With the development of social media you have almost no questions left what a personal branding is. Every day we are faced with well-known bloggers, representatives of companies and their owners, who have hundreds or even thousands of subscribers. And more or less proficient marketing specialist knows that a popular profile on Instagram is no longer a method of obtaining public approval, it is a powerful tool for promoting your own business.
For those who come across this concept for the first time, here is a short excursus. Many of you understand what a company’s brand is. Let’s remember Coca-Cola, whose name automatically conjures up a familiar drink and certain expectations. First of all this is an associative series of pictures, hopes and memories that arise in your head, it is worth mentioning one or another brand name. On the other hand a personal branding is exactly the same number of associations, but unlike the company’s brand, the primary picture that arises in the imagination is not a series of goods and services, but a specific person with certain qualities. For example, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Kim Kardashian. Each of them is directly related to the companies, but is also a separate brand.
Why is it needed and why even the president has an account on social media? The reality is that your customers, voters and fans want to know about you more than before. The new generation is concerned about what products they buy, whether it is eco-friendly, and who is behind all this. Choosing the products of your company, they first of all want to be involved in something bigger, an idea that reflects their view of the world. Whoever says whatever, the new generation not only prefers social media to TV, but they also choose openness, freedom to express themselves and better future for the planet. Yes, they still pay attention to the marketing the modern brands build around their products, but it is much harder to earn their attention nowadays.
The fact is nowadays consumers are people who constantly lack time, and at the same time they are buyers who are tired of making choices. The market offers such a large range of products and services that it becomes a real challenge to decide what to buy and whom to give preference to. Therefore the word of mouth phenomenon works more than ever now. It is based on trust in someone who broadcasts the necessary information. The role of such stations is no longer performed by neighbors. That’s bloggers, actors, and active users of social media who transmit the information to society. We easily acquire certain services, once a blogger with thousand subscribers mentions it. Subconsciously we are sure that an individual who has achieved a certain success cannot be mistaken and his choice is always the right one. We think so even though we understand it is a direct advertisement of goods the influencer might not use.
From the physiological point of view, such confidence in personal branding is explained by the associative perception of the world. When a person begins to connect products with a trusted person, new neural connections are created in the brain, which are almost impossible to break. That’s because the advertising you see is often multi-level and it is not limited by one mention. This is the way how Coca-Cola used the factor of associations in 1990s by paying Michael Jackson 10 million dollars in order for him to hold an empty can of cola during the interview after a big concert. Despite the fact that Jackson never drank such drinks, people built their own conclusions and tied the singer’s brand (personality) to soda consumption. After such promotion, Coca-Cola sales grew 12 times, and the company paid twice as much money for re-advertising, once again they increased their own sales index.
And finally, we come to the most important thing. Do you think if 100 thousand people trust you, will this affect your business? I am sure – yes. In general, even now, I am saying this from my own experience. When you are a brand, your products are certainly in demand, but your name also becomes a guarantee of a certain quality and value that you offer to society. That’s not only your customers who pay attention to your personality, but also investors, employees and partners. As theу say: “First you work on reputation, and then it works for you.”
If you wonder how to create a personal branding, the first thing I recommend is to have either patience or the support of experts in this field. It is better to combine both.
The main thing that you need to understand, a successful personal branding is based on several factors, for example:
– a clear understanding of the ideas, values and goals that you carry to society;
– public activity;
– completed projects or active business;
– relevant status achievements and symbols.
In other words, people are waiting for accordance: an interesting social circle and financial success from a businessman, a fit and healthy body from nutritionists, and books that are read from a writer. You have to become a reflection of the idea you are promote, and then people will start to trust you, and at the same time buy what you want to sell.
Is it possible to build a successful business without a personal branding these days? Of course it is. But in this case you lose the lion’s share of the market that is under the power of personal branding. And yes, of course, you can use other ambassadors who can represent your company. However I still recommend not to forget that people invest and buy Apple products, not because they are better than others, but because once Steve Jobs became a real brand who believed in his company and his product.