How Does Personal Branding Effect Consumers?

What is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the creation of an identity for you, as an individual or as a business (A, Heitzman, 2022). The process means finding your uniqueness, and developing a reputation on the things you want to be known for (Stelzner, 2019).

Figure 1:Richard Branson of Virgin is an example of somebody
who has created a strong personal brand

Having a face of the company is not a new idea, Microsoft has Bill Gates, Virgin has Richard Branson and Apple had Steve Jobs. It’s a way of giving a brand a face with the ultimate aim of building a relationship with the company through an individual. Having a personality that people can relate to goes a long way to building trust. Customers like to know the people who are behind the businesses they support (Forbes, 2020)

Importance of Personal Branding

Once a relationship has developed between a personal brand and an individual they are able to have the same influence as a company has with their employees, which can lead to the brand being developed as individuals become advocates. This is achieved through developing a well-defined look, on point message and a strong presence online and offline (Heitzman, 2022).

With a well maintained personal brand an individual is able to highlight things that differentiate them from the crowd. Graham (2020) believes a personal brand is able to tell a story and take somebody on a journey which is connected to unique experiences and differentiate you from others. This can focus on personal struggles, an ethical stand point or delivering a message that can humanise a person.

How to Use Social Media in Personal Branding

As we can see personal branding plays an important role in Marketing. But what role does social media play in this? Cytonn (2022) believes it is about “shaping the public perception” of an individual by having a consistent message and personality across all platforms. This can include starting conversations and sharing content which is in line with themes and values. Hutchinson (2020) highlights the fact that having a strong social media presence allows you to be visible and at the forefront of your networks feeds.

To do this effectively platforms must be well maintained with regular updates that engage with individuals. Consistency is crucial across all platforms. Having a well-defined persona will ensure trustworthiness and also make you memorable to followers (Giarratana, 2022). This can be achieved through combining brand posts with enjoyable and authentic content that encourages engagement. The use of hash tags can encourage conversation and raise brand awareness, it is important to respond to posts as this can build a positive relationship and build on the brands message. Linking this to relevant blogs and podcasts can attract an even greater audience.

An important aspect of personal branding is establishing the individual as a thought leader in their field (Wong, 2022). A great way of conveying your message is through Podcasts. A Podcast can be an incredible way to scale culture (Stelzner, 2019). It can create a personal connection with the audience. Catt LeBlanc (2020) found that Podcasts create a higher level of engagement than videos, as it feels like your, “hanging out with you one-on-one and they develop a relationship with you in their everyday life.”

Examples of Personal Branding

Figure 2: Elon Musk uses his strong Social Media
Presence to promote products from his company- Tesla

Elon Musk is an example of somebody who has cultivated a strong personal brand. He has done this through the use of Twitter to engage with the audience. This has sometimes had a negative impact with much criticism of tweets which have led to big fines (Bird, 2020). It has however aligned Musks values and principles with that of the companies he represents. This has increased the connection Musk has between companies and the target audience and is an example of how an individual’s personal brand activity can differentiate a company from their competitors.

Figure 3: Joe Rogan has developed a
strong personal brand through his Podcasts

Joe Rogan is an individual who has found success developing his personal brand through the use of Podcasts. In 2020, Rogan signed a $100 million deal to exclusively stream his Podcasts from Spotify. He had been a stand-up comedian since 1988, Rogan found success in his comedy podcasts that cover science, sport, technology and politics. This is an example of how an individual’s likes and dislikes can create a brand identity through speaking out to the audience.

Figure 4: Gary Vaynerchuck used his YouTube
channel to develop his personal brand

Gary Vaynerchuck is owner of VaynerX communication company. But he is also one of the world leaders in developing a personal brand. He started this through creating YouTube videos and vlogs for his wine tasting shows, before going into making motivational videos that further enhanced his personal brand. His regular content updates have led to 12 million subscribers across different platforms (Olivia, 2022).

