Have you ever wondered what the difference between a personal brand and business brand is? And have you ever thought do I need one? Have you found it confusing? Often times founders, presidents and CEO’s of companies become the brand of the company because they are the voice and most visible. People relate to people more than they do a business, right? So does the average person need to be branded? There are a lot of things to consider so we give you some things to think about.
Personal Branding vs Business Branding
Personal branding has to do with the authenticity, personality and reputation of a person and their name. Business branding has to do with the company such as the types of products it sells, what it stands for and it’s image. So if you answered yes to the earlier question about finding companies and their CEO’s branding together confusing, that’s because it is. Think of Amazon and Jeff Bezos. Do people follow him because of the company or because of who he is? The litmus test is what happens when that person leaves the company, do their followers leave the person and convert over to the company, stay with the individual or both?
I’ve been facing this myself trying to launch a marketing company. Will people ultimately follow me, my company or both? And how do I position it? Right now it’s in the beginning stages so without me there is no brand but for a larger company with many people it’s more of an issue. Then when you want to post content do you put it on both sites or just one? If you put it on both it’s most likely going to be redundant for many who follow both your personal and business brands so will they ultimately unfollow one or both? Do you post separate content for both – who has that kind of time?
Things to Consider When Picking a Path
If you don’t own a company but plan on doing speaking engagements, writing a book, applying for jobs, etc. you may want to keep your brand separate from the company you work for because your name as an individual is the brand. If you own the company and don’t plan on selling it then melding the two together is okay. This is why you will often see the company name is the person’s name. If at some point you decide to sell it you will have to separate the two brands and be strategic about it.
Where do I Go from Here
As you can see there are a lot of questions to ask yourself when deciding how to proceed. It’s not a decision you have to make right away but something to consider in the short-term.
- If you have no aspirations to own a company then it’s best to keep your brand as a personal brand and don’t intertwine it with the organization you work for.
- If you are planning on starting your own venture whether it be in a consulting, an influencer, public speaking, a public figure capacity you will need to pick a path your feel is best.
- You can simply ask yourself this question: Am I looking to always stay involved in this venture or ultimately have others take it over in the future?
I would be interested in your feedback (please leave in the comments section). What have your experiences been with branding?