What kind of personality traits are involved in your brand's marketing?  Of course, inanimate sentiments don't have direct personalities as we understand people to behold.  However, the way in which brands market and leverage specific online implementations affects consumers in the same manner.

The Harvard Business Review recently showcased the seven personality traits of successful salespeople.  In the world of online marketing, Web sites, social accounts, and the like serve as a brand's 'salespeople.'  The personality exuded from particular online entities can help or hinder user engagement.

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Consumers have needs as well as a variety of choices.  The "choose any color you want as long as it's black" days are gone.  As marketers, we know traffic does not equal conversions.  Added business stratagems and considerations are warranted.

Let's consider giving online business strategies 'personality.'

Modesty
The review found over 90% of those interviewed to be modest, void of bravado.  This personality point is extremely related to how a brand addresses marketing.  Successful salespeople make the conversation about the consumer and not the brand.

Great marketing addresses a need in a relatable way, as if a helpful friend is discussing the product or service with the customer and not the actual producer (an inextricably partial entity).  Top salespeople clearly demonstrate how a service or product supplies the consumer's demand, free of self-serving accolades and over-the-top speech.  Whether your brand is superior (or not) is for the consumer to decide.

Of course, these days 'content' takes a variety of shapes online.  Take a look at this infograph related to content for online optimization.

Achievement Orientation
As addressed above, traffic doesn't guarantee results.  Top salespeople constantly measure performance and goals.  Achievement orientation is marketing toward the target.  'Content is king' has been a long-standing mantra in online marketing; but, garnering results demands user consideration.  User engagement is king.  Successful salespeople get into the heads of their target market.

Asking gets answers.  Try using SurveyMonkey.  The service is free and allows a brand to direct questions at its users.

Lack of Discouragement
90% of top salespeople surveyed were minimally affected by failure.  All businesses and key employees must be willing to accept short-term losses.  Ask any successful entrepreneur or brand about their familiarity with defeat; the genuine will happily share stories of mistakes with you.

The HBR references organized sports, indicating a correlation between those who were familiar with the peaks and valleys of success in sports and those who are 'winning' in sales.  In online marketing, we must be practical in knowing when to modify an approach; sometimes we have to share space with short-term disappointment and fuel the brand with thoughts of tenacity.  (I think we can.  I think we can.)

Curiosity
Successful salespeople are extremely curious about their customers; championed brands do the same.  Marketing is about finding consumers and (even better) populations of them.  We know we can find more users through online communities.  Thinking of individual users (who respectively comprise a population of similar online personas) as part of a larger pool is beneficial.  Consider leveraging content communities to extend your brand's reach.  Your marketing approach has personality like your family of users.  Brands benefit by analyzing how "brand-relatable communities" engage the Web and its numerous platforms.