Has an expert ever told you that you “must” market in a certain way and you cringed, because that marketing technique felt foreign to your personality? For some business owners and entrepreneurs, such an incident is so vivid in their memory that they decided that marketing is foreign to them too.
My approach is different. I give you permission to ignore any marketing method that you find uncomfortable or contrary to your usual way of operating in the world. I encourage you to replace those “shoulds” with marketing vehicles that are better suited to what you are. That way, you can launch into marketing enthusiastically and effectively.
To discover your comfortable marketing style, take the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. If you feel a significant disconnect between your personality and marketing, you are likely introverted, someone who recharges on his own and feels drained when he is too close to other people. (Extroverts, on the other hand, feel drained and restless when they are alone and recharge with other people.)
In the Myers-Briggs personality system, an ISFP (Sensing / Feeling / Perceiving Introvert) is calm, friendly, sensitive, and kind. They have an artistic sensibility, tend to live in the moment, and generally keep their feelings to themselves. For something to hold your attention and commitment, an ISFP must be emotionally engaged. His talents generally involve the senses or movement.
According to personality watchers, prominent ISFPs include Marilyn Monroe, Brooke Shields, Donald Trump, Fred Astaire, Michael Jackson, Yogi Berra, Harry Potter, Richard Branson, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Steven Spielberg, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand, Cher, the cartoon character Charlie Brown and Saint Francis of Assisi.
If the Myers-Briggs tests reveal that you are an ISFP, you enjoy spontaneity, handle practical problems well, need some solitude, and make decisions using your feelings as a guide. To the extent that marketing involves routines and rules, you will feel caged and uncomfortable with it. Instead, allow yourself to gravitate towards marketing tactics that fit your love of freedom and a vibrant life, such as:
Publish a video, photography or audio blog that highlights feelings and knowledge about them.
Get interviewed on television, radio, teleseminar, or in person, where you can colorfully explain things or even demonstrate for the audience.
Cultivate referral sources that value your talents
Meet potential and actual customers in person rather than over the phone or via email.
Attract followers on Facebook and Twitter
Creating events where people can experience what you have to offer.
Host business-related parties that are known for their unusual food, decor, atmosphere, or entertainment.
Send short, fresh updates to subscribers whenever you want (not on a set schedule)
As an ISFP, avoid marketing projects that include a heavy emphasis on data, details, or analysis, as well as complicated projects that require precise coordination with others. You don’t do many tasks at once, so contenting yourself with doing things one at a time. It is also not a good match with the fast outperforming “Type A” s, preferring to work at a measured or even leisurely pace. Since you are sensitive to criticism, avoid situations where you open yourself up to feedback from those who don’t care about your best interests.
You can find greater or easier success with the help of an empathic coach to help you recognize, value, and express your talents.