Today I’m starting a new series that’s pretty close to my heart: The Introvert’s Guide to Building a Business Online. I’ve noticed through the years that so many business articles are so geared toward extroverts or people who would be completely fine following tips like “head to a networking event with a thousand business cards” or “send a pitch to that huge publication even though you just started your business.”

But I’ve also noticed that a lot of the cool business babes I’ve met online fall onto the introvert side of the scale. And while I personally think that being an introvert can be a huge asset to building an online business, we all know that just heading to a networking event or pitching a huge publication isn’t as easy and stress-free as some other posts make it out to be.

So these posts are meant to dig a little deeper. They’re meant to help you sort of build up to the point where you might feel comfortable taking advantage of some of the advice in those other articles.

That’s why the first post in this series is about interacting with people online – I firmly believe that this is a great way to start building a business. You don’t need to have a product or service to sell before you sign up for a Twitter or Instagram account. You can use these platforms to build an audience or community FIRST, then you can cater your products and/or services to meet their needs. So here goes….

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Online networking can be a huge asset to your creative business. It can help you find customers, collaborators and even good friends. But for many of us, the concept of interacting with people we’ve never met online can be a little awkward.

But it doesn’t have to be! I promise, if I can learn to build relationships online, anyone can. Here are some things that have worked for me when it comes to interacting with new people online.

Don’t think of it as “networking”

One of the biggest hurdles for me when I first started building an online brand was this idea of social networking. I don’t know about you, but networking just seems like such an icky word to me. It makes it seem like everyone is just using everyone else to advance their own agendas. And there’s certainly a lot of that going on. But you don’t have to (and shouldn’t!) use it that way. That’s another reason why I think it’s beneficial to build a community before actually starting a business – so you can get used to really talking to people and build actual relationships without becoming an icky networking person.

Ask questions

If you’re like me, then even responding to social media posts of people who aren’t talking directly to you can seem weird. But you may be able to get some conversations started by simply asking questions on your own feed. Post a question about an issue you’re having with your website or even ask people what you should watch on Netflix. It can be a good way to sort of ease into that process.

Say “thank you”

Another super easy way of getting some conversations started is by simply thanking people. Of course, you should thank people when they offer you advice or share any of your posts. But you can also thank people for sharing valuable resources or insights. Just remember to always be genuine and specific. Don’t just say “thanks” – tell them why you found it helpful and that you really appreciate them sharing those resources.

Talk about stuff that’s not your business

Another really crucial element of un-icky networking is to talk about stuff that’s completely unrelated to your biz. I’m not talking about posting articles from other creatives in your field (though you should probably do that too). I’m talking about posting updates about your home renovation projects, your thoughts on the latest episode of Scandal, or maybe even some pictures of your lunch. These are things that lots of people can relate to, so they can really get some conversations started and help you actually get to know people without having to deal with all that business speak.

Have some close friends in your network

One thing I’ve found super helpful over the years is having some of my closest IRL friends as part of my networks. It’s obviously easy to interact with them, so it makes the whole thing a lot more fun and not so network-y. Plus, they favorite lots of stuff and are super supportive so it’s a great little confidence boost.

But don’t just add everyone you’ve ever met

BUT! That doesn’t mean you have to add everyone you’ve ever met. I find that interacting with my closest friends on the same platforms where I also share biz stuff to be a benefit, because they’re supportive and awesome. But we all know that there are people you know who either won’t understand what you’re trying to build or won’t be all that supportive. You don’t need to add them! This doesn’t mean you need to keep everything top secret, but just don’t go out of your way to find that aunt who is just going to ask you a million skeptical questions about your business at family gatherings. And if you’re worried about people finding you, maybe don’t add your full name. This is part of the reason I don’t really use Facebook much for biz stuff. It’s just not really where my target audience is that active, but a lot of people I know IRL who won’t really “get it” are there, and I just don’t need that at this point.

Don’t use platforms that make you uncomfortable

Along those lines, an important part of getting comfortable with the whole social networking thing is choosing the right platforms. I love Twitter because everything is short and to-the-point. And Instagram is great because I’m a very visual person and I can share little pieces of my day and find lots of really cool creatives. But Facebook is not really my thing because I wasn’t connecting with the right people. And I’ll probably never use Periscope because I just find that whole idea way too stressful.

But push yourself a little bit

BUT! If you only ever do things that are super easy to you, then you never grow. So, while it’s okay to not use platforms that make you uncomfortable AND wouldn’t really provide a great value to you, you should push yourself to do things that would actually be an asset to your business. You don’t necessarily have to jump right in. But if you are a makeup artist who’s not using YouTube, you probably need to try and work your way up to that. Use platforms like Instagram to build your audience while you work on your video skills. Then once you’re able to create videos that you’re really proud of, it’ll be a little easier to make the leap.

Realize that you care way more than everyone else

Here’s the thing about all of this. A lot of people (myself included) tend to stress out about how people will react to what we share or say online. But I’ve found that those fears really never materialize. Think about how much care and attention you actually give to all of those posts that other people share on Twitter and Instagram. Sure, you look at them and read them. But if you don’t particularly like them or identify with them, you probably just keep scrolling, right? You probably don’t spend hours obsessing over them or harassing that person online. Well, that’s pretty much what other people will do when they don’t particularly like one of your posts – just keep scrolling. Then they’ll probably like other things that you post in the future. The absolute worst thing that can happen is that someone voices their disagreement, to which you can calmly explain your point or block them if they’re actually disrespectful. That’s it. You always care way more about what you post than everyone else does. So it’s really not worth stressing out about their reactions.

Take advantage of the benefits

Lastly, you really need to take advantage of all the great things that come with running an online business. Doing so probably means that you can mainly work from home and you don’t need to do stuff like cold-calling!!! I’ve actually found that interacting with people online has helped me really create a voice for myself and I think I’ve gotten a bit more comfortable in my own skin over the past decade because of the opportunity I’ve had to work online.

It’s an awesome opportunity, especially for introverts. So take advantage of it, and allow yourself to really enjoy it and grow!

Do you have any other tips to share? I’m working on more posts like this, so let me know if you’d like me to cover any specific areas!