The Extroverted Introvert (In Other Words, A Writer)

A couple of weeks ago, this was my horoscope:

An extroverted introvert is a person who is proactively outgoing to avoid being rude though they prefer plenty of time to themselves to recharge and enjoy the hours however they please. Can you relate?

First of all, how is that a horoscope? That’s just a statement, thrown willy-nilly out into the universe.

But second of all, of course I can relate. I didn’t know that there was such a thing as an extroverted introvert until a few years ago, but as soon as I found out about this personality classification, I nodded. That’s me, all right. 

And it’s confusing, I know. I started out life as a total so-shy-I-wouldn’t-speak introvert. I became sociable and outgoing in my adolescence, an extroverted introvert (though I didn’t know it), through sheer will power and doggedness. So I know it’s possible to turn from wallflower to witty life-of-the-party. And now maybe you’re wondering so what? Who cares about extroverted introverts?

Well, perhaps you do, if you’re a writer.

It’s no surprise that many writers lean toward the introverted side of the personality scale. We tend to love introspection and prefer living in our imaginations rather than the real world. Just about every writer I know will admit to thinking up stories while fixing dinner or changing babies or driving to work…um, maybe we shouldn’t admit to that one.

The point is, writers live an interior life. Or would prefer to, if we didn’t have the outside world banging down our doors. And that can be a problem for a writer. Because these days, we have to regularly and purposefully go out those doors and engage with the world if we want to be successful in our writing careers.

This week, I participated in a Twitter party to launch the Chicken Soup for the Soul Miracles and More, and I really, really didn’t want to jump in. Wasn’t it enough that I posted the announcement on my Facebook page and blogged about it?

It was probably better than doing nothing. But I did realize the importance of spreading the word about a new release as far as the Chicken Soup publisher’s business goes, and I knew that if I jumped in, I might gain a couple of new readers and/or followers. So I put on my extroverted pants and waded in.

And I had a lot of fun. That’s the thing about us extroverted introverts. Once we get into the swing of things, we thoroughly enjoy ourselves! Or at least, I do. What starts out at a conference or a workshop or a party as me going so as not to appear rude ends up as something entirely different.

Turns out that in small doses, I like meeting people! I make new friends, and I invariably help my writing business, too. So here’s my advice to introverted introvert writers: follow the “Just for today” philosophy.

You know, like, “Just for today, I’ll go to this conference and I’ll do a little schmoozing.” Or “Just for this evening, I’ll mingle at this party with agents and editors.” Or even, “Just for this hour, I’ll talk to someone I don’t know.”

You can become an extroverted introvert, and you can even enjoy it! And best of all, after that conference, that workshop, that Twitter party, you can fall into your over-stuffed chair with a good book and a cup of tea and not speak to anyone for hours.

(Or maybe that’s just me. You do your own recharge thing, friends. You do you.)

Cathy C. Hall is a kidlit author and humor writer and extroverted introvert. See her latest story in Chicken Soup for the Soul's Miracles and More, "God of the Little Things." And if you have interesting stories, go check out the Chicken Soup topics for this year. Maybe she'll see you at the next Twitter par-tay!  (Or come visit Cathy at her blog where she's sorta the life of the party every day.)

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10 comments Cathy C. Hall, Chicken Soup for the Soul, extroverted introvert, marketing advice for writers, Miracles and More, personality, Twitter party

The Top 3 Social Media No-Nos

by Karen Cioffi

At this point in time, most everyone knows the importance of using social media marketing. It’s a powerful strategy that has the ability to bring traffic to your website, boost authority, and build your business.

But, there are certain things you should watch out for. Some of these No-Nos will help you avoid harming your credibility and authority, others will help you boost your visibility.

Here are the top three social media No-Nos:

1. Not using social media as part of your marketing.

I’d be surprised if you’re not already doing this, but if not, you must be a part of social media networks in order to create and broaden your visibility and bring traffic to your website.

Join the biggies, like Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, Pinterest, and so on. I also use StumbleUpon and LinkedIn. There are lots and lots of them. Find a few that work for you and start sharing on them.

Then find the one or two networks that work best for you and ‘work’ them by posting to them more and engaging with other users more.

