Classy? Marketing?

Yes, I can hear that question in your mind. But read on and you’ll see that marketing can be as classy as Audrey Hepburn, if you want it to be.

Marketing yourself online can be tough, especially when you’re competing for attention with gazillions of others who may be bigger, stronger, more well-known than you.

So, how does one do it with class, passion and a remarkableness that shines brilliantly?

Here are 5 awesome marketing yourself online with class tips and the success stories who’ve actually used them.

1. Be Generous to a Fault

Generosity goes a long way when you’re marketing yourself online and helping others without any thought of return is a fantastic way to not only share what you do but also, gain some very good karma in return.

Ask yourself, “Who can I help today without any thought of getting something in return?”

Want to go bigger? Ask yourself, “How can I use my business to help millions or bazillions worldwide?” And then, act on that.

{Case in Point} Leonie Dawson is one of the most soul-centered and generous business owners I have ever come across. Not only has she opened up her heart and her very wise mind to millions via her blog, she’s created the most awesome Amazing Business and Life Academy {click here to read how I’m using the Academy and loving it} that’s packed with ALL {yes, ALL} of her guides, resources and kits for an absurdly affordable price of $199. Generous. Astoundingly so. Marketing herself? Absolutely with soul and passion!

2. Stand Out from the Crowd

Don’t just do something because the rest of the world is doing so. Don’t fit into the mold. Create it. Try things for yourself. See what works for you. Be an innovator and not merely an adopter. Marketing yourself online requires going right to the edge and being different yet not foolish or offensive. Yes, there are fine lines at the edge of being different. Be careful.

{Case in Point} The Copyblogger team. Not only are they serious experts on their subject matter, they’re also generous and remarkable. Their recent launch, Authority is remarkable for ONE simple reason- it provides immense, insane value to both free AND premium members.

3. Be Honest and Be You

People don’t want to know about a persona. They want to know the person. Marketing yourself online will be a LOT easier if you’re honest and tell it like it is. Being honest is not only a super-effective marketing technique, it’s also just plain nice and refreshing. And yes, it is very classy too.

{Cases in Point} Erika Lyremark of The Daily Whip and Denise Duffield Thomas of Denise Duffield Thomas are two gorgeous entrepreneurs who’re not only smart and savvy but honest and straightforward too. Erika was an exotic dancer before becoming a seriously awesome business coach and she’s leveraged it with panache to make it her identity. Denise generously and honestly shares everything that works for her and what doesn’t as well. In fact, her recent post on her first year of business was starkly real and a real eye-opener.

4. Know Your Audience and Your Subject

Marketing yourself online will be a lot easier if you really, truly, deeply know your subject and your audience. If you’re a virtual assistant for creative entrepreneurs, make sure you know what makes an artist or author tick and what is their deepest fear. Make sure that you know everything there is to know about virtual assistant responsibilities. Always be learning and sharing.

{Case in Point} Natalie Sisson of The Suitcase Entrepreneur writes about creating location-independent businesses for entrepreneurs and not only does she know her audience and subject, she lives it. Natalie is nearly constantly travelling while building a flourishing business too. In fact, she knows her subject so well, she’s written a book on it as well, titled The Suitcase Entrepreneur. {Stay tuned for a review later this month!!}.

5. Don’t Always Sell Something

Marketing yourself does NOT mean always selling. See number 1 above. Yes, you can and should talk about what you do, share your services, showcase your products but not all. the.time.

In fact, this tip ties all the above tips together into one neat package. Being generous, honest, remarkable and knowledgeable will make sharing real value with your audience a whole lot easier. You wouldn’t have to always be selling because no matter what, people will always be buying. 

{Case in Point} I have a lot of examples for this category including all the amazing folks mentioned before but Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income is right on top of my list. Pat’s emails are never sales-y and his podcasts and blog posts are packed with REAL value that you and I can use right away. And guess what, he makes way over $50k every month.

In fact, if you’d look closely, all 6 classy marketers in this list demonstrate all these qualities. So, there you are, if YOU want to shake off that smarmy feeling and start marketing yourself with passion and class, start with any one of these tips and work your way through them. You’ll be surprised at how easy, effortless and effective marketing becomes. Ready?

Which classy marketing tip will YOU use today? Share with me in the comments!

Photo Credit: Stuart Miles/Free Digital Photos