What is personal branding and how can it be compared to corporate branding
Personal branding is all about you. It is something that any of us can relate to because it is what other people see as a reflection of our identity and values.
Hence, each and every one of us has a personal brand whether we like it or not. The issue now is whether you can sustain your own personal brand to create a clear and memorable impact of who you are, what you do and what you stand for.
Whether you are a sole proprietor, a conglomerate and Fortune 500 Company, or even a company executive, it is essential that you have your personal branding that would make you recognizable to your target audience. It helps you to build that powerful personality that has a positive impact to your audience whenever they think of your brand.
Your personal branding is a combination of different factors. This includes your values, traditions, capabilities and actions that you believe in. It is what makes you different and unique from the rest of your competition. The important thing with personal branding is you. It may be in your color printing ads or even in your business cards – the bottom line is to make your personal brand ubiquitous in everything that you do.
One advantage of having personal branding for your business is that it creates that personal element in your marketing campaign. People would recognize the various benefits of your product as truly yours which can help you stand out amongst the crowd.
On the other hand, corporate branding is a great tool in order that the name of your company will be recognized. You can do this by applying it to your product’s brand name. What you do is to include your company’s name in the name of your products and services. This way, your company would be remembered along with your product.
What makes corporate branding beneficial to your business is that it saves you money and time when it comes to your marketing campaign. Since it is your company name that is used for your products, one advertising campaign done by an experienced commercial printing agency is enough for many of your product offerings.
One disadvantage though with corporate branding – your target audience may have a hard time treating your products and services on the basis of individuality. Instead of focusing on the product’s unique features, your target clients would most likely be concentrating on your name because that’s what they’ve been exposed to.
Another drawback is that corporate branding can confuse your customers from what is the name of your company with that of your product. Your company’s name is interchangeable with your product that your clients and prospects may have a hard time distinguishing the two elements. This then leads to your business losing that ‘trademark protection’ and making you a generic product or service.
So which one do you think would be most beneficial for you? Whatever you choose, just remember to select what would help you create a positive image to your clients and prospects. And the rest will follow.
