Who, in particular, benefits the most from personal branding tactics? Thought leaders.
A thought leader is someone whose views on a subject are taken to be authoritative and influential.
A thought leader can build their following on social platforms through the usage of “Personal Branding” which is the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands.
This new phenomenon of personal branding has flourished on social media. Leaders have begun to synchronize their core message, image, and voice in order to make their persona recognizable as a brand. Users create their personal brand with profile pictures, account handles, summaries, objectives, and most importantly, content.
One example of how a strong personal brand can change your life and elevate your leadership status is Chip & Joanna Gaines, owners of Magnolia Farms, and stars of the hit TV Show “Fixer Upper”. The couple began renovating houses on HGTV’s TV Show “Fixer Upper” and leveraged this platform to gain a following for their personal brand. Since then they have created the “Magnolia” brand and turned their hometown Waco, Texas into a tourist attraction with fans from allover traveling to see their farm and purchase Magnolia Farms branded products. Their brand does well because of a few key reasons. First, they invest a lot in social media to make sure they are keeping their fans entertained and informed. Second, both on and off their TV show they maintain a likable sense of humor that streamlines their brand voice. Lastly, they let their fans get a sneak peek into their actual lives by featuring their children. Families see this brand as relatable and want to enjoy it together. That is why they have become so successful. Finally, they have stayed active and built upon their successes by using social media marketing to promote their expanded retail and dining locations. Provided is a link to their online store if you would like to browse and take a look at their personal brand for inspiration. Their Online Store
As a direct result of personal branding, “regular people” if you will, can make a name for themselves. If someone is an expert on a subject and desires to spread their knowledge, they can now gain a following and achieve business success by building an attractive online brand. The individual is empowered. “Science creates a world where individuals can play the role of the collective. Two boys create Google. One boy creates Facebook. Another individual creates Apple. These gentlemen changed the world without political parties or armies or fortunes. No one anticipated this. And they themselves did not know what would happen as a result” (Barton et al, 2012). Today, even of you may not have the monetary means to hire an agent and gain a following, social media provides that opportunity for you. In an article I found online about personal branding tips for success, the author shared his story of leaving the corporate world to become an author. He was able to achieve success through forming a strong personal brand (Springett, 2017). He advises that if your brand is relatable, focused, and backed with heavy use of hashtags and trending words you will be able to attract a large following. Social media makes all of this possible by breaking the boundaries of communication. Being a thought leader and backing it with a strong personal brand will “increase your strategic visibility” which is “visibility and standing with the people who matter” (Brosseau). The people who matter, in this case, are the people who share the leader’s focused passion, and will thus search for those keywords on their social media platforms. Then the leader can develop an audience who genuinely wants to listen, and the leader can share their expertise in a certain topic through their personal brand (Brosseau).
Now corporate leaders must have a personal brand in order to succeed in the business world. Society has become digitally saturated in all areas of living, so“if you don’t have a powerful and visible personal brand, you are putting yourself at a disadvantage in almost every aspect of your professional, business and personal life” (Sweetwood, 2017). Due to the fact that personal branding is now pervasive, it has created a new standard for social media accounts. You can no longer just post when you feel like it. You can no longer post about whatever you want. You need to decipher your voice on social media, and you need a consistent feel across all of your content. The timing of your posts needs to be frequent and accurate to your audience’s lifestyle. Also, since social media marketing has slowly surpassed traditional marketing, “personal branding has become a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business” (Sweetwood, 2017). As has been noted, social media can help a business leader gain followers or customers, but it can also help retain them. Social media allows for easy, real-time interaction with customers to make them feel valued. Companies are encouraged to empower their employees to use their personal profiles to extend the business’ brand on social media. Additionally, if you are someone who is just “starting a business whether the business is online or they are trying to spread awareness online. Your personal brand can help you become a “rainmaker” who attracts customers, clients, and partners to your brand” (Brosseau). It is evident that social media personal branding can benefit a business in all stages of customer interaction.
Finally, the act of creating a personal brand involves steps that allow leaders to better understand and connect to their core values. Examples of core values a person may have can be seen in the above word cloud. Personal branding involves streamlining one’s voice on all social platforms and carrying that brand through into your day-to-day communication style. While a personal brand may begin on a digital platform, it will eventually extend into one’s entire life. “Personal branding is about making a full-time commitment to the journey of defining yourself as a leader” (Glenn Lopis Group). Our class performed a core values and personal mission statement exercise, which is a recommended first step to creating a personal brand. Your personal brand is not just about self-promotion or being visible online, Fisher explains, “it’s identifying who you are as a leader, how you treat people, how you want to be known – in and out of the office.” (Montgomery). A good personal brand is true to one’s self and passions, which will make it easy to extend from your online identity into your daily life. “Part of creating an authentic personal brand often means giving the public a glimpse into your personal life.” (Montgomery). This will humanize your profile and allow your followers to actually listen and connect to your brand.
All in all, social media facilitates personal branding that can then facilitate online success for thought leaders. This success is measured by gaining a large, loyal following with your personal brand. Success can be achieved in the corporate world by empowering employees to extend the company’s brand on their social profiles. Success can be achieved at an individual level by focusing inwards and developing a brand that aligns with one’s core values. A personal brand must be consistent and follow trends in order to stay relevant in today’s digitally saturated world. But if done right, a personal brand can lead you to become the next Mark Zuckerberg.
-Claire Towell, Marketing Major, RBS
References:
- Barton, D., Grant, A., & Horn, M. (2012, June). Leading in the 21st century. Retrieved November 05, 2017, from https://www.mckinsey.com/global-themes/leadership/leading-in-the-21st-century
- Brosseau, D. (n.d.). What is a Thought Leader? Retrieved November 05, 2017, from http://www.thoughtleadershiplab.com/Resources/WhatIsaThoughtLeader
- Develop Your Personal Brand as a Leader [PDF]. (n.d.). Glenn Lopis Group
- Montgomery, L. (n.d.) Personal brand is more than your digital presence. (n.d.). Retrieved November 05, 2017, from https://execed.economist.com/career-advice/career-hacks/personal-brand-more-your-digital-presence
- Springett. P. What Are You Famous for? How SEO Impacts Personal Branding. (2017, July 27). Retrieved November 05, 2017, from http://www.social-experts.net/what-do-you-want-to-be-famous-for-how-seo-impacts-personal-branding/
- Sweetwood, M. (2017, March 27). 8 Reasons a Powerful Personal Brand Will Make You Successful. Retrieved November 05, 2017, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/289278
Leadership & the Network Revolution 