I have written, commented, debated and argued numerous times on the idea that perception is reality, and vice versa, in reference to brand. Perception is closely tied to experience, and perception typically develops and changes over time based on the collective experiences (a.k.a. touch points) with a respective brand. A brand could be a product, organization, person or concept. Perhaps adding to this is the fact that trust and mutual respect are two key factors that play in how one perceives brand. The reason could be that these factors influence how comfortable you feel, and in order for someone to act they need to feel comfortable in doing so. In all of the experiences that you have had with a particular brand, how trusting have those experiences been? If you have engaged, using whichever communication method available, how would you rate the level of mutual respect?
Let’s Dive Deeper…
One of the things that I love doing is connecting with people, and connecting good people within my network to each other. Over the years I have noticed that the frequency of introductions and referrals that I make have declined as the online world grows. I am not saying that the online world has reduced the level of trust and mutual respect I have with my network. What I am saying is that the experiences that I have obtained using online communication have provided me with more information that I take into consideration. Perhaps I am taking longer to get to the place of feeling comfortable, where in the past this process happened more quickly. Maybe there is a positive correlation between volume of information and a slower process.
For the record, my interest in connecting people is still very strong, and this has not wavered whatsoever—it’s just something that I enjoy doing and take pride in doing, if it mutually benefits the people involved.
Experience
As I mentioned the collective experiences one has with a particular brand influences one’s perception of brand strength. Furthering the above section about people (i.e. personal brand) there are many different places where someone can obtain information through experience. Examples include in-person conversations, email exchanges, thought-leadership, projects and my favourite, online behaviour.
Complexities of Online Behavior
We live in a hyper-connected world that is fueled by online, particularly social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, LinkedIn, YouTube, blogs, Pinterest, Vine, Instagram, SnapChat and the list goes on. Accessibility to personal information via “profiles” is as easy as flipping on a light switch. Just ask Google.com and they’ll tell you they can find information on just about anything, and about anyone.
Online Experience Relating to Information Tid Bits
My experiences engaging with people via online channels are growing with time, and are a larger percentage of my communication experiences. As a result, the online world is playing a greater part in how I perceive someone, and ultimately how comfortable I would feel in introducing that person to other people within my broad network. The core factors of trust and mutual respect have not changed, but the highly complex nature of online communication is a greater influence.
So… perhaps we need to be more aware of what we are doing online, how we are behaving and what content we are publishing? Before you click on the next link to whatever it is, ask yourself how it’s going to influence the overall perception of you.
Originally published at: http://stratify.co/what-does-online-behavior-have-to-do-with-perception-of-personal-brand/