Marketers Marketing... Themselves

It happens in all professions, right? A doctor who smokes. A dentist who doesn’t floss. A freelancer who doesn’t hustle. A marketer who doesn’t market...herself. 

We know what’s important. We know what to do. We know the benefits.

Well, hello, digital world, I’m here to do what I know is important and, hopefully, earn some of the benefits. I want to continually challenge myself to communicate my point of view.

It is important to have a brand, even as an individual, and particularly as a marketer. It is proof of your effectiveness, an illustration of your philosophy, a testament to your creativity -- it can serve as your portfolio. 

A brand isn’t just a logo. A brand is expressing what you stand for -- an amalgamation of a point of view, tone, design, taste, presence, actions -- becoming how the world perceives you. I could claim to be an inbound marketing expert, but until you think that of me, that’s not my brand.

I plan to spend my time here unpacking my thoughts on marketing so that you'll keep coming back to seek my opinion. First, a personal case study on building a brand, and influencing perceptions, within an organization.

Objective
Most marketers continually need to prove effectiveness to their boss, their executives, and their colleagues. Yet, it’s more than just delivering reports and business results. We also need to demonstrate (in B2B marketing, especially our to colleagues in Sales) that we hear them as our internal customer. 

Challenge
As a new employee, not only was most of the organization unfamiliar with my role’s purpose and my contributions, I work remotely. I needed to increase awareness of my dedication to the company’s marketing needs while not physically working alongside my colleagues.

Solution
With the assistance of my boss**, I started an email campaign, a newsletter of sorts, in which I send the entire company a digest of editorial, creative, social, and web projects. We promote our work, highlighting how it reflects the needs and input of our colleagues. I try to be creative with subject lines; we consider the day and hour I hit send; we coordinate follow-up. We market our marketing.

Results
Most of my colleague now know I am their inbound marketer they can count on. And it’s not just me. My marketing colleagues also share what they do, and this transparency has ensured we’re as effective as we can be. I have witnessed our team evolve from a bit of an underdog to leaders within the organization.

So, a brand, the perception of you, is important. Even something elegantly simple -- and seemingly obvious -- like an email can make a difference. 

I hope you’ll come back as I write more about building brands, telling those stories, and marketing in our very digital world.

**Thank you, Mark Lorion, for the topic inspiration for my inaugural post.