Personal Brand or Business Brand? What’s Your Call?

Here’s the million-rupee question–should you be the star or should your company shine? Plot twist—the answer isn’t what you think. A business name carries value and reputation, and so does the one running it. So, when you start a new business, the decision remains, whether to build your brand around yourself or as a standalone.

Yes, both of them are different outcomes, and that’s why the personal branding vs business branding dilemma persists in the competitive market. We are here to help you understand the difference and determine which one is suitable for your branding strategy.

What is Personal Branding?

You are the face of your career and your business. People often work with you before they do it with your business. Personal branding is how you represent your skills, values, and personal interests to improve your perception in the market.

Whether you are a skilled professional, an entrepreneur, or an influencer, you need a personal brand to make connections and boost your business. Some popular examples of how personal branding can affect a business or a career are Neil Patel, Masaba Gupta, Raj Shamani, and Jay Shetty.

Did you know that 70% of employers scan your profile online during the screening process? Furthermore, 54% reject the job application when the profile seems unsatisfactory (source). So, if you want to excel in your career and business while adding a personal touch to your brand-building strategy, personal branding is a must!

Why Personal Branding?

The following are a few benefits of personal branding:

1. Establish your presence in the market to boost your sales or market your business.
2. Flexibility to pivot careers or businesses when you venture into a new market.
3. Gain the trust of the market and customers by leveraging personal branding.
4. Build a strong community of like-minded people who resonate with you and motivate you to grow.

What is Business Branding?

Business branding is the process of creating a brand identity for your business. It helps you connect with your customers and boost your sales. Business brand building includes defining your values, vision, and mission and expressing them in your logo, website, social media, and more to build a good brand perception.

Expressing your values can help you connect with your audience. Research suggests that 65% of the customers connect emotionally (source). So, if you want to build a loyal customer base and get a competitive advantage, business branding is essential.

Why Business Branding?

The following are a few benefits of a business branding strategy:

• Long-term business growth by gaining the trust of customers and business partners.
• Create an impactful marketing strategy to boost sales.
• Create positive brand awareness and recognition to beat the competition.
• Build a loyal community that believes in similar values.

Personal Branding vs Business Branding: What’s the difference?

Understanding the difference between personal and business branding can help you create an impactful branding strategy that can help you and your brand grow! The following are a few key differences.

Objective

• Personal branding strategy is centered around your values, skills, and interests.
• Business branding strategy includes creating a brand identity based on the product/service, values, vision, and mission.

Audience

• Your audience is diverse, including your customers, business partners, employers, and more.
• Your branding strategy is made for your business’s target audience/customers of your company.

Branding Identity

• Personal values, stories, and success drive personal branding strategy.
• Business branding strategy includes your business’s value, vision, and mission.

Flexibility

• You can easily shift the personal branding based on your goals.
• You need considerable changes to create a new brand identity.

Personal branding or Business Branding: Which is the Best Branding Strategy?

Well the answer isn’t straight forward. Both of these branding strategies have their benefits. The choice depends on your business model, goals, vision, and target audience. The following are a few questions that can help you choose the best branding strategy.

1. What are you promoting?

Personal branding is beneficial if you are a consultant, coach, expert, influencer, or freelancer. If you are promoting a product, SaaS, or service, you will need business branding.

2. What are your goals?

Business branding is for businesses that want to expand as business entities and not be associated with a person. Personal branding is primarily associated with what you do for yourself and your audience.

3. What business model do you prefer?

If you want your business to operate solely, business branding is crucial. However, if your image affects the brand, personal branding is needed.

Four Pillars: Building a brand that stands out!

Do you want assistance in choosing the best branding strategy for your brand? We can help! Four Pillars is one of the top digital marketing agencies dedicated to helping businesses become successful brands! From building your brand identity to making your logo and managing your social media, we offer a complete branding solution.

Whether you are a professional wanting to build your personal brand or a company that wants to create a strong brand image in the market, we can help you with a tailored brand-building strategy! Contact us now for a consultation!

Conclusion

There is no one-line answer to the personal branding vs business branding dilemma. Personal branding is for those who want to promote themselves and their business. Business branding is for those who want their business to be a solo entity. The branding strategy depends on the objective, business model,
branding identity, and flexibility when building a brand. Four Pillars Media Agency can help you create the best branding strategy that drives results and enables you to stand out from the crowd. Contact us to build your brand now!

FAQs

1. What’s the difference between personal branding and business branding?

Personal branding is made for individuals whose image influences their and their business’s growth. Business branding is solely focused on the business and its values and goals.

2. Should I brand myself or my company?

The choice of whether you should brand yourself or your company depends on your goals, product and services, business model, and how much your image would impact your business. For consultants, influencers, and creative professionals, personal branding is better. Business branding is better for those
who want their business to grow as a solo entity.

3. Who should have a personal brand?

If your skills and credibility affect your career and company, you should build your personal brand. Therefore, creative professionals, expert consultants, authors, influencers, and freelancers can use personal branding.

4. Who should have a business brand?

If you want your business to grow without associating it with a person, you must choose business branding.

5. Can I use both business and personal branding?

Absolutely! A combination of personal and business branding has become a common branding strategy to help businesses grow! It helps people build a credible image and use that to boost the brand value.