In the simplest of terms, a personal brand is the marketing of the individual. Personal branding can be evaluated through your online presence. For instance, if you would type your name into Google, what results would come up in the search engine? Is your personal brand favorable? Personal branding is generated through a culmination of things: your skills, job titles, experiences, and overall personality. With a personal brand, you are telling a story to the public. In some cases, a personal brand outshines the company the person works for or owns. Two examples of successful personal brands are Elon Musk and Tony Robbins.
\r\nBranding is a vital element of any marketing campaign. Most companies take branding seriously, wanting to leave a lasting impression on the customer. Personal branding, however, is often overlooked.
\r\nPersonal branding is someone's online reputation. Most executives already have one – it's just a question of whether or not they cultivate it. As Jeff Bezos said, \"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.\"
\r\nPersonal branding of a team member, typically the founder or owner, is a way to boost the credibility of the organization. If the customer trusts the founder, then they are likely to trust the company as well. A personal brand can also serve as a face for the company, which is important in both B2C and B2B businesses.
\r\nThere are many different personal branding tactics, such as blogging, social media, email marketing and public relations. Executives can pick and choose where they want to brand themselves and then reap the benefits.
\r\nOne of the most popular benefits of personal branding campaigns is an increase in sales. Leads generated by employees through social media activities, as opposed to company social media activities, are seven times more likely to convert. Also, the B2B sales process is lengthy. It typically takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember a brand. Personal branding efforts, such as posting on social media, are a nonintrusive way to help nurture leads.
\r\nWhat's really interesting is that 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals – even if they don't know them – over companies. Again, a tweet from an executive at a company goes further than one from the company itself. Not to mention, posts have 561% more reach when employees share brand messages than when just the brand posts the message, and posts by employees are reshared 24 times more frequently than when shared by companies.
\r\nEditor's note: Looking for the right social media management tool for your business or personal use? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs.
\r\n\r\nConsumers are coming to expect personal branding from companies. In fact, 82% of people surveyed said they're more likely to trust a company when their senior executives are active on social media, and 77% of consumers are more likely to buy when the CEO of the business uses social media. Consumers want input from company leadership. So businesses that ignore this may end up swallowed up by competition.
\r\nLaunching a robust personal branding campaign may seem daunting, but executives don't have to do everything at once. It's actually a good idea to take time and strategize. The goal of personal branding is to separate the person from the business. Determine how your online content can showcase your personality on a deeper level.
\r\nFirst, before launching a personal branding campaign, it's important to target the networks that the customer already uses. By looking at the buyer persona, executives can figure this out. If the customer rarely uses Instagram, then skipping that platform is a good idea. Research social media trends for your target audience. Social media trends change regularly and you want to confirm you are making the most of your content marketing.
\r\nSecond, executives can choose one or two efforts and focus on those. The worst-case scenario is trying to maintain a presence on too many platforms and doing a terrible job on all of them. Choose one or two social networks or focus on blogging on platforms such as Medium, and build up followers. Use audience insights to determine engagement levels. Don’t waste time on platforms that are showing minimal reach.
\r\nThird, stay consistent. Continually post and keep followers updated on trends and news. It can be substantial work to get up and running, but a personal branding campaign certainly pays off in the end. Your brand should be unified online and offline. Emails, social media accounts, and business cards should have consistent logos and color schemes.
