How to Build a Personal Brand that Outperforms Your Corporate Page

  • Thomas ConnorsMarch 28, 2025
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  • Build Personal Brands That Outshine Corporate Pages

    Whether you're a Chief Marketing Officer or a Social Media Manager, you’ve likely noticed the declining relevance of corporate pages.

    Why? Because people trust people.

    This is especially true in B2B industries, where 76% of consumers say they trust brands whose leadership is active on social media.

    Building a personal brand is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity for business professionals looking to maximize their influence and drive success.

    Executives with strong personal brands, like Yamini Rangan (CEO of HubSpot) and Mary Barra (CEO of General Motors), consistently outperform corporate pages in reach, engagement, and trust-building.

    Their authentic, human-centered content resonates with audiences in ways company-branded posts simply can’t.

    This blog explores why personal brands are eclipsing corporate pages and provides actionable steps to build a personal brand that outperforms your company's marketing efforts.

    You’ll also discover how tools like Exec Comms can streamline and amplify your personal branding strategy.

    Why Corporate Pages are Losing Relevance

    Corporate pages once reigned supreme, but their influence is waning.

    While they serve as essential communication channels, they lack the authenticity required to compete in today’s trust-driven social landscape.

    Lower Reach and Engagement

    Social platforms like LinkedIn prioritize personal profiles over corporate accounts. Posts from individuals generate 5–10x higher engagement rates than those from organizational pages.

    Pair this with the data showing posts from personal profiles deliver 2x higher click-through rates (CTR), and it’s clear why the spotlight is shifting toward employees and executives.

    Lack of Authenticity

    Corporate posts are often perceived as polished but impersonal. While companies aim to promote their products, services, or milestones, audiences crave genuine human connections—not sales pitches.

    A personal brand humanizes these efforts, bringing real experiences, insights, and stories into the conversation.

    Corporate Pages Don’t Start Conversations

    Corporate pages are built to broadcast, not engage.

    Rarely, if ever, do they spark meaningful dialogue. Personal brands, however, enable professionals to actively participate in industry discussions, contributing to thought leadership and fostering deeper engagement.

    If your business is still relying heavily on corporate page content, you’re missing critical opportunities for authentic engagement and influence.

    The Business Case for Building a Personal Brand

    Building a personal brand is more than just a vanity project; it’s a strategic investment in business growth. From lead generation to improving customer relationships, the benefits are tangible and measurable.

    Builds Authentic Relationships

    People connect with people, not logos.

    Executives and employees with strong personal brands foster trust by being approachable and relatable.

    When you share insights, lessons, and authentic experiences, your audience feels like they’re hearing from someone who understands their needs and whose values may align with their own.

    Influences Buying Decisions

    Many B2B buyers and decision-makers research company executives before closing deals. Personal brands provide an avenue for industry leaders to establish credibility, share expertise, and build trust—all factors that influence purchasing decisions.

    Creates Brand Advocates Within Your Company

    Employee and leadership-driven content can outperform traditional corporate posts by a wide margin.

    When team members are equipped to build their brands, they create a distributed marketing network, amplifying your organization’s message in an authentic and trustworthy way.

    Real-World Example

    HubSpot, a leader in B2B SaaS marketing, offers a perfect case study. Yamini Rangan (CEO) and Dharmesh Shah (Co-Founder) actively share thought leadership, personal anecdotes, and insights on LinkedIn. Their posts consistently outperform HubSpot’s corporate content, driving visibility, thought leadership, and new leads.

    Personal brands transform executives and employees into your most valuable marketing assets.

    How to Build a Personal Brand That Outperforms Your Corporate Page

    Building an impactful personal brand requires intention, strategy, and consistency. Here’s how to get started:

    Step 1: Define Your Personal Brand Strategy

    Clarify Your Pillars

    Identify key themes or pillars for your content. These should align with your company’s mission while reflecting your personal expertise and values. For example:

    • Industry insights and emerging trends.
    • Lessons learned from personal or business challenges.
    • Perspectives on competitive and partner strategies.

    Create a Consistent Narrative

    Your personal brand should tell a cohesive story. Use storytelling to humanize your expertise and show authenticity in your posts.

    Step 2: Engage in Industry Conversations

    Comment on Key Opinion Leaders' (KOLs) Posts

    Identify thought leaders in your industry and engage with their content. Contributing meaningful insights or questions to their posts increases your visibility among their audience.

    Stay Relevant

    Proactively join discussions on trending topics, ensuring your voice is part of the broader industry narrative.

    Exec Comms Insight

    Exec Comms can provide analytics to help you identify influencers, trending conversations, and where your voice can have the greatest impact.

    Step 3: Create High-Impact Content

    Balance Value and Authenticity

    Leverage a diverse mix of content types, such as:

    • Expert Takes – Share your perspective on industry challenges or trends.
    • Personal Wins and Failures – Showcase humanity and connect authentically with your audience.
    • Employee Spotlights – Highlight team achievements to demonstrate leadership and build rapport.

    Leverage Tools Like Exec Comms

    Exec Comms helps you curate timely, relevant industry content while ensuring messaging aligns with your brand pillars.

    Step 4: Scale Your Presence with Consistent Engagement

    Be Consistent

    Posting 2–3 times weekly helps establish credibility and build an audience over time. More critically, consistency ensures you remain visible in your network.

    Collaborate with Your Team

    Encourage cross-engagement among team members, such as liking and commenting on each other’s posts, to organically extend your reach.

    Exec Comms Advantage

    Exec Comms helps automate publishing, engagement tracking, and content suggestions to keep your visibility and relevance high over the long term.

    Why Exec Comms is a Critical Tool for Building Personal Brands

    Building a personal brand can be time-consuming, but tools like Exec Comms streamline and scale the process. Here’s how it can help:

    Identify Key Opportunities

    Exec Comms pinpoints influential leaders, trending conversations, and audiences to engage with, giving you a roadmap to establish credibility.

    Create Expert-Backed Content

    Exec Comms generates authentic, thought-provoking content and surfaces the insights your audience is searching for.

    Optimize Engagement

    By recommending the best times to post and engage, Exec Comms maximizes visibility and reach while minimizing manual effort.

    Build Long-Term Credibility

    Exec Comms ensures you stay consistently visible, helping to cultivate trust, engagement, and influence over time.

    Your Personal Brand is the New Corporate Powerhouse

    Today, marketing success is no longer driven solely by corporate campaigns. The true power lies in personal connections. Building strong personal brands among executives and employees is a proven strategy to boost trust, engagement, and business growth.

    Are you ready to help your organization evolve its social strategy with personal branding? Explore how Exec Comms can help your leadership team create impactful, high-performing personal brands that drive business results.

    Curious to learn more? Contact us today and see how Exec Comms can transform your personal branding efforts.

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