Personal branding is a hot topic right now. And for good reason—it’s how you can stand out from the crowd and get your message across in a way that’s unique to you. You can create your own job, build your own brand, and make a name for yourself in the world—all while doing what you love.
Do you wish you could get a comprehensive list of all the latest statistics on personal branding? We did too. So we created one, and we’re excited to share it with you!
These personal branding stats are sure to help you make an impact on your target audience, whether they’re hiring managers or potential customers.
If you’re looking for some insight into the state of personal branding, whether to learn more about building a personal brand or brush up on some key stats, it’s time to take a look at this list—you won’t regret it!
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Compelling Personal Branding Statistics (Key Takeaways)
- 92% of people trust the recommendations of individuals over companies.
- 74% of American consumers would likely trust someone who has a respected personal brand.
- Content shared by employees is re-shared 24 times more compared to those shared by brands.
- It takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember your brand.
- LinkedIn is a great personal branding tool, with 77% of recruiters using it to reach out to potential candidates.
- Applicants with something negative on their social media profiles are typically turned down by 54% of employers.
- Marketers who prioritize blogs to improve their branding are 13 times more likely to have a positive ROI.
General Personal Branding Statistics
1. 74% of American consumers would likely trust someone who has a respected personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
Moreover, an overwhelming majority (85%) of older millennials (born between 1977 and 1986) agree with this sentiment. Personal branding greatly impacts trust, directly influencing our decisions in our professional and personal lives.
2. 63% of Americans are likely to buy from a person who has built a personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
Additionally, 57% are likely to recommend such individuals, 55% will likely conduct business with them, and 51% will seek their advice.
Further research shows that Americans are likely to work with (50%), promote (49%), vote for (45%), hire (45%), and date an individual (29%) with a well-established personal brand.
3. It takes five to seven impressions for someone to remember your brand.
(Marketing Nutz)
It hardly ever happens that people will remember what your brand is about the first time they see your ad or any type of content. This is why you should be consistent in raising awareness about your brand, whether you’re a freelancer looking for work or a business owner wanting to put your small business on the map.
Social media also plays an important role in this endeavor since it helps you put your brand in front of thousands of people every day.
4. Purely emotional content improves profit twice as much compared to only rational content.
(Neuroscience Marketing)
If you want to have twice as much profit, don’t focus too much on facts and start producing content that makes people laugh or cry. If you produce only emotional content, you’re twice as likely to have bigger profits compared to if you only produce rational content.
Emotional marketing is effective, but it’s not easy to create content that emotionally engages people.
5. 65% of internet users use the internet as a primary source of information about people.
(SlideShare)
Nowadays, if you’re serious about your personal brand, you should have a good and impeccable online presence. Hardly anyone ever works with anyone who doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile, for example.
This is why freelancers, influencers, and basically any professional work hard to enhance their presence online. You’ll want to maintain a good online reputation to be tagged as an expert in your field.
6. 79% of adults in the UK say that telling stories is good for branding.
(SlideShare)
Storytelling makes someone appear more relevant and human. That is why you should not neglect the importance of this type of content creation to promote your personal brand.
A huge percentage of consumers, particularly those between the ages of 18 to 34, agree that storytelling should be used instead of just merely telling people what you do and what you specialize in. When you tell a story, you can instead build a highly engaging and compelling narrative to connect with your audience on a deeper emotional level.
Additionally, 33% of UK consumers state that heart-warming, dramatic, or funny stories would spark their interest. Storytelling is the most-liked form of non-monetary content among consumers in the UK, and they’re particularly popular among young consumers between the ages of 18 and 24.
7. Americans think those labeled as experts are more credible than CEOs, owners, and founders.
(Brand Builders)
41% of American consumers think that those with the title of “expert” are credible. Meanwhile, a lesser percentage of consumers in the US find CEOs (39%), owners (35%), and founders (32%) to be the most credible.
