Vassilena Valchanova

The Women in Marketing – Bulgaria team had the pleasure and privilege to ask Vasilena some questions about her career, thoughts on the marketing industry, and herself. Here’s what she replied.

How did you start your career in marketing?

My start is actually in the field of Public Relations – back then I believed that organizing events was my thing, but reality proved me wrong. In my first year at university, I heard about the existence of something called a “blog” and decided to experiment. 17 years later, I still refer to myself as a “blogger”.

Gradually I started to get into digital marketing and I liked what I saw there. I liked the direct connection with the audience, without intermediaries, the ability to quickly test different ideas and the constant discovery of new territories for communication.

I have been involved in a lot of different marketing activities, but I found my thing in content marketing and the field of brand messaging. In short, using words to get work done 🙂 This is also the foundation on which I build my work today.

What advice would you give to women who are just starting a career in marketing in Bulgaria?

I think two things are important for the development of a professional: environment and curiosity.

The first point is now easier. When I entered the field, a community of digital marketers was just beginning to form, but today we already have opportunities to share and support, including with WiM-BG! Make connections with other experts in the field, these contacts will not only be useful to you, but sometimes turn into much deeper friendships.

Curiosity is key, because in the field of marketing you cannot stand still. You must be ready to constantly learn and seek the new. And not just to do it, but also to have it ignite and charge you. Invest time in following trends and experimenting with new things. This will be your competitive advantage.

What are the marketing resources and tools you can’t live without?

I won’t list marketing software here, but I will share something else: Readwise Reader. I don’t like to rely on the algorithm to deliver the content to me from the sources I follow regularly. So, I use a content reader that aggregates all my favorite sites and newsletters in one place. This helps me stay up-to-date and have a separate environment for reading and learning. I have written a lot on the subject in my blog post on becoming a power reader.

What has been the most challenging aspect of your career so far and how did you overcome it?

A big challenge was my transition to an independent consultant. In 2019, after more than 10 years spent in internal marketing departments, I finally decided to start working independently with clients.

I’m privileged to have built up enough contacts and visibility online over the years that finding projects wasn’t difficult. However, this did not change the feeling of insecurity – I did not know if the availability of work would last, I accepted a series of projects that did not fit into my main interests, I was working at full speed, often over capacity.

Gradually (and after almost the obligatory burnout) I was able to find the balance and be more confident in my abilities. I don’t think I have a good answer for how to get to balance without going through chaos. My only advice is to rely on mentors or specialists. I have been working with a therapist for over a year now and it has been one of the best decisions I have made personally and professionally. In Bulgaria, this is still a taboo topic and you have to have “serious problems” to see a specialist. The truth is that a therapist is just a fitness trainer for the brain. Yes, you can make up your own program, but the risk of injury is greater and the rate of progress is less. That’s why the coach helps!

Why did you become part of Women in Marketing – Bulgaria and how do you see your contribution to the mission of the community?

When Lazarina shared her idea for the community with me, I told her that since my first day as a freelancer I wanted to create something like this. Well, my priorities got the better of me, but I’m glad she made this idea a reality.

I am here because I know that there are many smart and inspiring women in Bulgaria whom I have not yet met. It’s time to meet! I will also be happy to pass on what I have learned the hard way to those with less experience. So, maybe I will get closer to the mentor that I didn’t have on my way.

What industry trends or developments do you find most exciting or challenging right now?

It’s easy to get into AI here, but I’m interested in something else right now. One of the great promises of digital marketing was the ability to track results in great detail and perform quasi-scientific experiments. As consumers become more willing to keep their information private, this is becoming less true, and small companies are seeing that tests with statistically significant results can be implemented at traffic levels that are difficult for a startup to achieve.

In the last year or two, I have observed an interesting trend that is swinging the pendulum a bit back to the understandings of the middle of the last century. It works for familiarity, for creating a connection with the audience, for emotional impact. Many experts share that accurate attribution of results is a complete mirage and we should rather focus on things like overall brand uplift and correlation.

At first glance, it looks like we’ve come full circle from the old to the new back to the old. In fact, it’s more of an upward spiral – yes, we’re looking at the golden years of advertising and classic communication models, but we can personalize and adapt them with the help of AI. I wonder what will happen at this intersection.

How would you like to be remembered in the industry?

Above all, I want to be a person who helps. I’ve always tried to share what I’ve learned to make the next step easier for others – whether we’re talking about colleagues in the marketing industry or, say, small business owners who need to develop their marketing themselves. This is the foundation that laid the foundation of my blog, of my practice as a trainer, but also of my work with clients. In it, I try not only to provide a service, but also to train the internal marketing team on how to complete the task independently next time. The goal is not to make them dependent on my presence in the long term and to pass on new knowledge to them.

Outside of work, what hobbies or activities bring you joy and recharge your creativity?

Like many digital professionals, I try to keep my hobbies away from device screens. Running is an integral part of my week – it wears me out physically but centers me mentally. Walking in the mountains has a similar effect on me, although I spend much less time there than I would like.

Basically, I have a great need for control and a strong sense of perfectionism. In order to “cure” it, at the beginning of the year I enrolled in modern dance classes – something very far from my available skills and knowledge. It’s very freeing to do something you’ll never objectively be very good at. It makes you forget any desire for perfection and just focus on the experience. I highly recommend always taking on something you are an absolute beginner at!

Are there specific challenges you’ve faced as a woman in marketing and how did you overcome them?

I think we women have a much harder time trusting ourselves. We talk a lot about impostor syndrome, but that shifts the focus and puts all the responsibility on the individual. The truth is that even today in modern Western societies there continue to be… if not obstacles, then at least high hurdles for women to jump over. At first glance, they don’t seem like a big deal, but the probability of tripping is high precisely because of that. No one will tell you “your place is in the kitchen”, but men still don’t ask them who will feed the children when they are stuck late in the office.

I don’t think there is a better antidote than a good example and support. To see others like you doing and succeeding. To be able to talk to those who walk the same road. This is also the great strategic role of communities like ours here.

It was an absolute pleasure getting to know Vasilena better. We are also super happy that she has agreed to become a supporting figure in the community by helping us grow as a Community Advisor!

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