Why Personal Branding Matters to Companies

Companies work tirelessly at branding a product or service using traditional marketing and public relations strategies. It is the familiar, a tried and true method that few companies are
unwilling to forfeit in its entirety. While it is a fact that many businesses have adopted some form of new technologies into their marketing and PR campaigns to promote their brand, particularly in regards to social media, many companies are completely unprepared for their employees promoting their personal brand through the same social media channels they utilize to promote a corporate brand.

The advent of social media/networking has not only revolutionized the manner in which millions of people communicate, socialize, and network with each other, it has also provided a forum for the common person to brand themselves to suit their interests or career ambitions. Similar to celebrities who have a team manage and promote their image or brand to the public, social media platforms have allowed users to achieve related benefits. Social networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter have made it easier than ever for an individual to develop and cultivate their personal brand, whatever it may be. Other popular platforms such as blogging are another catalyst for someone to tailor their personal brand. While the beauty of social

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media/networking remains with the transparency and access it provides to individuals from all sorts of different backgrounds and histories, it can also be its downfall, particularly when a company's employees are so accessible to the competition.

The benefits of personal branding are many and it is likely as social media/networking continues to go mainstream and gain more and more users, personal branding will only become more popular. Unfortunately companies will experience the side-effects of personal branding; but
rather than run the risk of dissuading rock star candidates from applying to your organization because of your adverse position on personal branding, your interests are better served by
acknowledging the inherent risk factors personal branding presents and developing an actionplan that suits both parties welfare in the world of social networking.

Primarily most companies shy away from personal branding because they are concerned that they will be subject to costs while the employee uses company time to build their own brand, and, secondly that employees will be recruited by the competition. While these are very real and valid concerns, they are not strong enough deterrents to completely abandon the benefits
of personal branding.

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Instead, companies should develop a social networking policy that addresses how employees may and may not use the corporate brand in their own personal branding. In other words,
some companies may opt to request omission from any mention that they are a respective individuals employer in order to prevent any possible public relations disasters. On the other
hand, companies can respond by co-branding with the employee by sponsoring a corporate team blog that blends their name with the corporation, achieving both personal and professional branding.

As social networking continues to mature and sees its user population increase dramatically, companies will be confronted with reconciling the benefits of social media and also the risks. Personal branding, in particular, is something that will continue to dominate personal networking platforms as it gives people a voice and facilitates their personal and professional goals. Whatever your companies take on personal branding, remember that personal branding in today's marketplace is inevitable and those organizations that want to attract and retain talent will look at how they can integrate personal branding into their corporate culture.