How introverts can shine on social

Introversion is a somewhat nebulous characteristic as discussed in Carolyn Gregoire’s article, 23 Signs You're Secretly An Introvert: “Think you can spot an introvert in a crowd? Think again,” she says. “Despite the growing conversation around introversion, it remains a frequently misunderstood personality trait.”

Agreed. A common misconception is that all introverts are shy and anti-social; but “shyness” and “introversion” are two very different things.

Why it works

Introversion is more about preferring quality over quantity in social interactions. It’s about where one derives their greatest source of energy to thrive. Extended periods of social interaction may energise an extrovert, but can deplete an introvert, who will then have to recharge by spending a period of time alone afterward.

This is precisely the reason why social media is the perfect platform for introverts to promote themselves. No need for forced interaction, small talk, or gregarious chatter. You don’t need to be the master networking champion of the office, or the centre of the company cocktail party. If you’re an introvert and want to do some self-promotion, all you need is an internet connection and a plan.

Get social in a professional way

We can talk about Twitter and Facebook, but if you’re in it for business and networking, LinkedIn is still a safe bet. Build your audience gradually by posting relevant and informative blog entries twice a week to groups that are interested in your topic matter, and only occasionally as status updates directly from your profile page. Once you have connections and an audience, don’t push people too hard. Don’t, for example, send people unsolicited email requests to buy any products.

Engage in conversations with those who post comments to your blog entries and status updates. Let your audience get to know you by replying to their posts and answering their questions. Again, this is gold for the introvert. You can have meaningful conversations in a controlled environment, all the while enjoying the comfort of your private office.

Use the right words

Think about the phrases people might type into a search engine such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo to try to find something they’re looking for. Use that to guide how you speak to your audience. For example, the author of a holiday cookbook may write a blog entry containing keywords such as “best cheesecake recipes in the world” and “holiday treats” and then link them to the ecommerce site where the book is sold.

Write several of these strategically worded articles: 500-word essays that contain the phrases your customers type into a search engine when they are looking for your particular topic, and then share those articles with others via email and social media websites. The ultimate goal is for your articles to show up in the top five search results on page one of a search engine because this will dramatically improve the chances of people clicking on them to read them. Obviously, the more articles that are posted online and shared on a regular basis, the better it will work.

Article written by Kim Staflund, publisher at Polished Publishing Group (PPG)