Sometimes it’s especially difficult for us to toot our own horns, or tell others how great we are. You don’t want it to come off as arrogant or conceited, but it’s important in the online marketing business for others to know what you have to offer and the experience you have in the niche.

And it may be more important than you think. You may have looked at another marketer’s achievements and thought there’s no way you could ever measure up. Don’t be so hard on yourself.

Chances are, you may already have some accomplishments to brag about in a way that others will take you very seriously. You can brag about yourself and boost your online presence without seeming like a braggart with an inflated ego.

Avoid making self-deprecating brags. That’s when you may share some of your accomplishments and then try to appear humble by making a joke about your incompetence.

For example, you might mention that you were invited to speak at a very important seminar and then humble yourself by saying they must have been desperate to choose you as the speaker. Self-deprecating brags often come off as pathetic rather than humble.

Be excited about your story. Rather than play down your accomplishments, make them into stories which inspire and encourage others. Even if the story about your successes border on the mundane, you can surely find something to be excited about.

For example, meeting another Internet marketer who became your mentor and showed you the ropes just as you were about to give up can encourage others to keep networking.

Bring in a friend. Get another networking friend (preferable with his or her own list of accomplishments) and brag about each other online. You get to boast about the other person’s experience and accomplishments and he or she gets to brag about you.

People are sometimes more receptive to a third party’s information about you and both you and the friend will get some great online recognition. This is better when it happens naturally, rather than planning it out where it may seem stiff. Just look for opportunities to reciprocate kind remarks.

Share your sense of humor. Put some humor behind your stories and you’ll be memorable to others without being perceived as bragging. For example, if you have a humorous story about how you embarrassed yourself online while rising to the top of the barrel, find a way to tell it with humor.

Everyone loves a good story, and it’s important that you use yours to brand yourself and to shore up your business as much as you can. Since Americans hear or read over 100,000 words per day, it’s important that we get our messages across as best we can and let others know that we’re the best in our niches along with why.

7 brilliant ways to brand yourself

Will you avoid becoming obsolete

Staying ahead of becoming obsolete

One day you’re stuffing keywords into your copy to rank well in Google and the next day, the fickle search engine is turned off by keywords and there’s even a penalty if you have too many!

Squidoo is a good example of a type of technology that many depended on and then it’s closed for business suddenly. Some relied on it 100% to pay their mortgages, support their children, and sustain a living all around.

technologically challenging being an online entrepreneur because you have to find time to keep up with all of the latest in the industry that can help you succeed. If you love what you do, you’ll likely enjoy keeping up to date with the new stuff that can make your life easier as an Internet entrepreneur or better ensure your future success.

If you aren’t ready to make the commitment to keeping up to date, then you’re not ready to lead others. For example, what if you didn’t know about social networking migrations and you were still trying to spam people on MySpace?

Keeping up to date can be a journey in itself. There are web media such as blogs, podcasts and forums to keep track of – and, of course, the rules and regulations that are always changing for online marketers.

If you’re reading about changes in a blog or forum, make sure you’re not reading an outdated post. That’s just wasted time. There are continual updates on how to promote your products, free apps which can help you save time and make your job easier and technology news sites you can subscribe to that can keep you abreast of what’s happening in the industry.

Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook can also keep you updated on a continual basis. Following such people as Bill Gates and Martin Fowler (Software Development Methodologies) and other marketing gurus who you admire is another good way to get the latest news and updates.

Other methods of finding resources to keep in touch are web-based, online tutorials and web casts. Acquiring professional training is great if you can afford the coaching fees, but there are many sites today which offer wonderful, informative tutorials that will keep you technologically focused.

Podcasts and forums are also wonderful resources for keeping in touch. Set up your own podcasts or get together with other bloggers to talk about specific topics and trends.

Keep searching and you’ll find one or more that suits all of your needs. Books and magazines may also be a good source of Internet marketing information, but check that the print copies contain accurate and up to date technological data on the subject matter you’re researching.

This type of resource can become out of date in no time at all because of the changing nature of the Internet. Knowing it’s a constantly changing technological world, spend some time every day researching new methods and you’ll be ready for the good and the bad.

Create an authority site

Increase your domain authority

Some people get so scared of sharing the spotlight that they insulate themselves from greatness. You feel like sharing the stage with a competitor makes you look weak, like you’re not the only person who knows everything about the niche topic.

When you bring in experts to boost your authority in your niche, you won’t lose customers, but gain them – because it’s establishing you as a viable force in your niche someone who is rubbing elbows with other experts.

also shows you’re expanding your knowledge of your particular topic. But more than anything, bringing in experts from other similar niches can bring in future sales conversions.

Think of it as introducing yourself and your product to a whole different audience and bringing them into the fold. Because that other expert’s audience will be looking at your shared content, too, and that will be their first discovery of you.

There are ways to make yourself attractive to other experts and get them to want to work with you. Offer gifts. It may sound like bribery, but other marketers are always looking for informative and valuable gifts in the form of free bonuses, free advertisement of their product, mentions on social media such as Facebook and Twitter and interviews or podcasts to promote their sites.

Establish your profile on social media sites and forums. Set up pages and profiles and then post content that can be useful to other marketers in similar niches. There are free, downloadable apps that can help you with this type of venture.

Arrange online interviews. Nothing attracts an online audience like online interviews with marketers well established in the business. You both profit from the interview process because you’re reaching people you might not hear from otherwise.

Make sure you have fresh, sharable content. No one wants to partner with a dull and boring marketer whose content is out of date or poorly written. Make sure your content is informative and up to date so that others will want to share.

Offer to review their products. Marketers welcome reviews of their products and will often happily review yours in return. Only post a review of the product if you truly believe in it and like it. Otherwise, choose another product or marketer.

Follow and engage other experts. Make sure you follow other marketers who have products similar to yours on all social media sites. It takes some time and effort, but the payoff will be that these other marketers will get to know you especially if you engage in conversations or remarks on their sites.

The payoff for fielding experts in your niche can be huge. Besides boosting your authority in a particular niche, you’ll also be reaching audiences you may never have reached without the added expertise.

In the beginning, it may be intimidating to approach another (especially well established) marketer, but as you begin to establish your own presence, you’ll find that you’re also being sought out. Make the most of every opportunity.