How to Market Your Business When You Hate Self-Promotion
MARKETING
Dennis Geelen
3 min read
If you're a solopreneur who cringes at the thought of posting selfies, bragging about your wins, or constantly pitching your services online—you’re not alone. Many talented business owners struggle with marketing because it feels inauthentic, self-serving, or just plain awkward. But here’s the truth: marketing isn’t about promoting yourself. It’s about making it easy for the right people to find, trust, and buy from you.
Here’s how to market your business effectively—even if you hate self-promotion.
1. Focus on Service, Not Spotlight
Reframe marketing from “look at me” to “how can I help?” Every post, email, or piece of content you share should aim to solve a problem your ideal client is facing. When you shift the focus from yourself to the value you provide, marketing becomes an act of service, not self-promotion.
Ask yourself: what’s one question my ideal client is asking today? Then create something useful that answers it—whether it’s a blog post, a video, or a short post on LinkedIn.
2. Let Your Work Speak for You
You don’t need to constantly tell people how great you are. Let your testimonials, case studies, and client results do that for you. Share behind-the-scenes snapshots of your process, before-and-after transformations, or quotes from happy clients. This builds trust and credibility without you having to say a word about yourself.
You can also repurpose emails or feedback you’ve received into content. If someone told you your framework helped them land their first client, share that story.
3. Teach What You Know
Positioning yourself as a guide is far more powerful than acting like a guru. Share tips, frameworks, checklists, or lessons learned—things that are useful to your audience. You don’t have to be loud to be valuable. You just have to be helpful, consistent, and clear about who you help and how.
Teaching builds authority and attracts people who want more of what you offer. It also gives you plenty of content ideas without feeling like you’re selling all the time.
4. Automate and Batch Your Visibility
If marketing drains you, reduce the number of decisions you have to make. Batch content creation once a week or once a month, then schedule it using a tool like Buffer, Metricool, or the native schedulers on LinkedIn or Instagram. That way, you stay visible without being online all day.
You can also create a few evergreen posts that introduce your services or explain your unique approach, and rotate them throughout the month.
5. Build Genuine Relationships
Marketing isn’t just about broadcasting—it’s about connecting. Instead of worrying about how often you should post, focus on showing up consistently where your ideal audience hangs out. Comment thoughtfully on other people’s posts. Send genuine DMs or voice notes. Join communities or groups where you can add value. People remember how you make them feel more than how polished your posts are.
6. Create an Entry Point That Does the Selling for You
If you really want to minimize active promotion, build a system that nurtures leads automatically. This could be a lead magnet that feeds into an email sequence, a free mini-course that leads to your paid offer, or a blog that brings in traffic through search.
When done well, your content can act as a 24/7 salesperson that warms people up and guides them to your offer—without you having to repeat yourself every week.
Final Thought
You don’t have to be loud, flashy, or extroverted to market your business. You just have to be clear, consistent, and committed to helping the people you’re here to serve. When you align your marketing with your values and your strengths, it stops feeling like self-promotion and starts feeling like purpose-driven visibility.
Want a marketing approach that fits your personality—not someone else’s formula?
If you're a solopreneur who wants to grow your business without turning into a full-time marketer, I can help. My 1:1 coaching and online courses are designed to help you build visibility in a way that feels authentic and sustainable.