Last week I introduced you to the concept of PersonnelBranding by sharingthe story of Dr. Joe Phillips. Today I’ll tell you why Personnel Brandingis a must, especially for B2B companies. 

First, a quick review: Personnel Branding isa marketing strategy in which a company empowers its people to share their stories online, in essence turning them into influencers. In doing so, they not only build their PersonalBrands, but also create attention and build trust for the company brand. 

Okay, with that out of the way, here are the seven reasonsPersonnel Branding will be critical for your company in the coming year. 

Trust is the Currency 

In order to convince potential customers to purchase yourproduct or service, you have to have their trust. This especially true for B2B companies, where the cost is often high and the buying cycle is often long. 

But here’s the thing. People don’t trust companies anymore(to the extent they ever did). But people do trust other people. Because they have names and faces, and they can interact with them. Get to know them. 

By putting your people at the front of your contentstrategy, you’re helping create personal connections between them and your customers. And that builds trust. 

It’s Getting Harder to Get Attention 

In case you haven’t noticed, almost every social mediaplatform has become saturated. For a B2B brand to stand out, you have to be super-creative and/or spend good money. And even then you still don’t have your audience’s trust. 

People’s individual, organic content will almost alwaysoutperform corporate content. It offers a shorter route to get in front of potential customers. 

This is not to say you should eschew corporate content andstorytelling. Far from it. Just know that it plays a different role that your people’s content. 

You Already Have Passionate People 

My guess is you have on staff a handful of true believers –people who are passionate about the work they do and how they help your customers. 

If you don’t, then you have bigger problems, and PersonnelBranding isn’t for you. 

But if you do, you’re sitting on a gold mine. You canharness their passion and energy and direct it in ways that will generate untold opportunities. 

They’re Going to Do It Anyway 

Those passionate people are likely the kind of people whoare going to share their stories anyway. You might as well help them and give them a little direction. Why not? 

It Lifts Everybody Up 

By working to build your Personnel Brand, you’re winning thehearts and minds of your customers. But you’re doing more than that. 

You’re empowering your people to build their Personal Brands,which will help their careers. 

Even your people who aren’t involved in sharing content willbenefit, as they will sometimes be the subject of stories. And the more a company’s, department’s, or team’s stories get shared, the more the energy and excitement grows internally. 

It’s Cost-Effective 

As I mentioned above, it’s getting harder for brands tostand out with their content. Doing so means being creative. And being creative usually means spending money. 

But having your people be the tip of your content spear isfar less expensive. It just requires providing a little direction and guidelines, some ongoing coaching and inspiration, and maybe some occasional creative assets, like photos and video, for them to use. 

It takes a bit of time, but a consistent approach will yieldresults that far outweigh the investment. 

It’s Real 

You hear the word “authentic” tossed around a lot thesedays. I prefer “real.” 

When your people share stories and content, on their own,using their own words and thoughts, it may not be polished or perfect. But it’s real.  And that’s what audiences appreciate more thananything.