Here’s 5 stats that suggest it’s time for you to boost your personal brand to fuel your future prospects, whatever your role is.
PR and branding are both terms that we’re aware of, but they’ve traditionally been reserved for companies and organisations. However, social media has seen an enormous shift in employee culture and recruitment. Now, buyers, bosses and recruiters are shining the spotlight on individuals and their own online ‘personal brand’ to make important decisions – your online persona matters now more than ever.
84% of organisations are recruiting on social media and 82% use it to fill management positions according to SHRM.
Companies and employers are moving away from traditional methods of hiring for a good reason. A simple search on any of the social media channels or even Google can tell you everything you need to know about a person, far more than an old fashioned CV and cover letter – which, let’s face it, most people bemoan and have been known to stretch the truth on.
The majority of companies placing their faith social media to recruit or promote people to management positions shows just how integral it is that you are on social media in a professional capacity to even be seen, let alone considered.
Of all recruiters, 95% believe that the job market will remain or get more competitive according to JobVite.
The bottom line is if you don’t stand out your competition will. In fact, they’re already doing it. Have you recently compared your LinkedIn profile to someone in or going for a similar role? What does the profile of a top tier director or sales executive in your field look like? How active are they? What sort of profiles are they connecting with?
To shine in an even more tightly fought employment market, you should try to replicate the methods of successful accounts. Style alone doesn’t sway it either, your online personal brand needs constant nurturing through engagement with other users and sharing great content.
92% of people trust recommendations from individuals over company’s online according to Nielsen.
It may seem alien but employees really do hold the better cards when it comes to a customer’s trust. Just like old-fashioned word-of-mouth, consumers, your networks and your followers really do care about your view and opinion over your company’s own PR.
You need to build on that influence by sharing relevant content and answering questions about your field. The more visible and forthcoming you are with information the more trust in you will grow, especially if you’re a brand advocate for your company. Helping others is most rewarding too!
Salespeople who regularly share content are 45% more likely to exceed quota and 78% outsell their peers according to James Keenan, author of The Rise of Social Salespeople.
Whether you’re directly involved in sales or not, it’s a compelling statistic because everybody plays a role influence in a customer’s experience. Salespeople and account managers are already using social to improve their performances at work, but as Kenneth Blanchard said, “customer service isn’t a department, it’s everyone’s job”, so whatever your role I urge you to get involved.
A brief summary of James Keenan’s findings
53% of decision makers have eliminated a vendor from consideration based on information they did or did not find about an employee online according to Kredible.
No information online also counts as bad information. Your professional social channels need to fill prospective customers and employers with confidence that you are the real deal. If you’ve had to hire someone in the past you’ll most likely admit to ‘Facebook or LinkedIn stalking’ an applicant before offering them an interview. The same can be said for salespeople too, is checking out leads on LinkedIn the first thing you do before or after a call? It’s safe to assume the buyers are doing that to you too!
As you can see, there’s already a wealth of research on the uprising of personal branding as it has become one of the most rewarding practices for everyone from entrepreneurs to employees. From so much rich data, you’ve hopefully come to the conclusion that these rewards should apply to you. So as soon as you can, audit your online personal accounts, make improvements and start engaging with your networks, in order to maintain and strengthen your prospects.