\n","docType":"article","guid":"articles_448583b067b0fba9918c286c628f2ed6","lastModified":"2020-04-24T14:20:00.000Z","published":"2019-03-26T15:00:00.000Z","structuredData":null,"subtitle":"Building a personal brand can bring a boost in sales numbers.","template":"v1","title":"Why Personal Branding Is Crucial for Any Industry","type":"article","author":{"avatar":null,"bio":"The purpose of our community is to connect small business owners with experienced industry experts who can address their questions, offer direction, and share best practices.","name":"business.com editorial staff","image":null,"slug":null,"social":{"facebook":"","linkedin":"https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-com-/","twitter":"https://twitter.com/businessdotcom","website":"https://www.business.com/"},"status":"enabled","title":null,"type":"Old BDC Member","user":{"imagePath":"https://staging.business.com/images/uploads/user/profile/b14a2c1fa0158a2f46854597139a2067ee8ef.jpg","profile":{"company":"","jobTitle":"","website":"https://www.business.com/"}}},"breadcrumbs":null,"channels":{"primary":{"name":"Marketing","slug":"marketing"},"sub":{"name":"Branding","slug":"branding"}},"meta":{"robots":"index, follow","description":"If your business's employees and executives develop a strong personal brand, it can help your marketing efforts tremendously.","title":"How Personal Branding Can Help Your Marketing Efforts - business.com"},"parsedContent":{"toc":[{"id":"what-is-personal-branding","title":"What is personal branding?"},{"id":"3-reasons-why-personal-branding-is-essential","title":"3 reasons why personal branding is essential"},{"id":"getting-started-with-a-personal-branding-campaign","title":"Getting started with a personal branding campaign"}],"json":[{"component":"ul","children":[{"component":"li","children":["Personal branding involves marketing the individual over the business. Personal branding can set the tone for your organization and increase company credibility."]},{"component":"li","children":["Personal branding expands market reach and can have a direct impact on sales."]},{"component":"li","children":["Keep your target audience in mind while building a personal brand. All marketing efforts should be unified throughout the process."]}]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"what-is-personal-branding"},"children":["What is personal branding?"]},{"component":"p","children":["In the simplest of terms, a personal brand is the marketing of the individual. Personal branding can be evaluated through your online presence. For instance, if you would type your name into Google, what results would come up in the search engine? Is your personal brand favorable? Personal branding is generated through a culmination of things: your skills, job titles, experiences, and overall personality. With a personal brand, you are telling a story to the public. In some cases, a personal brand outshines the company the person works for or owns. Two examples of successful personal brands are Elon Musk and Tony Robbins."]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"strong"},"Branding is a vital element of any marketing campaign. Most companies take branding seriously, wanting to leave a lasting impression on the customer. Personal branding, however, is often overlooked."]},{"component":"p","children":["Personal branding is someone's online reputation. Most executives already have one – it's just a question of whether or not they cultivate it. As Jeff Bezos said, \"Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.\""]},{"component":"p","children":["Personal branding of a team member, typically the founder or owner, is a way to boost the credibility of the organization. If the customer trusts the founder, then they are likely to trust the company as well. A personal brand can also serve as a face for the company, which is important in both B2C and B2B businesses."]},{"component":"p","children":["There are many different personal branding tactics, such as blogging, social media, email marketing and public relations. Executives can pick and choose where they want to brand themselves and then reap the benefits."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"3-reasons-why-personal-branding-is-essential"},"children":["3 reasons why personal branding is essential"]},{"component":"h3","children":["1. Personal branding increases sales."]},{"component":"p","children":["One of the most popular benefits of personal branding campaigns is an increase in sales. Leads generated by employees through social media activities, as opposed to company social media activities, are ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.ibm.com/midmarket/uk/en/att/pdf/social_media_Part_Executive_Report.pdf","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["seven times more likely to convert"]},". Also, the B2B sales process is lengthy. It typically takes ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.pammarketingnut.com/2014/05/personal-branding-strategy-social-media-marketing-white-paper/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["five to seven impressions"]}," for someone to remember a brand. Personal branding efforts, such as posting on social media, are a nonintrusive way to help nurture leads."]},{"component":"h3","children":["2. Personal branding efforts get in front of more customers."]