Twiststl

Last week we posted a blog entry on personal branding and the opportunity that the 2010 Olympic athletes now have at their feet. I started to make the point that personal branding is something that everyone can and should invest energy in, but we thought it important enough to re-visit the importance of developing a strong personal. Though the majority of the previous post focused on people that are already famous, a person doesn’t need to be famous in order to create a personal brand. Using the right outlets, anyone can use new media to develop a brand that will help gain them recognition. 

Take social media giant Gary Vaynerchuck as an example. He translated his personal brand and a small wine store into a multimillion dollar enterprise. Using web 2.0 technology, Gary found interesting ways to connect with consumers online and Gary’s story doesn’t have to be unique. Anyone with an interesting idea, a unique skill or perspective can use social media to reverse the traditional order of gaining fame then a following. Twitter is not just a way to keep up with your friends. Twitter sensation Justin Halpern parleyed his funny Tweets about his 78 year-old father’s off color remarks into a CBS comedy show.

Personal branding doesn’t just work to an individual’s advantage. It can also work to the advantage of companies. In the past, designated spokespeople have been responsible for representing companies in the public, but with social media a company could potentially have as many spokespeople as they have employees. Allowing and even encouraging employees to be active on sites like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Linkedin and build a following can in turn help generate interest in the company they work for. People would much rather see a product developer talking about how they  use the products they create in their lives outside of work than watch a commercial featuring an actor being paid to say they use the product. It’s inspiring to see a person who stands by what they do enough to talk about it when they aren’t on the clock.

Yes, there is a risk that an employee with poor judgment might post something that isn’t reflective of the image their employer wants to project. However, if businesses build teams of people that are already fully engrained in the world of social media, the potential for a positive response to their social media use makes it a worthwhile risk.