Tag: introverts

From Quiet, Shy Introvert to Introvert in Marketing

Anna PengLeave a comment

I used to speak so quietly that teachers would have a hard time getting me to talk.

I would rarely contribute in meetings because I feared what I had to say was unimportant.

If I could write and draw instead of talk and network, I’d do it in a heartbeat.

Things started to change when I started my first business on Etsy.

I realized that I had to do more than just keep to myself all the time.

If I wanted my business to do better, then I had to be an extrovert in marketing.

Good news for me, that meant I could still be my reserved, quiet self in real life.

All I had to do was learn how to create good content and hit the post button as many times as possible. 

And now, we’re here.

I’ve just kicked off the Content Club with our team at the Habit Factory, which is a workshop that helps other creatives build their brands. 

Funny how things turn out.

Moral of the story? You will improve at things if you intentionally practice. 

You can flip your script if you don’t like it.

Can introverts win on social media?

Anna PengLeave a comment

If you’re anything like me, you’ve said this to yourself before:

“I’m not smart, business-savvy, or extroverted. Social media marketing isn’t for me.”

These are the real words that bounded my life for several years before discovering I could publish content without having to leave home or “break out of my shell” trying to network at live events.

It took a lot of time before I figured out I didn’t have to be:

  • smart (because there’s Google and Youtube),
  • business-savvy (to an extent, but again Google, Youtube, and maybe some smart friends),
  • or extroverted (because I am naturally a quiet and reserved person).

Rather than being as loud and obnoxious as I could in real life, I found something else that worked for me. 

Rather than be bound by my true quiet and reserved nature, I do this instead.

The trick? 

To be as extroverted and loud as possible in publishing content. 

What’s the difference?

Extroverts as I see them = life of the party, loud, talkative, energetic

Extroverted in content = posting content often, experimenting with new content often, posting content across several social media platforms, engaging with other users of a platform

The best part? 

I don’t have to leave home and talk IRL with other people.

And I use this trick today in our family business social media accounts that constantly brings in $$.

So can introverted, shy, quiet creatives win on social media? 

Yes. Yes they can.

“I’m not smart, business-savvy, or extroverted. Social media marketing isn’t for me.”

Anna PengLeave a comment

These are the real words that bounded my life for several years before discovering I could publish content without having to leave home or “break out of my shell” trying to network at live events.

It took a lot of time before I figured out I didn’t have to be:

  • smart (because there’s Google and Youtube),
  • business-savvy (to an extent, but again Google, Youtube, and maybe some smart friends),
  • or extroverted (because I am naturally a quiet and reserved person).

Rather than being as loud and obnoxious as I could in real life, I found something else that worked for me. 

Rather than be bound by my true quiet and reserved nature, I do this instead.

The trick? 

To be as extroverted and loud as possible in publishing content. 

What’s the difference?

Extroverts as I see them = life of the party, loud, talkative, energetic

Extroverted in content = posting content often, experimenting with new content often, posting content across several social media platforms, engaging with other users of a platform

The best part? 

I don’t have to leave home and talk IRL with other people.

And I use this trick today in our family business social media accounts that constantly brings in $$.

So can introverted, shy, quiet creatives win on social media? 

Yes. Yes they can.

Does self promotion freak you out? 

Anna PengLeave a comment

Because it sure freaked me out when I first started selling stuff online. 

“What am I supposed to say?”

“What if I annoy them too much?”

Selling does not come natural to me. 

In fact, I’m still working hard on it. 

But I am here to say that self promotion doesn’t have to freak you out. 

In fact, it’s better that it freaks you out than not. 

Because that means you’re aware of how you might sound to everyone else. 

Nobody wants to listen to a selfish salesperson.

I hear you.

The good news?

You don’t have to be a selfish salesperson to make marketing work for you. 

All you have to do is change the way you think about marketing. 

Most people want to push a sales message your way without thinking twice about what you *really* want.

That’s called spam.

Instead of constantly pushing sales messages in your DMs, try listening. 

Don’t go into every conversation looking to make a sale.

Instead, listen for the problem and try to help out if they need it. 

Only then will your self promotion work. 

I just spent the last 20 minutes of my life thinking about what to write instead of actually writing

Anna PengLeave a comment

Ooops.

If you’re anything like me and find yourself running out of time by the end of the day, I have just the thing for you. 

You can extend your day by an hour or more.

Any day of the week. 

All you have to do is this. 

Stop overthinking about what you’re going to do. 

Just do it.

