Does Your Business Encourage Personal Branding? ? CoupSmart ...

There is a lot of talk around the importance of developing your personal brand lately. There's even a very active LinkedIn group and corresponding blog devoted to sharing best practices on the subject.

It's understandable. Having a personal brand is undoubtedly important for any professional looking to establish themselves, make connections, and be remembered when it comes time to make a career move. But, have you thought about what the personal brands of your employees can do for your company??

On the surface, it may appear that attempts at personal branding are self-serving. And, they are. However, they also have the ability to promote your business in a way that your corporate voice is often unable to.?

Think about it. An employee that is an active networker (online and offline) and builds a large following around both professional and personal interests can be invaluable to your brand. How? Consider the following:?

1. Humanize to monetize. It's much easier for customers to see the personality in a real person than in a brand. A personal brand can do a lot to humanize a company. We are not just a building or a logo. We are a group of real people just like our customers. That realization builds trust. And, trust builds sales and loyalty (i.e. more sales).
2. An authentic voice builds confidence. Just like those with nothing to promote, your employee must be themselves. This means speaking from their own perspective, not the company's. Everything cannot be a sales pitch. If prospects like your employee they will have more confidence in your brand as a result. There is no need to force it.
3. Occasional promotion yield big results.?Once a person is known for sharing great content and adding value to the network(s) they are a part of, company promotion feels much less intrusive, and is thus more readily accepted. In fact, people may actually find themselves wanting to know more about what your employee does.?

Through personal branding, many employees have become an active voice for the businesses they work for. Hire the right people to represent you (no matter the position), and make them proud to be on your team. In doing so, you may uncover your best asset for bringing in and retaining new business.?

Tags: blogging, branding, personal branding, Small Business Marketing Tips, social networking

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