In this article, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and international best-selling author Dee Blick shares why personal brand can be a marketer’s superpower and help elevate marketing from tactical, to strategic.  

The marketer’s role in any organisation, irrespective of size or sector, has never been more important. As budgets are slashed, or shifted away from marketing and economic pressures intensify, there's a risk the marketing function will become marginalised or redefined. Where once marketers had the certainty of strategic plans, we’re now witnessing a deep dive into tactics, fuelled in some cases by an insatiable appetite for social media likes, with content often created by artificial intelligence. Brands are in danger of bleaching themselves out of the picture.

For marketers caught in the crossfire, it can be tempting to redefine roles as a survival tactic, or to abdicate the true meaning of marketing, when in fact we must be firm of faith, resolute in voice. The symbols on the map have changed, but marketing at its core, hasn’t. The definition of marketing as, ‘a philosophy of business that places the customer at the centre of the universe’ is as relevant now as it was when Professor Peter Doyle described it many years ago.

As a marketer, what can you do to open up the minds of those around you and above you, to wake up to the fact that you hold the keys that can unlock opportunity and success?

Building your personal brand  

I urge you to take on the task of building your personal brand – moving from authenticity to magnetism, from the seeker to the sought after. Be that trusted voice, capable of shaping marketing policy at the highest level, because you possess that elusive combination of expertise, experience and gravitas.

This applies whether you’re a marketer working for an organisation, a freelancer with clients or you work in a small business, and the marketing buck stops with you. The straightforward (and often rewarding) process of building your personal brand will ensure you have the resources needed to put marketing back at the top table where it belongs.

Because, if you build your personal brand right, when you speak, people will listen. When you recommend, people will act.

Self-belief rocks and rules

Self-belief is essential for personal brand building. It means acknowledging that what you have to say is valuable. Remove your modesty blinkers. You may still have steps to climb but start your journey regardless.

You already have many credits in the personal brand building bank 

Sketch out your expertise and experience, the training you’ve undertaken, your qualifications and those you’re working towards; the projects you’ve shaped with success. This is your starting point. We’re all works in progress. You can fill the gaps with bite size learning. Embark on the journey knowing you’re good enough.

Being authentic is the ace up your sleeve

It’s time to be unapologetically you; human and relatable. Being original wins trust. Authentic people know what they stand for. They don’t need everyone to like them. They place value over validation and are open about what they’ve learned, often the hard way, and about the fact they are still learning.

Most of us have significant untapped potential, so give yourself time and space to evolve but don’t lose sight of your bigger vision, that you want to be authentic and magnetic. Once you start moving toward this, you’ll find it easier to drive change, both on the shop floor, and in the boardroom.

Accept that your common sense is anything but common

Something that holds marketers back from investing in their personal brand and seeing themselves as influential, is the tendency to downplay their knowledge as mere common sense. Are you guilty of this? I was, still am at times. Accept that your common sense is the result of many years of dedication and hard work. It’s anything but common to those keen to learn from you and be associated with you.

Determine the reasons why you want to build your personal brand

Your ‘Whys’ are the rocket fuel that help you focus. Here are some examples from my latest book on personal branding, You’re the Best!

1. I want to be acknowledged as a leader in my field, demonstrating credibility expertise and integrity.
2. I want to be open to opportunities for self-development.
3. I want to be a trusted voice for the media, so they seek me out for comment and articles.
4. I want to attract more high calibre people to collaborate with me.
5. I want to undertake continuous professional development, to build on my knowhow and gain new qualifications.
6. I want to be the best person in business I can be, so this process is an integral part of my journey.

Outlining your key motivations will help you shape your personal brand beyond the laudable objective of wanting to champion marketing, enabling you to focus on specific actions to achieve your objectives.

Who needs to know more about you?

Building your personal brand entails cementing your rising status with different groups. These will range from internal stakeholders, where you want to shape and elevate the role of marketing, to external groups, for example – strategic partners, sector specific editors, and journalists, event organisers, and membership associations. Strategic partners include your peers, hand selected by you for joint ventures as well as introducers, influencers, and referrers. Don’t forget customers or clients. Enhancing their perception of you will further strengthen their loyalty and it paves the way for campaigns of substance where you assume an important role.

Be a media darling

Don’t underestimate the power of your voice when conveyed in the media – print and pixels. Be that trusted source an editor and journalist can rely on for insights, comments on trends and industry specific research. Aim for an article, better still a column. As an editor of a sizeable media brand, I know that when I’m commissioning content, I approach the same people because they understand the importance of copy deadlines and of delivering something remarkable that sits within their personal brand. If you can target the media that serves your sector with a willingness to share your best, your personal brand will rise in stature. Always write in your voice. AI should never replace your pen. Your genuine voice shapes your strong personal brand and comes across in every channel you use.

Be your own cheerleader

I hope you’re excited at the prospect of creating a personal brand plan. As marketers we’ve struck gold. We’re in a profession that is strategic and creative, where we can move hearts and minds, and boost business profitability, by doing what we love. But we must move that needle, so don’t shrink from being your own biggest cheerleader, from presenting yourself as that trusted source – a marketer making sense of what is happening right now, of being unafraid to share robust, considered, and compelling insights. Don’t wait for an opportunity, initiate it. This is part of your personal brand building adventure, establishing yourself as a thought leader, a marketer bringing clarity and vision to the menu. And of course, putting marketing in all its multi-faceted glory, back at the head of the table.

About Dee Blick FCIM

Dee’s most recent marketing book, You’re the Best! How to build an authentic and magnetic personal brand, debuted at Number 1 in 6 categories when it launched on Amazon, November 2025. It is her fifth bestselling marketing book. Dee has four decades of marketing experience working with businesses, ranging from global brands to SMEs. She has a formidable reputation as a marketing troubleshooter, a strategist, and a copywriter. She maintains that she is a born writer, who tumbled into marketing at the age of 22. A professional speaker, multi award winning columnist and international bestselling author, Dee is a proud Fellow of CIM. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

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