Personal Branding is becoming an absolute must-have for anyone looking to advance in their career or position themselves as a thought leader in the industry. Many experts have shared their tips and tricks on how we establish credible brands, but few have led us through their lessons learned.
It is said that one of the best ways to get ahead is by learning from the mistakes of others, so here is a list of some of the mistakes people make as they seek to establish their personal brands.
- Being Self-UNawareStatistics indicate that 95% of people believe they are self-aware, yet the real number lies between 12% to 15%. Self-awareness is the extent to which one is yet to figure out their why, where, who or what. The where defines the vision to the end goal, the why aligns with this vision with one's purpose, the who speaks to the audience one seeks to engage, and the what defines the content pillars one would like to be known for. When these W’s are not clearly defined, then there is a high likelihood of having a brand tragedy story in the future. Answering these questions is equivalent to building the foundation of your personal brand; and the stronger your foundation, the more stable the brand will be. Personal Branding takes more than just showing up online and posting content, having a solid plan that is guided by your vision easily establishes it for the long run and to its ideal customer audience.
- Being inconsistently consistentConsistency is the answer to success in life. A quote by John Maxwell says, “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements gained slowly over time.”To fail in personal branding is as unassuming as making your New Year’s resolutions only to abandon ship by the second month. Consistent effort ensures the best results in everything in life, be it school, work, gym, business, and so on.Those who start with so much intensity and later dip to no activity, usually end up with little to no results while those who take up small actions towards their goals look back to a very different person over the same period.When it comes to personal branding, the small actions that yield great results over time include sharing valuable content socially, engaging in community-based activities, taking up high-visibility projects in the workplace, and so on. So don’t be inconsistently consistent, be consistently consistent.
- Seeking quantity over qualityIt is easy to get discouraged when the engagements in your online posts/shares do not yield as highly as the already established thought leaders in your industry, to this I say…. Be Your Own Cheerleader.We all want to have a huge following of people behind us, but this is not always going to be the case, especially at the onset. However, this does not mean that the little engagement you get with your content is not valuable to those who seek it.Appreciate that the small number of impressions on your posts, can easily to equated to being in a room full of people of similar magnitude listening in on your conversation. And just like in any other audience out there, there will always be a few silent followers who may be intrigued by your content but will never raise their hand or show any reaction.Focus on having the right people in your network. If you have the right people in your network, the impact you are making is much more than you realize.
- Reluctance to network with the online communitySocial media is one big networking platform, and this means that to build your brand, you MUST build your networks.Can you imagine going to a networking cocktail and sitting by the sidelines, watching from the shadows as the party is happening? No talking to others, no interacting, no nothing! How boring would that be? And guess what, chances are high that the other partygoers will label you as the strange guy who came to the party and never spoke to anyone!So, if you are not willing to be labeled the ‘weirdo lurking by the corner’ at a real networking event, why then would you just lurk in the shadows while in the online world?Get into people's posts and comments, ask questions, offer valuable insights, and so on. There is got to be something of value you can offer. Share it and grow your network.
- Battling the hatersOccasionally, you will bump into people who will want to rattle your efforts; do not allow this negativity to discourage your resolve to grow and share your learnings with others.Taking a hard stance and reacting negatively is just as damaging to your personal brand as doing nothing. Should such a scenario arise, understand that it is okay to have a difference in opinion with others and that each of the different opinions shared are just as valid as your own opinions.It is important to remember that as your brand starts to grow, you will attract audiences that not only look up to you but also those who despise what you do. How you manage your reactions is what matters.Should you genuinely make a mistake, acknowledge the error made, apologize for the mistake, and allow the audience to express their concerns. After all, to err is human and we are all human.
Have you observed any of these mistakes in your personal branding journey? Mistakes if not well managed can lead to regrets later in life.
Learn from others and #standout4growth.
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