How to Build Your Personal Brand When You're an Introvert

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for personal branding. 

• Your up-to-date profiles can tout your skills and accomplishments for you, without you so much as saying a word.
• Try joining LinkedIn groups or Twitter chats to participate in discussions relevant to your industry and connect with fellow professionals.

Don't pressure yourself into thinking that you need to be the center of attention or speak with a large audience.

If you continue to build one meaningful relationship at a time with the people who actually matter to you, by setting up informal meetings or coffee dates, you'll actually end up with a stronger personal brand than those people who fly around networking events engaging in endless conversations about the weather.

Expanding your skills and expertise is a surefire way to solidify and improve your personal brand. 

Once you complete your extracurricular, make sure to post your new certification on your LinkedIn, your resume (if relevant) and your personal website to cash in on the branding payoff.

You're probably going to find yourself in a crowd of strangers every now and then. It can be particularly helpful for introverts to have a plan—before ever even wandering into that sea of people. 

Are there any specific attendees you're hoping to chat with? Think through ahead of time how you'll approach them and what you'd like to talk with them about. You can even arm yourself with a few conversation starters.