Ep 106: The Power of Identity Marketing With Veronica Romney Transcript

Erin Austin [00:00:04]:
Welcome to this week's episode of Scaling Expertise, where we talk to experts who have scaled their businesses and help you learn how to scale yours. I'm very excited about this week's guest, Veronica Romney. Welcome, Veronica.

Veronica Romney [00:00:21]:
Hi! I'm excited to be here.

Erin Austin [00:00:23]:
Or "V," as she likes to be called, which I love. There are so many things I love about what she's doing. My original fan-girl moment with her was when I saw the Vitamin V newsletter. I thought, "This is so cool!" We'll talk about that and more today. Before we get started, can you introduce yourself to the audience?

Veronica Romney [00:00:47]:
Hi, everyone! I'm Veronica Romney. Seventeen years later, I proudly identify as a marketer. I've worked in marketing in various capacities—I’ve been a W2 employee at the highest level, owned a marketing agency, worked as a marketing consultant, speaker, workshop facilitator, faculty member, and now, a marketing book author.

I've explored marketing from different angles, but the throughline has always been my love for branding, creativity, positioning, and identity. I also love teaching. I believe speaking is just teaching at scale. If I can help people see better ways to market themselves, their businesses, and their products, then I am in my element.

Erin Austin [00:01:54]:
You've introduced the perfect topic for this podcast—scaling expertise. You mentioned that speaking is a way to scale. Let’s talk about scaling for a minute. Did you start as an educator, or were you more focused on one-on-one work?

Veronica Romney [00:02:17]:
Great question. When you're working internally in an organization, you’re always teaching—whether it’s your staff, direct reports, or those you're responsible for. You're imparting leadership skills and marketing knowledge while providing learning opportunities.

Once I became a marketing entrepreneur, I realized there were so many ways to monetize expertise. It’s overwhelming. The most obvious path is monetizing your knowledge. If you were a director or chief for someone else, now you can package that expertise and offer it to anyone willing to pay for it.

I quickly got into online marketing—courses, digital products, and membership models. But I strongly believe that before anyone puts their expertise into a scalable offer like an online course, they need to ensure their framework works in one-on-one client work first. Too many people rush to scale before proving their methods. When that happens, customers get burned, and the industry suffers.

I started with one-on-one services. People will pay a premium for that kind of transformation. It covered my bills and replaced my W2 salary. Once I was confident in my frameworks and saw consistent results, I moved into scalable offers.

Erin Austin [00:04:24]:
That is such a good point. As a lawyer, I often have clients who struggle with their services and think, "Let me create a product." But then I ask, "How are you going to sell this product?" I recently had a conversation where someone was told they should write a book. But books only convert a tiny percentage of an audience. If they don’t already have demand, the book alone won’t change that.

Veronica Romney [00:05:11]:
Exactly. Marketing can make anything look appealing, even when it’s not effective. But I refuse to contribute to marketing’s bad reputation. Before I trademark or copyright anything, I ensure it delivers real results.

Erin Austin [00:06:23]:
Speaking of frameworks, you're working on a new book. How's it going?

Veronica Romney [00:06:28]:
Writing a book has been one of the hardest professional projects I've ever done. It’s like being 42 weeks pregnant—you just want it out already! It’s a massive undertaking—35,000 words, 300+ pages—essentially, my brain in book form.

I don’t identify as a writer, but I do identify as an external communicator. I worked closely with a copywriter who helped translate my ideas into written form. The book is called Identity Marketing, and it’s about focusing on the consumer’s identity rather than just brand identity. If your marketing speaks to who your customer seeks to become, you’ll have more success.

Before finalizing the book, I tested the material in keynotes and workshops. I wanted to make sure the framework worked before putting it into print.

Erin Austin [00:08:36]:
That is amazing. The tagline from your site—"I help businesses take their marketing from Buy This to Be This"—is brilliant. Identity marketing feels like the next level beyond outcome-based marketing.

Veronica Romney [00:09:27]:
Thank you! That tagline came from working with a ghostwriter. I was passionately explaining my concept, and she summed it up as "Not Buy This, but Be This." It was so clean and simple. That’s why having outside perspectives is invaluable. Even as an experienced marketer, I needed help seeing my own work objectively.

Erin Austin [00:12:29]:
What pain points lead someone to work with you?

Veronica Romney [00:13:11]:
Clients come to me when they believe in what they offer but struggle to convey its value. They wonder, "Why is it so hard to convince people to buy this when I know it’s amazing?" That gap is where I come in.

Last year was tough—AI advancements, economic shifts, layoffs, and increased buyer skepticism changed the landscape. People spent thousands on Taylor Swift tickets but wouldn’t spend $200 on a coaching program. Marketers responded with aggressive scarcity tactics, but that only made customers more distrustful.

Moving forward, I believe small business owners have the power to rebuild trust by offering personalized, intimate experiences. They know their customers' names, unlike big corporations, and can leverage that connection to cut through the noise.

Erin Austin [00:16:44]:
That’s an excellent insight. I also love the bonus experiences you've included with your book purchase.

Veronica Romney [00:17:02]:
The bonuses are about generosity, not artificial urgency. I built a "Beehive" community and made the book launch a fun, immersive experience. My goal wasn’t just to sell books but to create an impact people would remember.

Erin Austin [00:19:47]:
Some entrepreneurs fear sharing too much intellectual property. What are your thoughts on that balance?

Veronica Romney [00:20:06]:
People will steal your work. AI can already mimic your voice. The fear of theft shouldn’t stop you from sharing. Yes, I have trademarks and copyrights, and I’ll send cease-and-desist letters if needed, but my strategy is to stay ahead by continuing to create.

Erin Austin [00:25:55]:
As we wrap up, where can people find your book and connect with you?

Veronica Romney [00:26:16]:
You can find Identity Marketing at identitymarketingbook.com. There, you’ll get access to our "Stuff of Legends" bonuses—interactive tools, playlists, and a quiz to help you prioritize key chapters. You can also find me as V. Romney on LinkedIn and Instagram. If this conversation resonated with you, send me a DM. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Erin Austin [00:27:25]:
Thank you so much, Veronica!

Veronica Romney [00:27:29]:
Always a pleasure.

Erin Austin [00:27:43]:
Until next time, remember—IP is fuel!