On the other end, positioning yourself as a trainer, thought leader, or host holds the least credibility among American consumers. It’s always better to position yourself as an expert.
8. 62% of American consumers believe testimonials are important when paying someone more for their product or service.
(Brand Builders)
However, aside from testimonials, American consumers also believe that being paid to consult on the topic, being paid to speak or train, appearing on the news as an expert, having a nice user-friendly website, and offering online courses are also important.
9. 61% of Americans believe that doctors need to establish a personal brand, the most of all professions.
(Brand Builders)
Americans think that it’s highly essential for the following people to have an established personal brand: doctors (61%), employers (59%), and lawyers (58%).
People in these groups need to have a strong personal brand because of their high trust requirement.
In addition to this, 55% of Americans believe that it’s important for their financial advisor, banker, life coach, business consultant, insurance agent, nutritionist, and real estate agent to have an established personal brand.
Personal Branding Statistics By Generation
10. 76% of Millenials born from 1977 to 1986 say they are more likely to buy from someone with an established personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
On the other hand, only 33% of Baby Boomers state that they feel the same way. Further research shows that Baby Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) and Gen X (those born between 1965 to 1976) don’t value personal branding as much as the younger generations do.
Older generations often perceive personal branding as something that’s vain or immature. However, in today’s digital landscape, younger generations view personal branding as a critical element of trust, learning, and work that affects their daily life.
11. 75% of Older millennials are more likely to accept a job within a company whose founder has an established personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
Aside from accepting a job in that company, American consumers are also more likely to recommend, trust, and stay longer at a company with such a founder.
Let’s take Elon Musk as an example. He’s so influential that when he changed his Twitter bio to “#bitcoin,” the price of Bitcoin increased by 20% within a few hours.
The logic is simple. The more recognizable someone is, the more we can learn from them, and the more we’re likely to trust them. This trust then translates to a huge influence on a consumer’s decisions.
12. 41 percent of Gen Z considers a “personal brand” to be someone who is well-known.
(Brand Builders)
American consumers have varying ideas about what it means to have a personal brand. Some think that it has to be someone who’s well-known. Others say the person has to be a content creator on the web or social media.
Additionally, professionals, experts, and those with a large following on social media are considered individuals with personal brands.
All in all, American consumers agree that a personal brand entails being recognized.
13. 67% of Gen Z’ers believe personal branding will be very important in the future.
(Brand Builders)
As more consumers become aware of personal branding, its importance is likely to increase in the coming years. This is particularly true as we move into a more digitized era of consumerism.
14. 72% of Older millennials would choose a doctor with an established online personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
It’s not just doctors. Consumers across all generations prefer hiring or going to service professionals with an established online personal brand.
That said, among all age groups, Older millennials are most likely to trust service professionals with good personal brands.
A deeper look into the statistics shows that 66% of Older millennials want a business consultant with an established personal brand, and 67% feel the same way about trusting their banker. Moreover, 66% of Older millennials would likely trust a lawyer with an established personal brand.
The Power of an Employee’s Personal Brand
15. 92% of people trust the recommendations of individuals over companies.
(Entrepreneur)
There seems to be a growing distrust in what companies say or claim in their ads. That’s why people are now trusting individuals or influencers with a good personal brand. This is also why companies are now reaching out to such individuals to market their brands, which gave birth to influencer marketing.
16. The collective network of employees has an average of 10 times more followers compared to their company’s social media accounts.
(LinkedIn)
For example, if a company page has 1,000 followers, its employee networks are likely to have 10,000 followers. So, if its employees share its content, it will likely reach more people. This places huge importance on the role that employees have as ambassadors.
Additionally, content shared on employee accounts has a higher click-through rate than those shared on brand accounts. For example, content shared on a brand’s social media account only has a 0.5% click-through rate, while those shared on an employee’s account have a 1% click-through rate. This, again, goes back to consumers trusting individuals more than they trust brands.
