How Do You Promote Yourself Within a Company?
Imagine walking into a meeting where your ideas are not just heard but sought after, where your contributions aren’t merely acknowledged but celebrated. How do you reach this level of influence within your company? The journey to becoming a recognized and valued professional within an organization isn’t just about doing your job well—it’s about strategically promoting yourself and your unique skills. But what does that look like in practice?
To help you master the art of self-promotion within a company, we turned to those who know the landscape best—intrapreneurship advocates who’ve successfully navigated these waters. We posed a crucial question to them: How can you effectively promote yourself within a company?
The insights we received from nine seasoned professionals, including marketing managers and business development experts, reveal powerful strategies. From tackling critical business challenges head-on to sharing your specialized knowledge in niche areas, these are the top tactics that can elevate your profile and position you as an indispensable asset within your organization.
- Assist in Solving Business Problems
- Demonstrate Value Through Proactive Actions
- Speak to Internal Groups
- Share Industry Insights on LinkedIn
- Lead Projects and Communicate Achievements
- Deliver Tangible, Measurable Value
- Showcase Value and Contributions Strategically
- Discuss Goals With Leadership
- Share Expertise on Niche Topics
Assist in Solving Business Problems
As a former intrapreneur and career-development coach, a great way to promote yourself within a company is to assist in solving business problems. For example, I recommend that employees be proactive in networking and learning about different areas within their company in order to identify opportunities where they can assist in problem-solving. This is a fantastic way to promote your capabilities and experience while adding value.
Michelle Enjoli, Career Development Speaker and Coach, Michelle Enjoli International
Demonstrate Value Through Proactive Actions
You can promote yourself within your workplace by consistently demonstrating value through proactive actions. Volunteer for projects outside your usual responsibilities to show initiative, and leverage your expertise to contribute insightful ideas and solutions. Support key individuals by offering assistance that eases their workload, and ensure all communications are clear and add value.
Engage in continuous professional development to stay current with industry trends, and build strong relationships across the organization to enhance collaboration and visibility. By doing so, you position yourself as an indispensable and proactive team member, increasing your prospects for career advancement.
Blake Smith, Marketing Manager, ClockOn Australia
Speak to Internal Groups
One way to build your personal brand is by speaking to internal groups. For example, Employee Resource Groups often need speakers on a variety of topics. This is a great way to get exposure and practice sharing your expertise. When I was an employee at a Big Four firm, my colleagues always welcomed the opportunity to highlight my passion for wellness.
Allison Jackson, Fractional Chief Well-Being Officer
Share Industry Insights on LinkedIn
Use your personal LinkedIn profile to share industry insights, expertise, and success stories from clients. Start becoming one of the faces—or the face—of your company. This will turn out to be a strong competitive advantage.
Raja Skogland, TOP 100 Most Influential Women in the European VC & Startup Space in 2023 & 2024, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor in 100+ startups, Advisor, Board Member
Lead Projects and Communicate Achievements
One effective way to promote yourself within a company is by consistently demonstrating your value through proactive contributions and results-driven performance. Taking the initiative to lead projects, offering innovative solutions, and actively seeking opportunities for professional development can significantly enhance your visibility. Additionally, building strong relationships with colleagues and mentors, and effectively communicating your achievements to key stakeholders, can further solidify your reputation as a valuable team member.
Sachin Srivastava, Business Development Manager, Tatva Marketing & Services Pvt. Ltd.
Deliver Tangible, Measurable Value
One of the most practical ways to promote yourself as an intrapreneur advocate is by delivering tangible, measurable value to the organization. Don’t just keep on talking about innovative ideas; demonstrate their potential through actual projects and initiatives. Identify a problem within the company that aligns with your entrepreneurial spirit and propose a solution. Perhaps it’s streamlining a process, developing a new product or service, or entering a new market segment.
By taking ownership of a project and driving it to success, you not only showcase your entrepreneurial capabilities but also demonstrate your ability to turn ideas into reality. This practical approach builds credibility and trust within the organization, making you a valuable asset and a natural choice for future intrapreneurial endeavors.
Additionally, successful projects generate visibility and recognition, positioning you as a thought leader and influencer. Remember, the key is to focus on outcomes rather than just ideas. By consistently delivering results, you effectively promote yourself as an intrapreneur advocate and increase your chances of securing support for future initiatives.
Raviraj Hegde, SVP of Growth & Sales, Donorbox
Showcase Value and Contributions Strategically
Promoting yourself within a company is all about strategically showcasing your value and contributions. One effective way is to take initiative on projects, especially those that align with the company’s key goals, and ensure your efforts are visible to both your team and management. Regularly updating your superiors with your progress and achievements through concise, well-timed reports can also keep you top-of-mind.
Additionally, seeking out opportunities for cross-departmental collaboration can help you build a network of advocates who can vouch for your skills and work ethic. Lastly, never underestimate the power of professional development—attend workshops, earn certifications, and share your newfound knowledge with your colleagues. This not only boosts your skill set but also positions you as a proactive and valuable asset to the company.
Suzanne Harston, Business Development Manager, Newcrest Digital
Discuss Goals With Leadership
If you want to promote yourself within your company, you need to look at your goals and what you’ve done so far to start working towards those goals. We’ve created a very open work culture, which means our employees are comfortable telling leadership what they want and how they’ve worked towards those goals so far (or what they’re going to be doing if it’s a new goal).
Remember that promoting yourself doesn’t need to be something that’s forced or over-the-top. Simply reaching out to leadership to have a simple discussion about what you want and what you’ve achieved can be all that you need to start getting noticed for something specific.
Usually, bringing your goals up like this will cause leadership to start looking at your work with those goals in mind. Then, all you need to do is make sure you do the work necessary to move in that direction and continue to meet from time to time to discuss your progress.
Kam Talebi, CEO, Gigli
Share Expertise on Niche Topics
Your personal brand within a company is all about how you are perceived by your coworkers and leadership. One way you can promote yourself is by sharing your expertise on a niche topic or skill set that no one else seems to own. Host an internal meetup or webinar to share how you successfully implemented a new strategy, tool, or platform that resulted in a win for the company. Then offer to meet with your coworkers one-on-one to assist them in implementing it in other areas of the business.
This “campaign” is all about thought leadership, where you can be seen as the internal expert on a particular topic. By increasing your value with leadership, it makes you indispensable.
Matt Culloty, Business Development Manager, Duckpin