Combining Personal Branding with Corporate Marketing: Andrew Broster

This month the team has asked me to write about ‘personal branding alongside corporate marketing as a business development tool’

Clearly, I don’t profess to be a marketing expert and there will be many more people in my network and beyond that are far better positioned to answer this one so apologies if my response is at odds with professional advice!

Personal branding is about positioning yourself as a thought leader, a trusted expert, or even a relatable human face behind the business. In the era of social media, it is much easier to achieve this than it used to be where leaders often had to rely on interviews in print media or TV / radio to get their profile and personality across to their customers. We can all think of business leaders and people on platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram and Tik Tok that promote themselves in support of their personal branding. In the world of influencers and their impact through social media people are more aware than ever of the opportunity to drive sales indirectly in this way.

Why it works:

• Authenticity builds trust: People connect with people, not logos. A strong personal brand fosters loyalty and credibility.
• Agility and relatability: You can pivot, share opinions, and engage directly with your audience.
• Thought leadership: Personal blogs, podcasts, and social media presence can establish you as an authority in your niche.

You don’t necessarily need a marketing team or budget to develop your personal brand but you will need to commit time and be consistent to achieve the best results.

Corporate marketing is about creating a consistent, professional identity that represents the entire organisation. It will follow an agreed business strategy developed by the board and will have specific aims and will usually be measured by its ROI. There will be clear parameters about the use of the brand, how it is positioned, through which channels and who it is aimed at. We can all think of businesses in the same sector that have very different brands aimed at different customer niches.

Why it works:

• Scalability: A unified brand can be replicated across teams, regions, and platforms.
• Professionalism and polish: It signals stability and reliability to investors and customers.
• Broad appeal: Corporate branding is designed to resonate with diverse audiences across demographics.

In my opinion the most effective business development strategies blend personal branding with corporate marketing. It can be hard to get right but results can be exceptional if your team members build personal brands that align with your company values and the leaders in your business can provide authentic storytelling that balances with the business objectives.

The irony is not lost on me of course that maybe I am undertaking a little bit of my own ‘personal branding’ as I write this!