Inbound online marketing is more attractive these days however the reality is, outbound done right can rival it. Either online networking approach could work as well for the introvert looking to build their business as it could for someone more extroverted. My own experience finds that those who practice outbound tactics can benefit with a few minor tweaks. Interested in what you might be able to tune up?

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ARE YOU IN OR ARE YOU OUT With Your Online
Networking?
By guest blogger Patricia Weber
Is your email box getting like mine – more invitations to
connect with people online and less interest in accepting?
Inbound online marketing is more attractive these days
however the reality is, outbound done right can rival it.
Either online networking approach could work as well f or
the introvert looking to build their business as it could f or
someone more extroverted. My own experience f inds that
those who practice outbound tactics can benef it with a
f ew minor tweaks. Interested in what you might be able to
tune up?
Could you make a more attractive introduction?
One of my f avorite and most
productive online networking is
on LinkedIn. When I say
productive it’s getting leads,
ref erral partners and purchasers
of my online products, even calls f or radio show interviews. You might think because
LinkedIn is touted to be an online networking location f or prof essionals that inbound
marketing would be just that – prof essional. You’d be wrong.
On a daily basis I get some of the most unattractive invitations to connect. Either the
person inviting me to connect isn’t aware or they just don’t care. To ask someone to
connect when the photo of you is the def ault avatar, is unattractive to most people.
Besides that, tied f or of f ensiveness in my book, is choosing to send the def ault and
impersonal message to connect.
Bef ore you connect with the
next possible client or ref erral
partner make certain you have
at least an attractive headshot

2. of you. Then take the all of 30
to 60 seconds it might take to
scan someone’s prof ile to say something personal bef ore you connect.
Can you let go of the borderline or all out spamming?
As an introvert, and someone in sales and marketing f or 30 years, it is the f ear of this
particular kind of communication that people say they do not accept every invitation to
connect, f ollow or like, depending on the online network terminology.
Here’s the typical sequence, at least on LinkedIn. You get an
invitation to connect f rom someone. You take a quick 30 to 60
seconds to review their prof ile. Since they didn’t email you any
personal message, then the back up plan gives you the
responsibility to determine the give and take of connecting.
Seeing a f ew areas of common interest you click ACCEPT. You
even send a message thanking them f or connecting noting the
common interest. Usually, but not always, within 24 hours, you get
a direct email – selling something. Thank goodness f or the
“remove connections” f eature.
Do yourself a f avor so you are considered to be a person to get to know: instead of
sending an email pitching something on the f irst contact, either ask how you can help
that person, or thank them f or connecting and note some personal common interest.
Just like you would do in person, right?
How can you move the conversation f orward?
The truth f or me as an introvert, when I make the time to
either accept your invitation to connect or make the
attempt to connect with you, my energy gets used, it
goes down. Forget about the time put into the
introduction, because the truth is, that was minimal. It’s
more the mental, and emotional energy that’s drained out
of me. Maybe you can relate? Now, I have a part of me
invested to know you beyond the cursory hello. I can’t
say f or certain but it would make sense that with that
f eeling of being invested, there is a higher probability that
an introvert would want to move the conversation
f orward to something possibly mutually benef icial. But so many people online, and
networking in-person, just corrupt the connection and let it end where it started. How
do you move a conversation f orward? That’s the rub f or the introvert. But really?

3. The small talk phase, or phase one, isn’t an introvert strength but we’ve made it. Going
f orward will likely be more in our comf ort zone because it means going on to deeper
conversation and learning. Phase two can go at least two ways: you can look back at
the new connections prof ile and comment on something that originally caught your
interest, a book they shared, a common group they were in, and add a question to the
comment. Or, you can simply take a topic of interest to you, state a sentence or two
around it, and f ind out if it is of mutual interest. Phase two may be all that is needed to
either have a Skype, Google Plus Hangout or telephone call. If not, head to phase
three: if things went well with phase two but didn’t carry things f orward, then wait a bit
and then tack to another subject, this time, going back to their prof ile to turn the
phase three corner with the phase to approach.
These are just a f ew of the outbound marketing tactics that you could tweak to attract
more valuable connections. Certainly if you match that with inbound valuable content,
then both your online and even in-person networking will get you the better results you
intend, more easily and more conf idently.
About Patricia Weber
If you are an introvert entrepreneur, solopreneur, salesperson or, small business
owner you may be f amiliar with Patricia through her radio show interviews about the
introvert in business, Wall Street Journal interview with she and her extrovert husband,
or any number of blog posts at http://www.patricia-weber.com .
Networking online is an introvert, and even reluctant marketers, turf and she can help
make social media easier f or you better than any extrovert without storming your
brain. Get INSTANT access to a 39 page report with the top 63 Tips f rom an Introvert
Online and Loving It. Online success with a conf ident introvert approach: Blogging,
Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google+ can be your domain at
http://www.introvertsrulesocialmedia.com/