Personal Branding vs. Business Branding: Why You Need Both

Okay, so you’re an entrepreneur. You’re thinking, “Should I focus on my personal branding or my business branding?” And if you’re not confused already, here’s the thing: they’re different, but they should work together. Like peanut butter and jelly, but if you forget the jelly, you’re just eating some peanut butter and looking like a weirdo.

Branding, in general, is just a way of telling the world what you’re about. It’s your values, your mission, your message—expressed through all kinds of stuff like logos, names, slogans, and, you know, the usual. Branding is about making you stand out in a sea of competitors who are all selling the same stuff, except you think yours is better.

But here’s where it gets tricky. Personal branding is about you—the person behind the curtain. Business branding? That’s all about the company—the thing that technically owns the business. It’s like the difference between your personality and your company’s reputation. And if you think you can just pick one, let me tell you—you’re probably missing out.

WHAT IS PERSONAL BRANDING?

Personal branding is basically telling everyone, “Hey, this is who I am, and these are my values. Look at me. Trust me. I’m a good person.” It’s about aligning your actions with your values, and hopefully, that makes people see you as a person they can get behind. So, if you care about the environment, you’ll probably want to show that, rather than pretending to love the planet while driving around in an SUV like it’s the ’90s. It’s about authenticity.

Now, if you're like, “Well, that sounds a little too ‘Look at me!’” let me tell you—it’s not. People trust people. If you’re just some faceless business, it’s going to be a hard sell. But if you’ve got a solid personal brand? Now they’re talking. People are more likely to buy from someone they trust, and your personal brand is the way to build that trust.

So, what do you do to build a personal brand? Here are some tips:

• Figure out your motivations. No, really—figure out why you’re doing all this. Is it to help people? Make a lot of money? Both? Find that and let it show.
• Align your values with your business. Your personal brand and your business brand shouldn’t be in separate universes. They should have some common ground.
• Get yourself out there. Post some stuff. Talk to people. Do whatever it takes to get noticed. The more people see you, the more they’ll remember you.

If you haven’t started building your personal brand yet, here’s a tip—look for these signs:

• You can’t seem to tell your “hero’s journey” in business.
• Your online reputation is, well, lacking. And that’s killing your leads.
• Your customers are craving some “human” in your business.

If these hit home, it's time to start. Trust me.

WHAT IS BUSINESS BRANDING?

Now, business branding is a little different. It’s about making your business stand out, not you, the person. It’s about what your company does, its values, and how it shows up to your customers. And trust me, customers notice. They want to see your business as a separate entity, not just some extension of you.

Creating a business brand? That’s about thinking from the customer’s perspective. What do they want? What’s going to convince them you’re the one they should trust with their hard-earned money?

A good business brand includes things like:

• Clear values. What does your business stand for?
• Customer perspective. What do they want to hear from you?
• Credibility and trust. This is key. Don’t be that shady business.

It’s about communicating the right message and making sure you’re actually delivering on that promise. So, your business brand has to make people feel like you’re the real deal.

PERSONAL BRANDING VS. BUSINESS BRANDING: KEY DIFFERENCES

The difference is simple—personal branding is about you, and business branding is about your company. With personal branding, you get to decide how people perceive you. With business branding, you need to put yourself in your customer’s shoes and figure out what will make them trust your business.

Personal branding is about you and your journey, while business branding is about what your company can do for your customers. But they’re not mutually exclusive. When done right, they can actually complement each other.

CONTENT FOR PERSONAL BRANDING VS. BUSINESS BRANDING

Okay, so you’ve got your personal and business brands set up. Now, you have to get your message out. It’s called content marketing. And if your content doesn’t reflect your brand, well, good luck getting people to pay attention.

CONTENT FOR PERSONAL BRANDING

When you’re creating content for your personal brand, it’s gotta be real. People don’t want to hear some rehearsed, cookie-cutter corporate speak. They want to hear from you. Share your story, flaws, and all. If you’ve made mistakes, let people know. They’ll respect you for it. Just be you, not some robot reading from a script.

CONTENT FOR BUSINESS BRANDING

Business branding content is a little more formal but still needs to feel human. You’re promoting your company’s strengths and expertise. You can do this through educational blogs, how-to videos, and customer success stories. This isn’t the time for too much personality, but it is the time to show that your business knows what it’s doing and why customers should trust you.

PERSONAL AND BUSINESS BRANDING NEED EACH OTHER

Here’s the bottom line—personal branding and business branding are different, but they can’t really survive on their own. If you focus too much on one, you’re missing out on the full potential. It’s like trying to build a house with only the foundation or just the roof. It’s not going to work.

So, take the time to develop both your personal brand and your business brand. Together, they’ll help you stand out, build trust, and, you know, maybe make some money too.

If you’re ready to make both work for you, get in touch with the Winsome team today to learn more.