The ISTJ Marketing Profile: Perceiving / Thinking / Judging Introverts as Marketers
Most of the time, marketing advice is delivered as if it applies to the personality and preferences of the person designated to carry it out. However, over several decades of people-watching, I’ve often seen seemingly sound advice that goes nowhere because it sorely conflicted with the habits, beliefs, and self-image of the person being told what to do.
In my opinion, people find it much easier to carry out any type of advice, including marketing advice, when it fits their personality, rather than feeling unfamiliar, foreign, and maybe even objectionable or silly. Let’s now see how we can apply this point to one of the main introvert personality types. Introverts are people who tend to feel drained from social interaction and who need solitude to recharge their energy. (Extroverts, by contrast, thrive on social interaction and generally don’t do well being alone.)
In the Myers-Briggs personality system, the ISTJ (Sensing / Thinking / Judging Introvert) type is calm, serious, realistic, thorough, and respectful of tradition. You can count on an ISTJ to persevere, stick to the schedule, and meet high standards, even without a lot of positive feedback or reinforcement. An ISTJ especially enjoys observing and creating order for others.
According to introverted observers, famous ISTJs include George Washington, George HW Bush, Henry Ford, Warren Buffett, Queen Elizabeth II, Julia Roberts and, from the realm of fiction, the character of Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh.
If the Myers-Briggs tests classify you as an ISTJ, then the marketing methods that best suit your needs include:
Blog regularly reporting little known facts, sharing interesting observations, and offering practical advice
Publish a newsletter that contains useful information.
Seeking and maintaining a leadership position in a civic or professional organization that requires performing certain tasks reliably
Host newsworthy holiday, milestone and anniversary celebrations
Create and follow a written marketing plan
Collect and analyze, then post facts, like in a survey
Be interviewed by radio or teleseminar for your knowledge and mastery of the facts.
Marketing dangers to be aware of as an ISTJ include:
Try techniques, such as humor, that others have highly recommended but don’t come naturally to you.
Keep doing things long after the point where they stop working.
Taking on too many worthy and unpaid projects
Losing the big picture due to too much attention to detail
Being overwhelmed by a multitude of (imagined) things that could go wrong
Failing to appreciate the subtleties of interactions with clients, opinion leaders, and referral sources.
Getting heavy, preachy, or dull in tone
As an ISTJ, you will feel good about seeking respect and being known for your experience, rather than your appearance, who you know, or your personal story. You won’t be attracted to marketing mentors who brag, brag, behave cheekily, or spend a lot of time talking about themselves. Find experts to follow who, like you, demonstrate dependable, practical competence and a steady climb to the top of the field.