Larry Page & Sergey Brin!Founders, Google

Mark Zuckerberg!Founders, Facebook

Jack Dorsey!Founders, Twitter

Personal Branding for Shy People

“If there was ever a group of people who benefited

most from social media it was shy people.”

!

Jeremy Waite, Head of Digital Strategy @ExactTarget, Salesforce.

4 in 10 top executives test as introverts USA Today

SHYNESS is a learned behavior of discomfort and anxieties.

INTROVERSION is a trait whereby people recharge and gain energy through “alone time.”

Shyness is a barrier to being successful. There are techniques to overcome it.

You may be an introvert, but you still strive for success, have great ideas and run your own business.

If you’ve got products or services to sell…

… you want to attract more customers.

You see others

“pimping” themselves and find it

unappealing.

You don’t want to be obnoxiously loud and degrade yourself with selfless promotion

“You are what you share” Charles Leadbeater, former advisor to Tony Blair

* We are NOT using the word “Brand” under the definition ”a type of product manufactured by a particular company under a particular name"

!

!

We are using “Brand” defined as "a particular identity or image”

When you are your brand, you attract like-minded people who want to hire you or buy from you because your brand is an honest expression of who you are.

Now 8 steps to build your brand despite

shyness

1. Define what you are shy

about: !

Your voice? Your appearance?

Eye contact? Colleagues? Strangers?

The unknown? Your failures?

Your successes? Your aspirations?

Your values? Other?

2. Who are you NOT shy around?

3. What do you want to achieve through a stronger personal brand? !• Get hired?  • Expand your network? • Get recognized for an area of expertise? • Sell x more products / services? • Increase the price of your products / services by x? • Reduce your advertising costs?

4. Your brand is who people think you are !

• Who do you want to know about your brand?  • What do you want people to know you for?  • What do you want customers / employees / colleagues / friends to say when they talk about you? 

5. Understand what works best for YOU

!• What do you naturally do online?  • What is your default behavior?  ◦ Creator? ◦ Conversationalist?◦ Critic?◦ Collector?

• What is your preferred mode of communication?◦ Writing? ◦ Speaking? ◦ Visual? ◦ Performance? ◦ Music? ◦ Data?

6. Have fun creating content, curating and sharing

7. If Social Media was your magic wand,

what would you want it to do for you?

8. Get help: you’re not alone!

!• Read books about social media

• Hire a coach or a consultant • Join networks and communities

• Get an intern

Noam Kostucki Coach @noamkos

Author of You are Your Brand www.about.me/noamkos

Minter Dial Consultant @mdial

Founder of The Myndset www.myndset.com

9. Ask us questions. Tell us what you want your brand to do for you.