Marketing strategies for introverts
I started my working life in corporate HR so have done tons of personality tests over the years. Read more about my background here. I was even trained to deliver and interpret psychometric tests at one time.
Each time I tested, I fell on the cusp of the introvert/extrovert scale. But, I was always happy to see it was slightly on the extrovert side. It felt important back then because I was a social person and loved spending time with groups of friends. So I hated the thought of being labelled an introvert.
What is an introvert?
What I didn’t understand until many years later was this.
The introvert/extrovert personality has nothing to do with social awkwardness or an inability to chat with people.
That’s the stereotypical definition. But, in truth, introversion is more about how energised you feel in social situations. It’s about sensitivity to external stimuli.
Extroverts tend to feel energised when in the public eye. They love big parties, team working, speaking in groups, and being in a crowd.
Introverts find that same exposure to social situations exhausting. They need time to gather their energy afterwords. So do better in 1:1 situations, small intimate groups, and when writing rather than speaking.
Over the years, I've realised that I actually fall more on the introvert side of the spectrum. Age, and time away from living a corporate career lifestyle have given me space to be myself. But, even knowing it's about whether activities drain or boost my energy, I recently forgot.
In January, I decided to go all-out with networking. I signed up for in-person and online meetings. I followed up with more meetings. And, I had interviews arranged for client case studies.
The result?
I was fine for the first week. A little more tired the second. But, I was exhausted by the third and fourth weeks. I resented having any meetings booked in my diary. It was nothing to do with the people, or the reasons for meeting. So I couldn’t understand why I felt so cranky.
Then I realised. I had no clear days without meetings. We introverts have a strong need for time alone to gather our energy and keep performing at our best.
Marketing strategies for introverts
I knew there was another way. So decided to learn more about how to conserve my energy while still promoting my business. I began by reading a great book called The Introvert Entrepreneur by Beth Buelow.
Most typical business advice is aimed at extroverts. Or at least the extroverted way of doing things. Which, can be exhausting for introverts.
So if you’re more of an introvert and want to learn some great ways to market your business AND keep your energy levels topped up, read on to see what I learned.
Networking
Hands up if you prefer socialising in small groups, or 1:1, and feel drained after being in bigger groups 🙋♀️
That’s definitely my experience.
I can do it and it’s not anxiety which makes me want to avoid larger groups. I simply feel tired and frazzled afterwards, especially when I book too much in.
So, instead, I’m testing out a few changes:
Limiting the number of networking meetings I go to in a month.
Choosing the best networking meetings (for both enjoyment and ROI).
Scheduling meetings on the same day. I’m creating designated ‘people’ days, and making other days clear of meetings. It gives me space to recharge and means I can concentrate on work without interruptions.
Weaving breaks into meeting days so I can gather my energy. For example, the other day I walked to a networking meeting, meaning I had time in nature afterwards while walking back.
Content marketing
This has to be one of the easiest forms of marketing for introverts.
Writing blog posts, and sharing to your website will mean a low interaction with other people. But it’s also a good way to connect online and great for SEO. Regular, high quality content, increases the likelihood of your website ranking in search results.
These posts on my site may help:
➢ How to write SEO friendly blog posts
➢ 10 easy ways to create new ideas for your blog
If you’re not a writer, posting videos on YouTube is another alternative. Although, to rank better for SEO, it’s always worth posting a transcript on your blog too.
Email marketing
People who join your email list are already interested in you and your business. Sending regular emails will help nurture those relationships and mean you can share more about your products and services.
Even better, you own your email list. If you put all your marketing into Twitter and it closed tomorrow, you'd lose all your contacts. But that's not the case with an email list.
Plus, you’re not at the mercy of social media algorithms wanting you to dance around on a short video. Kinda not what an introverted business owner wants to do.
Podcasting
You could start your own podcast. Or, to make things a little less daunting, find niche-relevant podcasts for you to appear as a guest.
Speaking on a podcast is a more intimate way of speaking. Whilst the audience may fall into thousands, it’s really just you and the presenter speaking 1:1.
Listeners get to to find out more about you and how you run your business. So it can give great exposure for your website and mean warm leads.
I’m not someone who enjoys speaking gigs (at all) but even I was persuaded to record an episode in 2022 for the wonderful Philippa Robinson’s podcast. It’s more about being outdoors and my outdoor blog but I may just have another more business-related podcast gig lined up soon! One a year is enough for now 😂
Facebook groups
These can be a great way to connect with people.
Many will have strict no-promotion rules, but you can still share helpful information. And Facebook groups are all about, networking online and supporting each other. When you think about it, that’s one of the things we introverts do really well.
Social media
Love it or hate it, social media is a great way of connecting with lots of people.
Rather than trying to post on every platform, pick one or two where your ideal customers will be hanging out. LinkedIn, for example, is great for B2B service providers and sharing long-form content. Instagram may work better if you’re an Ecommerce business or want to inspire others with images.
If you’re struggling for content ideas, read ‘How to repurpose 1 blog post into 20 pieces of social media content’.
Other opportunities
Marketing does not always have to be a formal activity. Chat with people when waiting in queues. Go to small networking groups or conferences. Have a coffee and chat with another business owner.
You never know who you’ll meet, and who they may know!
Managing your time and energy
One of the main traits of being an introvert is feeling drained by social occasions. So, it’s important to look after your energy.
That may mean resting before and after social events. Or making sure you feel prepared before going along. It could also mean taking a break during the event, just to reflect and ground yourself. It’s also ok to leave early if you’re beginning to feel drained.
The benefits being an introvert
So far, I’ve covered how to tweak your marketing activities, and keep your energy levels at good levels.
But introverts also have some huge advantages in business. We tend to:
Listen more than we talk
Think before we speak
Focus on building relationships
Make deeper connections
Work well independently
Connect and engage with people
They’re great traits and, when we work with rather than against our personality, we can build some fantastic partnerships with our clients.
If you want more evidence to show that introverted entrepreneurs can be successful, take a look at these famous ones below:
Larry Page, co-founder of Google
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft
Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo
Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple
Oprah Winfrey, TV personality
At the end of the day, I believe our success is all about setting boundaries.
As introverts, we need to give ourselves space to restore our energy levels. And, that way we can keep doing what we do best.
Make meaningful connections.
If you’re an introverted entrepreneur, drop a comment below and share what works for you.
