The following answers are provided by members of Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.
1. Interview Others
“As someone who doesn’t like to talk much, but loves to learn, I have found interviewing others as a great way to expand my social media brand. The most important thing now becomes asking insightful questions to get the most out of guests. An added benefit is that through interviews, you already have long-form content when it is transcribed. Interviews give me great content without much work.”
Lawrence Watkins, Great Black Speakers
2. Share Information About the Things You Know Really Well
“The key to building a social media brand is consistently sharing something valuable. What value can you provide? What topics do you know exceptionally well? What do you want to be known for? Pick a few different content pillars, develop a plan to consistently share content around those topics, pick your social media platforms and then develop a social media brand around your favorite topics.”
Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
3. Craft and Curate Richly Informative Content
“There’s no reason introverts can’t do as well as their more outgoing colleagues on social media. In fact, social media is a great help for people who don’t do so well at conferences and meet-ups. You may not be up for live-streaming and constant tweeting, but as a thoughtful and methodical person, you can craft and curate richly informative content that provides real value to your communities.”
Vik Patel, Future Hosting
4. Use the Digital Buffer To Your Advantage
“Social media is perfect for introverts because it removes the biggest fear in socializing, which is being physically in front of other people. Use it to your advantage by carefully crafting your tweets, blog posts or even videos that are carefully thought out in advance — or even spontaneous if you are trying to capture something in real time. Use the digital buffer to your advantage.”
Andy Karuza, FenSens
5. Focus Attention On The Product, Not Yourself
“Introverts tend to have a tough time speaking about themselves, so focus on the impact of your product or service and how it will help change lives. This way the attention isn’t on you as an individual, but redirected to your mission and accomplishments.”
Rakia Reynolds, Skai Blue Media
6. Answer Questions On Twitter and Quora
“Personally, I feel like I live on the border of introvert and extrovert. I can understand how an introvert may not want to post certain things to social media all day. Answering questions is a great way to stay involved in social media without starting too many conversations. Stay active on Quora and use advanced Twitter searches to find questions in your industry.”
Andrew Saladino, Kitchen Cabinet Kings
7. Take Advantage Of Your Listening Skills
“While most introverts are likely to be the last person to jump on a stage or the social media soap box, they are notoriously good listeners. The ability to effectively listen and look for cues that could point to good content or sharing opportunities is a great way to build solid engagement to a brand. Introverts value intimacy, and that’s an opportunity to make your social branding more authentic.”
Nicole Munoz, Start Ranking Now
8. Put Influencers To Work For You
“Having others like influencers and brand advocates build your brand helps you to enjoy staying behind the scenes while they speak on your behalf. They can also enhance your credibility at a much faster rate.”
Drew Hendricks, Buttercup
9. Become A Contributor on Sites Where You Feel Comfortable
“One of the best ways for introverts to build their social media brand is to become a contributor with several content sites that you feel fit you well and several that fit your business. For example, I write about running remote teams for some outlets and consumer awareness for others. They are both things that I’m passionate about and help establish my personal brand.”
Brian David Crane, Caller Smart Inc.
10. Use MeetEdgar
“Use MeetEdgar. Load up your library with a ton of posts and set a schedule. Don’t pay attention to whether a post makes you feel uncomfortable. Put it on autopilot, so you don’t balk or stop yourself from posting something at the last minute.”
Ismael Wrixen, FE International
11. Use an Emoji Or Avatar as a Representation Of You
“It’s great to create a character of yourself or use an emoji to define you, so you can live through that representation of yourself, especially if you don’t like pictures or videos of yourself online. People can relate to it and it is an interesting way to define yourself that makes you feel comfortable.”
12. Tap Into Writing
“The growing craze these days is using video, podcasts, and other extroverted forms of media to build a following, but those aren’t your only options. Longform posts are being increasingly used on platforms like Facebook. Writing is a great way for introverts to spend time thinking independently, getting their ideas in order, and sharing them with the world in a way that isn’t exhausting.”
Zach Obront, Book in a Box
13. Focus On Your Content
“Social platforms depend on your technology to create, post and share content. Your interactions are not face-to-face. For that reason, many creators online actually identify as introverted in real life. Focus on your content and the rest will fall into place. Be yourself and don’t worry about “performing.” These tools let you share what you want to with the world — without an in-person audience.”
Codie Sanchez, CodieSanchez.com
14. Display the Depth and Breadth Of Your Knowledge and Expertise
“Focus on your knowledge. Extroverts dominate social media. As introverts, your strength is your focus and ability to take in information and hone skills. This allows you to be more authentic when you talk about the things you are well versed in. In the social media sphere, talk about what you know, and be the very best at it. Your expertise is guaranteed to shine through that way.”
Ajay Paghdal, OutreachMama
15. Be Yourself
“Some of the most successful social media channels are run by self-admitted nerds/geeks/introverts. They maintain their audience by being true to who they actually are. If you’re introverted, own it. Be yourself, and use some self-deprecation in your content — poking fun at yourself is the easiest way to endear your personal brand to the masses. Also, if you’re an introvert, you’re in good company!”
Bryce Welker, Crush The CPA Exam
