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It's no secret that the world has changed, and we see shifts in how people make decisions. Likewise, digital and social media have reshaped our world. There are over 60 billion messages shared on digital platforms daily, and the average person is exposed to between 4,000 and 10,000 ads daily. This bombardment of stimuli has changed how we communicate and market.
For example, over the last 16 years, LinkedIn has grown into a community where more than 630 million professionals from around the globe help one another to navigate their professional lives and grow their careers and where more than 30 million organizations connect to the talent and other organizations they need to grow their businesses. Beyond that, customers are using this platform to decide whether or not they wish to do business with your company and your employees.
Recently, I learned from a construction company about a $450M healthcare project they were actively pursuing within their organization. This was a targeted project. Leadership was so confident that they had this project that they added it to the Awarded and Not Booked book of business. After being short-listed, they interviewed with confidence. They knew they had this job. The sad truth was, they lost this job. Why? They scored the same as their biggest rival competitor. The interview committee decided to use Google and social media to make the final decision. Each professional listed in the proposal and each professional who presented on the interview team were researched. They used LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and the company website. Unfortunately, the project team was absent on most of those platforms. That is what lost them the project.
Suppose you are looking for ways to stand out and be different. Then, DEVELOP and SHARE the personal brands of the people within your organization. A strategically constructed LinkedIn profile is an excellent way to start. Employees may showcase a professional who encapsulates his employer's brand through tactics such as prominently displaying his employer's logo, following his employer's organization, posting client logos, or posting wide-ranging company or product-related resources. Another LinkedIn user may employ a different tactic to craft his personal brand on the Network, focusing on professional roles by listing particular endorsements, posting blogs and talks they have given, and detailing their position as an officer in Industry groups. Different users will very and how they use their profiles to highlight their personal brands and how those brands will interact with corporate brands of the employer.
Also, individuals can promote each other's personal brands via social media. For example, someone participating in an industry panel at a conference may ask a friend or coworker to take a cell phone picture or video and post it. That panel participant has an "authority figure" as part of their brand as the results shared content from the original poster. Likewise, posting a blog that others repost or send to their own contact serves the same purpose.
Dare to be different. Be Younique. Stand out. Employee personal brands are your differentiator.
