Whilst society tends to focus on the challenges that can present in neurodiverse individuals, the benefits of neurodiversity in marketing and in fact businesses, should not be overlooked, as it can bring much richness to a business.
As a neurodiverse marketer and business owner, I believe it is important that businesses start embracing neurodiversity, and cut the bias and discrimination that for so long and still, goes against us.
We bring a lot of talent that can really benefit marketing teams and businesses looking to achieve growth and competitive advantage.
- What is Neurodiversity?
- The Benefits of Neurodiversity in Marketing
- High level of technical skills and special interests
- High level of motivation in relation to technical skills and special interests
- Honest and Straight to the point
- Ability to Hyperfocus
- Visual thinkers
- Innovative
- Great leadership skills
- Forward-thinking and the ability to eradicate bad habits
What is Neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity refers to the differences and diversity in which the brain works for a neurodiverse individual, as opposed to a neurotypical individual. There are many variations in which the neurodiverse brain works, which can often result in higher levels of drive, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
Neurodiversity is an umbrella term for a collection of neurological brain differences that occur in individuals such as autism, ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and dyscalculia.
According to the British Dyslexia Association, 15-20% of the UK population are neurodivergent, which equates to approximately 10-13 million people. Yet, neurodiversity in marketing is still very much underrepresented. Neurodiversity in marketing is one area where there needs to be a vast improvement because it brings many benefits that can boost growth for businesses.
The Benefits of Neurodiversity in Marketing
For anyone that plays a crucial role in running and/or marketing a business, this blog aims to cover why neurodiversity in marketing, and the workplace is important. Not only to ensure equality but to help your business reap the benefits of embracing neurodiversity.
High level of technical skills and special interests
One of the many benefits of being neurodiverse is that we tend to have special interests that we learn inside out, and this leads us to develop factual knowledge on a range of subjects that can valuable to businesses and workplaces. In my case, digital marketing is very much a special interest of mine.
Skills might range from identifying patterns, systematic skills, attention to detail and resourcefulness. Many marketers are neurodiverse, and with this comes talent in a range of fields including SEO, branding, social media marketing, blog writing, and much more.
But neurodiverse individuals are still being discriminated against by employers because we are not ‘normal’, but what really defines normal? Great minds don’t think alike, despite what this cliché might say.
High level of motivation in relation to technical skills and special interests
With the many special interests that a neurodiverse individual may have, those that are fanatical about marketing have a high level of motivation and are always learning and striving to improve.
So even though a business may choose to hire the neurotypical marketer, many opportunities are missed by not hiring the neurodiverse marketer, because businesses are losing out on someone who is perhaps more passionate about it than most, and that will bring you results!
It could be that a neurodiverse marketer has their own niche blog (which I totally do btw!) and knows exactly how to rank content on a website, or it could be someone who has nailed social media marketing or personal branding. All I am saying is, don’t drop the neurodiverse marketer because of preconceived biases that society created.
Honest and Straight to the point
What you get with a neurodiverse marketer is someone that is straight to the point, cuts through the fluff, and will tell you it as it is. This is also what audiences want when marketing to them, and doing this will result in greater results and growth.
Others might see this as someone who doesn’t have a filter or is blunt, but the truth is important for neurodiverse individuals. This is especially important in marketing as it is results-oriented and very competitive. With 4.4 million blogs published every day, there isn’t time to ponder and put off writing blogs because everyone is too busy. A neurodiverse individual will ensure that does not happen.
Ability to Hyperfocus
The ability to hyperfocus is an incredible gift, and many that do can get a lot done in a short time. Efficiency is key in marketing and this ability allows neurodiverse marketers to focus on one project or task with complete focus, and no distractions. It’s absolutely a superpower!
Imagine hiring a neurodiverse marketer whose superpower is social media marketing, blog writing, or even SEO. The results businesses could achieve are incredibly vast. I’ve helped businesses attract high-quality leads by optimising website content alone. Perhaps you are looking for coaching on SEO for your business? If so, I can absolutely help!
Visual thinkers
As I touched on earlier regarding the ability of neurodiverse individuals being able to identify patterns, this is often because many are visual thinkers. In the digital marketing world, neurodiversity is important in marketing.
Neurodiverse marketers often see words, as images. The saying a picture speaks a thousand words’ very much resonates with us! As visual thinkers, the ability to spot patterns, visualise in great detail, and have great spatial reasoning comes easily.
Visual thinking is a skill that is incredibly important in the digital marketing landscape.
Innovative
To be one step ahead in marketing, and gain a competitive advantage, innovation is required. Neurodiverse marketers have the ability to think outside the box, and are often not afraid to take risks, which can do wonders for creating innovation.
A famous historical figure who was and still is a great example of a neurodiverse innovator is Nikola Tesla. Nikola Tesla developed the alternating current power system that provides us with electricity today.
His innovative thinking has shaped the way we live our lives, and how we are able to successfully do business today. It is suspected that Nikola Tesla was autistic and is a perfect example of an innovative thinker. He is also an example of someone who thought visually.
Great leadership skills
Even in 2022, many businesses are still reluctant and unsure how to embrace neurodiversity and make it part of their employment processes. However, neurodiverse individuals make great leaders, bringing many desirable traits, and this is particularly beneficial for marketing teams.
Neurodiverse leaders have a great deal of integrity and empathy, which can make their communication style preferential. They have a positive influence on others, and can easily put people at ease, motivating them and encouraging them to be their best selves.
Forward-thinking and the ability to eradicate bad habits
Because neurodiverse marketers speak their minds and have an eye for detail, they can come in and eradicate bad habits that affect performance. Their ability to formulate new and efficient solutions for marketing departments is very much desirable and that is exactly what marketing needs.
Marketers are busy people, and there is a lot of moving parts that need to work together in order to achieve results and growth. Neurodiversity in marketing will ensure businesses can create the perfect marketing strategy and plan that will include only the best and most efficient tactics and techniques.
As a passionate neurodiverse marketer, I love nothing more than passing on my knowledge and experience, and if marketing coaching is what you require, then I think we’ll get on very well.