Whether you like it or not, the expectations from CMOs have significantly evolved in a B2B business. While the late 1900s were all about knowing print media and events, the blogging and social media revolutions in the early 2000s and 2010s made it necessary for B2B marketing leaders to be digitally active.
However, today, it is just not enough for B2B CMOs to use social media for the sake of it. They should be able to attract an audience on their own. They are expected to be hands-on when it comes to generating demand – and this starts with building a solid personal brand.
To be honest, I wouldn’t say that having a great personal brand is a must-have for CMOs. But it offers many advantages such as the ability to generate leads for the business and improve its brand awareness. This is a huge plus when you are looking for a new opportunity or want to apply for an award/recognition.
So, in this article, I discuss 7 ways B2B CMOs can build a solid personal brand that can be immensely helpful in their professional growth. The last of the 7 is a pro tip. So read till the end to ensure you don’t miss it.
Why is it important for B2B CMOs to have a personal brand?
Today, there is immense pressure on CMOs to show results in terms of revenue and pipeline generated. Though this is very much achievable, being someone who has been in the trenches leading a 15-member team, I understand that this is a herculean task.
Source: tenor.com
In such a scenario, every bit of incremental reach counts. In addition, a CMO with good visibility can lead to better connections with industry experts who could be potential customers or refer people in your ICP. I mean, the direct and indirect benefits of having a CMO with a great personal brand are plenty.
7 Ways B2B CMOs can build a personal brand?
Below are the 7 ways in which CMOs in B2B can build a credible personal brand.
- Start a newsletter
- Build (or participate in) a community
- Host (or appear on) a podcast
- Conduct and co-create webinars
- Attend relevant industry events
- Invest in video marketing
- Pro tip (read till the end to find out)
1. Start a newsletter
The beauty of email as a channel is that it has outlived multiple generations. Despite all the fancy marketing tools and tech we have today, email remains one of the highest ROI-generating channels for B2B businesses. Leveraging it to run a newsletter is a great way to showcase your expertise and build a loyal following.
You can choose a platform of your choice for this. For instance, Skalegrow’s newsletter is run on Substack. We also share the content with our internal email list. On the other hand, my personal newsletters are run on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is a great platform to publish a newsletter because it helps you get a good number of subscribers if you already have a strong following. See the video to learn more about the advantages of LinkedIn newsletters.
Whatever platform you choose, be consistent with creating content for the newsletter. That’s how you keep your readers engaged.
2. Build (or participate in) a community
I know there has been so much hype about communities – so much that many are not interested in being part of one anymore. But there is nothing better than an active and well-engaged community when it comes to creating fans. The biggest advantage I see with communities is that you create a group of like-minded individuals who can help you in areas where you don’t even expect.
Communities can even be around your hobbies and not just professional interests. A cycling club, a hiking group, or a health & fitness community – all will work, depending on your interests. If you want to focus on the professional side, try building a community of your ideal target audience.
For example, if your long-term goal is to become the CMO of a large tech company, build a community of tech CEOs and founders focused on marketing and growth.
If building a community from scratch feels like too much work, consider being an active participant in a community where your target audience hangs out.
3. Host (or appear on) a podcast
Hosting a podcast is one of the best ways to create a trusted source of knowledge. The credibility factor is much higher for a podcast compared to other forms of content.
You can also consider appearing as a guest on other podcasts. This will help you take advantage of the host’s reach. For example, I appeared on the Gravitas WINS podcast hosted by Joseph Jude where we discussed everything related to lean B2B video marketing. Check out the full episode below:
4. Conduct and co-create webinars
Webinars are not just for businesses. You can host live webinars as a personal brand too. Either you can be the sole speaker or invite experts to share their thoughts or opinions on the topic. This essentially is influencer marketing since you will be leveraging the reach of the guest as well.
You can choose the platform of your choice to host the webinar. If you don’t have a website, the easiest way to do it is to use a streaming platform like Zoom or Teams. If you wish to broadcast the webinar to multiple platforms simultaneously, consider using tools like Restream or StreamYard. For example, my webinar tomorrow will be streamed using Restream.
5. Attend relevant industry events
Events still work because of the in-person connect you can establish with others. If you want to connect with founders in the SaaS world, consider attending SaaStr events. If automation is your space, maybe Automate is a show you should go to. Whichever event it is, the key is in establishing connections with the right people where you could exchange some value. Remember, building a network is not just about expecting something from others but adding value to them as well.
6. Invest in video marketing
I personally don’t see video marketing as a standalone channel. You can promote videos through your YouTube channel. You can use LinkedIn to improve the visibility of your videos. The communities you are part of are a great place to share knowledge through videos (but be sure not to be spammy in communities).
There are different ways in which you can create videos. Webinars and video podcasts are two great ways to generate video content without too much effort. Given that short videos are trending, you can explore them as well. They also require relatively less effort.
But if you are serious about making an impact with videos, I would suggest starting a YouTube channel. If you are consistent with your efforts, you will build an audience for the long term.
7. Pro tip – become a mentor
Here is the pro tip I promised – become a mentor in your area of expertise.
There are a ton of people out there in any domain who are always looking for guidance from experts. Offering your support to them can be an excellent way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your space. Do this more for people outside your organization if you want to increase your visibility.
Source: boomerpdx.com
For instance, I use a platform called Topmate to offer guidance to business professionals, especially B2B marketers. Anyone can book a mentorship call with me using this link.
The key advantage here is that I am seen as an expert in the field of B2B marketing because of this. However, there is a larger benefit for mentorship that many fail to see. My mentees today are leaders of tomorrow. 10 or 15 years from now, I will have mentored a group of leaders who hold key positions in the corporate world. That’s something I can always be proud of.
So if you are thinking long term when it comes to building a personal brand, mentoring is something you should consider doing.
Here is an exercise for you!
The 7 methods I discussed in the article are not exhaustive. There are more ways for you to build a personal brand as a B2B marketing leader. Take a pen and paper (or a notepad application) and list down a few more tactics you can use to build a personal brand. You need not be a CMO or a marketing head to participate. As long as B2B marketing is what you do for a living, try this out and share what you come up with in the comments so that others can also learn from it.
Also, I couldn’t get into the details of each and every tactic. That would make the article too long. But I hope you got what you need to get started.
Looking to take your B2B marketing efforts to the next level? Try Skalegrow
Are you looking for a ‘no-nonsense’ B2B marketing agency? Give Skalegrow a try. No false promises. No ‘we will change the world’ narratives. We focus on simple marketing tactics that work. Moreover, we spend the time to understand your industry, however niche it is.
Visit our services page to learn more about what we bring to the table. You could also write to us at info@skalegrow.com.
About the author
Naseef KPO is the Founder and CEO of Skalegrow. He comes with rich experience across multiple areas of B2B marketing including content marketing, demand generation, SEO, account-based marketing, marketing analytics, revenue attribution, marketing technology, etc. He writes thought-provoking and relevant articles on The Skalegrow Blog and his weekly LinkedIn newsletter Elevate Your Marketing.
Prior to starting Skalegrow, Naseef led large marketing teams in multi-million dollar B2B organizations where he made significant contributions to the topline growth of the business. He has also appeared on numerous podcasts where he shared his thoughts on trending marketing topics such as the application of AI in marketing, startup marketing, ABM, and B2B content marketing, just to name a few. Being the founder of Skalegrow, he is currently focusing on helping its clients stay ahead of their competition by using innovative yet practical marketing tactics.
You can connect with Naseef KPO on LinkedIn.
