The online business world is full of marketers. However, not many of them are influencers. If you are wondering what kind of role you should have online, I would suggest you to be an online influencer. How you can be one without using “I’m an introvert” as an excuse.
Okay – first off, being an introvert doesn’t mean that you are a shy person. You just enjoy thinking and consider a lot before you take any actions. You may be outgoing and have great social skills, but still, you love to stay away from the crowd and… thinking.
This blog post is not about psychology, as I am not an expert whatsoever. I do, however, know a thing or two about introvert because I am, in fact, an introvert.
Becoming an influential introvert
Now, one major perk of being an introvert in a business world is that I can strategise well, as I enjoy being alone and think – that’s why online business fits me well as it requires minimal physical interactions with regard to business.
During my 4 years of online entrepreneurship, I learn that I have evolved from a blogger-slash-website builder to an online-influencer-slash-web-publisher. Yes, I still blog much, but whenever I write a blog post, I wear my online influencer hat. And yes, I am getting better at it.
Web publishing? Being one liberates me; it’s inspired by Darren Rowse, the pro-blogger, who says that referring yourself as a blogger is limiting; as a web publisher, however, the sky is the limit.
By becoming an online influencer I can persuade you with a suggested way of thinking. Instead of being an Internet marketer who says, “Easily get X by doing Y TODAY!” – which is not me, at all – I enjoy being an influencer who says, “Hey mate you might want to try X because I have done so and I get Y.”
With that being said, it is easy for me to be an online reviewer; reviewing products and services for clients, either solicited or not, gives me the freedom of expressing what I am thinking in the form of words. If I think a website is cool, you can tell that I am really visiting that website a lot.
Writing reviews, saying good words about a service I genuinely use, and giving my opinions about something are my forte. I don’t rant, though, as it drains the positive energy of people surrounding me, and ranting does no good to the subject, too; it’s better for you to give opinions, not rants. And we all know being positive is not easy these days… as an online influencer, I CAN persuade you to think positively by sharing what I have been thinking about these days (as a proper introvert.)
Takeaway
Okay – to recap, here are some reasons why you should be an online influencer (without using your traits as an introvert as excuses NOT to impact others):
- You can help people to decide on something – without “hard-selling”
- You can help branding of a product/services – whether you are paid to do so or not
- Your skills are well-sought-after: Businesses don’t want generic opinion; they want real opinion that can direct people to the right direction.
- Online opinions, feedbacks, reviews are more valuable than gold: You can spend as much money as you want, but changing what people think about your business can’t be solved with money. Online influencers can do that for you – especially those who are authoritative.
Remember, online influencer is not an Internet marketer. Money is not the driving factor, although your skills can help you make money. As an online influencer, you can help deliver messages and change people’s perspective. Using your skills for the good can help changing the world – one word at a time.
Ivan Widjaya
Online influencer