One of the best compliments you can receive as a business owner happens when you’re not even there:
Someone mentions your name in a room you’re not in.
That is exactly how my recent conversation with Coach Jackie Cote on the I Got It Girl Podcast began.
Jackie and I connected through women in Polka Dot Powerhouse here in Pennsylvania. Someone mentioned me to her, I reached out, and during the podcast Jackie talked about how powerful it is when people are talking about you when you’re not in the room.
That, to me, is visibility.
It isn’t always another social media post. Sometimes visibility is the relationships you’ve built, the impression you’ve left and the people who are willing to say your name when an opportunity comes up.
And this conversation felt especially meaningful because I have spent the last year rebuilding exactly that.
Starting Over in Pennsylvania After 14 Years in Business
I’ve been in business for 14 years.
I founded Beyond Engagement in 2012 and spent years building relationships, growing my network and establishing my reputation in Tennessee and beyond.
Then I moved to Pennsylvania.
Suddenly, I was in the Lehigh Valley walking into rooms where almost nobody knew who I was.
Talk about humbling.
I had experience. I had a business. I had clients. I knew what I was capable of.
But relationships don’t automatically move with you.
So I started showing up.
I joined organizations. I attended networking events. I introduced myself. I asked questions. I followed up. I volunteered. I found communities like Polka Dot Powerhouse and the Junior League.
And little by little, people started knowing my name.
Not because I walked into every room trying to sell them something.
Because I walked into the room trying to build relationships.
What Does Visibility Really Mean in Business?
When we hear the word “visibility,” especially in digital marketing, we immediately think about posting.
What should I post on LinkedIn?
How often should I post on Instagram?
Should I be making videos?
Do I need to be on every platform?
After 14 years working in digital marketing, I can tell you that visibility is much bigger than your posting schedule.
Visibility is being remembered.
It’s contributing to conversations. It’s showing up consistently. It’s helping someone without immediately expecting something in return. It’s following up after meeting someone. It’s commenting on someone’s LinkedIn post because you genuinely have something valuable to add.
And sometimes, it’s someone recommending you when you aren’t even there to hear it.
That’s the kind of visibility I want.
You Don’t Have to Be Everywhere on Social Media
Jackie and I also talked about something I tell clients all the time:
Find your happy place platform.
You do not have to be everywhere.
Your best social media platform is one where your audience actually spends time, but it also needs to be somewhere you are willing and able to consistently show up.
If that’s LinkedIn, lean into LinkedIn.
If that’s Instagram, make Instagram work for you.
Consistency also doesn’t have to mean posting every single day.
For one person, consistency may be posting three times a week. For someone else, it may be one strong post a week while spending time engaging, commenting and having conversations in between.
Create a strategy you can actually sustain.
Because disappearing after two weeks of trying to do everything isn’t a strategy.
Don’t Underestimate the LinkedIn Comment Section
This is one of my favorite visibility strategies because it is something almost anyone can start doing today.
Comment.
And no, I don’t mean writing “Congratulations!” on 25 posts.
Leave thoughtful comments.
Add something to the conversation. Share an experience. Ask a good question. Offer another perspective.
When you comment on LinkedIn, you’re not only communicating with the person who created the post. You’re potentially putting your name, face and expertise in front of their network too.
You don’t always need to create another piece of content to become more visible.
Sometimes you need to participate in the conversations already happening.
That’s why I remind clients that social media is supposed to be social.
Sisterhood Has Been Part of My Business Strategy, Too
One of my favorite parts of my conversation with Jackie had nothing to do with algorithms.
We talked about sisterhood.
Moving to Pennsylvania reminded me just how important community is, personally and professionally.
Organizations like Polka Dot Powerhouse and the Junior League of the Lehigh Valley have helped me meet women, build friendships, create professional connections and feel more rooted in a place that was completely new to me.
And look at how Jackie and I met.
Someone talked about me when I wasn’t in the room.
That connection led to a conversation.
That conversation led to a podcast.
And now you’re reading this blog.
Relationships compound.
We spend so much time trying to figure out how to reach more people that sometimes we forget the power of going deeper with the people already around us.
The “I Got It Girl” Doesn’t Always Have to Have It
The podcast also took a more personal turn.
Jackie and I talked about what it means to be an “I Got It Girl,” especially for women who are accustomed to being independent, capable and the person everyone else can count on.
“I got it.”
How many times have you said that?
I know I have.
But there is another side of strength that we don’t talk about nearly enough: allowing other people to help us.
Receiving support.
Trusting someone else.
Not feeling like we personally have to carry every responsibility, solve every problem or have every answer.
There is strength in independence, but there is also strength in knowing when you don’t have to do everything alone.
That lesson applies to life, community and business.
Building Visibility Starts With Showing Up
If you’re trying to grow a business, build your personal brand, expand your professional network or establish yourself in a new community, my biggest advice is actually pretty simple:
Walk into the room.
Introduce yourself.
Ask the question.
Leave the thoughtful LinkedIn comment.
Follow up with the person you met yesterday.
Help someone before you need something from them.
Join the organization.
Have the coffee.
And keep showing up.
Your goal shouldn’t just be getting more people to see your content.
Your goal should be building enough genuine relationships that eventually someone says:
“You know who you should talk to? Valentina.”
Or whatever your name happens to be.
That’s visibility.
Listen to My Conversation on the I Got It Girl Podcast
If you’re navigating a season of reinvention, trying to build your professional visibility, growing a business or learning how to lean on the community around you, I hope you’ll listen to my full conversation with Coach Jackie Cote on the I Got It Girl Podcast.
We talk about business, networking, social media, storytelling, sisterhood, receiving support and what I’ve learned from starting over professionally in Pennsylvania after 14 years in business.
And if you’re wondering whether your digital presence is helping people remember your name when you’re not in the room, that’s exactly the kind of work I love doing.
At Beyond Engagement, I help business owners and professionals develop practical digital marketing and visibility strategies that turn online activity into meaningful relationships and real opportunities.
Because being visible isn’t about being everywhere.
It’s about being remembered in the right places, by the right people.
Here is the link to the podcast: https://rss.com/podcasts/i-
Here is the direct link to episode on RSS: https://rss.com/podcasts/i-
Here is the link to the YouTube episode: https://youtu.be/ZoC_a2W9wx4
See my recent blog posts here:
- When You’re Not in the Room, Are You Still in the Room? Building Visibility Through Relationships
- Your Degree, Resume or Business Isn’t Enough: How to Become Someone People Remember
- Starting Over at 40: What Rebuilding My Business in Pennsylvania Taught Me
- Your Website Isn’t Your First Impression Anymore. You Are.
- What Dolly Parton Reminded Me About Being Memorable
