Why is personal branding so important?

By Sam Whitehead — Marketing Coordinator

Your personal brand will always be significant. Whether you want one, or not, you already do. Generally speaking, the higher you are on the food chain the bigger it’ll get. So the question is, do you want control of that personal brand or not? 

Well, if it’s your brand you may as well control the narrative. Notably for hungry applicants, a good personal brand will give you a serious advantage at any interview stage. Now, employers consider social media 70% of the time during the hiring process and most companies, especially in the marketing sector, examine your social media as an indicator to how well you know the space. 

If you're a brand owner this importance only increases. Ultimately as a business owner you’re attached to your brand, therefore, your personal brand will have an intrinsic influence on how others perceive you and your company. You need only look at figures such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson, to know why Tesla, Amazon and Virgin are thought of as risk taking, ambitious and ruthless companies. Furthermore, you want employees to have good personal brands as it reflects well on you and your brand in general. 

Is personal branding bigger than business? 

In short, yes. 

There’s no doubt that when social media was created, the essence of the personal brand changed permanently. Now, anyone who has an Instagram account has a brand. Of course, some are more serious than others, but evidently, the opportunity that social media possesses has changed the way we live life.  Fame, riches, and success are all possible via social media. The personal brand is no longer just for the business individual. 

Is that a bad thing?

Undoubtedly, the effort that goes into expanding your personal brand on social media can lead to manipulative traits. Influencers and the public in general have tendencies to lie, promote false images, and promote a false outlook on what life really is. However, there’s no problem with becoming successful through social media, why should it be saved for the select few? It gives everyone with access the chance, and a much better one than previously.

Where can the personal brand be utilised?

Anywhere and everywhere...just about. 

The beauty of social media is that anyone can use it , at any age. TikTok has been the best example of late. Most notably, a rise of the ‘finfluencer’ or ‘financial influencer’ has drawn many senior members of the community to try social media to elevate their personal brand. Often with great effect. “Only 16% of UK adults state they are highly knowledgeable about financial matters”, but the light hearted, catchy and fun delivery of TikTok means more are likely to watch, and therefore, be interested. 

The main importance is to just stay genuine. Social media accounts, including those on Linkedin, have tendencies to create wishy washy content full of over the top scenarios. Typically most can see through this. So be different, don’t be afraid to attack those unlikely platforms, find that unique angle.

Is the personal brand bigger than the brand? 

Ultimately, due to the new age of social media, and the acceleration in personalities from YouTube and the internet in general, it seems the personal brand has become more powerful than even brands and corporations. 

Most recently, professional golfer Justin Thomas, lost his sponsorship from Ralph Lauren for using a homophobic slur. Many thought this was going to be a crushing blow in the midst of our current cancel culture. This was far from the truth. His personal brand has only grown stronger and he has maintained success. At this year's French Open, Naomi Osaka stood against the Tennis governing body blasting its “outdated rules” when she missed her media responsibilities for mental health reasons. Two examples where social media personal branding withstood the corporate onslaught, wrongly or rightly.  

There’s no doubting the potential of the personal brand. If done correctly, it can elevate your career and business, while also enabling you to become more powerful than tried and tested corporations. 

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