Shamelessly Self-Promoting Your Company

Recently, Topeka, Kansas changed its name to Google, Kansas in an attempt to attract Google's "Fiber for Communities" program to the capital city. The renaming attracted attention from national news sources and bloggers across the Internet. Such a blatant attempt to garner Google's attention is superficial, a bit silly, and downright shameless.

But it works. And if Google selects Topeka as a test city for its "Fiber for Communities" program, it won't be a surprise.

There's something to be learned from Topeka's strategy, something your company can utilize to catch the attention of clients and win over their sales. "Shameless" self-promotion isn't always a bad thing. When you infuse it with creativity and originality, when you present a potential customer with something that gets people talking, you've got the power to attract business like never before.

To see the Topeka strategy in action, let's consider this scenario:

You're the owner of MarkOut Inc., a small paper company that's doing well but always looking for the account that can push you to the next level. You think you have found the golden ticket with JETS Marketing, a blossoming business that specializes in incorporating email marketing with direct mail campaigns. You know JETS has been talking to some national corporations, and landing their account could turn your small paper business into an area leader.

You've talked to all the right people at JETS, done your best to sell them on the idea of working with MarkOut, and left your card in the hands of everyone you can find. While they've showed a little interest, you get the feeling it will take something special to win JETS over. So, you get creative and find a way to hopefully show JETS they can't live without you (and you can't live without them).

On Monday morning, JETS's receptionist opens a large manilla envelope and finds this...

A cover of Forbes magazine, dated 2012, proudly proclaims "HOW JETS CHANGED THE INTERNET", with a subhead revealing it couldn't have been possible without their "perfect paper company." Attached to the cover is a simple sheet titled "How They Did It" which outlines all the advantages your company brought JETS and how it helped them take over the net.

Before the end of the day, the cover has been photocopied dozens of times around the JETS office; some employees have even hung it up in their cubicles for motivation. It has made its way to the desk of every manager in the building. By the next morning, your phone is ringing with a JETS representative, wanting to know what MarkOut can do for them.

This style of getting potential customers attention is unconventional, risky, and it may not work for everyone. But it will make your company stand out and let those clients know that you're focusing on them-- just them. Playing hard to get may do wonders in the dating scene, but in business, you want the right people to know you're doing everything you can to get them to look at you.

Don't be afraid of shameless self-promotion. Don't be afraid to proudly proclaim "We want your business!" Get creative, cater each message to each prospective client, and let them know they've got the power to change the world (but only with your help).

To learn more about the Topeka Kansas name change and Google's "Fiber for Communities" program, click here.