Is your personal brand helping your company's image?

Is your personal brand helping your company’s image?

13 October 2009 483 views Comments

Today, while waiting on some YouTube videos to upload for a client and browsing though my blog reader trying to find a good blog topic, I started thinking – I don’t really know where the line is drawn between work stuff and personal stuff.

What do I mean by this? Well, Pyxl is huge into social media and the digital revolution. So I’m encouraged required to keep up with everything hot and new in the space. I have to blog…for myself and for our ReadPyxl blog. I have to continue to work at becoming a thought-leader in the social media space. I have to use Twitter, to tweet on behalf of the company, and for myself. I have to read blogs. I have to Facebook. Etc. Etc. Etc. And granted, I LOVE doing this stuff. It’s my passion…and also my job…so I guess I’m pretty lucky : )

But what I realized is that there’s no clear line between what I’m doing to better myself at my job and better myself…well, just for myself. But maybe there’s not supposed to be a line…because it’s an equally beneficial relationship.

Is anyone else experiencing this? What do you guys think?

I’m a big believer in the idea that having employees with strong personal brands thus contributes to the company’s brand. Do you agree or disagree?

Yet, some companies are still outlawing social media in the workplace while Pyxl encourages it. It’s such a different vibe from one company to another.

Does that make one company right and another wrong? Of course, it could depend on your industry…but what are your thoughts?

Let’s discuss…

Nicole VanScoten

Davina, I agree that there some some instances that personal branding does NOT help the company (job hunting is a great example)! It almost boils down to common sense...like how people get fired for tweeting about how much they hate their job, sleeping with their boss, etc.

You're right that not everyone is suited for SM in the workplace because a lot of people just don't know where to draw the line or truly how to take advantage of these tools. I hadn't really taken that into account the first time around.

Like most things, it boils down to what works for some, doesn't work for others...so a lot of companies are going to have to figure out how to integrate social media in the way that it DOES work for them.

Thanks for the great comments :)

Davina K. Brewer

Nicole, you're right that it depends on the industry and the job.

Employees are a huge part of the company’s audience and community and identity. Having employees with strong individual brands and professional reputations can be an asset.

But then, if someone is spending a lot of time in SM promoting themselves, but not their company's brand, such self-promotion and aggressive networking could be taken as well, shopping for another job (which doesn't reflect well on the one they have).

Say someone does a lot of personal branding, but does it poorly. Jason mentioned people looking inside organizations to see the people. What if they end up not liking what they see of these personal brands?

While I'm not wild about SM sites being blocked unilaterally, there are legitimate IT, security and productivity concerns. But the biggest issue is SM blocking who represents the company’s brand.

I may be in the minority, but I don't think it should be a free-for-all. Not everyone should blog, tweet, FB for the company for the obvious fact that not everyone has the skills to do it well.

As you say, it’s about creating a mutually beneficial relationship, balancing the company’s image vs. the positive personal brands of the individuals it employs.

Nicole

Thanks for the comment, Jason. I completely agree! That's why it bothers me that some companies are completely anti-social media. They really don't understand that someone's personal brand can be such an asset to the company. Hopefully more companies start catching on soon tho :)

Jason

If you do choose to associate yourself with your company in your networking profiles, I think as long as you remain positive and aren't *constantly* griping/complaining or being verbally offensive on outlets like Twitter, you're *automatically* a positive asset to your company.

Customers/clients love to get an inside look at the staff of their favorite companies... especially where I work, in the non-profit association world. So, seeing that those employees are competent, witty and humane only strengthens their opinion of that company.