#PandaPounds: Personal brand building for Ecommerce professionals

"Doing any of the above puts you ahead of the people who aren't doing it."

This is one of the responses when received when we asked our salary survey respondents to tell us if personal brand building for Ecommerce professionals was important. 

our salary survey respondents why personal branding is important to them. It’s an interesting sentiment, especially coming from someone in the hyper competitive Ecommerce world.

But does everyone build their personal brand just to get ahead of the competition? Perhaps others simply like to learn new things at workshops in a casual way. In our latest #PandaPounds exclusive, we delve into the world of personal branding amongst Ecommerce professionals. 

Is personal brand building for ecommerce superstars important?

Let us begin with the simple question: Do our salary survey respondents think it is important to build their personal brand? Here’s how they answered…

The vast majority of our respondents agreed that personal branding is important to them. Surprisingly, more people didn’t care about personal branding than those who didn’t think it was important. While some people might not find personal branding that important, they more than likely find themselves doing something that contributes towards it at some point. This isn’t to say opportunities won’t arise from building a personal brand; perhaps such an opportunity would change the minds of the personal branding doubters.

How do ecommerce professionals build their personal brand?

There are so many ways for ambitious and career dedicated people to create their own brand. Whether they actively discuss trends on LinkedIn, live tweet feverously at events or take to networking like a duck to water, there are plenty of ways to get noticed. Here’s exactly how our respondents choose to build their personal brands. It’s important to note that this question in our survey was multiple choice, so many ecommerce superstars prefer more than one method of brand building…

There we have it! Far out in front in the personal branding world is LinkedIn, where ecommerce superstars can keep up to date with industry developments and share their expertise on the matter. Being active on LinkedIn groups, following relevant companies and regularly updating your LinkedIn profile can really help a potential candidate stay ahead of the competition. In fact, 53% of our respondents who use LinkedIn for personal branding do so in order to find a new job.

Not too far behind is attendance to industry events and conferences, where 65% of our respondents who attend the top industry events do so to build their brand for future opportunities.

Other methods of brand building not featured in our graphic above include:

• Have their own website – 24%
• Writes own blog – 13%
• Involved in Twitter chats – 14%
• Guest Speaking at events – 14%

Why do ecommerce professionals build their personal brand?

From the quick insights above it’s clear career progression is very important to people working in Ecommerce, as we have discussed previously. Of course, there is more to personal branding than finding new opportunities…here’s why our respondents work towards building a professional image. Again, we invited our respondents to select all that applied to them… 

To build my personal brand for future opportunities – This was the most popular answer with our respondents. Future opportunities do not necessarily mean a new job; it can mean meeting potential new colleagues, being recognised as a respected member of the industry or learning new things.

To get to know more people within the industry/ To share knowledge and learn new things – These two options were also high on the list and are quite similar in that they are about community. As our friends at #EcomChat know, ecommerce professionals enjoy coming together to discuss issues and trends. It allows them to share what they know while considering other ideas they might not have known about. Ultimately, they get to form relationships within the industry which builds upon the strong ecommerce community.

Other – While only 2% were more specific as to why they build their personal brand (choosing ‘other’ as their answer), some of the responses were quite interesting. “To meet interesting new start ups and see what the future holds.” Curiosity is a cat’s friend in ecommerce…it doesn’t hurt to get out there and see what people are doing. Ecommerce is forever growing and changing, so looking for future trends and products gives you a great insight into where it is heading.

“To be known and respected for the quality of work I do.” Being valued and respected is a big deal for our respondents; it topped the list for what is essential in a role, unchallenged from our 2015 survey. It seems that ecommerce professionals don’t only value the respect of their management, but also their peers.

Other reasons for personal brand building not included in the graphic above are:

• To build my role as a thought leader – 31%
• To build business partnerships – 31%
• To give my brand/company more exposure – 25%

Have a networking event approaching?

If you do, take a moment to consider the different reasons the people around you are there. In fact, don’t be afraid to ask. Ecommerce is an industry where community is integral, so share your experiences and what it is you’re looking for as you build your personal brand…you never know who you might meet!

We hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into the ecommerce professional and personal branding. Remember to keep your eyes open for more #PandaPounds exclusives, as we have many more up our sleeves. In the meantime, download a FREE copy of the full report.