References

BC (2021) Personal Branding Case Study: A Look at Gary Vaynerchuck’s Brand (online) BrandCredentials. Available at https://www.brandcredential.com/post/personal-branding-case-study-a-look-at-gary-vaynerchuks-brand (Accessed 28/08/22)

Bird, C. (2020) 7 X-Tremely Successful Personal Branding Lessons From Elon Musk (online) Quuu. Available at https://quuu.co/blog/personal-branding-lessons-from-elon-musk/ (Accessed 13/06/22)

Cytonn (2022) Why is Personal Branding on Social Media Important for Business Leaders (online) Cytonn. Availble at: https://www.cytonn.com/blog/article/why-is-personal-branding-on-social-media-important-for-business-leaders#:~:text=Personal%20branding%20on%20social%20media%20is%20about%20shaping%20the%20public,around%20these%20themes%20and%20values. (Accessed 12/06/22)

Forbes (2020) 13 Reasons A Strong Personal Brand Can Help Grow Your Business (online) Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2020/06/29/13-reasons-a-strong-personal-brand-can-help-grow-your-business/?sh=51abe01635a9 (Accessed 12/06/22)

Giarratana, C. (2022) 5 Proven Strategies to Build Your Personal Brand Through Social Media (online) Metigy. Available at https://metigy.com/metigy-learning/5-proven-strategies-to-build-your-personal-brand-through-social-media/#:~:text=Social%20media%20platforms%20like%20LinkedIn,exactly%20what%20they%20will%20find. (Accessed 13/06/22)

Heitzman, A. (2022) What Is Personal Branding? Here’s Why It’s So Important (Online) Search Engine Journal, Available at https://www.searchenginejournal.com/what-is-personal-branding-why-important/327367/#close (Accessed 28/08/22)

Hutchinson, A. (2020) The Importance of Personal Branding on Social Media in 2020 (Online) Social Media Today, Available at https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/the-importance-of-personal-branding-on-social-media-in-2020-infographic/575575/ (Accessed 28/08/22)

Leonard, J. (2019) We Analyzed Elon Musk’s Twitter & Here’s What We Learned About Sales Psychology (Online) Business 2 Community, Available at https://www.business2community.com/sales-management/we-analyzed-elon-musks-twitter-heres-what-we-learned-about-sales-psychology-02229161 (Accessed 28/08/22)

Olivia (2022) 10 Inspiring Personal Brand Examples (online) Zyro. Available at https://zyro.com/blog/personal-brand-examples/ (Accessed 14/06/22)

Schau & Gilly, (2003) Why are what we post? Self-Presentation In Personal Web Space (Online) Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 30, Issue 3, December 2003, Pages 388

Stelzner, M. (2019) Personal Branding: How To Successfully Build Your Brand. [online] Social Media Examiner | Social Media Marketing. Available at: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/personal-branding-how-to-successfully-build-brand-rory-vaden/  (Accessed 12/07/22)

Sunwoo, S. (2019) What a Joe Rogan Show Taught me About Marketing (online) Medium. Available at https://medium.com/swlh/what-a-joe-rogan-show-taught-me-about-marketing-aed05d3b5d59 (Accessed 14/06/22)

Umoh, R. (2018) Richard Branson funded his first business at 16 for less than $2,000 (online) CNBC. Available at https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/28/richard-branson-launched-his-first-business-for-less-than-2000.html (Accessed 14/06/22)

Wong, J. (2022) How to Understand Corporate Branding vs. Personal Branding For Success (online) Entrepreneur. Available at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/429713 (Accessed 27/08/22)

Zo (2022) The Backlash Against Spotify and Joe Rogan is Creating Its Own Misinformation Loop (online) Okay Player. Available at www.okayplayer.com/originals/the-backlash-against-spotify-and-joe-rogan-is-creating-its-own-misinformation-loop.html  (Accessed 29/08/22)