How do you market yourself when you’re an introvert?
In this email, I’ll share how you can still promote yourself or your business despite feeling uncomfortable about it.
The different approaches to life between extraverts and introverts can be summed up in this quote:
“Introverts enjoy people-watching. Extroverts enjoy people watching.” -Johnny Sun
If you’re more introverted, you prefer to sit back and watch, rather than be the centre of attention yourself.
And that’s a problem when it comes to marketing your products or services because putting you (or what you do) at the centre of attention is the whole point.
So how do you break through this barrier to effectively share a message without feeling uncomfortable?
Well, you can’t completely remove the discomfort. But you can minimise it. Here’s how.
Planning and scheduling ahead
Social media can be full of pressure. Pressure to capture the right moment. Pressure to write the perfect caption. Pressure to post it at the right time and hope the right people see it.
You can remove this pressure by planning your posts and scheduling them in advance.
Rather than rushing to do everything in one go, planning ahead lets you split the steps of producing posts into parts.
On Monday, you can plan out what kind of posts you want on a spreadsheet. Tuesday, you can write the captions for them. Wednesday, take the photos or videos. Thursday construct them. Friday schedule them in the system. There are your posts for next week.
All with as little mess or fuss as possible. And when you remove the pressure, you remove the “ick factor” that comes with introverts and social media.
Personal brand is an advantage. But it’s also not necessary.
A personal brand is a big thing in 2022. I teach many classes on it and do a lot of it myself.
It’s also the #1 thing that introverts tell me that they dislike about marketing these days. And that’s understandable.
And as much as personal brand really helps to differentiate you from others who do what you do, it’s not the only way to differentiate.
You can differentiate your products or service on price, adding value with other services or products or by focusing on educating your customer about the details that matter most about what you’re selling.
But the best way is to do some real research into what makes your customer tick. By better understanding them, the problems they are looking to solve, and the things that get their attention, you can cut through the noise.
When you know what people need to be solved and you understand how people think and behave,m you can tap into the right words, images and videos that will connect with them enough to consider you.
You don’t need millions of followers to convert one customer
One of the comments I hear from my introverted friends is that they hate small talk and would rather connect with people more deeply one-to-one.
That’s understandable. And a great goal. So why not approach your digital platforms like that?
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and every other network has direct messaging capability. This means that your potential clients can approach you via direct message and you can reply to them. This is the beginning of a more personalised experience for them. And a less awkward experience for you.
You don’t need a million followers to attract a customer. And if you are providing a service, you don’t need a million clients. You just need a few. So think about those who are following you and interacting already. What are they like? What do they appear to enjoy from you? Produce more of that.
And most of all, provide a clear way for them to reach out to you. You already have direct messaging capability, so use it. At the end of every post, invite them to message you to learn more, book you or just have a chat about what was in the post.
Marketing is a necessary evil, but you can do it
You need to promote yourself.
You can’t really avoid it. Unless you have the funds to employ a marketing assistant or agency to do it for you, you are going to have to market yourself.
But you can do it if you do a few things in a way that feels more like you’re helping people, rather than promoting yourself.
And that’s a common theme I see in my introverted friends. They’re not anti-social. They’re mostly beautiful people who have big hearts. In fact, I’m socially introverted myself. I have just learned how to be an extravert for my work when it’s needed.
Here’s a fast few ways that you can take the pressure off:
- Plan your social posting and marketing ahead
- Schedule posts and blogs ahead of time
- Give yourself space to edit and proofread
- Learn as much as you can about your customers
- Study neuromarketing. You’ll be fascinated by it
- Be focused on what your customer loves
- Remember that you are talking to one person, not millions
You can do this. With a little focus, and a little space to be you, there are boundless opportunities for even the most introverted business owner.
Dante St James is the founder of Clickstarter, a Meta Certified Lead Trainer, a Community Trainer with Meta Australia, a digital advisor with Business Station, an accredited Digital Solutions advisor and presenter, and the editor at The Small Marketer. You can watch free 1-hour webinars and grow your digital skills at Dante’s YouTube Channel.
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