TheBrandCalledYou

The effect of social media on personal branding of managers

Literature Review

• Social Media

Social media is “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of user-generated content” (Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010). Laroche, Habibi and Richard mentioned that the content is not used by people with passion. However, it is made, shared and used by users actively generating content. According to Lee, Tyyrell and Erdem (2013), the most used social networks are Facebook (29%) with a mean of 3.7, LinkedIn (15%) with a mean of 3.1, YouTube (13%) with a mean of 3.0, and Twitter (11%) with a mean of 2.5. According to Kirtis and Karahan (2011), using social media to promote businesses and marketing activities is not expensive. Therefore, it is the most effective way for marketers to promote products to the target customers.

Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) divided social media into eight categories as shown in the following table:

“Social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook enable the creation of virtual customer environments (VCEs) where online communities of interest form around specific firms, brands, or products” (Culnan, McHugh and Zubillaga, 2010). According to IBM (2011), social media is communicating and interacting with others and expecting something in return.

There are many studies show that social media is a marketing research tool for managers and marketers. The study of Xiang and Gretzel (2009) shows that social media is an important tool for travelers. Mangold and Fauld’s study (2009) shows that managers cannot control the time and the content of the conversations that happens between consumers in social media. Correa, Hinsley and Zùniga (2010) explained the relationship between the use of social media and personality.

“As social media consistently becomes a more permanent part of the online marketing equation, companies must start thinking beyond just their websites when it comes to branding” (Evans, 2010). According to the survey conducted by Brandfog (2013), the majority of the respondents agreed that managers can engage with customers through social media which can increase brand loyalty. Moreover, it can develop the relationship between managers and customers or even shareholders.

• Personal Branding and managers

The concept of personal branding is based on how the person communicate and interact with others, in other words, it is how other people see you. (Arruda, 2003). “For decades, brands have been crucial for building relationships with consumers assuring long-term business success” (Tuškej, Golob and Podnar, 2013). Having a strong personal brand is becoming so important especially with the increase of globalization and the use of social media. (Shepherd, 2005). Shepherd stated also that, the basis of personal branding is similar as the steps of product marketing and branding. Therefore, building a positive personal branding helps to differentiate from others and gain excellence in the job market (Shepherd, 2005). Clare (2002) talked about this point by explaining the importance of the differentiation through personal branding in order to achieve

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