Personal branding is not just a buzz word anymore. Everyone has a personal brand either by design or by default which is created by the society and the environment we live in. If you are a female entrepreneur like I am, I suggest you take some time to create and sustain your personal brand. You and your business will benefit.

The first question to ask yourself is “What is it that differentiates you from everyone else?” Once you have that figured out, the rest is easy. (Well, maybe not easy but you will be on your way).

If you are skeptical about the benefits of personal branding, I have spent several weeks researching and testing this concept for my own business. I am sharing some of the stats I gathered that help prove the power behind personal branding.

Personal vs Corporate Messages

• Only 33% of consumers trust messages from a company while almost 90% of customers trust recommendations from someone they know. You want that someone to be you!
• 77% of all discussions on social media are people seeking advice, information or help. It is much easier to answer and interact as an individual as opposed to a company.
• 92% of people trust recommendations from individuals (even if they don’t know them) over companies.

Employee Power

• You will get 561% more reach when your employees share brand messages.
• Messages by employees are reshared 24 times more frequently than when shared by companies.
• Companies with engaged employees outperform their unengaged peers by 202%.
• Employees have on average 10 times more social connections than a brand does.
• Brand messages are re-shared 24 times more frequently when distributed by employees vs the brand.
• There’s no better way to personalize your brand than to showcase it through your employees. Every employee has a network of people who are genuinely interested in what they have to say.

Read more about personal branding in my next blog.