I used to be so shy that I would talk in whispers. 

Anna PengLeave a comment

Reaching out to people felt near impossible because I felt uncomfortable initiating conversation.

I was young (and awkward). 

My reserved and shy nature made it hard for me to build my confidence. 

I didn’t want to share anything on social media. 

I hated the phrases “Go out there”, “Just talk to people”, and last but not least, “Don’t be shy!” 

Alas, there had to be another way. 

There had to be a way where shy, introverted people like me could succeed too.

But being shy and introverted didn’t mean I could stay comfortable and complacent in my own little bubble. 

So I got out of my chair and started attending events around the city that I found interesting. I just wanted to be an observer in the crowds. 

One night, I found myself at a lecture hall listening to an amazing photographer talk about her career. 

At the end of the presentation was Q&A. 

I desperately wanted to ask if I could work with her (something I almost never, ever, ever do at large presentations is ask questions because I’d be much more comfortable being hidden in the crowds). 

I was nervous. 

I was anxious. 

I was so shy that I let everyone else go in front of me so that I could prolong my waiting time in line. 

Finally, one of the event organizers realized I was silently waiting around while everyone went home. 

The crowd was now 4-5 people, much smaller than it was just half an hour ago. 

As soon as I checked the time on my phone, I felt 2 strong hands behind my back. 

A force so strong that it propelled me forward several steps until I was inches away from knocking over the presenter herself. 

I was pushed (literally) towards an opportunity in front of me. 

It was my turn to go out there, talk to people, and not be shy. 

So I did it. 

I asked my question, got a yes, and can now talk about that small but impactful moment in my life. 

In all of this, I realized that the antidote to my own shyness was the very thing I felt uncomfortable doing. 

AKA, going out there, talking to people, and trying to be less shy. 

I still hated it, but it did the trick for me. 

If you’re anything like me and want to shed your shyness, I hope you’ll do something that discomforts you. 

Dear Shy + Introverted Creatives

Anna PengLeave a comment

I remember growing up in Scarborough as a super quiet introverted kid with art and craft tendencies. 

You would occasionally find a C- in either science, math, or gym on my report card, but never when it came to art. 

Art was always my favourite subject in school. I always thought the more effort I put into my art projects, the better (most of the time) they turned out to be. I was a true believer in effort = results when it came to art class. 

However, effort = results wasn’t always the case when it came to other subjects in school. Maybe that’s why I eventually ditched all the other subjects and went all-in to study design. 

Fast forward to now, I’m still the super quiet introverted kid with art and craft tendencies deep down. What’s only grown stronger is my love for the creative field. 

I want to see other quiet, introverted kids with art and craft tendencies to succeed too. If you have a question you think I might be able to help you with, I’m just a LinkedIn connection away. 

It’s Your Turn

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Wait for it…. Wait for it….

In this moment of suspense, we wait until we get the signal to go from someone else.

Like when we’re allowed to go home from a long day of work, or when it’s an appropriate time to start our part of the team’s project.

Throughout our lives we were told to wait for our turn, to let someone else decide when it was okay for us to go.

Sometimes for what we want, we can’t sit and wait for the green light because frankly nobody is going to hand it to us. 

If you’ve got something to say, if you’ve got something to share, it’s already your turn.

Shy Shell

Anna PengLeave a comment

Back when I was still deep into my own shell, I used to blame my parents or other authoritarian figures in my life for my lack of being socially comfortable, shy, and/or awkwardness. It was easy and passive to say, “Hey, it’s not my fault. I was raised like this.”

As I grew older, it became frustrating to have others speak on my behalf.

And so, when I finally began picking up the pieces to talk, I realized that there was nobody who would be able to represent me except for myself. It sounds plainly obvious, but I avoided it for years. There was nobody to blame for my social shortcomings except me.

Nothing to Say

Anna PengLeave a comment

We’re often not the first to speak out loud, mostly voicing personal opinions in a group when asked. And when we do, sometimes we’re quick to undermine ourselves so that we don’t risk the chance of offending others or coming off as unintentionally cocky.

In the midst of all the self-doubt, we forget that talking isn’t really a strength—communication is.

Communication means clarity in your message, and tact in your delivery. It’s not about the quantity of words, but how the message gets understood by other people.

So no, having nothing to say isn’t to be looked down on, because simply talking for the sake of filling up silence doesn’t earn you any points in anyone’s books.

What’s worth more is allowing people to understand the things you say when you do, and how you make them feel about it.