Have you ever thought about how important the personal brands of your employees are to strengthening or weakening your business brand? If not, it’s time to give this great thought and place a premium on its importance. The reason for this is that most companies only feature the most high-level executives, while customers actually want to see more authenticity, build better relationships with and hear more stories from your company. Failure to highlight the talents and brands of your employees is a missed opportunity in helping to foster a more positive relationship with your customers.
Here are some reasons for why it’s worth your time and investment to help toward bettering your employees in terms of their personal branding and career development.
Your Company Brand is Strengthened
The first and most selfish reason for you is that you’ll see your company reputation and brand get strengthened inside this process. Most business owners fear that helping their employees in this area will hurt the company in some way. Instead, you should recognize that there is a “win, win, win” happening when you help your employees build their brands.
If each employee gets a boost in positioning and reputation on their websites and social profiles, your company is seen in a positive light if their branding actually does highlight their role inside your organization. Additionally, it’s likely that you’ll build more loyalty and trust in the eyes of your customers when they’re able to see how your employees are featured and their talents are put on prominent display.
Imagine how a customer feels from any company, whether it be LegalZoom or FedEx, for example, when they see how talented the people they’re interacting with at the company might be. That’s a win for the company itself.
Employees Will Stay Longer & Do a Better Job
Skills such as writing, public speaking, and networking are required when it comes to building a better personal brand. If you invest in helping your people get better at these skills so they can improve their own brands, those skills will ultimately show up to help your business.
For example, if you help your managers become better public speakers, this will help them communicate more effectively inside company group meetings.
Helping your employees become better at writing and getting published in major publications helps build their visibility inside your niche. When they bring to light that they work for your company, this again fosters more trust in you and your brand. Additionally, your efforts at helping your people achieve greater control over their own careers is a motivating factor. Instead of feeling scared that you might lose them to a competitor in the future, factor in the trust you are fostering that helps you keep better people for longer periods of time.
It Benefits Your Customers
This is the best long-term reason for investing in the personal brands of your employees. Your customers will benefit throughout this process. When they see a company newsletter highlighting the personal talents of your customer-facing team members, your customer feels a greater connection to your company and employees.
The next time they call into your company and talk to someone you’ve highlighted, your customers feel like they know the person they’re talking with on the other end of the phone.
Your employees will feel an improved sense of confidence when they know that your customers see them as leaders. Your employees will work to perform at a higher standard knowing that their public brand and reputation are also now at stake. All of this combines to help improve the customer experience inside your business.
The bottom line is that taking a proactive approach to helping build the personal brands of your employees creates a win for you, your people and your customers. It also makes your business a more attractive destination for new talent you attempt to hire in the future.
Author Bio: Finnegan Pierson loves business and has a passion for technology. Even more interesting is the combination of the two. As a freelance writer, Finn hopes to influence others so they can have a positive business experience.
