While related, personal branding and professional branding have distinct objectives and focus. Understanding when to prioritize one over the other can help entrepreneurs, consultants, and thought leaders allocate time and resources most effectively. Consider professional branding services to help optimize your strategy.
Definitions and Differences
A personal brand centers on your identity as an individual. It conveys your interests, personality, values and aspirations. Developing a personal brand generally involves social media and passion projects.
Whereas a professional brand focuses specifically on establishing your reputation and expertise in a niche. It serves to attract career and business opportunities through positioned thought leadership.
While a personal brand can highlight professional accomplishments, the focus remains broad. Professional branding zooms in on achieving specific positioning goals within an industry.
When to Focus on Each
For entrepreneurs, founders, and consultants, investing in professional branding tends to pay higher dividends in terms of establishing credibility and securing clients.
However, maintaining an active personal brand provides additional dimensions that evoke relatability, shareability, and trust.
Ideally, align your personal brand identity and activities to complement your professional branding.
Tips for Developing Both
Strategies for cultivating personal and professional brands simultaneously include:
- Ensuring brand values and personality align across both.
- Periodically sharing professional insights on personal channels, and personal stories on professional channels.
- Utilizing separate but linked accounts/profiles to delineate content.
- Discussing professional achievements through a personal lens.
- Maintaining clear optics by minimizing controversial personal content.
Case Study: Marie Forleo
Entrepreneur and life coach Marie Forleo boasts a vibrant personal brand focused on empowerment, possibility, and unlocking potential. This provides a lively platform for her professional branding as a business mentor for women. The two complement each other seamlessly while remaining distinct.
Case Study: Gary Vaynerchuk
Gary Vaynerchuk built his personal brand on high-energy straight talk before expanding into professional branding in digital marketing and entrepreneurship education. He leverages his brash personal brand in service of his professional content and business ventures.
