While everyone talks about how important it is to build a personal brand, no one talks about the sweat and blood that goes behind it. Everyone gives examples of influencers and celebrities stating that how building a brand helped them in their personal life and career. But no one ever talks about the hardships they faced, the blunders they might have made in the process. But we all learn from mistakes in life and move forward.
This blog talks about the top 10 personal branding mistakes people either make or are advised by well-meaning friends and well-wishers and here is how you can dodge them:
1. Fake it till you make it
How many times have you heard this? Probably right from your college times. When you try to copy someone or be like someone, you will not have your heart and soul in it and it surely spells disaster. Your audience can sniff that you are being inauthentic and it may even backfire. Correcting it will take more time. When you try to brand yourself, it should reflect your genuine skills, interests, and personality. Reflect what makes you unique and showcase it and it will attract the right audience. But if you have made a mistake, it’s a learning curve for you and there are ways of fixing branding errors.
So instead of fake it till you make it, why not “FACE it till you ACE it”.
2. Being a one-man (or woman) army
When it comes to personal branding it isn’t about showcasing how you can do it all single-handedly. Personal branding is all about building relationships in the long term and fostering genuine connections. Ask for help when needed and help in turn. Celebrate success jointly. It helps showcasing that you genuinely care.
Ensure that you actively interact with your audience. Join relevant online communities, respond to comments and answer questions. Personal branding is always a two-way street. Give before you receive.
3. The disappearing act
Can’t emphasize it enough. Consistency, consistency, consistency… Posting once and disappearing for a couple of months and bombarding your audience with multiple random posts to make up for lost time makes you unreliable.
Simplify things by creating a content calendar and just stick to it come what may. Even if it’s just twice a week, be consistent about it. It shows you’re dedicated and your audience feels engaged. Just keep in mind, lack of consistency shows and so also consistency.
4. Targeting the wrong audience
Just imagine trying to sell surfboards in a desert. People would consider you mad right. The same principle applies for personal branding. Before you dive into building your personal brand, make sure you define your target audience. Once you know who is your target audience, you can tailor your content as per their needs and interests. This way, your content will resonate with them.
Always better to conduct audience research beforehand. Identify their problems and how do you plan to address their problems with your content.
5. The all-in-one storyteller
When there is lack of clarity and you try to be everything to everyone, no one understands what you want to say and you will not be able to connect with anyone. After you identify your target audience, work on your messaging. What is that you want to convey? Having a clear message is vital. Do you want to showcase yourself as a creative person, a data wizard or a productivity guru? Trying to be everything to everyone is a sure shot recipe for disaster. Focus on a specific niche and build your brand around it.
It helps to develop a clear concise brand message. Identify the value that you are going to provide to your audience? Once you identify your niche, continuously refine your content.
6. The perfectionist procrastinator
For those bitten by the perfectionist bug, you will have to wait till eternity. This way you are going to get frustrated. Just get started and keep refining as you progress. This way you will get feedback from the audience too and you can continuously get better at it. Trying to make it perfect may make you outdated.
Not creating content consistently or ignoring feedback won’t help. No one is going to penalise you; everyone learns as they go.
7. The social media snob
In today’s age social media can make or break you. It’s a very powerful tool for connecting with your audience. But, don’t use social media only for personal promotion every single time without value addition as it will make you look self-centred.
First add value. Join theconversation. Create as well as share valuable content from others, and offer insights in your area of expertise. This way others become your brand ambassadors.
8. The disappearing act offline
While we do most of the things online, it doesn’t mean that you avoid personal face-to-face networking. The human connection still counts. Make it a point to attend industry events, volunteer your skills, and connect with people face-to-face.
Identify and actively participate in offline opportunities such as speaking engagements, workshops, or local meetups can help expand your reach and build stronger connections.
9. Fear of feedback
It’s true that criticism hurts, butconstructive feedback is a gift. And should never be ignored. Reflecting on constructive criticism can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your brand message.
Try to be open to feedback – both positive and negative. Do not take negative feedback to heart. Always use it as a learning opportunity to refine your brand and for a better connect with your audience.
10. Giving up too soon
Personal brand building is not an overnight success story. It takes time, patience and dedication. No one ever got it right in the first instance. So do not get discouraged if you can’t see the results overnight. Just be consistent in creating valuable content, and keep engaging with your audience cheerfully, and keep refining your message. Do not check the statistics multiple times a day. The growth will happen slowly.
Bonus Tips
Here are a couple of bonus points on how to avoid personal branding blunders:
The copycat
While we all admire successfully brands, blindly copying them won’t help. The brands that are successfully are so because of well-thought-out strategy done consistently over time. Lack of strategy will lead to lack of engagement. Take inspiration and analyze their strategy and pick-up points that might be useful to you and devise your own strategy with a unique voice. Your audience is not looking for a copied perspective, they are looking for something unique!
The oversharer
Striking therightbalance is the key. No one is interested in knowing every minute detail. Know where to draw the line. Do not overshare. Sharing too much information can earn you the label of being spammy and alienate your audience.
The bridge burner
As they say, be careful not to burn bridges, you just might need to cross back. It applies both online and offline. Even when you disagree with someone, do it respectfully. Once you post something online, it will be there till eternity and you never know, when it can come back to haunt you.
Building a strong personal brand is a journey, not a destination.
Follow the tips shared in this blog diligently, learn from your mistakes, be open to feedback and you will have brand to be proud of!
Additionally, you can refer to this interesting article by Forbes – 3 personal branding traps to avoid
Here are other blogs from the same author about personal branding:
The What, The Why & The How of Personal Branding (prolinkedin.com)
6 Dos and Don’ts of Personal Branding For Founders (prolinkedin.com)
Personal Branding For Women (prolinkedin.com)
8 Powerful Strategies to Monetize Your Personal Brand (prolinkedin.com)