There’s an old adage that goes, “People do business with people they know, like, and trust.” I repeat, people buy from people – always have, always will. Not brands, not businesses… people. So how do you get your audience to know, like and trust you online?
Today you only have one chance at a first impression, and in today’s world that’s your online presence. What it takes is building your brand to stand out from the crowd and establish credibility and trust right off the bat. A lot of our clients run into the issue of managing their personal brand versus their company brand. The truth is, today you really can’t keep either in isolation.
Sometimes the best way is to learn from mistakes. Watermelon Social, a personal branding and social selling agency we work with can easily name 100 of these mistakes. Yikes, right? We’ve distilled the top 7 we find most relevant to help our clients avoid.
Top 7 Personal Branding Mistakes
Mistake #1: NOT KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE
Don’t be everything to everyone! By knowing your audience, you can communicate effectively in a way that resonates, motivates action and gets shared.
Mistake #2: NO CLEAR STRATEGY
Develop a game plan with specific goals and benchmarks to measure. Don’t get tied up in busy work. Take deliberate actions to further your goals. All efforts should be focused, clear and directly aligned with building your personal branding message.
Mistake #3: NOT PITCH READY
An average attention span lasts 8.2 seconds. Be ready for when the opportunity comes. Get yourself pitch perfect to deliver your message with a powerful and sticky punch.
Mistake #4: TOO SHY OR HUMBLE
LinkedIn members that include skills get 13X more profile views than those who don’t. So don’t be afraid to get out there and share what you have to offer.
Mistake #5: TOO FAKE, TOO PERSONAL OR ALL ABOUT ME ME ME!
Never be someone you’re not just to get noticed. Avoid over-selling yourself or promoting something irrelevant or misaligned with who you are. Focus on providing value and showcase your personality.
Mistake #6: NOT PROACTIVE OR CONSISTENT
Personal branding doesn’t happen overnight. Make sure all your communications are consistent to reinforce your brand. You should constantly reinforce your message and add value through every point of contact. Deliver, deliver, deliver with consistency to build trust with your audience.
Mistake #7: MISSING A BRAND PROMISE
Lead with a benefit to your audience that delivers unique value. By doing so you not only set yourself apart from the competition, but you also make an impression that sticks.
Curious to learn more?
Cheers,
Kei Matsuyama
Chief Growth Officer @digitalrush