Social Media Tips For Business Owners Who Hate Self-Promotion

Young Asian male botanist, owner of small business flower shop, setting up smartphone lighting before starting online tutorial on potted plants arrangement, vlogging on smartphone and laptop

If you dislike talking about yourself, sharing your wins, or perhaps you’re introverted, posting on social media may seem scary. However, self-promotion via social media marketing is just as important for business owners themselves as it is for their own business. It helps build your personal brand and position you as a thought leader in your industry, which can ultimately impact your business’s revenue.

Visibility on social media doesn’t have to mean bragging, though. Here are some tips for making self-promotion feel less awkward and self-centered, and more authentic.

Table of Contents

1. Start With Content Curation

Rather than jumping into the deep end with content creation, start with curation instead. Curating content means sharing content (such as news articles, blog posts, or videos) from other parties or organizations. These could be industry updates or hot takes from other leaders. Content curation keeps the focus on the news piece or update, not you.

To go a step further, add your opinion to the caption. If it’s a news piece or trending topic, what’s your stance on it? Do you agree or disagree? If it’s a blog post, what were your key takeaways?

2. Focus On Your Insights And Expertise

Positioning yourself as an expert and thought leader on social media is crucial. Edelman found that more than 75% of decision makers and executives have been persuaded to consider new products or services thanks to a piece of thought leadership content.

But rather than telling people you’re an expert in your topic, show them. You can illustrate your expertise through case studies, helpful tips, how-to demonstrations, or quick insights into customer problems you’re tackling. This is a great way to position yourself as a thought leader and expert without feeling like you’re bragging.

3. Storytelling Is Your Friend

Storytelling is an effective way to connect with your audience without sounding salesy. Share your personal experiences, behind-the-scenes of running your business, challenges you’ve faced, or lessons learned. It’s okay to get vulnerable on social media. This shows your human side and helps your audience connect with you on an emotional level.

4. Share Customer Experiences

Don’t forget about your customers’ stories, too. Sharing customer journeys, testimonials, and even user-generated content are great “wins” to celebrate, without feeling like you’re being self-centered. They’re also an effective way of building trust and credibility in your business. Wyzowl’s research found that 9 out of 10 people trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself.

5. Highlight Your Team

You can also shift the spotlight to your employees. Sharing their wins, recent hires, work anniversaries, and milestones still shines a light on your business and the good work it’s doing without the spotlight being on you. It gives potential customers an inside look into the people behind your business, which helps humanizes your business and makes it more relatable.

6. Consistency Builds Confidence

The good news is that once you get consistent with posting on social media, you’ll build up your confidence and it will begin to feel more natural. Focus on sharing content that either engages, educates, or inspires your audience, rather than only being salesy. You’ll feel less awkward and more like you’re having a conversation with your audience—not just broadcasting to the masses.

Self-promotion is a key part of building a business. As a business owner, never be afraid to share your insights, stories, and customer wins on social media. It’s what makes you unique and authentic! Start small, get consistent, then go forth and conquer with confidence.

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