Employee Advocacy, Personal Branding, and Employer Attractiveness in the Digital Era: An integrative conceptual Framework

Résumé

Abstract

In the digital era, organizations are increasingly relying on employee-generated communication to shape their employer brand image. This study proposes an integrative conceptual framework that examines the relationships between personal branding, employee advocacy, and employer brand attractiveness, while accounting for the moderating role of social media use. Drawing on Social Identity Theory, identity expressiveness theory and Social Exchange Theory, it argues that employees who actively develop their personal brand enhance their visibility, credibility, and professional image, which motivates them to engage in promotional behaviors that benefit their organization. These promotional behaviors, in turn, influence the organization’s external image and strengthen the appeal of the employer brand, defined as the perceived benefits of working for a given organization. Furthermore, this theoretical framework suggests that the use of social media strengthens these ties by providing a platform through which employees can express both their personal identity and organizational identity, and reach a wider audience. Methodologically, this study adopts a theory-based integrative literature review relying on a structured analysis of prior research in the fields of organizational behavior, communication, and employer branding. By integrating previously fragmented lines of research, this study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of employee advocacy as a key mediating mechanism and the use of social media as a contextual moderator in the relationship between personal branding and employer brand attractiveness. The study concludes that personal branding positively influences employee advocacy, which in turn strengthens employer brand attractiveness, while social media use amplifies these relationships in digital environments.From a managerial perspective, it emphasizes the importance of empowering employees to act as agents of strategic communication in order to enhance the organization’s appeal in competitive labor markets.

Keywords : Personal branding, Employee advocacy, Employer brand attractiveness,Social media use.