Whenever people esteem an invigorating cold drink in a sweltering summer, they bring up ‘Coke’ or ‘Pepsi’ in their mind. Other drinks may appear later on in mind after these options are not available at the shop. This is the brand value that these companies have created over the years. Brand is about establishing oneself, be it personal, company, or corporate as a thought or industry leader amongst the mass audience. People should utter that brand name when the concept of that product comes up. Organizational or say employer brands become able to create a successful brand value after lots of marketing and campaign efforts and the trend goes on and on. With the evolution of workplace dynamics, employees' personal brand also plays a pivotal role in accelerating the employer brand.
When one talks about the personal brand, it means the marketing and positioning of the personal self, whereas employer branding means the same, but it’s the expansion of the accessibility of the Name amongst mass audiences. Past were the days when employers or organizations just focused on the marketing of their products and services but now, employers also need to contemplate the employees’ personal brands too, as the worth of employers' brands can be amplified when the employees’ personal brands get assimilated with each other. The drastic change of focus on employees’ personal brand arose with the horn-mad rise of social media presence such as professional networking sites like LinkedIn and other network enhancement platforms. Personal brand has always been the reinforcement of expanding professional networks, personal and professional growth, development, and visibility with career expansion opportunities.
Social media and online networking sites have contributed a lot in burgeoning the personal brands of the employees. When we open LinkedIn as a professional networking site, we get tremendous information posted by the employees of a certain company, or CEO, or a freelancer or consultant about their experiences, achievements, company activities and many more that helps to learn them better along with the projects and companies they are involved with. During the traditional branding days, the emphasis used to be mainly on external branding, but now the time has changed. Employees have a huge role in promoting the employer brand using their personal brand. Let's delve deeper into how employees' personal brands escalate the employer’s brand.
Employees’ personal brands mirror their values, thought processes, beliefs, visible thinking, and many more. Whenever an employee of a certain organization shares a positive team-building activity post on a professional networking site, the viewers of the post can have the impression of that organization that the employees are happy within the organization. The same applies to external shareholders as well. The authenticity showcased by such employees creates a lasting impression upon viewers about the trustworthiness between employers and employees.
Employees having stronger personal brands intend to share trustable sources of information and knowledge amongst the audience with whom they share their industry experiences, achievements, organizational activities, and many more. Not only do they position the organization they are working with amongst the audience, but their thought processes, reliability, and flourishing information get enhanced naturally.
Nowadays, potential newcomers with caliber not only look up to the organizations they want to work for, but they also prefer those employees who have successfully created their own personal brands in the market. For example, we can name a few celebrity bankers in Nepal with their own personal brands. And with the integration of their smart personal brand, the company's brand is also top-notch. Many newcomers follow such personalities and aspire to become them following their guidelines and leading the industry with efforts and preeminence.
Whenever an employee achieves anything within the industry, along with his/her achievements, his or her company's name also comes firsthand. There has been a rising importance of employee advocacy. When employees' voices are heard, their efforts shine more. As mentioned earlier, when they share their company's values, beliefs, and career opportunities amongst the networks, it not only boosts their commitment level, but also organizational credibility, reach, views, and engagement. This helps attract customers, clients, and even corporate networks through the links.
The fact can't be neglected that a company with a strong positive image can sometimes face very negative publicity due to various reasons. Once the negativity starts to ignite, it's difficult to stop. However, when employees have a stronger personal brand presence, they can contribute to addressing the truth and concerns amongst the networks. The trust once stored can be rebuilt against shaping the previous reputation of the organization.
Employees are the faces of the organization. Their every activity also impacts upon the organizational or employer's reputation. As the employees’ personal brand plays an immense role in accelerating the employer's brand, the organizations must also contribute to supporting the employees to foster their brands. Organizations can:
i) Provide employees with well-equipped training and development resources for branding approaches such as how to use LinkedIn for successful brand creation, content creation, and much more
ii) Encourage a collaborative teamwork approach and open communication culture to welcome feedback and recommendations from the employees fostering an inclusive workplace
iii) Celebrate the employees’ personal and professional successes by recognizing them
iv) Praise their thought processes, leadership style, expertise in the industry, and more
v) Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to enhance employee growth productivity
vi) Set up the workshops and mentorship programs for the employees
vii) Set some boundaries amongst the employees such as limited information sharing, what is good for posting on sites and what is not, etc.
viii) Sharing of the individual employee achievements on company page and website
ix) Research competitors about their strategies along with SWOT analysis.
It's not hidden that the seed of an employer's brand or reputation lies in the employee's success. The huge number of sales of products with high brand value is possible with the efforts of every person involved in the organization. In the present scenario, the personal brand of employees plays an immense role in shaping the brand image of employers. In a nutshell, with the close integration of both personal and employer brands, the organization can move forward to a much higher place with more sales, higher brand value, and visibility in the competitive industry market.