The power of introverts in marketing (and 2 personality tests)3 min read
We live in a world made for extroverts. Agreed? Regardless of what answer you give, I guess you see where I'm beating. The common belief is that to be successful in life, you have to be the person who can "shout" the loudest in the room.
However, does this rule apply with full force in the field of communications?
There is no clear-cut answer, but more importantly, we need to learn to know our strengths and weaknesses so that they work in our favor.
Recently I was invited to Nova News to present the power of introverts in marketing (see entry below), and although my friends rather define me as an "ambivert" (a balanced combination between "extrovert" and "introvert"), I decided to step into the shoes of an introvert (as one of the tests described in this article also put me a few % more in this column).
It turns out that introverts develop certain qualities that, contrary to expectations, can be a huge advantage when it comes to professions like marketing, advertising and PR.
First of all it is Empathy. Introverts are listeners, analysts, they will see every single detail in their surroundings and experience the emotions of the interlocutors opposite them. Although it sounds tiring, it turns out that empathy brings them even closer to the person, and this would help in the professions I listed above. How? By learning to understand people's needs and thus define their audience even better.
You may have heard the phrase "listen to answer, not listen to understand." Well, introverts are great listeners. They have developed this skill through empathy. Listening, in turn, is another great quality in communications - in social networks, for example, only 7-8% of users create content, while good listeners can take advantage and listen to learn more about their audience.
Here is a video of my participation in Nova News:
IMPORTANTA: I am far from the idea of putting people into strict frames and categories. On the contrary. I think extroverts can also be empathetic and great listeners just like introverts and ambiverts.
The purpose of this article is to suggest to you that shades are not always just black or white, especially when it comes to our personalities, which we have the power to turn into our weapons. The surest way to do that is when you get to know yourself, which is why I'm sharing the promised personality tests. Complete them thoroughly (they take about 50 minutes total) and you'll be surprised how much more you can learn about your strengths and weaknesses.
Enneagram Personality Test 1
Link: https://personalitypath.com/free-enneagram-personality-test/
It's based on a huge amount of research, and based on your personality characteristics it will tell you which of the 9 categories you fall into (for me it was "Performer", also described as "Achiever" - people who are driven to succeed). Note that the results from the link above will only tell you which type you are, you'll have to pay for more information, so I recommend Googling more about your type when you know it.
16 Personalities Test 2
Link: https://www.16personalities.com/
This is among the most popular personality tests you'll find online, and while I've heard from psychologists that it shouldn't be taken at face value, it can still give you a lot of useful information about yourself. At this link all the information is free, and you can even sign up for a newsletter and receive information about your personality type.
Humans are an interesting universe, aren't we?
Do you define yourself more as an introvert, extrovert or ambivert?
Etienne Yanev
Etienne Yanev is a digital marketer with over 12 years of experience, including working on projects for a number of startups and B2B companies. He has taught in Softuni Digital's core program as well as at the largest student entrepreneurship campus in the world - RANEPA International. He is the author of the Facebook learning community - "Digital Marketing for Entrepreneurs". He is also part of the Association of Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE).