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A quarter century ago, Tom Peters helped make the term “personal branding” part of our vocabulary—long before the prevalence of social media, vast globalization, the infusion of millennials and Gen Zs into the workforce and the new WFA (work from anywhere) model. Some of the original tools for personal branding are now museum pieces, but the importance of uncovering, expressing and expanding your personal brand has never before been so vital, not only for individual career success but also for organizations that seek to inspire, engage and retain their talent. Here’s how the world of personal branding is being transformed:
Today’s workforce demands transparency, authenticity, individuality and recognition
Millennials and Gen Z employees want to be recognized for their unique skills and talents. The personal brands of your company’s leaders and employees have a major impact on the organization’s ability to hire, engage and retain top talent. In fact, for millennials who are looking to join your company, the brand of your organization and the brand of its leaders are equally important (in terms of recruiting) to the job that is being offered. In the hiring process, leaders and other team members are being googled. In the war for top talent, it’s essential that the company brand and the brands of your people stand out from the competition to attract the best.
Your people are now a part of the company brand
Personal branding is no longer reserved just for senior executives or sales leaders; it’s for all employees at all levels and in all functions. According to Nielsen, only 33% of buyers trust the brand while 90% of customers trust product or service recommendations from people they know. Your employees can have a major impact on corporate success—way beyond their official job description. The face of the brand, although managed by the CMO, is no longer centrally controlled. Every employee has a role to play in expressing and enhancing the company brand. This new approach, called applied personal branding, begins with helping employees uncover and build their brands, followed by teaching them to apply their personal brand to the mission of the company in an authentic way. Consider these statistics:
- Employees have on average 10 times more social connections than a brand does.
- Brand messages reached 561% further when shared by employees vs. the same messages shared via official brand social channels.
- Brand messages are re-shared 24 times more frequently when distributed by employees vs. the brand.
When employees can learn about their brand and understand their role in building the corporate brand and, most importantly, when they are empowered to do so, they can impact corporate success far beyond their assigned role. As a bonus, they stay engaged even outside their job function and division, and they are more aware of what’s going on in the organization at a higher level.
WFA enhances the need for personal branding
The new post-Covid hybrid work model, Work From Anywhere, means remote work will be a major part of the work environment. That presents new challenges for being visible and demonstrating value to key stakeholders. Out of sight, out of mind means it’s now essential to take daily deliberate action to stay top of mind no matter where you are. Brand building needs to take priority on your Do-list.
Digital branding precedes real branding
Even for companies with robust intranets, employees are using Google and LinkedIn to learn about colleagues and leaders. Employees who work remotely don’t get to share their brand in the coffee room or at the water cooler. Therefore, the digital version of remote employees’ brands must be authentic, compelling and magnetic for teams to be able to build trust and engage fully. We learned that lesson when social media first arose. Branding has moved online. As identified by Mitch Joel in the book Ctrl Alt Delete, people learn about companies and individuals online before ever engaging in person (if they engage in person at all . . . that’s no longer essential). The implications of this Digital First phenomenon are vast for talent development initiatives.
Personal branding has evolved tremendously over the last quarter century, with the most significant changes emerging after the onset of the pandemic. It’s time to take a look at your brand and personal brand action plan to make sure you’re relevant in this new environment.
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of the Personal Brand Power Audit - a complimentary quiz that helps you measure the strength of personal brand.
