PR Week sent out a ProfNet request last week dubbed:
Is it a good idea for PR practitioners to use social media to build their personal brand?
Oh, we’ve talked about this a lot, and frankly, I am glad to see people aren’t simply drinking the KoolAid, and are now actively debating the merits of personal branding. I could not help, but submit a response. I have no idea if it was accepted, but here is my last draft (KoolAid image by xhalfwaycrooks)…
Here’s the problem: Brand and reputation are not synonymous. Social media experts with huge personal brands and followers number in the tens of thousands may be well recognized, but often don’t have the reputation to match.
For example, when large social media pitches come up with substantial companies, these people don’t get invited to the RFP process. Instead, people with strong reputations for delivering results get invited.
A great example of this is Jane Quigley, relationship director at crayon, a respected communicator with a fantastic reputation in the business. Jane has delivered over and over, yet her personal brand online would be considered good, but not great. Her blog is not particularly well ranked, and she has just over 3,000 followers on Twitter. However, she has the respect that most personal branders want.
Brands can be contrived and follower counts can be manipulated. Reputations are always grounded in results, good or bad. A strong personal brand can be from reputation, but this must be the focus and foundation point. A personal brand founded on continuing results can sustain all sorts of trials and tribulations.
From a corporate standpoint, deploying personal brands instead of teams creates an uncomfortable situation. If the personal brand departs the organization (a la Robert Scoble), the organization is often left in a lurch because its reputation has been strongly linked with one individual. While individuals make good beachheads and can accelerate presence online, it’s better to take the tortoise over the hare.
In the case of my company CRT/tanaka, acquiring Livingston Communications brought a personal brand that accelerated our reputation for social media. While “Geoff Livingston” adds benefits to CRT/tanaka, we actively highlight other players online to counterbalance said dangers. Further, we anticipate social media competency across the line by year end.
Sometimes people get squirrely when the word “personal” gets put in front of the word “brand” but I found this news about BusinessWeek (http://bit.ly/X3cql) being for sale very interesting because of a sentence near the end. While this and other publications may have strong “brands” they may not in fact have good reputations anymore, which is why less people are buying them, advertising in them, etc. When you take the “personal” out of the equation, perhaps this makes everything clearer.
Really interesting perspective Geoff. I commented on similar thoughts over on Brogan’s blog.
This is definitely the case. Some people want to be out front and be well recognized and received. Others don’t, and concentrate more on their accomplishments behind the scenes.
The issue here is this: Generation Y wants to be out front…all the time. Thus people like Jane are going to become less and less common. Weird isn’t it?
Thank you Geoff! You are absolutely correct. Brands can be developed quickly, occasionally through artificial means (ie Twitter apps)and do not always have substance behind them. Some do, a lot do not. Reputations, on the other hand, are built, slowly, through hard work, through doing the right things for the right reasons and proving that you have the substance to back up everyone’s opinion of you. Personal brands and reputations are not the same thing. Personally, I’ll take having a good reputation over a “big” personal brand, any time.
Good stuff Geoff.
I agree with you, but I also agree with Stuart that people like Jane Q. will most likely be rarer in the coming days. Right or wrong, I think that companies/brands/etc. who don’t completely understand the space are going to be looking for the “big” names. It’s pretty dumb to judge someones effectiveness as a business communicator on their twitter follower count and blog rank, but that’s all a lot of people see.
ah I actually wrote a post about personal branding a while ago and have it set to go up tomorrow. The main issue I see is that people think a good personal brand creates value, rather than providing value creating a strong personal brand. It’s shouldn’t be how/to what extent you are highly regarded…it should be why you are highly regarded. More thoughts in my post tomorrow…
Geoff – an interesting perspective, one in which I agree with by the way. What your post, and others like it, say to me is that we continue to be a society driven by size and numbers. Social media is just one more place where that theory plays out. Who has the most money. Who has the biggest house. Who has the most expensive cars. These are things that society uses to measure performance. Sure, sometimes those things do equate to value delivered in the workplace, but I think we all know that it is far too often not the case.
Thanks for your post, Geoff. I enjoyed reading it.
This does also then pose the question about the subtle difference about how you monetize a personal brand vs a reputation.
As per the comment above… It is the companies (with the people with great reputations) that get asked to pitch for RFPs. Whereas I would imagine people with huge personal brands are the ones who get approached to be paid for appearances.
