Latest / The Marketing Career Podcast with Fexingo: Marketing Jobs, Skills, and Career Growth / How to Build a Personal Brand as a Marketing Specialist
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this thing I keep noticing in marketing career conversations lately — the phrase 'personal brand' gets thrown around so much it almost lost meaning. But there's a very specific version of it that actually moves the needle for marketing specialists, and it's not about becoming an influencer. Luna: Right, because I think a lot of people hear 'personal brand' and picture someone filming themselves at a desk or posting daily motivational quotes. But that's not really what works for most marketers. Lucas: Exactly. And I've got a concrete example that I think brings this to life. A mid-career email marketer — let's call her Priya — she was feeling stuck in her role, great at her job but invisible. She decided to invest eight months into a deliberate personal branding effort. And the results were pretty dramatic: she doubled her speaking invitations and saw a noticeable uptick in inbound job offers, all without applying to a single posting. Luna: That's the dream scenario. But what did she actually do? Because I'm guessing it wasn't just 'post more on LinkedIn.' Lucas: She followed a three-part framework. First, she defined a niche — she narrowed her focus to email marketing for direct to consumer brands, which was exactly the work she did day to day. Second, she created a consistent content cadence, but not a crazy one. She committed to publishing one thoughtful post per week, not daily. And third, she actively engaged with other people's content in her niche, adding genuine value in the comments rather than just liking posts. Luna: The engagement part is so underrated. I've seen people post consistently but never actually participate in the conversation. It's like hosting a party but not talking to any of the guests. Lucas: That's a great analogy. And Priya's story has a really instructive twist. She didn't just get job offers — she also started getting invitations to speak at industry webinars and small conferences. And that led to consulting opportunities on the side. But what I find most interesting is that she also became more visible inside her own company. Her CEO started sharing her posts internally, and within a few months, she was tapped to lead a cross-functional project that would never have come her way before. Luna: That internal visibility piece is something people don't talk about enough. A personal brand isn't just for external opportunities — it can change how you're perceived by your own leadership. Lucas: And that's a crucial point, because a lot of marketers worry that building a personal brand might look like they're job-hunting or distracted. But when done right, it signals expertise and initiative, which are exactly the qualities that get you noticed for promotions and choice assignments. I think the key is to frame it as sharing your thinking, not self-promotion. Luna: The mistake I've seen people make is treating it like a side hustle that has to be perfect from day one. They get caught up in the design of their profile, or they compare themselves to people who've been at it for years. Lucas: Yeah, the comparison trap is real. Priya's approach was refreshingly low-key. She started by simply sharing a lesson learned from a recent campaign — something like 'here's a split test that surprised me' or 'here's how we improved our open rates by rethinking the subject line.' No grand declarations. Just useful insights from her actual work. And that's something anyone can do, even if you're not a naturally prolific writer. Luna: I think what makes this approach sustainable is that it's tied to your real work. You're not inventing content out of thin air — you're just documenting what you already know and do. That takes the pressure off. Lucas: Completely agree. And that's also why the niche part is so important. If you try to be a generalist, you're competing with thousands of other voices. But if you're the person who talks about email marketing for direct to consumer brands, you become the obvious person to call when someone needs that specific expertise. The specificity is what makes you memorable. Luna: That reminds me of a friend who tried the daily posting thing and burned out after three weeks. She was so stressed about keeping up that she quit entirely. So I love that Priya's cadence was just once a week. It's realistic. Lucas: And even that can feel like a lot if you're not used to it. But the key is consistency over intensity. A post every week for a year is fifty-two opportunities to show up and reinforce your expertise. That compounds. Luna: It's like the compound interest of careers. Each post is small, but the accumulated effect can be huge. Lucas: Exactly. And one thing that helps with consistency is having a simple system. Priya kept a running list of ideas in a notes app — anything that came up during her workday, like a surprising result or a colleague's question that she had to think about. Then on a Sunday evening, she'd pick one and expand it into a short post. That's maybe thirty minutes a week, which is a pretty small investment for the return. Luna: Speaking of return, did she track any other metrics? Besides the speaking invitations and job offers? Lucas: She did. She started tracking how many meaningful conversations she had per month with people outside her immediate network — people who reached out with questions or comments. That went from maybe zero to