The secret to building strong personal branding in marketing

LinkedIn projected a 10% increase in demand for advertising and marketing managers from 2022 to 2029, surpassing growth in other occupations.

While this is encouraging news for marketing professionals, it also signals an impending saturation in the job market, making competition for marketing roles more intense. You can no longer passively wait for marketing roles to come flying your way. Instead, to outshine the other applicants vying for the same positions you must actively build a strong personal brand and confidently promote it.

Building your brand can be daunting, fortunately, Aniday is here to provide a step-by-step guide to coach you in your journey to build strong personal branding in marketing.

What is personal branding?

Let’s try a quick exercise: think of someone you know. What’s the first word that comes to mind when you think about their character? That word is the foundation of their brand. But personal branding goes far beyond just one word. 

It’s your chance to shape how others perceive you and to craft a unique persona that sets you apart from the crowd. With effective personal branding, you can define your narrative and highlight the qualities that make you truly exceptional.

Why is personal branding important to marketers?

When you establish a strong personal brand that aligns closely with your work in marketing, you position yourself as an expert in this field, which can lead to trust and credibility among fellow marketers. By putting yourself out there, you also resonate with your audience on a deeper level by being relatable, providing you with opportunities to foster more partnerships and gain new opportunities as you prove yourself approachable and knowledgeable.

Now that we have taken a peek into the world of personal branding, let’s look at how you can start building your own. Here is a step-by-step guide to building your brand, suggested by Aniday: 

How to build your personal brand?

1. Analyze your current personal branding

Everything starts with looking inward. To develop a strong personal brand, it is essential to reflect on your past credentials, experiences, and qualities related to marketing to figure out how you look in the eyes of other marketing professionals.

Consider the following questions to help you analyze your current personal branding:

• Do you have any credentials that are directly/ indirectly linked to marketing?
• Do you have experience using marketing analysis tools or design software?
• Look into your past experiences working in marketing, how have they shaped you?
• What are some words you would use to describe your personality?
• What are skills and talents that you are proud of?
• What are the values you identify with?

Note down your answers to these questions and ask yourself if there are any points you strongly resonate with or credentials you value. This can help you identify parts of your current personal branding that are authentically you, and are areas you would want to highlight more.
In addition, looking at your existing credentials can help you identify and harness your skill set and empower you to showcase your maximum potential outwardly. 

2. Define who you are

After looking at your existing branding, you need to improve and strengthen it. Start by forming a list of personal qualities you aspire to achieve and aligning them with the traits identified in your existing personal branding from Step One. If there isn’t enough overlap between the two, you may need to either relook at your desired personal branding or expand your competencies. This overlap is who you are consisting of your envisioned and current personal branding. 

Defining your identity goes beyond just identifying yourself, it is about discovering your unique value proposition (UVP) by examining the intersection of your distinct qualities and strengths. By recognizing your UVP, you will be able to illustrate to other marketing professionals what makes you unique and different from others. This gives you a competitive edge and makes you more valuable. Using our observations, Aniday has compiled a list of prominent UVP examples:

• Data-Driven Insights: Using strong analytical abilities to provide detailed insights into markets, and drive targeted marketing strategies to achieve measurable growth
• Creative Campaigns: The ability to craft innovative and memorable campaigns that drive brand awareness and captivate target audiences
• Multichannel expertise: In-depth experience with different digital, social, and traditional platforms, helping to integrate content seamlessly across platforms

3. Create your brand 

According to Wix - a top portfolio-building site, a portfolio is crucial to marketing professionals. After all, how else will you be able to showcase your skills and accomplishments to potential employers or clients? 

Building your marketing portfolio begins with identifying your strongest credentials in Step 1. Now, you just need to take time to select the works that best showcase these credentials and upload them onto an online portfolio. These works can include previous marketing campaign decks coupled with striking visuals and an in-depth explanation of the thought process and methodology behind the project. Make sure to incorporate metrics on how your efforts have boosted conversions and supported revenue growth. By placing your work online, it increases the reach of your portfolio, allowing more clients and recruiters to find out about you. 

In addition to curating a standout portfolio, enhancing your professional image involves engaging actively on social media platforms such as Instagram, LinkedIn, and even TikTok. According to LinkedIn, 70% of recruiters screen their candidates through social media. By leveraging such channels to promote your brand, you open more doors for opportunities and increase your visibility. Consistent activity across these platforms reinforces cohesive and compelling personal branding. 

4. Share your brand 

After building your branding and portfolio, the next step is to share it with other professionals. A great way to begin making connections is by attending industry events. This may seem daunting initially, however, think of these events as valuable learning experiences and opportunities to engage with like-minded individuals. This will allow you to feel more at ease when introducing yourself to fellow professionals. 

Additionally, you can also interact with fellow marketing professionals by joining online communities where they discuss interesting marketing insights and share their opinions. These platforms not only allow you to connect with others in your field but also gain the opportunity to learn more about your field. To help you get started, Aniday has curated a list of top marketing communities you can consider joining:

• MarketingProfs: 660,000 members worldwide, providing practical marketing advice paired with the latest industry insights
• Warrior Forum: hosts plentiful discussions about digital marketing, SEO, social media, and general services
• LinkedIn: There are various digital marketing groups on the platform such as the Digital Marketing group, which has over a million members

When you leverage these platforms to connect with other professionals, seize this chance to ask for recommendations and potential openings. Remember, no one will promote you other than yourself, so be brave and take that step to introduce yourself to those who can help you along your journey. 

Additionally, you should actively contribute to these communities by sharing your insights and expertise. By doing so, you’ll not only enhance your visibility but also establish yourself as a valuable resource and a strong partner within the group. This proactive engagement can lead to new connections and open doors to exciting opportunities.

After forming strong connections with fellow marketing professionals, leverage these relationships to enhance your personal brand on social media. Request opportunities to guest post on community forums or other professionals' pages, and consider collaborating on projects to share with your online community. By consistently posting and engaging, you'll build and strengthen your community, fostering deeper connections with your audience.

5. Get feedback about your brand

Feedback acts as a compass, guiding you to grow and learn. To navigate your brand effectively, it is crucial to consistently seek input from other marketing professionals as their insights can offer valuable guidance and highlight areas for improvement that you may have missed out on. By staying receptive to comments you gain the opportunity to foster continuous improvement and enhance your overall growth. 

Using the comments provided by your peers regularly take the time to reflect and adjust your branding. This will help you stay relevant to the current job market and can lead to the development and understanding of more effective and innovative marketing practices. 

Final notes

In today's highly competitive job market, your ability to foster a strong personal brand can differentiate you from your competition and get noticed by more recruiters and clients. However, personal branding is a long-term commitment, and only with consistency will you be able to sustain your image. 

If you need help to widen your network and link up with other marketing professionals and employers, feel free to contact Aniday. We're here to assist you. Reach out to us directly or through our headhunting today! 

Looking for the perfect role in the marketing field? Click here to discover exciting opportunities that match your skills and ambitions!

We hope this guide has unlocked the secret to achieving strong personal branding in marketing!