Latest technological advancements shape brand management. The creation, development, and management of a personal brand were discussed at the networking meeting at MIM-Kyiv. Natalia Bukhalova, director of the Ukrainian Marketing Group and MIM-Kyiv visiting professor, Oksana Bailo, co-founder and managing partner of the Execus Ukraine, the exclusive representative of the LinkedIn in Ukraine, and Yaroslav Vedmid, founder and strategist of the Postmen, a creative digital agency shared their experience in handling the personal brand.

Natalia Bukhalova

•       Why do we need a personal brand? There is more than one reason: better revenues, better clients, better partnerships, etc. In my opinion, the most attractive thing about the brand is to stand out and to lead;
•       What do all personal brands have in common? You say only 2 – 3 words and everyone knows who you are talking about. Such notoriety is well-monetized as well. No monetization, no brand;
•       Popularity or brand awareness. Does everyone know your name and how you look? If people are talking about you after you leave the room you have a reputation. Develop, upgrade and manage it;
•       Values and authenticity are critical. Lies and shallowness ruin brands;
•       Your brand is about your impact on other people without your being present.

Oksana Bailo

•       LinkedIn is the #1 professional network globally and that’s why it is a good instrument for personal brand development. In Ukraine the situation is different. Facebook is still our dominant social network. We use it for professional, social, and political contacts. However, if we are talking about cross-border personal brand development and career advancement, LinkedIn is the most widely used instrument;
•       800 million people are using LinkedIn currently. It is not so many as Facebook has. But it is huge in the professional and business world. In the pandemic, the number of users went up by 40%. 25 million people joined the network in the last quarter. Every third professional is on LinkedIn. 13% of them do not have Facebook accounts. Brand management wise it is your target audience.
•       Content management is the latest in LinkedIn algorithms. Contacting and socializing with those who you are interested in is possible and worth doing in the network.

Yaroslav Vedmid

•       In my opinion, standing out is why we need a personal brand. It helps us to differentiate and communicate, and pull out many interesting things;
•       Your brand is not likely to be the only one. You need to identify and handle your audience. You ought to communicate all the time with your audience so, do not overstretch out.
•       Take care of your “tribe.” Even small groups can effectively disseminate good news. So, do not leave your audience alone and keep your focus;
•       Strategy is the name of the game. We are acting under uncertainty and many things that seem current now is outdated. Think in terms of the future if you want your brand to stay relevant.