several a month. And she also saw her follower count grow steadily, but she was more focused on the quality of connections than the raw number. Luna: That's a smart way to measure it. Because a thousand followers who never engage don't really do anything for your career, but ten people who reach out with genuine interest can be game-changing. Lucas: And that's really the core of this personal-branding approach — it's not about collecting an audience, it's about building a network of people who know what you stand for and what you're capable of. And that network becomes your safety net and your springboard at different points in your career. Luna: I've also seen people worry about the risk of saying something wrong or being too controversial. How did Priya handle that? Lucas: She kept it very professional and focused on her craft. She avoided political topics or anything that could be divisive. Her content was purely about email marketing best practices, case studies, and practical advice. That might sound boring, but for her niche, it was exactly what people wanted. She positioned herself as a helpful expert, not a hot-take machine. Luna: That's reassuring. You don't have to be edgy to stand out. You just have to be useful and consistent. Lucas: Right. And I think this approach works for any marketing specialist — SEO, content, social, analytics, you name it. The underlying principles are the same: pick a niche you're genuinely knowledgeable in, share your insights on a regular cadence, and engage with your professional community. Luna: It's amazing how this kind of visibility can also open doors to opportunities you didn't even know existed. Like Priya getting tapped for that cross-functional project internally. Lucas: And that's something I want to emphasize — personal branding isn't just for people who want to leave their job. It can be a powerful tool for growing within your current organization. When your leadership sees you as a thought leader in your space, they're more likely to bring you into strategic conversations. Luna: That's a great point. I think a lot of marketers feel like their work speaks for itself, but in a busy organization, you need to make your expertise visible in a way that's hard to ignore. Lucas: Exactly. And honestly, if today's conversation sparked something you've already tried — or made you think about starting — we'd love to hear about it. And if this show has been useful to you, and you want to keep it ad-free, you can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Every little bit helps. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep these conversations going. And we genuinely appreciate it. Lucas: So, let's get back to the practical side. One thing I want to add is that building a personal brand doesn't have to be a solo journey. Priya actually found an accountability partner — a former colleague who was also trying to build their brand. They'd check in weekly and share their posts with each other for feedback. Luna: That's smart. It's like having a gym buddy for your career. You're more likely to stick with it if someone else is expecting you to show up. Lucas: And it also helps with quality control. Having someone look at your draft from a fresh perspective can catch things you missed, or help you make the point clearer. Priya said her posts got noticeably better after a few months of this feedback loop. Luna: I also wonder about the timing of all this. August is a pretty quiet month for a lot of people. Is there a reason to start now versus, say, January? Lucas: Actually, there's a strong argument for starting now. January is when everyone makes resolutions, so the space gets crowded. But starting in late summer, you can build a few months of consistent content before the year-end planning season, and you'll be seen as someone who's already active and engaged. Plus, you'll have a body of work to point to when you're setting your goals for next year. Luna: That's a really tactical insight. It's like getting a head start before the rush. Lucas: Exactly. And one more practical tip: repurpose everything. If you write a post that gets good engagement, turn it into a short LinkedIn article, or summarize it in a thread. You can also record a quick video version if you're comfortable with that. But the key is to not overthink the format. The content is the core. Luna: So, for someone who's listening right now and thinking 'okay, I want to try this', what's the very first step? Lucas: The very first step is to define your niche in one sentence. For example, 'I help B2B SaaS companies improve their content marketing' — or 'I specialize in social media analytics for e-commerce brands.' And then commit to sharing one insight from your current work within the next week. That's it. Start small, but start now. Luna: That's such a manageable starting point. And I think it's worth saying again — you don't need to be a perfect writer or have a huge following. You just need to be you, but more visible. Lucas: And that's the beauty of it. The people who succeed with personal branding are the ones who are genuinely helpful and consistent over time. It's not a magic bullet; it's a slow build that creates real opportunities. I love seeing marketers take control of their own narrative that way. Luna: It's like being the author of your own career story instead of letting someone else write it for you. Lucas: And if that thought resonates, that's exactly the signal to start. Because the best time to build your personal brand was a year ago, but the second best time is today.