In a digital landscape that's ever-evolving, the lines between personal and corporate branding are increasingly blurred — and for members of the Gloucestershire business community, standing out online is no longer optional.
SoGlos meets with the founder of strategic marketing agency Rad.Digital, Zac Radbone, to explore why personal branding has become a priority in 2025, how social media platforms like LinkedIn have transformed and what Gloucestershire businesses can do to build lasting visibility and commercial momentum through authentic content.
Why is personal branding so important for founders, executives and SMEs to consider in 2025 – and how has the landscape of this area of marketing changed in the last five years?
Five years ago, personal branding wasn’t even on most people’s radar. It was seen as something niche — reserved for influencers or those dabbling at the fringes of social media. The emphasis was almost entirely on building corporate brands.
But everything shifted as social feeds — particularly LinkedIn — became saturated with adverts and generic company updates.
Algorithms began to favour engaging, story-led content over dry, corporate messaging. People want to connect with people. They want to see a face, hear a story and understand the mission behind the business.
In 2025, your personal brand is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ — it’s a differentiator. If your face, values and vision consistently appear in someone’s feed, you’re building familiarity, trust, and ultimately, buying intent.
The way people use LinkedIn and other social platforms is everchanging – what's working now in terms of building influence and visibility?
Right now, corporate jargon is falling flat. My generation — Gen Z — and younger millennials are switching off from anything that feels overly polished or impersonal.
What cuts through is authenticity: telling real stories, showing the highs and lows, and building a brand that genuinely feels human. It’s about documenting your journey, not simply broadcasting outcomes. People relate to vulnerability and growth.
If your content makes someone feel seen, understood or inspired, you’re on the right track.
Rad.Digital helps B2B businesses and their leaders break through online. What are the most underrated strategies companies should be using to generate demand through personal brand content?
One of the biggest missed opportunities is jumping straight into paid advertising without testing content organically first.
Social media now provides a real-time testing ground — something traditional advertising never allowed. You can post, engage, receive feedback and learn exactly what resonates with your audience before spending a penny. It’s the smartest way to de-risk your budget and double down on what works.
We always begin with organic content. Once we’ve found the right tone, message and offer — that’s when we scale.
How are paid social ads evolving in 2025, especially on LinkedIn – and how should companies be thinking differently about spend, creative and measurement?
Paid social in 2025 is no longer just about impressions or basic lead generation. It’s about full-funnel strategies.
You can now test messaging organically, retarget warm audiences based on content engagement and serve tailored adverts that speak directly to their level of awareness.
Measurement has matured too. It’s no longer just about clicks — you’re tracking video views, time on page, message replies and CRM-qualified leads.
Most importantly, the most effective LinkedIn ads now resemble high-quality content rather than traditional advertising. The line between brand building and demand generation has blurred — and that’s a positive shift.
What are some of the key challenges companies face when trying to get buy-in for personal brand investment – and how does Rad.Digital help overcome them?
The biggest hurdle is mindset. Many founders and leadership teams still see personal branding as a vanity project rather than a business asset. They’re used to investing in company-level marketing, not the individuals behind the business.
We help them reframe it: your face is your funnel. Buyers today are far more likely to engage with a founder’s post than with a company page.
Once we show the data — higher engagement, warmer leads, shorter sales cycles — the penny drops. We position personal branding as a revenue strategy, not merely a visibility exercise.
What emerging tools or trends are you most excited about when it comes to personal brand marketing, lead generation and multi-channel content creation?
I’m particularly excited about the evolution of full-funnel automation and the way integrations are transforming sales and marketing. You can now create journeys where your ideal clients see your content, engage with it, are retargeted with value-led messaging and progress through an intelligent, automated funnel — all before you’ve even had a conversation.
By the time you’re on a call, they already know who you are, what you offer and why they want to work with you. It’s incredibly powerful.
Businesses in this region need to move away from short-term tactics and start building long-term systems that work while they sleep.
Looking to the future, where do you see Rad.Digital in the next five years? What new initiatives or services are you excited to explore to further help businesses develop their personal brands?
I’m hugely excited about the launch of our new 90-Day LinkedIn Growth Engine — it’s the next evolution in how we help founders and business leaders build genuine authority online. It’s a done-for-you service, but we also coach you through the process and train you to run it yourself — so you’re not just getting quick wins, you’re developing a long-term asset.
Through the programme, we help you refine your positioning, craft a compelling offer, build a high-converting LinkedIn presence and implement a daily content and paid strategy that drives real pipeline — not just vanity metrics.
Looking ahead, I see Rad.Digital becoming the go-to growth partner for experts, CEOs and service-led businesses who want to turn their personal brand into their most valuable commercial channel. We’re building infrastructure, not just content — and that’s exactly where the market is heading.
For more information, visit rad.digital or connect with Zac Radbone via LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/zacradbone.
