In the current fiercelycompetitive business environment, organizations need good branding now morethan ever. Even though businesses spend a lot of money on their brand andidentity, employees' brands sometimes need to be more utilized. Businesses mayeffectively convey their message and provide more excellent value when theircompany positioning and employees' distinctive positioning are strategicallymatched beyond what could be accomplished alone. The personal positioning ofemployees can elevate a company's positioning, creating a synergistic effectwhere 1+1 equals three instead of just 2.
When employees aligntheir unique brands and values with the company's mission, they becomeinfluential brand ambassadors. Their positive reputations, credibility, andauthenticity contribute to a more substantial company brand. By fostering thisalignment through communication, training, and engagement initiatives,businesses can maximize the impact of their employees' positioning on companysuccess. This blog examines the strategies astute businesses use to boost theirbrands above the competition by utilizing the combined influence of employeeadvocacy.
Definition OfPersonal Positioning And Company Positioning
Personal positioningrefers to how individuals present themselves professionally to stand out intheir industry or field. It encompasses personal brand, online presence,reputation, expertise, and network. Company positioning, meanwhile, is acompany's brand identity, image, and personality as projected to its targetaudiences. Effective positioning distinguishes a company within its competitiveset and communicates its unique value proposition. While personal and companypositioning differ in target and scope, they share the goal of standing outfrom others in a memorable, compelling way.
Personal positioningrefers to an individual's deliberate effort to establish a distinct andcompelling personal brand identity. It involves defining one's values,strengths, and unique qualities to stand out and achieve personal andprofessional goals. Company positioning, on the other hand, is a strategicmarketing concept that defines how a business wants to be perceived in themarket. It involves crafting a unique value proposition, setting the companyapart from competitors, and targeting a specific audience. Company positioningforms the foundation for branding, marketing, and communication strategies.
Significance Of Leveraging Personal Positioning To Enhance CompanyPositioning
When personal brandingcomplements company branding, it allows businesses to tell authentic, engagingbrand stories through employees as trusted messengers and subject matterexperts. Employee advocacy significantly increases brand reach by leveragingpersonal networks more considerably than any company's owned media alone.Messages coming from employees also appear more sincere and credible versustraditional paid advertising. Further, when company branding aligns withemployee personal brands, it fosters more robust workforce identification withorganizational goals and vision. Employees work harder to promote brands theyidentify with personally. All these benefits combine to boost brand awareness,credibility, and affinity far beyond individual efforts in a true synergisticwin-win.
Why Personal Branding Matters For Employees?
In today's fluid jobmarket, where average employee tenure is declining, personal branding becomesincreasingly critical for career sustainability and mobility. Developing one'sprofessional persona demonstrates the proactivity and marketing mindsetrecruiters seek. It also helps employees expand networks vital for careergrowth with references, recommendations, and new market knowledge. Personalbranding builds a positive online reputation, enhancing credibility as subjectexperts. Candidates with visible private brands are at a competitive advantagefor career progression, both internally and externally. Investing in one'simage and visibility is now expected self-marketing behavior for ambitiousmodern professionals.
Impact Of Employee Personal Positioning On Company Branding
Employees canexponentially boost company branding reach and credibility through strategicadvocacy. Thought leadership activities like blog posts, bylined articles,webinars, and conference speaking help position employees as go-to experts,elevating both personal and company brands simultaneously. Sharing organizationupdates and successes through private social networks magnifies theirvisibility versus limited company profiles alone. Referring attractiveprospects to appropriate internal colleagues builds stronger professionalrelationships and leads throughout networks. Employee advocacy also humanizesand personalizes company brands, increasing their relatability and likeabilitywith target audiences seeking credible recommendations. Overall,well-positioned employees become invaluable brand multipliers with motivated,authentic brand stories to share with their spheres of influence.
Strategies To Align Employee And Company Positioning
To achieve true synergy,companies should provide resources and guidance for employees to positionthemselves consistently with organizational messaging. For example:
- Clearly define and communicate the brand identity/positioning to employees
- Train employees on branding best practices like consistent messaging, network/content strategies
- Provide templates and style guides for employee-branded materials and networks
- Highlight and reward employee advocacy openly through recognition programs
- Identify spokespeople for initiatives and support their personal branding development
- Align individual/team OKRs with company goals so efforts remain complementary
- Track and report advocacy impact to maintain employee motivation over the long run
Proactive alignmentbuilds an authentic, grassroots network of brand ambassadors beyond superficialone-off promotions.
Monitoring And Measuring The Impact Of Employee Advocacy
To prove the tangiblebenefits of advocacy, companies need systems measuring key brand metrics beforeand after advocacy-driven initiatives. Some examples:
- Website traffic, lead generation, and conversions from employee content/profiles
- Brand mentions and impressions across employee and company-owned social profiles
- Thought leadership speaking and publishing metrics over campaigns
- Survey target audiences before/after initiatives on brand awareness and affinity levels
- Analyze referral source reporting to measure employee network impact
- Track recruiter feedback on employer brand visibility from employee networks
Quantifying impactensures advocacy value is understood across the organization. It also maintainsemployee motivation through transparent accountability.
Involving Employees In Company Positioning Decisions
Business brandingdecisions directly impact every employee's work experience and personal brand.Companies optimize advocacy by including employee voices in shaping brandingstrategies. Techniques include:
- Conducting brand perception surveys to understand the sentiment
- Hosting focus groups on branding ideation and goals setting
- Establishing brand councils for ongoing feedback/collaboration
- Crowdsourcing campaigns from employees as subject experts
- Rewarding employees who provide approved positioning recommendations
Authenticity comes whenemployees feel invested in crafting brands they believe in versus rigid,top-down directives. Involvement makes them committed brand stewards.
Building A Supportive Company Culture
A nurturing culturefacilitates successful advocacy by empowering employees as brand ambassadors.Features include:
- Leadership buy-in and modeling of open knowledge/network sharing
- Resources and time allowances for professional development activities
- Transparent branding guidelines without restrictive policies
- Recognition for advocacy impact versus superficial promotions
- Diverse, inclusive values welcoming all employee voices and backgrounds
- Compensation acknowledgment like performance-linked bonuses
Employees advocate mostpassionately for cultures embracing a commitment to personal growth alongsideshared company success.
Conclusion
In today'sexperience-driven marketplace, personal credibility is vital to solid brands.Companies that strategically develop employees as brand voices gain a pricelesscompetitive edge. Synergistic alignment between company and employee uniquepositioning generates exponential reach through advocacy far exceeding costs.Monitoring and optimizing through key learnings ensure continuous impact.Overall, progressive companies view their people not just as representativesbut as vital brand partners - creating an unbeatable force that amplifiesorganizational presence and recognition. In conclusion, the fusion of employeepersonal positioning with company branding can lead to a remarkable synergy,transcending the simple arithmetic of 1+1=2.
By harnessing theauthentic power of employees as brand advocates, aligning values, andmaintaining transparency, businesses can elevate their overall positioning.This enhanced reputation not only fosters customer trust but also boostsemployee morale. As the workplace culture aligns with the brand identity, itbecomes evident that when employees and their companies work in harmony, theresult is greater than the sum of its parts—1+1 truly equals 3, strengtheningthe organization's impact and success.