},{"component":"p","children":["What's really interesting is that ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2012/nielsen-global-consumers-trust-in-earned-advertising-grows.html","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["92% of people"]}," trust recommendations from individuals – even if they don't know them – over companies. Again, a tweet from an executive at a company goes further than one from the company itself. Not to mention, posts have ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.postbeyond.com/employee-advocacy-guide/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["561% more reach"]}," when employees share brand messages than when just the brand posts the message, and posts by employees are reshared 24 times more frequently than when shared by companies."]},{"component":"p","children":[{"component":"strong","children":["Editor's note: Looking for the right social media management tool for your business or personal use? Fill out the below questionnaire to have our vendor partners contact you about your needs. "]}]},{"component":"RfqWidget","props":{"className":"bz-form-widget","id":"bz-form-widget-0","widgetCategoryId":"10746"},"children":[" "]},{"component":"h3","children":["3. Personal branding offers a competitive edge."]},{"component":"p","children":["Consumers are coming to expect personal branding from companies. In fact, ",{"component":"a","props":{"href":"https://www.ceohangout.com/personal-branding-statistics/","target":"_blank","rel":"nofollow"},"children":["82% of people surveyed"]}," said they're more likely to trust a company when their senior executives are active on social media, and 77% of consumers are more likely to buy when the CEO of the business uses social media. Consumers want input from company leadership. So businesses that ignore this may end up swallowed up by competition."]},{"component":"h2","props":{"id":"getting-started-with-a-personal-branding-campaign"},"children":["Getting started with a personal branding campaign"]},{"component":"p","children":["Launching a robust personal branding campaign may seem daunting, but executives don't have to do everything at once. It's actually a good idea to take time and strategize. The goal of personal branding is to separate the person from the business. Determine how your online content can showcase your personality on a deeper level."]},{"component":"p","children":["First, before launching a personal branding campaign, it's important to target the networks that the customer already uses. By looking at the buyer persona, executives can figure this out. If the customer rarely uses Instagram, then skipping that platform is a good idea. Research social media trends for your target audience. Social media trends change regularly and you want to confirm you are making the most of your content marketing."]},{"component":"p","children":["Second, executives can choose one or two efforts and focus on those. The worst-case scenario is trying to maintain a presence on too many platforms and doing a terrible job on all of them. Choose one or two social networks or focus on blogging on platforms such as Medium, and build up followers. Use audience insights to determine engagement levels. Don’t waste time on platforms that are showing minimal reach."]},{"component":"p","children":["Third, stay consistent. Continually post and keep followers updated on trends and news. It can be substantial work to get up and running, but a personal branding campaign certainly pays off in the end. Your brand should be unified online and offline. Emails, social media accounts, and business cards should have consistent logos and color schemes."]}]},"resource":null,"sponsorship":{"sponsorType":"","name":null,"thumbnail":null,"bio":null,"slug":null,"status":null,"social":{"website":null,"linkedin":null,"twitter":null,"facebook":null}},"thumbnail":{"path":"https://staging.business.com/images/content/5ea/1b5e25a215ea25e8b456d/1500-0-","caption":"pondsaksit / Getty Images","isBlurred":false},"bestPicks":null},"related":{"relatedArticles":[{"title":"6 Brand Building Blocks for 2017","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/megan-totka-branding-building-blocks/","slug":"megan-totka-branding-building-blocks","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/589/34a682f87b154073a8f77/1500-0-","dek":"Building a great business brand is all about details and consistency.","lastModified":"2017-02-10T17:00:00Z","published":"2017-02-10T17:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"7 Questions to Ask Before Connecting With Your Audience on Social Media.","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/questions-before-connecting-audience-on-social-media/","slug":"questions-before-connecting-audience-on-social-media","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f3/2b6459c658add188b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Before competing with other businesses on social media, ask yourself these questions to help you craft a brand voice that sells.","lastModified":"2020-08-11T20:41:00Z","published":"2020-08-11T20:41:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Brand Reputation: How to Protect Your No. 1 Asset","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/protect-brand-reputation/","slug":"protect-brand-reputation","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e0/6a8407b4374280b8b4573/1500-0-","dek":"Your most valuable asset is your brand reputation. Learn how to protect it.","lastModified":"2019-12-31T17:00:00Z","published":"2019-12-31T17:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Why and How to Create Video Content to Help Your Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/video-content-marketing-for-business/","slug":"video-content-marketing-for-business","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e0/698359c658a464e8b456e/1500-0-","dek":"Find out why viewers respond to video content marketing and how it can help your business.","lastModified":"2020-07-23T17:48:00Z","published":"2019-12-30T13:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Measure Your Brand Awareness