It's not about all employees suddenly being on social media during the day or even "wasting" their time here - as quoted at the beginning. It's about them being prepared to be noticed and spoken to here. If a prospective customer or a customer has a problem or a question, they will look for the way that seems most suitable to them. If they have the cell phone number or WhatsApp contact of a company employee they know personally, they will probably use that - and not google the number of the official customer hotline. The customer therefore chooses the way of making contact, and how well they feel received there is a determining factor in the success of the provider. This also applies, and especially, when it happens via a supposedly private channel.
Individuals could expand and strengthen existing personal networks into digital media. If an entrepreneur who is well-known locally and well-connected accepts customers and business partners as "friends" on Facebook, they often feel really great. If he shares a picture from his personal life or hobby every now and then, he can ensure that his customers always remember him. But of course you have to think carefully about how private or how public you want to present yourself. A personal brand strategy requires careful consideration and development.
Personal Branding for Corporate Influencers: Post Effectively and Safely in 5 Steps
How private, how personal, how professional should your personal brand strategy be? It's all about the mix: Corporate influencers who retreat to purely professional interests on social networks may appear pale to the community and rather uninteresting as people. On the other hand, those who are too private show nothing of their professional expertise. Legal aspects must also be taken into account, as well as considerations of privacy. But how do you know which type your posts belong to? My five-step model helps you to explore your own limits and preferences, gain clarity about your own personal brand, identify risks and develop an individual strategy. In this article you will find help for developing it and a clear infographic.
How do you develop a common understanding of the brand (ambassador) in a small team?
First of all, it is important that everyone involved is clear: "We are already ambassadors for our own company." Even a small company can and should cultivate a brand understanding: What defines us? What values support us? What is the totality of our services? Who are our specific target groups? What is the benefit we offer in relation to these target groups? And how does each individual convey this brand promise?
The team can work together on this, for example in a small forex data workshop and in regular short meetings: What is the bigger picture to which each of us contributes? This also includes media competence. Nowadays, almost everyone is active on social networks. Whether and how the person in question presents themselves as a brand ambassador there should be consciously worked out. You can't force anyone to do this, but if they are willing, you can support the employees - and they can also exchange ideas with each other.
For example, you can think very pragmatically: How can we understand and develop what we already do well even more strongly under the umbrella term "brand ambassadors and personal relationships"? This also applies to the actual work: there may be employees in a retail store that requires a lot of advice who have a lot of patience with older people. Others, on the other hand, are particularly good at reaching the specific target group between 18 and 25, for example.
For this reason, you can also consider the following for corporate communications and social media: What is each individual in the team particularly good at? How can he or she contribute this to the common brand? However, the self-image and the image others have of you often differ. This is why everyone who works in sales or consulting needs at least occasional training or coaching to become aware of their own impact.
Any form of personal or media communication between people works better the more the person has an idea of their own impact that is close to the image others have of them. It is therefore worth thinking about corporate influencers in companies of all sizes - whether you call them that or not.