Build a Personal Brand and Elevate Your Team’s, Too

Highlights:

• Learn how to shape your online image and build a strong personal brand.
• Discover ways personal branding can grow your company and boost credibility.
• Get tips to equip your team to represent the brand with confidence.

When a company’s brand identity is clear, authentic, and consistent, they’re better equipped to build lasting relationships with their audience. One of the most powerful ways to do that is by telling the brand’s story through its strongest ambassadors: its team members. 

At Qantm Creative, we’ve seen firsthand how personal branding not only benefits individual employees but also elevates a company’s credibility, reach, and culture. We recently asked our team to reflect on what personal branding means to them and how it’s shaped their professional journeys, sparking conversations about authenticity, thought leadership, and the value of employee-generated content. Since these conversations helped us grow as individuals and as a team, we hope they can help you, too. 

Let’s Define It: What Is Personal Branding?

Ask marketers and creatives this question and you’ll get many different answers. However, they all circle a similar truth: personal branding is: 

• How you choose to show up in the world, and 
• What the world says about you when you’re not around.

Our Senior Digital Specialist, Jadea Harvey, boiled it down to “how you are perceived.” For our Chief Creative Officer, EJ Toudt, it’s about “showing up as my real self — sharing what I’m good at, what I care about, and what makes me, me.”

Whether you view your personal brand as a digital portfolio, a reputation, or a pathway for connection, one thing is clear: it is forming whether you’re intentionally shaping it or not. 

Personal Branding Pays Off – For You and Your Company

When team members intentionally share their expertise, insights, and experiences online, the ripple effects go far beyond post engagement. It can:

• Build professional confidence
• Boost visibility in your industry
• Open doors to new opportunities
• Strengthen connections inside and outside the company
• Expand valuable networks

Turning individual growth into collective impact. Sharing expertise, perspectives, or even small wins can open doors and foster true, authentic connection. “It’s not just personal growth, it’s building community,” says Lauren Clark, Account Manager. “I’ve had valuable conversations and connections come from simply sharing wins and insights on LinkedIn.”

“When a company is full of professionals who brand themselves in a positive light, more people will be drawn to the company and want to work with or for them,” says Media Coordinator Gina Mancuso.

How Companies Can Support Personal Branding

Rather than micro-managing team members’ personal brands, focus on fostering a culture where individuality is encouraged and modeled. 

At Qantm Creative, we:

• Provide the right tools – We give team members updated headshots, branded templates, and post prompts so they feel confident showing up online. Company-wide emails also share LinkedIn content ideas with suggested tone and visuals.
• Lead by example –  Our executives stay active online and in the community, setting the tone and inspiring the team to engage authentically.
• Encourage creative freedom –  We make space for team members to share their voice and perspective, beyond press releases or heavily branded content.

• Recognize and celebrate contributions – We give sincere public praise for thought leadership and expertise.

By embedding these practices into your company culture, you give people both the tools and the permission to consistently show up as themselves and positively represent the brand with confidence. 

Tips For Building Your Personal Brand (From Real People Doing It)

Whether you’re well-versed in personal branding, just starting, or are a company executive looking for advice to motivate your team members, here are tips directly from the Qantm team:

“You don’t get better by waiting for perfect conditions,” says Abby Smith, Manager of Strategy & Growth. “Show up, post, and engage.”

“Don’t just post – connect,” EJ adds. “Share your process, your perspective, and even your flops. Think of it as a living portfolio that builds trust.”

“You don’t need to post every week or be a thought leader right away,” says Lauren. “Just begin by sharing what you’re learning, what you’re proud of, or even what you’re curious about.”

Final Thoughts: Personal Brands, Real Impact

Personal branding is a visibility strategy, a trust builder, and a community connector for both individuals and companies. Showing up as our full selves online has sparked conversations, built credibility, and created opportunities for ourselves and the company that we might never have had otherwise.

Whether you’re an executive looking to empower your team, or you are an individual wondering if it’s time to post that idea you’ve been sitting on, we hope this inspired you to take the next step.

If you’re not sure where to start, contact us at Qantm Creative. We’re ready to guide you through a deeper process to define your brand, identity, and voice. However you take your first step, start small, show up, and watch the impact grow.

Written by Hannah Halloran, Digital Marketing Specialist