Choosing the Face of Your Company

Businesses are by nature impersonal, but the most successful companies are those that don’t feel impersonal to their customers. The easiest way to bring a human connection to your brand is by choosing a member of your team to be the “face” of your company. That person should embody your company’s core values, mission, and ethos, since he or she will be your brand’s connection to the outside world. Here are a few factors to consider when selecting a team member to be the “face” of your company.

What is the “Face” of a Company?

The person you choose to be the “face” of your company is the bridge to the outside world. He or she is the key media contact, and it’s this person’s responsibility to communicate the brand message to all stakeholders, including current and potential customers, media outlets, strategic partners, and investors. Therefore, the spokesperson must be a passionate and thoughtful communicator, as well as a brand crusader. 

Your company spokesperson represents the views, feelings, and message of your brand. He or she sets the tone for the company by working in tandem with all the partners to ensure a unified, agreed-upon public message. From a PR standpoint, he or she must also reflect the voice of the outside world. The spokesperson’s feedback and perspective will be useful for the company when creating a brand strategy, positioning the company in the marketplace, releasing media messages, building and maintaining productive relationships with strategic partners, and championing the company’s brand, products, services, and values to the world.

Consider Personality Types

With the right media training, just about anyone can learn how to communicate effectively and project your company values to the outside world. But if you examine team members’ personalities, you’ll notice that some people are more naturally suited to being the face of your company.

A key component of good management is allowing people to do the work that plays to their strengths. Someone who enjoys talking to new people, building relationships, and communicating with the media is already leaning in the right direction to become the public’s direct connection to your business. For example, my business partner, Chris, is amazing at working with technology and developing our company strategy, but I enjoy actually interpreting our strategy for the world at large. Naturally, it made sense for me to fulfill the role of the “face” of our company. This partnership allows us each to do what we do best.

Look for Passion

One key responsibility of the company spokesperson is to be an evangelist for your company. It’s that person’s job to spread your message and convert others, so he or she should be at the very heart of the company and be wildly passionate about communicating your brand message to the world. The founding team is a good place to find the face of your company because those are the people who eat, sleep, and breathe your company ethos, and they are generally the best equipped to “sell” the brand and convert others into raving fans.

Choosing a passionate brand communicator to be the face of your company can bring a human connection to an otherwise impersonal business transaction. He or she can reflect your brand message and values to the outside world. Select a person who understands what your brand stands for — and who loves your company enough to shout it from the rooftops.