Marketing is typically thought of as a job for extroverts. It is often portrayed as a job that involves plenty of networking and presenting to clients. Does this mean that introverts can’t be successful when it comes to marketing? Absolutely not. I am living proof of that. In fact, being an introvert in a marketing role is actually an advantage. Introverts prefer to listen, meaning that you are more likely to hear what your customers are saying and react to market changes more quickly.
Having said that, there are some roles within a marketing team that do lend themselves more to the introverted personalities. These roles play to the introverts strengths and could be a good place to start if you want to work in a marketing department.
Copywriter
I have often found that introverts make the best copywriters. They tend to spend more time in their heads thinking about things. This means that when they put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), the content that comes out is well thought through and offers real value to readers. Plus, as an introvert, I am happy to hermit myself away for the hours it takes to produce large quantities of content. In fact, in many roles, the excuse of having to go somewhere quiet to write various bits of copy has proven to be a welcome reason to get away from the busyness of a working office.
Website Developer
A website developer is in a way very similar to the role of copywriter, it’s just that you are writing copy in a different programming language. I studied computer science at university and have lost myself for many hundreds of hours in building websites and writing code. There is something very satisfying about creating your own website from scratch. It allows me to combine my geeky introverted side with my love of being creative. The majority of website developers I know are introverts. They like being able to submerge themselves into the world of code and again, because their role requires high level of concentration, it gives them a valid excuse to shut out the world while at work.
Digital Marketing Executive
The joy of modern society, means that more business is done online than it is face to face. This means that the world is slowly changing from one where the outspoken extroverts have all the power, to one where us shy, but clever individuals can utilise online marketing techniques to build their own companies. The digital marketing role is one that is becoming more and more important and ultimately will replace the role of a regular marketing manager in the future. As a digital marketing expert, the majority of your interactions will be done online, meaning that for an introvert you can rest easy that there will be very little face to face or telephone interaction. For that reason, digital marketing is where you will find the majority of introvert marketing professionals.
Social Media Manager
This may sound like an unusual choice seeing as most of this role will include talking to customers. However, the joy of social media is that while it does require a two way communication, you have time to prepare a written response. This takes away much of the anxiety that comes with normal face to face selling. You have time to check your response and if necessary, get someone else to check it over before you hit the send key. Social media marketing is a massively growing industry and offers a great opportunity for those who prefer to communicate with people digitally.
