Everyone then needs to ask themselves - what is my audience ’ s ‘ experience ’ of me online ? Is the experience reflective of my personal brand that impacts my corporate ’ s brand overall brand equity ? Is the service I deliver with my personal online engagements up to par with the service delivery standards measured at my workplace or in my business ? Pertinent questions on the role of personal branding as a service excellence tool right ?
The role of a personal brand online is powerful to a fault , to the extent that there are two schools of thought on the degree of this power : one is that the golden rule of business that people buy from people and not from logos , products , visual messaging , and premises , and that people want to relate with people and not with faceless interventions , entrenches the power of a ‘ persons ’ brand as being central to business success ; and two is that the leaders of business and brands , add more business value to their brands if they are active on social media , with a research report from Impact Learning Center 2020 indicating that 82 percent of consumers are more likely to trust a company if the CEO is active on social media .
Trust is a key tenet of customer experience excellence , without which customers will not consume products or services in a sustained manner . If trust is elicited vide online activities , how much more do personal brand ‘ owners ’ need to keep track of the experiences they are generating online ?
There is need to think twice or maybe thrice ahead of posting , about the experience being dished out and others ’ potential experience of what is commonly known as the OP ( original poster ). A big debate still remains about where the curtailing of self-expression starts and where willing and free exposure of oneself to trolls and other online bullies ends , based on online conversations and the somewhat errant direction many have sunk into .
Much has been said , much is being said and done and much is yet to be said and done on this continuously morphing topic of online freedoms and rights . For purposes of keeping the sanctity of one ’ s personal online brand especially where it converges with the corporate brand , it would be prudent to think through a series of questions :
Will I offend anyone with this content ?
Whereas it may not be possible to establish the extent to which an online audience may or may not be offended by particular content given the diversity of the world ’ s peculiarities , one can project the question upon one ’ s circles - friends , colleagues , partners , and other spheres of operations and involvement . If the answer is even a remote yes , then one would need to establish before posting that the content may indeed have an impact on both their personal and professional brand , and be ready to handle the emergent experiences of it .
Will I be okay with absolutely anyone seeing this ?
The internet never forgets is a common saying especially where content that is dished up to embarrass the poster is unearthed in uncomfortable circumstances . Ahead of posting material , it would work well to pass it through the filter of if the post posting experience passes muster of the ‘ external customers ’ consuming the content . If there is any remote feeling that the content may come back to bite one , then it may be prudent to double check on intent and the possible current of future heat .
Is this reactive or responsive communication ?
To react or to respond is always the measure of emotional sobriety in communication and interactions . Checking in with self and possibly with others when one feels emotionally charged about an online communication stream would be wise . Online interactions that are emotionally intelligent bereft may render both self and others to experiences that end up in regret . It would be worthwhile to pass posts through the response / react screen ahead of posting especially when feelings are charged .
A single team member ’ s reckless online behavior that leads to damaging experiences for others may cause a hugely devastating effect that may result in bringing down an entire brand . Brand reputation is built on positive experiences that lead to positive word of mouth and further yield positive recommendations .
Brands may opt to go the policy route and have employees read the company ’ s social media policy during onboarding and fill out a declaration form that they would not participate in social engagements that would negatively impact the brand even in their personal capacities .
That would work at logical level , but at emotional level , human beings are capable of , and have been known to spew emotional threads . People are naturally associated with the brands they work for and with the experiences they mete out online serve either as brand ambassadors or destroyers .
There are no hard and fast rules with regards to online experiences and especially on social media . Anything is bound to happen , and it would be best if the outcome is one that does not yield grief for the poster and postees . To have a personal brand that is built on service excellence , service to self first as one is one ’ s first customer , and then service to others , serves to minimize the risks of damning online experiences . One needs to in Simon Sinek format , start with their Why and once that is crystallized to a tee , proceed to ensure that online engagements are aligned with that why .
People follow people , and the persons being followed need to determine the experiences for their followers . That personal brand experiences are irrevocably tied to workplace brand experiences is not in doubt . Where the focus needs to shift is how to develop , implement and sustain internal brand engagement and positive internal customer experiences that lead to personal inspiration to keep the brand reputation alive and warm .
Is it achievable to have the entire team at work ready to live out experience excellence as a way of life and not in compartmentalized work and personal boxes ? This debate requires a further discourse …. Let ’ s engage !
Carolyne Gathuru is the founder and director of strategy at LifeSkills Consulting . She has several years of experience in customer experience strategy development and training . You can commune with her on this or related issues via mail at : CGathuru @ life-skills . co . ke .