In some ways it is then about the theory vs the practice. that being said I think all organisations need the great theorists, thinkers or strategists that can then execute.
Hi Geoff,
Good post!
Many years ago, former Washington Post columnist William Raspberry wrote a column about how, once you lose your reputation, you can’t get it back. While there are a few examples of “second acts,” business people have to understand that it’s your reputation, not your popularity, that counts in the end. So it’s indeed important to make your results count, rather than than just counting.
Best,
Daria
Totally agree. It is one thing to tell people how good you are in the hopes of building your personal brand.
It is quite another to build your reputation through what you do and the expertise you deliver.
That personal brand might be enough to get your or your company through the door. It is your delivery on your reputation that will keep you and your company there.
Couldn’t agree more. Always love when BL Ochman counts the SM gurus on Twitter. Perhaps it’s too easy to declare yourself an expert, build a following, and post content. A little harder to actually in the confidence of real brands who demand strategic thinking, case studies, original content and predictable (or at least expected) results before signing a contract.
Geoff – I’ve been thinking about this topic of personal branding ever since BlogPotomac this year. I think it boils down to the fact that I think your brand IS your reputation. Just as we counsel our clients that their brand isn’t what they SAY it is, it’s what their customers and the marketplace think it is. I think your definition of “brand” is more closely aligned with “popularity,” and I definitely agree that popularity and reputation are VASTLY different.
I like comparing this issue to Terrell Owens and Hines Ward. TO’s got the popularity and the “brand” of being a dominant receiver, but he is always among the league leaders in drops and has wreaked havoc with every team that he’s ever been with. Hines’ popularity and personal brand may not be as sexy or as exciting, but he’s won two Super Bowls and all he delivers is wins and results. Which would you rather have?
Hi Geoff: While not technically synonymous, brand and reputation are inexorably linked. You might enjoy reading some additional thoughts on this topic here: http://www.n2growth.com/blog/personal-branding-done-right
I totally agree.
You need proof you are capable of doing what you are able to do. You know you are great when other people are doing the praise for you and you are not declaring yourself “this” or “that.”
Very interesting and thought provoking. I do believe that a brand can become popular very quickly whether that be personal or corporate however you need the results to sustain the brand and build the reputation.
I do completely agree that the Jane’s will be soon forgotten and popularity will win as popularity tends to envoke a feeling of trust and that they must know what they are doing.
Mike: While everyone has a reputation, not everyone has a “brand.” You would do well to buck up on some classic marketing theory before sipping on that KoolAid some more.
Suzanne: The Janes of the world will always have a place. In this life there are talkers and doers. The talkers make lots of noise, while the doers take home the paycheck. It’s always been that way, and the Internet won’t change human nature.
Geoff, while I agree that not everyone has a brand, all brands do in fact have a reputation. Furthermore, a brand built with reputation as a key focus area is a brad that will eventually fall into decline…thus my original comment: “While not technically synonymous, brand and reputation are inexorably linked.” As far a marketing theory goes…had plenty of that and I prefer reality.
Geoff, I think one needs to be careful here, popularity does not necessarily equal personal brand, and ones personal brand is specific to audience and is directly liked to reputation. Also, regardless of popularity, personal brands like company brands could have positive or negative reputation among broad segments of the audience. It is therefor important to choose a brand ambassador (and that is what we are talking about here) that is aligned with your company values and has a good reputation with the audience that you are looking to engage.
Yes, some of the PERSONAL BRANDS out there are really like the Wizard of Oz, all special effects and flash and no real special powers to influence and empower and educate. That’s why the ones that are actually most knowledgeable about and wise in the ways of Social Media eschew the title “Social Media Expert.” Would that popularity equaled ability/quality of service/results.
Years spent in PR/Marketing have taught me to always consider the source and the motivation and objectives and then take it from there when assessing credibility of anything or anyone.
Ideally, we need to be conscious of both our brand AND our reputation, lest we become cartoon images of ourselves.
Geoff:
I’ve enjoyed following along with your conversations about personal branding. You’ve brought some good points to the table. After reading your post last week, I’ve written my own on the topic. Would enjoy your thoughts -
http://rallythecause.com/2009/07/19/the-unified-model-of-personal-branding/
@scottyhendo