A lot has changed as far as the way we do business, and as a result, the way we promote ourselves. While brand-building of companies used to be very much the focus of publicity and public relations efforts, nowadays the trend has moved more toward building a personal identity or personal brand, based entirely around individuals. The reason for this is that, while technology has made doing business or making purchases so much easier and quicker, it has also made the process so much more impersonal. People prefer to do business with people, and those businesses that incorporate a personal touch to the transition are reaping the results.
An example of someone who has done it really well is Richard Branson.
Here is someone who has put himself at the forefront of the Virgin brand. He has created an identity of fun, adventure, creativity, courage, possibility. He is someone many of us can relate to. He is human. Therefore, no matter what industry he decides to launch into, he has immediate support. We can trust that new company because it is Virgin – because it is a creation of the incredible Richard Branson. New media and technology lends perfectly to the idea of creating a personal brand. CEOs and Directors have created Twitter accounts, Facebook profiles and blogs for themselves where they share their business and personal viewpoint on the world around them. Suddenly we have direct access to the head of a large firm we are spending money with. We feel important as a consumer because we can more easily be acknowledged by the person at the top, instead of having to be passed on from one department to another. We also feel that the business is more transparent because the top dog is putting himself/herself out there, and opening himself/herself up to public scrutiny. But perhaps most importantly, we feel we can relate to these people who used to be hidden in glass offices at the tops of very tall towers.
With this in mind, I would encourage business owners to create a personal profile for themselves at every available opportunity.
Here are some handy tips:
- Make sure your business’ webpage has an About Me page, with a short bio and a photo of yourself.
- When engaging in social media, such as Twitter or facebook, do so under your own name, rather than a business name. By all means, have a business page, but try making the content more personal.
- Be the media spokesperson for your business. Build your profile as the face and brand of the company.