(LinkedIn)
If potential clients trust a company, they will likely turn into paying customers. This trust can be earned by leveraging the social influence of employees.
When employees share content, people are more likely to engage and connect with it. For example, employees can talk about the company’s work environment or new product or service.
(Social Media Today, Entrepreneur)
A little more than half of the consumers trust a company’s average employee more than its executive-level employees like the CEO.
That said, your personal brand as an employee can help the company you work for in the sense that if you share any type of content from the company, consumers are more likely to engage with that content.
19. 70% of Older millennials think that companies should teach their employers the proper way to build their personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
Everyone can benefit from having a personal brand—not just employees. The importance of personal branding doesn’t just affect the way we purchase products.
It also affects how we choose our lawyers, financial advisors, bankers, insurance agents, and other professional service providers.
20. The majority of Millennials agree that individuals who promote their ideas and content have a greater influence on purchasing decisions than brands who promote their products and services.
(Brand Builders)
52% of Younger millennials and 54% of Older millennials agree with this statement. However, overall, 53% of American consumers believe corporate brands promoting their products and services have more influence on a consumer’s purchasing decisions. A huge percentage of Gen X (64%) and Boomers (59%) believe so as well.
21. 58% of Americans would be willing to pay more for the services of a professional who does not work at a large corporation buthas established a personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
In 2021, in an attempt to boost sales and regain market share, Victoria’s Secret discontinued their world-famous “Angels” and replaced them with seven women who had achieved fame for their achievements rather than their figures. Each of the women they chose has an established, dedicated, and engaged audience.
For instance, just one model—Priyanka Chopra—has more social media followers than Victoria’s Secret’s corporate account.
22. 61% of American consumers are most likely to buy from companies whose founders or executives have established a good personal brand.
(Brand Builders)
They’re also more likely to buy (60%), recommend (59%), and show loyalty (58%) to such companies. They’re more likely to follow these companies on social media and become an advocate for their products and services.
For founders and executives, having a well-established personal brand translates to the company having more sales, trust, referrals, and loyalty.
23. 82% of American consumers agree that companies have a bigger influence on their buying decisions if the executives of those companies have developed personal brands they can trust and follow.
(Brand Builders)
Additionally, 88% of Older millennials agree with this.
The majority of American consumers believe that companies should invest in the personal brand of their leaders, executives, and employees. This will aid in companies being more trusted and influential in their field or industry.
(Brand Builders)
Personal branding extends far beyond just the number of followers a person has or the number of likes, shares, and views their content has. It also focuses on a person’s values and whether or not it aligns with the consumers’ values. Research shows that if does align, profits are likely to skyrocket.
The Role of Personal Branding In Recruitment
25. LinkedIn is a great personal branding tool, with 77% of recruiters using it to reach out to potential candidates.
(TopResume)
LinkedIn is one of the most widely used professional platforms for recruitment. If you don’t have one or have not updated your profile in a while, you could miss out on a significant number of opportunities.
Your social media presence speaks volumes about your brand as a professional and particularly what niche you specialize in, and LinkedIn is one of the most efficient platforms you can have at your disposal.
If you use this platform well, you could have jobs and offers pouring in in no time. Soon enough, you won’t have to look for jobs; they’ll come to you instead.
26. Applicants with something negative on their social media profiles are typically turned down by 54% of employers.
(TopResume)
Although social media is a great tool for professional networking, it can also work to your disadvantage if you’re not careful. Employers who find something negative or offensive on an applicant’s social media account will likely not be invited for an interview.
It doesn’t matter how qualified you are for the role, if employers see you commenting anything offensive about sensitive matters like politics and religion, they’ll likely move on to the next applicant. So, as much as you want to spruce up your online accounts, you’ll have to be careful with whatever you post online as well.
27. An applicant with a positive online reputation is favored during the hiring process to some extent by 85% of US recruiters and hiring professionals.
