Personal Branding in Corporate America
Here is the dilemma: Every day at work I have the opportunity to promote myself to a lot of people. The question is… Should I be using the company I work for to promote my personal online brand?
More specifically, should I include links to my blog in the signature of all my emails? What about LinkedIn? Twitter? Facebook?
One person mentioned to me that our company has some sort of “no solicitation policy” and that something like that would be “frowned upon.” (Frowned upon = “don’t do it” in corporate speak.) But would I really be soliciting anything?
It does give people a reason to procrastinate… Should they be reading a blog when they’re supposed to be working? If they are… is that my fault?
On the other hand, I’d really like to position myself as a Millennial expert within our company. Principal tends to be conservative… I expect I’d get some people that really like it and some that really hate it. But either way, people would remember me…
Penelope has told me to “always have an opinion when blogging.” But I have a problem… I don’t know what side I’m on. I’m really at a loss here… At this point, I’m not going to do anything until I talk with more people… which is why I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Has anyone else run across this? What was your decision? How did it turn out?
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I think it’s legit to promote your LinkedIn profile from a work email (in the signature at least) as long as you list your current position with the company on your LI profile. I got my start with networking on LI while I was still working for someone else, and started building a lot of connections with local business people that way, then translated it into my own business, etc.
I would probably keep your blog/Twitter separate from your job though…
This is a really great question…and a tough one at the same time. Various corporations do have policy and regulations on social media..and the first thing is to be clear on these policies. Ignorance is no excuse. Once this is clear, I think it helps if you are clear on what you are trying to achieve with your personal brand. If you are looking to promote your work skills and your organisation at the same time i.e. you are in sales, and you want to blog about sales etc - then all is good. Where you will have issues I believe is where you are looking to achieve personal gain, i.e. seek a new job. I think promoting your skills and passions within your company are fine - as long as you do not disclose any sensitive information in your public forums. Start by blogging etc outside of work hours, as your blog grows, mention this to your work, and sense the response. In short, in the early stages, keep the two activities separate, and see your personal branding activities as your 2nd job. If things go well, you will become recognised as an authority on a particular subject, and this will present work oportunities anyway, either within your company or elsewhere..hope this helps.
@Cody - That’s kind of how I feel right now… I’m still torn on whether or not I should I even have a LinkedIn profile… If I do, does that communicate to people that I’m playing on LI instead of working?
@Luke - You make some great points. It may be one of those things where, if people hear about the blog outside of work, it might slowly filter into the workplace without having to promote it.
You’re right - if someone is using their blog to personally benefit (like changing jobs), that is a definite no-no.
But what if the only benefit is promoting your personal brand… which is done by providing great content to readers… Then, you could argue that you’re educating co-workers.
I still am trying to figure out how I feel… Just trying to play Devil’s Advocate and seeing all the sides.
Thanks for your thoughts you two!!
Great question and the answer is……….
If the corporate brand is more well-known/stronger than your personal brand, it is only in your benefit to identify yourself by leveraging their brand. This happens in most cases, especially when you start your career.
Good point, Dan.
If you don’t mind me asking, do you promote your blog/website/magazine at your job at EMC?
If so, do people view that as being “self serving”?
Also - is it smart to continue to identify one’s personal brand with the company they work for? Especially with how our generation has A.D.D. when it comes to having a job… What happens to your brand as you change jobs?
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I fall on the very conservative side on this one.
First, most (large) companies will have a policy on it and most won’t let you. In the last company I worked for, they specified what could go on each line of the signature, including the font! Wow…
The second consideration is this one: say your e-mail is being read by the CEO or Board. Would they think your signature line with outside sites listed on it would be appropriate? (Do they even know about anything except LinkedIN…?). If the answer to that question even slightly hazy, don’t do it.
Unfortunately, there are too many rules-based people in the world who would use something like that to brand you…and not the way you intend.
Andy - Of course it is a touchy subject while you are on the job, but who is to say you cannot promote your blog on your own time. That being said, anything outside of the corporate server is your own time. Linkedin.com and other netwoking sights are the exact place where you are going to want to advertise your blog, since you are able to provide potential employers a direct view into your thought process. Don’t put your personal blog address on your work email or communication and you will be fine. Your blog is your brand, it is not the end of the world if you personal brand extends outside of Principals four walls. In fact, I would challenge everyone to be as motivated as you to learn and educate. Keep up the good work.
I agree with Cody regarding LinkedIn. Including a link to your profile will most certainly be viewed as professional. However, I think the line should generally be drawn there. I work at a relatively progressive company in the same industry as yours. While coworkers appreciate networking, there is a special type of respect given to this who can dish out short, candid e-mails. Not only does it show that you respect their time, but it creates the illusion that you are too busy to craft a long-winded e-mail, have enough experience to get straight to the point with your words, and as a bonus, makes less room for mistakes. I certainly value those e-mails that are only one sentence long but give me all the answers I need. I even feel humbled when I receive on as a response to an e-mail I spent twenty minutes writing.
If your company has a larger conservative crowd who would not appreciate the self promotion, why risk turning them off for a chance just to turn-on the progressive crowd? Promote yourself through beefy content and timely communication. Besides, aren’t the majority of those conservatives also the older ones - the ones with power, the power to promote you (or not)?
I say, stick to the standard e-mail signature that other coworkers use. My company recently issued an official signature for both internal and external e-mails. Before it was issued, I mirrored that of the CEO’s. My number one rule of work e-mail: Make it as short as possible.