Personal Branding vs. Company Branding – What are the differences?

Since I just finished creating brand guidelines for my current employer, I spent a lot of time researching and looking at other companies’ guidelines. However, while doing so I increasingly kept asking myself “What’s the difference between personal branding vs. company branding?” I personally think that this distinction is a) no longer as black and white as it once used to be and b) gets increasingly blurry when an individual is representative for an entire company (e.g. Steve Jobs = Apple and Mark Zuckerberg = Facebook). 

However, to get more insights regarding this question, I’ve asked my fellow board members to offer me their perspective. Although the differences between personal and company branding have diminished over time, a consensus still remains that there are indeed differentiations between one’s personal and one’s company brand. A personal brand is much more about YOUR story. Telling that story via social media (especially LinkedIn) is now more important than ever. One way to build and expand your personal brand is through networking! Shameless Plug: Come and attend our monthly luncheons! 🙂 

To Note: The following “full responses” section reflects time in our board member’s current roles. To view their full background, simply click on their hyperlinked name to go to their LinkedIn pages.

 

 

 

 

Hope Torruella, Content Marketing Manager, Cisco Customer Experience at Harte Hanks

In your own words, what are the main differences between personal branding vs. company branding? If you think that there’s indeed no difference between the two, please state your reasons why.

• I think these are very similar at their core and think they should take a very similar approach. They should make sure everything they do reflects their key messages, missions, communicate what they stand for/their opinions. For me personal branding incorporates a collection of life experiences that makes up someone’s personal branding. This can include what sets an individual apart from others with similar credentials. I immediately think about influencers and think about personality (humor), style, hobbies, interests, flow, etc. On the other hand, corporate branding incorporates a collection of the company’s customer/employee portfolio This can be anniversaries, professional accolades/accomplishments, values, purpose, how they’re working towards a mission, etc.

When building a personal brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• To make sure everything points back to who someone is at their core. For example, if someone doesn’t like traveling…then they wouldn’t try to promote themselves otherwise just to appease to a wider audience and/or fit into their audience’s popular norms. They’d make sure to stay true to themselves.

When building a company brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• To make sure everything points back to who the company represents at their core. For example, to make sure they represent their employees and customers in the best light.

 

Lisa Jeffries, Founder · Principal, Raleighwood Media Group + Raleighwood Event Group

In your own words, what are the main differences between personal branding vs. company branding? If you think that there’s indeed no difference between the two, please state your reasons why. 

• I think personal branding goes deeper than the more general company brand whereas a company may offer a broad area of subject matter services and deep history (or perhaps a short history of operating in their space), the personal brand should focus on the individual person’s individual areas of practice and interests, as well as their notable experiences in that space.

When building a personal brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples. 

• Documenting your experience and achievements! I’m working with several executive professionals currently who are exploring how they brand themselves separately from their respective organizations and the biggest challenge that each faces is being able to translate their decades of experience into written copy. Everything from speaking engagements to board roles, they tend to get forgotten instead of listed as significant achievements. I find this to be akin to keeping a resume up to date. Agency consultant Karl Sakas does a great job of documenting his past experience, as well as highlighting his upcoming engagements at https://sakasandcompany.com/speaking/.

When building a company brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples. 

• Similarly, I think documenting your expertise and successes as a brand tend to be some of the most overlooked (guilty!) because it’s tough to take a step back from the day-to-day workload to neatly package and comprehensively describe the work you’ve successfully done as an organization. Fellow RPRS member organization Largemouth does a great job of highlighting their client work at http://largemouthpr.com/work/.

 

Gina Fergione, Senior Account Executive, Largemouth Communications

In your own words, what are the main differences between personal branding vs. company branding? If you think that there’s indeed no difference between the two, please state your reasons why. 

• One of the main differences I see is that personal branding can be flexible as your personal brand will change as you, as a person, change. Company branding can be more difficult to change once it is solidified and out in the marketplace. Another difference is that company branding is often easier to position, because the differentiators / value props can be clear from the start (e.g. with the company name). With personal branding, you’re building a brand based on your name and area of expertise, which may take some time to gain traction.

When building a personal brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• I think it’s important to differentiate yourself and clearly lay out your expertise when building your personal brand. Pretend you’re on the hunt for a new job – why should the HR manager hire you rather than the next candidate? When building your personal brand, you want to be credible and confident, while also relating to those around you.

When building a company brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• I think it’s important for a company brand to remain consistent. From the website design to the product packaging to the social media voice, having a consistent brand will help current and future customers or other stakeholders easily identify the brand, and further build brand awareness and affinity.

 

Lindsay Priester, Owner + President, Green Light Communications

In your own words, what are the main differences between personal branding vs. company branding? If you think that there’s indeed no difference between the two, please state your reasons why. 

• I think the line between personal branding and company branding is more blurred than ever. In the past, I would have been “Lindsay the employee” while at the office and whatever my interests were outside of the office and however I chose to spend my time after work and on weekends wouldn’t matter. Now that we’re all constantly connected, whether through social media or just having email on our phones, our work lives and personal lives are almost always intertwined.

When building a personal brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples. 

• I think building a personal brand is vital for everyone, but I think the idea of having a brand as an individual can feel a little corporate to a lot of people (especially those that don’t work in communications fields). Instead, I prefer to think of a personal brand of how you’d want an acquaintance to describe you. They won’t know all of the details of your life, but they should be able to give a description of you based on the way you work, act, talk and present yourself.

When building a company brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples. 

• Building a company brand is the most important part of creating a business, second only to the actual product or service. Establishing an identity for a company – what it believes in, what its culture is like, what its marketing materials look like, what voice it uses, etc. – is how the consumer becomes invested enough to purchase said product or service. A company brand is also how you create employee buy-in, which is integral to the success of a business.

 

Jessica Pope, Digital Channels Lead, Cisco

In your own words, what are the main differences between personal branding vs. company branding? If you think that there’s indeed no difference between the two, please state your reasons why. 

• There are a lot of commonalities between a personal brand and a company brand. At the root of it, both types of brands are about creating a unique set of core values that differentiate you or the company from others. A company brand might come with a logo or a color palette, while a personal brand can be a little more intangible.

When building a personal brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• Building the right network of people you surround yourself with can make a big difference in shaping your personal brand. I think that’s probably the most important thing that has the biggest impact on your brand. Here’s my shameless plug to come to a RPRS lunch meeting and start building that network.

When building a company brand, what do you think is most important and why? Give examples.

• A company brand is not as flexible as a personal brand, so I think it takes a little more thought and attention than a personal brand does. It’s very important to spend a lot of time planning out your core values and branding as a rebrand can be difficult and sometimes confusing to your customers.