Entrepreneurs are dealing with a visibility dilemma: there have never been more opportunities for businesses to be seen online, yet being noticed can feel impossible amid the noise of crowded platforms.

Compounding the difficulty for many small and medium business owners is an emotional aversion to self-promotion, which causes them to deprioritise or actively avoid certain types of publicity against their best interests.

As a self-described visibility mentor, Bec Sands has spent her career helping reluctant founders cast aside misconceptions about marketing themselves and their companies. “There’s a hazy ick factor around it,” she acknowledges. “It’s tall poppy syndrome. You don’t want to be seen to be, like, ‘I’m just promoting myself.’”

But, she says, this mindset is self-defeating and serves as a barrier to growth. In her book, What You Came Here To Create, Sands argues a simple reframe can help SME owners feel comfortable in the spotlight, and stop regarding self-promotion as selfish. “I always think of visibility as being of service, so you’re actually supporting others with the work that you’re putting out there,” she says.

Businesses Are Providing A Service By Being Visible

Sands started her career in public relations, securing media coverage for major brands, but when she moved into consulting and coaching, she discovered that even the most capable clients struggled with the limelight. “Small to medium business owners, if they haven’t had a lot of visibility before, it can seem quite daunting,” she observes.

Identifying confidence as the lacking ingredient, she developed the concept of being ‘confidently visible,’ where confidence, strategy, and action come together to build a personal brand. She eliminates the ‘ick factor’ by encouraging business owners to highlight the value they offer rather than blowing their own trumpet.

“You’re not going to get very far if you’re just out there going, ‘Hey, look at me! I’m really great!’ People will just not pay a lot of attention,” she points out. “But people are paying attention to you if you’re advertising yourself as a service. People need your services, and if they don’t know about you, how can they know to work with you? How can they have their problems solved through the work that you do? That’s actually an exercise in empathy.”

Insecurity can also give small business owners pause. When it comes to the Insta-perfect world of social media, there can be reluctance to post without formal skills or experience. “They feel like they need another piece of paper to tell them they’re ready,” she says. “But no one’s ever going to tell you that. You need to believe in yourself first, and you need to put yourself out there first.”

A Niche Following Among Customers Beats Going Viral

Even when they are convinced of its effectiveness, Sands says visibility and brand building rarely make it onto an SME owner’s priority list because it doesn’t feel urgent. People juggling more pressing problems tell her they lack the time to devote to developing content and opportunities. “As a result, there can be a bit of procrastination around it,” she says. “Even myself, I know I’d rather clean the sock drawer than go and do a live video.”

But Sands overcomes motivation and time barriers by incorporating visibility into her weekly schedule. This not only ensures it gets done, repetition means she’s better at it. “That’s how I show up and build that muscle of speaking to camera because it is a bit of a learning curve.”

This doesn’t mean every entrepreneur needs to double as a TikTok star. Indeed, she says small business owners are better served by targeting niche audiences. “Sometimes we think we need to have a million followers or go viral in order to build personal brands, and it’s absolutely not about that,” she insists. “I could go viral. But do I get any clients out of that? Not necessarily. Who cares about a million people on the internet if they’re not my ideal client?”

Sands also warns against putting all eggs in the social media basket, reminding owners there are other ways to lift a profile. Fostering relationships is just as important as attracting eyeballs, if not more, when it comes to amplifying presence. “There’s networking. There’s speaking on stages. There’s putting yourself up for awards. There’s doing media interviews. There’s doing podcasts. There’s doing panels. There’s hosting your own events. There’s so many things that you can do,” she says.

But rather than attempting all at once, the key is to develop a personal branding strategy tailored to an individual business or founder. “Figure out what your objectives are, where your ideal client is, how you can start to meet them where they’re at,” she suggests. “Also create a community for your ideal client and identify the specific tactics that will get you there.”

Content Choices Should Serve Your Customers

Once they gain the confidence to exercise a branding strategy, business owners still tell Sands they lack the required creativity. But she disagrees. “Ideas are everywhere,” she insists. “It’s really just your ability to be able to bring them to life that makes a difference.”

The secret is to use a traditional PR and marketing tactic and think in terms of content pillars. The first is problem solving, Sands says, noting it can be more effective to offer practical advice than hot takes. “All you need to do is just think about the problems that you solve for your clients and you can speak to that in your content,” she says.

As a second pillar, business leaders keen to engage in thought leadership can offer an opinion on news or policy developments relating to their field. The third pillar makes some business owners feel uncomfortable but, Sands argues, it is essential. “Your personal expertise, your personal stories, your personal recommendations,” she says. “That helps to build relationships. There’s a lot of professionals that could potentially support your clients. What makes you stand out? What makes you different? I think it also helps you to attract clients that best align in terms of values.”

Creating three columns, one for each pillar, can generate 50 content ideas in a single brainstorming session. If in need of a nudge, AI can help with this stage of the process. “AI is a fantastic tool for elaborating on ideas. Just don’t let it replace your thinking,” Sands advises. “Don’t let it replace your intuition in terms of what your clients want and your experience. It’s only as good as what you feed it.” The job of writing remains with the leader. “There’s so much content out there that we do need to put in our unique voices to get any cut through.”

AI also plays a growing role in visibility online, as consumers use chatbots like Claude and ChatGPT instead of traditional search methods. “AI visibility is great because it’s kind of like Google search, but on steroids,” Sands says. “A lot of people are using AI as their friend that can help give them recommendations. If they’re looking for someone in the realm of the services that you provide, they’re going to do a search on AI, and you will be recommended if you are doing the right things.”

The ‘right things’ include securing media coverage from credible outlets, collecting customer reviews and mentions on platforms such as Reddit and LinkedIn, and keeping a website that clearly explains what a business does and where it operates. “If you’re sharing and building a personal brand, that will support you to rank so much higher in AI search than if you weren’t to do anything,” she says.

The best way to overcome inaction and become confidently visible, Sands says, is to take the first step, no matter how small. “Don’t wait until you feel ready, because this is the kind of stuff that gives confidence as we go,” she says. “Just start the journey now. Put together your plan, and then start taking action.”