I’ve talked before about the importance of cultivating thought leaders (and other types of enthusiastic cheerleaders) when it comes to establishing public trust in your brand. Why? Simply put, it’s because public trust is at a premium. When people are feeling anxiety in every arena of their lives — spending time and energy separating fact from “fake news” —  businesses aren’t immune from the epidemic of trust issues. In 2017, the Edelman Trust Barometer reported that 60% of people would put trust in “a person like themselves.” That means it’s just good business sense for companies to invest more in putting smart, relatable people out in the market to build public trust. For referral-based businesses, that trust  can mean the difference between bringing home the bacon — and finding you’ve got nothing to fry up in the pan.

Once upon a time, there was a company that encouraged their employees to go out in the world and talk about what they are passionate about. And they lived happily ever after. The end. 

True story. 

On Monday, July 24th, I had the pleasure of being the tweetchat expert for #contentchat (noon Mondays PST).  It's a chat run by Erika Heald, content strategist and super all-around awesome lady. It was all about how personal branding isn't just for individuals, but a way to help companies drive (and build!) thought leaders for their brand.