Are you worried your corporate marketing department and lawyers are going to stop you from creating your personal brand? If you are, this post is for you and for the corporate control freaks fighting a fool’s battle.
The marketing department has lost control of the brand
When I write and talk about personal branding, quite often I get a comment that goes something like this, “that is a great idea and I would like to try creating my personal brand but my corporate marketing department does not want me representing the corporate brand in an uncontrolled fashion.” Unfortunately, there are marketing departments that police their employees because the company is stuck in the past. I call these marketing departments and companies dinosaurs because they will eventually police their way into extinction. Don’t let the dinosaurs stop you.
Dinosaurs don’t understand that by encouraging their employees to create and spread content the company will be the beneficiary of word of mouth marketing, more impressions, and more exposure. Best of all, the companies that encourage their employees to use social media platforms will be seen as a part of the conversation and as a company that cares. This is the new way to do business and create relationships with your customers that support your brand. Your customers and employees own the brand — the company dinosaurs do not.
What to do if you work for dinosaurs?
I would let them know they lost control of the corporate brand a long time ago. Pull up a quick Twitter or Google search if they do not believe you. Then I would get to work ASAP on creating some awesome content that I could share with the world. I would create an asset that I owned. I would not wait. I would create a revolution. The opportunity is too big and it is not going to come beat down your door. You must go to it.
Here is the big idea
There is no such thing as controlling the corporate brand. The era of big media and corporate marketing controlling the message is over. And your corporate marketing department has absolutely no control over what people say about the all mighty corporate brand. None.
There are already conversations happening online about your brand as people tweet, update their Facebook status, and write blog posts. Is your marketing department going to try and control these people too? C’mon man!
Control in the Web 2.0 world is a myth and fool’s game. Live in reality and don’t be a fool.
Start creating awesome content, share it with the world, and you will be on the highest level of differentiation. You will get attention and the opportunity to do what others only dream of.
Now it’s your turn
What do you think about corporate marketing and control? What is your marketing department like? Will they let you create your own content or will they freak out?
