Maegan LujanWe live in a world where your online reputation can be your strongest asset or your biggest liability. A world where sales and marketing are better executed by employees with strong personal brands than by the actual brands themselves. A world where companies hire not based on resumes and cover letters, but on information they find out about candidates online.
It’s never been easier to grow a massive following and become a celebrity in your industry than it is today.
Personal branding is becoming less of a competitive edge and more of a requirement for anyone looking to grow their business, get that dream job or take their career to the next level.
Don’t believe me?
Here are 10 statistics that prove the overwhelming value of personal branding.
Hint: You might want to print this off and share it with your boss.
Employee’s Personal Brand Power
1. When brand messages are shared by employees on social media, they get more than 500% more reach than the same messages shared by the brand’s social media channels.
2. Brand messages are re-shared 25 times more frequently when posted by an employee versus the brand’s social media channels.
3. Content shared by employees receives 8 times more engagement than content shared by brand channels.
4. On average, employees have 15 times more followers than their company’s social media accounts.
The bottom line is that we trust people more than we trust brands, and we engage with people more than we engage with brands. If you don’t get your employees involved in growing their brands online, you’re going to lose out to companies that do.
Personal Branding Helps Sales
5. Leads developed through employees’ social media activities convert 10 times more frequently than other leads.
6. 92 percent of people trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t know them) over brands.
7. Sales reps who use social media as part of their sales techniques outsell 80 percent of their peers.
8. Marketers, who prioritize blogging, are 15 times more likely to enjoy positive ROI.
If you’re looking to grow your company’s bottom line, you’ll want to invest in personal branding initiatives. Train your employees on how to build their personal brands the right way and how to use those brands to benefit yours. If you don’t try to help your employees—and company—stand out, you risk getting left behind by the competition.
Reputation Matters
9. Employees at companies that invest in personal branding initiatives are 30 percent more likely to feel optimistic about their company’s future; 25 percent are more likely to stay at their company, and 40 percent are more likely to believe their company is more competitive.
10. 53 percent of decision-makers have eliminated a vendor from consideration based on information they did or did not find about an employee online.
Even when consumers have a referral, they start their buying process online.
What kind of first impression do you want to make?
A terrific online presence for you and your employees lends credibility and gets customers excited while a bad or irrelevant online presence turns customers away.
If you’re serious about improving your personal brand, or those of your employees, and need a little help, head on over to this page, and let’s get you set for success.
