#PandaPounds: Personal Branding in Ecommerce, Part 1

Are ecommerce professionals using personal branding to propel their ecommerce careers forward? We asked the respondents to the 2017 Ecommerce Salary Survey about what they do as a personal branding ‘exercise’ and why they do so.

Be it networking, blogging or social media posting, there are plenty of ways for ecommerce professionals to get noticed. The questions are…are they doing it and is it important to them?

Is personal branding in ecommerce important for career success?

We asked our 2017 respondents if they felt personal branding in ecommerce was important or whether they didn’t care about it enough. Here’s what they had to say…

A huge majority of our salary survey respondents, 76% in fact, do feel that personal branding is an important exercise if you work in the ecommerce industry. In 2016, 78% had the same sentiment so there has only been a slight decrease this year.

Respondents who said they ‘don’t know/care’ about personal branding in ecommerce make up 17% of our overall respondents, a 1% increase from 2016. 7% stated that they don’t feel personal branding is important to them, once again a 1% increase from our previous survey.

So, while there hasn’t been a huge change in sentiments toward personal branding in ecommerce, there has been a slight shift in people not relying on it as much in their own careers.

How to build your personal brand in the ecommerce industry

We know how people feel about personal branding in ecommerce…but how do they go about it? Being in a predominantly online industry, ecommerce professionals can engage with peers both online and offline. But what are the most popular methods?

*Please note, respondents were invited to select all methods of personal branding that applied to them. Totals will not equal 100%.

‘I am active on LinkedIn’

LinkedIn as a personal branding tool in ecommerce was by far the most popular response. 71% use the professional networking tool to reach out to industry peers, engage in relevant discussions and keep an eye on the latest happenings in the ecommerce world…new job opportunities included!

‘I attend industry events & conferences’

50% of our respondents attend industry specific events and conference to build their personal brand. These conferences not only offer networking opportunities, but allow ecommerce professionals to listen to presentations & panel discussions to really brush up on their knowledge. Some expo events also give them the chance to check out the latest tech and tools relevant to them!

‘I attend networking events/meetups’

41% of our respondents attend networking specific events and meetups. These are more laid back compared to the big conferences, allowing people to chat with their peers and maybe hear a quick presentation too.

‘I have my own website’

Ecommerce professionals can use their own website to share blogs, news articles, portfolios and more! 23% of our respondents use this tool for their personal branding!

Other methods of personal branding in ecommerce

• Twitter/Twitter chats – 28% of respondents say they are active on Twitter, while 10% also get involved in various Twitter chats. One of our favourite Twitter chats, #EcomChat, is a perfect example of how a community of industry professionals can network and discuss topics without leaving their desk!
• Guest speaking at events – 15% of our respondents go beyond attending events, conferences and meetups. They put themselves forward for speaking spots to really get themselves noticed.
• Other reasons – A small number of our respondents selected the ‘other’ choice when we asked how they choose to build their personal brand. One respondent said: “I have my own personal brand guidelines i.e. all my output is in the same font, colour etc. That way it is instantly recognisable as my work.” Another respondent relies mainly on their online portfolio of work, while another tells us they write articles for regional publications.

Personal branding in ecommerce, part 2, is coming soon! We don’t want to keep you too long…you might want to find the next industry meetup to brush up on your personal branding skills. If you’re eager to read part 2 right now, don’t fear. It will follow very soon and will cover the following:

• Why do people build their personal brand?
• What can personal branding acheive for career goals?