13 Personal Branding Mistakes

There is a right way for building a personal brand, and there is a wrong way. Watch out for the following traps on the wrong road to personal branding. Today we look at how to avoid the common mistakes in personal branding efforts.

1 – Insularity

Insularity is the state of being isolated or detached. It means being lost in your own little world; not paying attention to what others are doing. You are part of a dynamic world; you cannot afford to ignore what is happening in the world around you.

Learn from others who are better than you. Learn to avoid the mistakes of others too. As a blogger, I cannot afford to be insular. I have to constantly understand the environment within which I work. My readers visit other sites and blogs too. That is the reality. I have to constantly visit those blogs too to know what is out there.

2 – Inconsistency

Powerful brands are consistent. Coke tastes the same world over. McDonalds Restaurants have the same quality of service (with minor localization options) worldwide.

Avoid the temptation to flip from one extreme to another. Be consistent in the message you send to the world through your words, appearance or actions.

For this blog to become a powerful brand, I have to stay on course with my stated mission of inspiring you to be the best you can be. I cannot suddenly start writing about politics or pornography and expect to retain my audience and brand image.

3 – Ambiguity

Powerful brands are specific in what they bring to the table. The clearer you are about what your brand is about, the more powerful it will be. Be clear about the message you send to others about your personal brand. If you cannot describe your personal brand in a few words, others won’t be able to either.

4 – Ignorance

Ignorance is not a valid defense in a court of law. Neither is it a valid defense in the court of public opinion. Find all you need to find about personal branding. The more actionable information you have, the more likely you are to build a strong brand.

Be aware of your online reputation. What you post on the internet is never really deleted. It can come back to haunt you in 20 years when you are running for president. Be aware of what others are saying about you online by using web monitoring tools such as Google Alerts.

5 – Stagnation

You may read a personal development book or blog and feel really pumped up to make positive changes in your life. For a few days you may step up your game and make some changes. Then you stop. You are not alone. Many people get a spike of motivation and inspiration then stagnate. Stagnation is a personal brand killer.

In a dynamic society that we live in, you should seek to constantly improve your personal brand. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you may have heard me talk about Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese management philosophy that can be applied to many aspects of life. It means making small continuous improvements instead of stagnating.

6 – Self Limiting Beliefs

You can only achieve as much as you think you can. You will face external obstacles in your personal branding efforts. Do not add to the obstacles through your own self limiting beliefs.

Believe that you are capable of building a powerful personal brand. It does not matter if you are black or white, young or old. It does not matter if you have a degree or not, or whether you are charismatic or not. You can always find an angle that suits you and exploit it with good effect.

7 – Asking the Wrong Question

The kind of questions you ask yourself will determine the kind of answers you get. Ask questions such as “How can I be a more valuable member of my team?” or “How can I achieve financial freedom?”

Ask empowering questions instead of questions that create self doubt. If you keep asking yourself the same questions, you will get the same answers you have always got. If you want to get different results, step back from your situation and ask different questions.

8 – Expecting Instant Results

Many people want to be overnight millionaires. They want to have instant personal brands. It does not quite work that way. Instead, find something that you love and stick with it for the long haul.

Overnight success may take 15 years of preparation. Building a good reputation, a business, a career, a relationship takes time. Be prepared to put in the hard work for extended period of time. Many people expect instant results. Differentiate yourself by setting yourself up for the long haul. Strive to be a long distance runner not a sprinter when it comes to personal branding.

9 – Lack of Preparation

90 minutes of an elite soccer game is preceded by thousands of hours of preparation. 90 minutes of a movie is preceded by thousands of hours of footage. Be prepared to put in the hours required to build a personal brand. Prepare meticulously for the crowning moment of your personal brand.

10 – Lack of a Story

Every powerful personal brand has a back story that is repeated over and over. What is your story?

Bill Gates story says that he was a smart kid in school who reluctantly gave up college education to pursue his software empire dream. Barack Obama made sure he told his back story over and over before he ran for president. He even wrote a book called “Dreams of My Father” to tell his back story. Almost every voter knew Obama’s roots before they cast their ballots. It was not accidental; it was all part of personal branding.

11 – Impulse Branding

It may be OK to impulsively buy gum at a supermarket checkout but it is not OK to impulsively build your personal brand. Think through the kind of personal brand you want to create. Exercise due diligence; Do not blindly copy others. Chart your own path.

12 – Part-time Personal Branding

Be vigilant about protecting your personal brand even when nobody is watching. Make personal branding a full-time job. Doing the right thing only when others are watching is a surefire way to court personal branding disasters.

13 – First Impressions Disasters

You do not need a second chance to make a first impression. The kind of first impression you make can last a life time. It is almost impossible to change disastrous first impressions. Pay extra attention every time you have to make a first impression. Bad first impressions leave a permanent stain on an otherwise bright personal brand.

Summary

We have explored common mistakes that pave the road to bad personal branding. We have also looked at how to avoid those mistakes.

I would love to hear your comments on what other mistakes stand in the way of personal branding and how they can be avoided. Your comments are most welcome.

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