Why personal brand matters in the social enterprise

So you know how to use social networks, your Klout score is 64 and you have 1790 followers on Twitter. Your online persona is linked across several platforms and is all but defined now. Or is it ?

Consider how that personality would or should transfer within your organisation.

Does it ?

While businesses are considering moving towards a more collaborative and engaged environment internally just how do you want to be perceived on the inside. A collaborator? Office joker? Productivity star? Thought leader?  Just as your online personality can be found easily with a search so will your internal corporate personality if the company employs tools like Yammer, Chatter or other such collaborative task management and networking software.

If you blog about your field of interest should your employer know about it, and should they leverage it ? 

Do you want to expose your external identity to the inside culture and be known as the go-to-person for opinion and advice or are you merely interested in doing a job and those two personalities should never cross ?

Of course the question depends on just what industry you work in and how you want to be perceived in the organisation but the lines are getting blurrier and in the social context of today it’s getting harder to take off the mask and adopt your other identity.

Which is why, now more than ever, your personal brand matters. It’s your personal IP that cements your identity in a digital and social age. It’ll evolve as you grow but it will always stick with you and eventually morph into your professional brand. Employers may be assessing your Klout score for particular outward facing roles but with that carries the weight of expectation that internally you’ll have the same clout.

Personal branding. Probably the most important internal marketing you’ll ever do without realising it. Just don’t make it a gaudy flashing neon banner.