(Job-Hunt)
Additionally, almost half of them say that it affects their hiring decisions to a greater extent. Whatever the case may be, your online reputation affects your professional life to some extent, whether you think that’s fair or not. That is why you should always be careful with what you post online, particularly if you’re posting content publicly.
28. 89% of US recruiters and HR professionals think that it’s appropriate and justified to check a candidate’s professional online data during an assessment.
(Job-Hunt)
Additionally, 84% of recruiters and HR professionals in the United States think it’s justified to check an applicant’s personal data online. This includes blogs, personal social media network pages, and the like. This actually causes tension among applicants and recruiters in the sense of data privacy.
However, if your posts are public and open for everyone to see, what’s really stopping recruiters from using this to assess you to see if you’re a good fit for the company? At the end of the day, with the digital platforms we have today, we all have to be careful with how we’re perceived by other professionals in our field.
Social Media Personal Branding Statistics
29. 78% of salespeople who use social media to sell outperformed those who don’t.
(Forbes, Entrepreneur)
The impact of social media and your personal brand on sales and marketing is pretty impressive. Also, when it comes to surpassing sales quota by over 10%, salespeople who use social media to sell their products are 23% more successful than those who don’t use social media.
This statistic is not also about how much time they spend on social media because they don’t. According to further statistics, half of those who use social media to sell spend only about 10% of their selling time on social media.
Social media is about reaching a higher number of potential customers and getting your brand out there. If you use it well, it could be a very beneficial tool for personal branding.
30. Marketers who prioritize blogs to improve their branding are 13 times more likely to have a positive ROI.
(HubSpot, Entrepreneur)
As they say, “Content is king.” An important aspect of building your personal brand is churning out high-quality and relatable blogs—or even other forms of content.
Creating highly engaging and accurate content will help people see that you’re an expert in your field, and they’re more than likely to trust you with whatever recommendations you give them.
Related Questions (FAQs)
What is the value of personal branding?
In today’s digital era where the average person’s attention span is getting shorter, making a good first impression is becoming increasingly important. You do this best by creating a memorable and solid brand identity.
What makes a strong personal brand?
There are certain traits that a strong personal brand must have. Firstly, you need to be viewed as an expert in the field. Secondly, you need to be able to spark interest and inspiration in others. Lastly, you need to present a story for your brand that is both compelling and unique.
Who needs personal branding?
You’d think that only C-suite executives and big companies need personal branding. But you’d be wrong. Even individuals need to have a brand that shows others who they are and what value they bring to their community. However, you’d probably need it most if you’re a freelancer, blogger, or influencer.
How can you use social media to build your personal brand?
Nearly everything is online these days, and that includes personal branding. To grow your reach and target your audience, you can increase awareness of your brand by fully updating your social media accounts, identifying your area of expertise, regularly posting content, and engaging with your audience.
What are the benefits of personal branding?
When you build a strong personal brand, people tend to trust you more because you are perceived as valuable and authentic. You’ll also be able to differentiate yourself from your competition and be a go-to person in your field. This means more opportunities come your way as a result of personal branding.
What are the disadvantages of personal branding?
Although there’s a lot to gain from personal branding, it also comes with potential risks. For example, being viewed as an expert in a particular niche can mean that you’ll find it hard to be known outside of it. Also, you might run the risk of overselling yourself.
Conclusion
So there you have it—the latest statistics on personal branding. If you want to beef up your own personal brand, or if you’re just curious about how other people are doing it, these numbers can help you get started.
We hope you found this blog post educational and thought-provoking. We know that personal branding is a huge part of your career, and we want to help you succeed.
We’ve covered personal branding statistics and how they can be applied to your business or career. We’ve also included some tips for making sure you’re getting the most out of these stats.
If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us! Don’t forget to share this article with your friends so they can learn about the latest trends in personal branding as well!
Thanks for reading!
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