Are extroverts better at marketing?
I decided to frame today’s email as a question.
Who’s better at marketing: introverts or extroverts?
Ye olde question depends entire on our neurochemistry. I want to preface that I’m not a student of neuroscience, but rather a student of neuromarketing.
I’m sure some of you already know: the majority of our daily output is dependent on dopamine, the “feel good” chemical. To be specific, increased dopamine leads to reward-seeking behaviours, and make an individual more talkative, take risks, and alert to their surroundings. A lot of things give you a dopamine spike: coffee, social media news feeds, music, exercising, meditation, and many illicit substances that I don’t recommend trying.
However you may not have heard about the chief neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic nervous system, acetylcholine. While dopamine can be associated to external stimuli, acetylcholine operates as its antithesis. The feelings of increased acetylcholine can lead to relaxed and content behaviours, and allows for an individual to become more focused on one task for a longer period of time.
Both chemicals motivate. Dopamine is best enjoyed by extroverts, while introverts don’t put such a high regard towards it. Introverts find most benefit from an increase in acetylcholine.
It’s actually rare to be 100% introverted or 100% extroverted. Most people are instead a differing mixture of both, also known as ambivert (or omnivert).
A marketer will ultimately kicks ass at their job when they’re able to thrive in both categories. Extroverts are naturals at networking, they generally communicate better, and work excellently when publicly representing an organization. Meanwhile, introverts are hyper focused at each individual job, are able to come up with great ideas, excel at listening, and have exceptional attention to detail.
Based on the benefits of dopamine and acetylcholine, you can imagine a good marketer might want to have a lick of column A and column B.
Using the famous marketing rule of 80/20, I’ve come to conclusion that this ideology can shift during the course of your career.
New in your career (0-3 years, interns and assistants)
80% introverted: Focused on great output and getting the job done right
20% extroverted: Starting to network and building your name
In the middle of your career (4-7 years, specialists and managers):
50% introverted: Reaching career achievements and tapping into your strategic mindset
50% extroverted: Continuing to network, showcasing your expertise, and confidently working with your team
At a senior level in your career (8+ years, directors and VPs)
80% extroverted: Hiring and growing teams, presentation delivery, and publicly representing your brand and/or organization
20% introverted: Developing high-level strategies, analyzing business intelligence tools, and identifying growth opportunities both internally and in the market
In my early marketing days at Manulife and Toronto’s City Hall, I spent a sizeable chunk of time putting numbers on the board. I followed instructions to a tee. I wrote articles, designed newsletters, built landing pages - whatever it took to get the job done. But my networking game was pitiful. I lacked the confidence to communicate my small list of accomplishments. I was also virtually terrified of putting my name out there. I was probably a little too hard on myself.
As I hit managerial level at Gotstyle and various cryptocurrency startups, I had more confidence to begin hiring contractors and tapping into the concept of strategy. My introspective time still kept me focused on producing, enabling a longer list of accomplishments and achievements. Plus, I had a stronger voice at the table to explore fresh, new ideas.
In my senior level consulting in startup valley, I spend most of my time communicating. That includes team building, partnerships, and talking bigger picture with the executive team. I create content now to educate and inspire - both on here and on podcasts. Most of my introspective work is strategy based, which is my happy place. It’s where my creativity thrives.
While everyone’s career in marketing is different, my journey is based on my achievements, decisions, and apparently, brain chemistry.
My recommendation is to retroactively review what drove your past decision making, and spend some time considering whether you’re introverted, extroverted, or both. Maybe it’ll help you find your best case scenario as a marketer.
Here’s a great infographic that dives into many assumptions or facts between introverts and extroverts for digital marketers.
Extroverts sparkle, introverts glow. Extroverts are fireworks, introverts are a fire in the hearth.
—Sophia Dembling, author
Handpicked Remote Marketing Jobs 👨💻
Content Strategist Intern - Addepar
Marketing Analyst - Productboard
Growth Marketing Manager - WorkRamp
Your Investments 🚀
BREAKING NEWS: Coinbase’s (COIN) long awaited IPO begins on April 14th. Set your calendars folks, because the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world is about to finally hit the NASDAQ. Coinbase will be offering shares as a direct listing - this allows current investors to sell their shares to new investors once the stock goes public. I highly recommend keeping this on your radar.
Liked this post? Let me know by clicking the ♡ below!
Thanks for reading. If you liked this post, and you’re not yet a subscriber, what are you waiting for? Sign up for the Marketing Daily email newsletter and get the next one sent to your inbox. I publish three times per week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Lastly, please share Marketer Daily to your friends and family. If you’ve ever wondered What can I do to help Reggie?, that’s definitely the #1 thing—for people who enjoy this newsletter to encourage their circles to sign up as well. Many thanks!
Make your chemicals work for you,
Reggie