Marketing for Introverts
Please don’t make me post another selfie!
Does popular marketing advice make you want to crawl behind a rock?
Post selfies on social media!
Run facebook ads with your face on them!
Broadcast your highly personal stories. (Extra points for displaying vulnerability!)
Turn your camera on and “go live”!
Never eat lunch alone!
Phone people! (shudder)
Then this post is for you! (Rather watch this on video? Here you go: EP 75 Marketing for Introverts)
Quote of the day
“The trick for introverts is to honour their styles instead of allowing themselves to be swept up by prevailing norms.” ~ Susan Cain
Your permission slip
“Say “no” to marketing strategies and tactics that don’t fit your personality.” ~ Georgee and Patty
What is an introvert?
These are signs that you may be an introvert…
- Need alone time to recharge
- Prefer meeting with people 1:1 or in smaller groups
- Like time to think before speaking
Contrary to popular belief, introverts CAN also:
- Be “good” with people
- Have a lot of friends and connections
- Enjoy attention
- Be gregarious at times
Introvert is not the same as SHY!
Shyness is feeling uncomfortable, anxious or fearful around people.
And some of us (this is Patty speaking) – are both!
Elements of a YOU-Shaped Business
A YOU-Shaped business lives in the intersection of all three circles. You need ALL of the circles, but you may “lean towards” one of them more than the others. You can build your “personal brand” around your preference!
3 options for creating your personal brand
You don’t have to do this!
A YOU-Shaped business is not YOU-centred (although it can be!)
Option 1: You can make your business and your marketing about YOU.
We could call this the “celebrity” model.
This is what we see the MOST of. Because the top celebrities in your industry are…well…celebrities! They have an enormous fan base and huge marketing budgets and because they are a “name’ – that’s what you see: their name and their face. All over the place.
Option 2: You can make your business and your marketing about the WORK you do.
We might call this the “expert” model.
These are harder to spot. Here’s why: once experts become well known, they turn into celebrities! So even though they centre their work – you also see their names and faces!
But they got their start and began building their reputation on their work. A good example is Brene Brown. (Academic! Researcher! Work!)
Option 3: You can make your business and your marketing about the PEOPLE you serve.
These people are the “people who know everyone” (but because they stay behind the scenes, not everyone knows them!)
They build community, interview people, connect people. They’re not putting their face all over the internet because they’re building their businesses by networking and talking to people.
(Georgee is one of these types!)
2 introvert-friendly skills you can learn (that can become super-powers!)
Introverts can become great at sales conversations because they’re good listeners!
1. Conducting Sales Conversations
If you shuddered at that little headline, take a deep breath.
We often think that good sales person = someone with the “gift of the gab” – but that’s not true. Or as Roy Bartell puts it:
Most people think “selling” is the same as “talking” but the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job. ~ Roy Bartell
Introverts tend to be excellent listeners. A good sales conversation is 80% listening.
(And when you have a good process to follow – and you’re NOT trying to use pushy techniques – these conversations can be much more like coaching or consulting than “selling”)
2. Writing Copy
A lot of introverts prefer to communicate in writing.
Marketing runs on words.
When you get good at writing copy, you can attract people TO you rather than chasing them down.
Copywriting is structurally different from business writing or essay writing – here’s a simple 3-part template to get you started.
(You do NOT have to write yellow-highlighter-style “conversion copy” that sounds like an infomercial huckster!)
One surprisingly introvert-friendly extrovert-like skill
Public speaking is introvert friendly! (Really! You get to be ALONE on stage!)
Public speaking.
A LOT of professional speakers, comics and actors are actually introverts.
Public speaking (once you get past any initial anxiety) is amazingly introvert-friendly!
- You get to think about what you are going to say (you can even write it out and rehearse it)
- You get to talk about a subject that you’re excited about
- People approach YOU after your talk – to talk about your field of interest (no small talk required!)
You also get to reach a LARGE number of people all at once…and for an extended length of time!
And now thanks to the wonders of modern technology, you can do “public speaking” from your living room – no people required!