Online","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/measure-brand-awareness-online/","slug":"measure-brand-awareness-online","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d2/ca6d27b43743d478b457b/1500-0-","dek":"The more consumers are aware of your brand, the likelier you are to gain their business.","lastModified":"2019-07-16T14:00:00Z","published":"2019-07-16T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Facebook for Business: 25 Tips and Tricks to Supercharge Your Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/facebook-for-business-tips-and-tricks/","slug":"facebook-for-business-tips-and-tricks","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5d1/4bf325a215e7c3b8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Master social media and reap the rewards for your business.","lastModified":"2019-06-27T15:00:00Z","published":"2019-06-27T15:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Create a Brand Identity: A Step-By-Step Guide","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/create-a-brand-identity/","slug":"create-a-brand-identity","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5ee/ba65b9c658abc098b458d/1500-0-","dek":"Brand identity is one of the most effective strategies that businesses of any size can use to gain a competitive edge.","lastModified":"2020-06-19T19:00:00Z","published":"2020-06-19T19:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Manage Digital Marketing for Small Business","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/the-digital-marketing-revolution-and-how-small-business-owners-can-keep-up/","slug":"the-digital-marketing-revolution-and-how-small-business-owners-can-keep-up","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5db/99fc09c658a1b268b4579/1500-0-","dek":"As the digital marketing landscape changes and evolves, what small business owners need to know in order to stay ahead of the curve.","lastModified":"2019-11-01T18:00:00Z","published":"2019-11-01T18:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"10 Ways to Take Better Social Media Campaign Photos","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/how-to-take-better-photos-for-social-media/","slug":"how-to-take-better-photos-for-social-media","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5f2/017169c658a07518b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Follow this expert advice to make your photos stand out on social media.","lastModified":"2020-07-28T12:19:00Z","published":"2020-07-28T12:19:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"How to Inject Creativity Into Your Business's Marketing Methods","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/inject-creativity-into-your-business-marketing-methods/","slug":"inject-creativity-into-your-business-marketing-methods","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5e0/b9a7c5a215e2b0d8b4576/1500-0-","dek":"The more creativity you can include in your campaigns, the better off you (and your brand) will be.","lastModified":"2020-01-05T13:00:00Z","published":"2020-01-05T13:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"10 Social Media Networks to Use for Personal Branding","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/social-media-for-personal-branding/","slug":"social-media-for-personal-branding","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/5cc/335cd5a215eec7e8b4567/1500-0-","dek":"Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are just the tip of the social media world.","lastModified":"2019-04-29T14:00:00Z","published":"2019-04-29T14:00:00Z","sponsored":false},{"title":"Building Your Brand as an Advertising or Marketing Agency","canonical":"https://www.business.com/articles/building-your-brand-as-a-marketing-agency/","slug":"building-your-brand-as-a-marketing-agency","thumbnail":"https://www.business.com/images/content/596/fecc81039eb973c8b456f/1500-0-","dek":"Learn how to find your audience and brand identity.","lastModified":"2020-06-23T18:51:00Z","published":"2017-08-10T07:00:00Z","sponsored":false}],"relatedReviews":[{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5b99633151ee47a8528b4582/Call_center_bbernard.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/call-center-services/","title":"The Best Call Center Services for 2021","dek":"Our team has compared the best call center services for 2021. See up-to-date reviews for the top-rated answering services.","slug":"call-center-services","lastModified":"2021-02-26T14:22:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5df7b1b69c658a61728b4567/Answering_Service_scyther5_Getty.jpg","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/best-answering-services/","title":"The Best Answering Services of 2021","dek":"Our teams have compared the best answering services for 2020. See up-to-date reviews and prices for these top-rated services.","slug":"best-answering-services","lastModified":"2021-02-26T14:18:00Z"},{"doc_type":"category","thumbnail":"https://staging.business.com/images/rz/5d4c65367b43741a258b4572/Laptop_Sfio_Cracho.png","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/categories/crm-software/","title":"The Best CRM Software of 2021","dek":"Looking for the best CRM software? We have easy-to-read, expert unbiased reviews and feature comparisons of the best and cheapest programs.","slug":"crm-software","lastModified":"2021-02-24T14:09:00Z"}],"relatedSponsoredArticles":null}},"pageContext":{"displayModified":"2020-04-24T14:20:00.000Z","template":"v1","title":"Why Personal Branding Is Crucial for Any Industry","meta":{"robots":"index, follow"},"docType":"articles","slug":"personal-branding-boosts-marketing","canonical":"https://staging.business.com/articles/personal-branding-boosts-marketing/","skipTOC":false}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}