Introverts are often reluctant to put themselves in the spotlight. But sharing content is one of the key ways to build your brand and raise your profile, so how do you reconcile the natural reluctance to shout about yourself with the need to be visible on social media.
In her best selling book ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking‘ Susan Cain says, “The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting.” If you don’t want to put your name in lights you may find it more comfortable to put your subject matter in the spotlight. A great way to build your personal brand as an introvert is to share your expertise, giving potential clients a taster of how you can help them and encouraging them to find out more. This approach is known as content marketing.
Building Your Brand With Content Marketing: What to talk about when you don’t want to talk about yourself?
What is Content Marketing?
As defined by the Content Marketing Institute:
Content Marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
Content marketing is about creating information that customers and potential customers are interested in so they pay attention to your business.
Good content can give potential clients a taster of how you can help them and encourage them to find out more. If you are an introvert, presenting your expertise and your subject matter (rather than yourself) is a great way to build your personal brand. The key here is to find issues and subjects that answer your clients’ needs and challenges, so you are focusing not on you but on them, so it doesn’t feel salesy or show-offy.
What Should I Talk About?
Ask your clients what they want to know. What are the frequently asked questions that crop up in your business? What search terms are used in your industry? Try posting on social media asking your followers what they would like to know – Instagram stories have a question option which works well for this. If you have a team, ask them what questions you get asked the most, and if you offer training, what are the questions that come up frequently in the training room?
If you are an introvert, presenting your expertise and your subject matter (rather than yourself) is a great way to build your personal brand #contentmarketing Click To Tweet
Show Your Work and Tell Your Stories
An easy option for anyone in a visual or retail industry, regularly sharing high-quality images of your products should be at the top of your list. If those products have an interesting story behind them or one that reinforces your unique offering and their authenticity (jewellery sourced around the globe, clothing made from English wool, food made from organic ingredients from specific farms) tell all these stories alongside the images. If you are service-based, tell the stories of how you help your clients, prepare case studies showing the impact you made, show before and after images. Regularly ask clients if they can provide testimonials and use the words of satisfied clients in your content.
Help Your Clients
Many technical sectors have complex legislative changes. Take the opportunity to explain the complexities to your audience, to share your professional opinion on how the change will impact on your clients, explain how they can prepare and demonstrate that you can help. Clients do not have time to wade through the details and they need experts to help them navigate the changes.
When buying from you involves spending larger sums of money, potential customers will want to know how you solved a particular problem – ideally a problem similar to the one they have. This helps them reduce the risk or worry they have when committing to a large spend. Your content should feature case studies showcasing your expertise, accompanied by lots of great images, to reassure them that you are a safe pair of hands, with experience in exactly the issue they are looking to solve.
Tips, advice or user guides to your industry can be really helpful resources for a potential client – for example, you could compile advice about how to access your service, things to think about when selecting a supplier or advice on what steps you will need to take. A solicitor may prepare a simple guide to choose a conveyancing firm or points to think about when writing a will. In a consumer industry, you may want to round up relevant trends or issues or review alternative products or services. A hairdresser may want to comment on celebrity trends or offer advice on how to choose a hair colour that suits them. The emphasis is on helpful advice, rather than a hard sell, so you are seen as an expert rather than a salesperson.
Your views about the industry show that you are up to date and informed. You could write a piece detailing what you think will be the trends for the coming year, reviewing a product or service relevant to your audience, or commenting on a current issue.
Keep Showing Up
There are many ways to present all of this content, and I’ll outline some of the most relevant ones in a future blog post. The main point, for now, is that whatever medium you choose, you need to show up consistently. Getting started is the easy part, but you need to commit to regular content to build your reputation. Your content marketing strategy will need careful planning, evaluating and regular updating. Keep sharing your quality content, and your personal brand will only benefit.
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