It is often assumed that personal branding is mainly linked to an individual’s career goals. However, research and experience show that the personal brands of CEOs, other leaders, and employees contribute significantly to an employer’s brand.
The role of managers in employer branding
A personal brand is essentially other people’s opinions, gut feelings, or first impressions of us. Developing a personal brand is an ongoing process aimed at achieving desired goals. Research shows that a personal brand can contribute not only to an individual’s aspirations but also to a company’s goals, such as enhancing visibility or reputation, including building a stronger employer brand.
CEOs and other company leaders can strategically use their personal brands and communication to convey the organization’s mission, vision, values, and culture, thereby strengthening the employer’s identity. For example, managers who consistently share not only expert insights but also the ‘life’ of the organization from the inside on social networks can reinforce its image. Often, when employees share what happens within the organization, it is more appealing to the audience than carefully polished posts from the official organizational account.
Can and should employees contribute to the employer’s image?
It is no longer surprising when a CEO seeks to strengthen their personal brand for the sake of the organization’s goals. However, in some organizations, the question still arises as to whether it is worthwhile for employees to follow this path. In other words, is it worth investing in employee advocacy? This is often questioned due to the concern that employees may leave the organization if they become more visible and receive better offers. While this risk exists, the benefits that employee ambassadors can bring to the overall image of the organization and its employer brand through their personal brands are likely to outweigh this risk.
By encouraging employees to enhance their personal brands and communicate consistently on social networks, organizations can increase employee engagement and build trust. Moreover, content generated from employee accounts, while often not reaching as wide an audience as that of the CEO, is perceived as more authentic and genuine. This is because representing the organization is often seen as a CEO’s responsibility, whereas when done by an employee, it is usually received with more trust and enthusiasm. Who else but employees can be more authentic about what an organization is like as an employer?
What can be done to make employer branding through personal branding a smooth process?
Both CEOs and other leaders, as well as employees, can be excellent channels for employer branding, but there are challenges. It is advisable to prepare in advance to ensure a smooth process. Managers and employees need to be aware of the potential risks associated with their public presence and ensure that their communications from personal accounts align with the organization’s values. Establishing clear guidelines and providing training can help mitigate these risks and ensure that personal branding efforts positively impact the employer brand.
There is no single correct path to a successful employee ambassadorship program. Some organizations carefully select which employees can speak about their employer in the public sphere, while in others, anyone can join the initiative. Many organizations have functions in place to manage employee ambassadorship programs, most often within the communications department.
Whichever route is chosen, organizations should establish guidelines outlining what is recommended and what is not, as well as possible content strands. For new ambassadors, examples of successful content sharing about the employer can make the process easier—these are also worth including in the guidelines. It is important to encourage employees both externally and internally. For example, employees who achieve the best results (in terms of the number of people reached on social networks or posts with the most comments) could be rewarded with company merchandise or other prizes. If the organization lacks such opportunities, verbal recognition—such as a commendation from a manager or a mention at internal events—can also be effective.
The synergy between personal and employer branding is a powerful tool for building an organization’s image as an employer. By leveraging the personal brands of managers and employees, organizations can become more visible and gain greater credibility as employers. However, it is important to keep one thing in mind: the best results are achieved when a well-thought-out strategy that engages both managers and employees is developed.
You may find this article in the Lithuanian language here. This article was published on Delfi M360 website.