Image Is Everything
What exactly is someone’s
personal brand? Nance Rosen suggests that your personal brand is your image
and/or reputation. It is the image that you create for yourself to your family,
friends, the internet, and the company and customers that you work with on a
daily basis. Your personal brand tells the world what kind of person you are
and what kind of personality traits you have. Your personal brand can also tell
the public about which hobbies, travels, and projects you might be involved in;
however, but they are not limited to such. Also, the public can tell whether or
not you are easy-going, artistic, lethargic, egotistical, reliable, inventive, or
any other trait that you might possess. (2013) So, did you know what you say
and what you do online has consequences to your personal brand? Did you know if
you post things that are unethical or immoral you could be putting your company
and brand at risk? Nance Rosen states that anything you do on your social media
website can have an impact on your brand. For example, whatever pictures,
videos, and information that you put out there on the digital web such as on
Facebook or Twitter reflects your brand, company you work for, and you.
Therefore, if you post things like a half-nude picture of yourself or videos of
you partying and drinking with a group of friends, the public and your
potential clients will think that you do not take yourself and your job very
seriously. People that were interested in your brand may not be so interested
once they view your Facebook, Twitter, or other social networking page. However,
this is a two-way street, because your Facebook or Twitter page could or might be
filled with all sorts of family values and community projects. Therefore, having
good morals will show potential clients and the public that you care and are
passionate about your family, the community, and that you get involved.
Potential customers will probably be more interested and willing to invest in
you and your brand. (2013) Let us take a look back at the journalist that was
fired for her confessions on her personal blog site. Shea Allen and other journalists are supposed
to uphold a certain type of image to the public so people like you and me will
rely on their news coverage. Journalists have a certain code of ethics that they
are supposed to uphold. Shea Allen’s blog reflects that she is a person that
may not be trusted. She has obviously admitted to sleeping on the job and that
she will ignore her clients if she deems them as boring. (Eck, 2013) This sort
of behavior will not help her brand or the company that she represents. People
that read Shea Allen’s blog will most likely, but not all, have a hard time
trusting her. Another example of how someone’s personal brand can destroy their
company’s image is the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal case. Criminal charges were filed
against Mr. Sandusky for being accused of sexually molesting eight athlete boys
from Penn State University. These charges and this case have had a huge impact
on Penn State’s reputation. The school has lost donations, sponsors, and
students due to the case. Jerry Sandusky’s personal brand has negatively
impacted Penn State. Penn State will have to work hard in order to regain and
rebuild their reputation. (Carpenter, 2011) Communication professionals need to
be able to show the public and their company that they are hard-working, honest
individuals that can be trusted. Also, Nance Rosen notes that it is highly
important for professionals to stand out above the crowd on their social media websites.
If your Facebook or Twitter page is boring, does not reflect your knowledge of your
brand, or highlights you in some special way, you could be overlooked by
potential employers. (2013) What is a good way to spice up your personal brand?
For starters, do not post things that are inappropriate. You need to focus on
your personal traits that will attract and appeal to potential customers or prospective
employers. Larry Chiagouris and Brant Wansley suggest that your website must
capture your viewer’s attention and build awareness of what your company and/or
your brand is all about. Once you have the client’s attention, he or she will
decide whether or not to do business with your company or you. Therefore, your
website or social media site should appeal to the public’s desires and
interest. Once a customer, client, or potential employer has become familiar
with your website and you, he or she will trust you. When there is trust
involved between others and you, the others will invest in your brand. You are
more likely to get more job offers or your company that you already work for
will increase in customers. Not to mention, if your company website does not
look like a company that can be trusted, your customers will question whether
or not share their most personal information with you such as their credit card
number. The same is true for general brands. Companies like Yahoo and Amazon
must keep their reputation shown in a positive light online. It is important for
corporations to build a solid relationship with their customers. Organizations
can do this by interacting with their customers on their websites and implementing
strategies on their website that will continue to attract and appeal to the
customer’s needs. In other words, the company must keep the customer engaged
and satisfied. (2010) Branding is extremely important, and what you say or do
has an impact on your brand. In conclusion, you always need to think about your
actions before you do them, because a bad post or so forth can cause your
company and you customers. As I have already mentioned earlier, cases like Shea
Allen and Jerry Sandusky are perfect examples of personal branding that has gone
wrong. In the world of marketing, it is completely true when they say image is
everything.
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