Be sure to use social sharing buttons on your blog posts. As you publish each post, share it to your networks. And, be sure to share the posts of other users. This helps create the engagement I mentioned above.

2. Promoting too much.

If you’re primarily promoting your products or services, this is a NO-NO. People want to be informed, they want you to help them. They don’t want to be sold to.

There’s a 80/20 marketing rule: Provide your audience with 80% useable information and 20% promotional content.

In fact, there’s so much information online that I think a better rule would be the 85/15 or 90/10 rule. Make yourself the go-to person for the information your audience is looking for. Then slip in the promo for the product or service that will help ease their pain, build their business, get them healthier, make them money or other solution to their problem.

Make it about your audience.

3. Using link-bait.

Okay, first let me explain what link-baiting is: It’s the practice of creating titles and links that are used specifically to get traffic to your website.

If the content (website) you’re sending the traffic to isn’t relevant to the ‘hyped up’ title, this is a NO-NO. Or, you may be sending people to outdated content or to fluff pieces (no substance or value).

People don’t like this and it will affect your social standing and authority.

Use these tips to help boost your results.

***

Karen Cioffi is a former accountant who is now a multi-award-winning author, ghostwriter, freelance writer, editor, and author-writer online platform marketing instructor. She founded and manages Writers on the Move (a marketing group), and presents online writing and marketing workshops and webinars.

Karen has published 12 writing and marketing eBooks, the most recent, Article Marketing: Increase Website Traffic with Properly Formatted and Search Engine Optimized Content.

In addition to this, Karen’s website, Karen Cioffi Writing and Marketing, was named Writer’s Digest Website of the Week, June 25, 2012.

>>>Want to get more traffic to you and your website? Check out Karen's online class, GIVE YOUR AUTHOR/WRITER BUSINESS A BOOST WITH INBOUND MARKETING. Visit our classroom page for details and enrollment.

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1 comment audience, Facebook, Google +, Karen Cioffi, link bait, marketing advice for writers, no-no's, online class, Pinterest for writers, social media, twitter, WOW class, WOW instructor

Making the Most of Your Mini-Marketing (Or a Tweet Is a Terrible Thing to Waste)

I was on Twitter the other day, scrolling through tweets and shaking my head in that judgmental, “writers-you-can-do-better” way.

Until I…er…checked my own timeline of tweets. A bit of an awkward moment, that was. Because what I found was a whole bunch of auto-tweets, the tweets of posts that go out whenever I add something new on my personal blog.

It’s not wrong, really, this automatic marketing. It’s a good idea to hook up with the feed feature on your blog so that you don’t have to think about adding a post every time you actually write a post. But if that’s all the thinking you’re doing with Twitter, then you’re wasting your mini-marketing platform.

To make the most of Twitter—and other social media platforms, you have to engage with readers. I think of it as the 3 Ms: Mindful Mini Marketing. I try to remember to think about what I’m putting out there. (Even though, clearly, I sometimes forget.)

So how does one mindfully market with only 140 characters?

Sometimes, I mention people by name. If I’m reading a great book, I’ll give the name of the book and let the author know what I love about it. If I read an insightful blog post, I’ll do the same and share the link. When I participate in a Rafflecopter giveaway, I’ll add a personal mini-comment to a tweet.

There are other ploys that grab me, too. When I see an intriguing title to a blog post, a title that engages my imagination and curiosity, I’ll give it a click. If I see a provocative discussion in a Twitter chat, I have to check it out. And humor? That almost always hooks me. It doesn’t take much to make a personal connection, to engage with people. Conversely, it doesn’t take much to turn people off.

When I see a tweet that’s doing double duty from Facebook, when I have to click on a tweet so that the smidgen of text makes sense, or if I see a nondescript phrase like, “Hello Writers,” I skip it. I’ll bet you do, too.

Twitter can be a great mini-marketing tool, helping you to gain followers who are truly interested in what you have to say—and what you write. But that kind of following takes a thoughtful approach, so think before you put something out there.

Because it may only be 140 characters, but you can’t afford to waste even a tweet.

(What always gets your clicks? Or what makes you cringe? Share your best mindful mini-marketing advice!)

~Cathy C. Hall

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5 comments Cathy C. Hall, marketing advice for writers, social media marketing, twitter