of the key change agenda of the present government, noting that the reorganisation will  introduce accountability, transparency and probity in the management of the corporation.

The unions claimed that the government’s action was a surprise to them, claiming that they were not informed before the government took the action.”

“The strike was called off around 5:00 am this morning at the end of an all-night meeting with union officials,” Ohi Alegbe, said NNPC’s spokesman.

“The minister clarified the government’s position on the ongoing reorganisation in NNPC. At the end of the day, the unions were satisfied,” he said.

Peterside appointed DG of NIMASA

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Dakuku Peterside, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 governorship in Rivers, as director-general of Nigerian Maritime administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

NIMASA is under the supervision of the ministry of transport, which is headed by Rotimi Amaechi, former governor of Rivers state who spearheaded Peterside’s electioneering campaign.

Yetunde Sonaike, director of public relations in the ministry of transportation, confirmed this in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, The Cable reported.

She said the appointment was with immediate effect.

The statement said Peterside holds a doctorate degree in Management Science from the University of Port Harcourt and MBA in Business Administration.

He also holds a Bachelor Degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences (B.MLS) in Hematology from Rivers State University of Science and Technology.

Peterside was a member of the house of representative between 2011 and 2015.

Super-Charge Your Local Search Results

IMAGE: Getty Images

Do you have a business that gets most of its sales from within a 50- to 100-mile radius? If your focus is on local customers, it’s more important than ever to be findable in search engines. Why? Because today most shoppers either do research online before they buy, or they hunt for information using their mobile devices in order to find a local place of business.  

According to Google research, online information actually propels people to shop locally. Three out of four people who find local information in search results helpful are more likely to visit the store. Not only that, but “... 71 percent of in-store shoppers who use smartphones for online research say their device has become more important to their in-store experience.”

Here are seven ways you can improve your visibility in local search results:  

1. Include Your Address(es) on Your Site. Make sure your business is easily findable by visitors to your site by making your address prominent. Some businesses put it on a separate contact page, but others go one better and include the address in the footer or header of every site page. Including this information on your website also increases the chances your business will be properly associated in search engines with your geographic location. 

And don’t forget: make sure the information is accurate. If you’ve moved or closed a location, update the information. Include phone and email contact information. A map and directions is also a nice touch.

2. Claim and Complete Your "Google My Business" Listing. Google is the powerhouse of search engines. Luckily, Google provides a means to get your business listed for free, at “Google My Business.” The great thing about Google My Business is that it’s integrated with the main Google search engine, mobile search, Google+, and Google Maps. So no matter where people are searching in Google, if you’re listed in “Google My Business” your business has a shot at being found.

If you haven’t claimed your listing, go do it now. Or take a few moments to review and update your existing listing for accuracy. Add photos, such as a mouth-watering picture of your chef’s special dish, as they can appear in your listing and help spur interest.

3. Don't Forget Facebook! Facebook, with more than 1 billion active users every month, is another powerhouse. And Facebook has been implementing a variety of features to connect consumers with local business. Be sure to do the following, at a minimum, when it comes to Facebook: 

• Set up a Facebook Page. A Page gives your business a presence on this massively popular site. Keep the Page updated to engage with customers and your community.
• Complete the address / location information on your Page accurately.
• Follow these Facebook tips to help your business show up for nearby locations.
• Monitor reviews and ratings of your business. As the Page owner, you can comment on reviews. Don’t argue with people, but do take the opportunity to thank the reviewer or correct any obvious factual inaccuracy.
• Finally, consider the other local options such as ads that Facebook offers. More here.

4. Claim Other Listings. Google and Facebook may be immensely popular, but they are not the only game in town. There are other places where your business may be listed.

Use the free checker at Moz Local to see how your business appears on various directories such as Foursquare, Bing, and Yellow Pages sites.

Moz Local also offers a cost-effective paid service (currently $84/year) to keep all these miscellaneous listings up to date from one central dashboard. It can save time and ensure consistency.

5. Leverage the Power of YouTube with How-to Videos. One way smart businesses are attracting customers online is through how-to videos. According to Google, how-to searches on YouTube grew 70% year-over-year between 2014 and 2105. So take advantage of the trend and create a how-to video related to your business.

Or turn your video into an ad. Google representative Claire Mudd suggests, “To stand out, include your business logo, a link to your website (or phone number), and a strong call-to-action in your video ad. Having a memorable ‘hook’ at the start of the ad can also capture people’s attention, lead to more views, and increase the chances they’ll search for your business afterwards.”

6. Post on Social Media. Social media keeps you top of mind with customers (or people you’d like to become customers) on the social sites they frequent. Indirectly it can also lead people to your business through search. Take for example, images posted on Pinterest. Very often the pins will appear prominently in Google image search. Tweets from Twitter sometimes appear in search. And other social references may appear in search results.

So, figure out which social platforms are most popular with your audience. Pick one to three of them, and post interesting images or information and otherwise engage there. You can either be found directly on the social platforms or indirectly through search engine references to the social update.

7. Encourage Satisfied Customers to Review Your Business Online. Ask satisfied customers through post-sale emails, comment cards, or simply a spoken message at the cash register, to recommend your business via online reviews.

Social media and the location-based and connection-based elements of search engines today often surface recommendations and reviews of people your customers know. The more reviews online and the more social connections your business has, the more likely others in your connections’ circles will find your business. Don’t fear the online review-;leverage it!

These seven tips, if followed, can dramatically improve your online search findability. What are you waiting for?