Why Confident Marketing is Not Bragging

and where the misunderstanding comes from…

It’s something our clients bring up all the time. When we start talking about content marketing strategies, they invariably say: “It’s not in our nature to brag. We value humility.”

Business leaders we speak to are reluctant to invest in a content marketing strategy simply because it requires some healthy self-promotion. “Isn’t it boastful?” they ask.

The answer, of course, is a resounding no. Nevertheless, their inhibitions are real and usually informed by content marketing strategies that forget one or all of the following:

1. Volume is easy. The tone is hard.

Spreading your message is a matter of budget. Crafting that message while maintaining the authenticity of your voice is an art. Loud marketing that emulates what everyone else is doing comes across as self-involved, but real is never boastful.

2. Creating imaginative content is an art.

Blunt self-aggrandizement repeated ad nauseum is not confident marketing. Your customers engage with stories. Prove your competence with subtle ideas that make them think and move them out of their comfort zone.

3. It’s not about you:

The difference between bragging and storytelling is in the ability to relate – it’s about empathy.

Performers play to an audience. When marketing strategies are driven by what matters to our customers and not us, then it’s not bragging.