Exploring personal branding determinants and pro-social organizational behaviors of employee influencers on LinkedIn

Abstract

Purpose Within social media networks, a new form of influencers is emerging in the form of employee influencers. The development of social media platform creator tools allows companies to identify potential employee influencers for campaigns. It is not understood, though if employee influencers use personal branding to their advantage, like mainstream influencers. Design/methodology/approach The study analyzes 362 profiles of employees at a British pharmaceutical company using multinomial logistic regression to explore the predictability of employee influencer activity and pro-social organizational behavior based on personal branding. Findings Our findings show personal branding is likely to predict employee influencer activity. We also found that personal branding can predict pro-social behavior toward other employees. Research limitations/implications Certain elements of personal branding, in conjunction with reach, relevance and resonance, can help organizations to select employee influencers to integrate into influencer marketing campaigns. Practical implications Organizations need to consider which criteria are most effective when selecting employee influencers to integrate into influencer marketing campaigns. Originality/value This research contributes to our understanding of employee influencers' online personal branding habits and how to identify potential “employee influencers”.