Building a strong personal brand is essential for success in today’s world and is the future of business. However with every good thing, there is always a potential downside. Be aware of the five mistakes listed below, and you’ll be better equipped to build your personal brand in a way that will help influence your ability to attract the clients you want and achieve your goals faster.
Your Personal Brand is the Business of You
Meaning you cannot have a thriving personal brand if you are showing up as a fake version of yourself.
People can spot someone who is ingenuine from a mile away. If you’re trying to be someone you’re not, your audience will see right through you. They try to copy what others are doing but that is always a losing strategy. Be yourself, own who you are, and you will win.
I once knew someone who was trying to build a personal brand as a social media expert. But he wasn’t really that knowledgeable about social media. He was just trying to make a quick buck. As a result, he never gained the traction necessary due to a lack of skill to build a reputable personal brand.
Here’s the deal. If you’re not showing up as who you really are,people will be able to tell just like they can tell when a cat is trying to pretend to be a dog. (Cats don’t make very good dogs.)
Treat Your Personal Brand Like It’s Your Lifeline
A personal brand is built over time, and it takes consistent effort to maintain. If you’re only active online when you feel like it, your audience will lose interest. Make a plan for how you’re going to engage with your audience on a regular basis, and stick to it.
Imagine you’re trying to lose weight. You start by going to the gym every day and eating healthy meals. But after a few weeks, you start to get discouraged. You skip a few workouts and eat a few cheat meals. Eventually, you give up altogether.
You can’t expect results for the work you haven’t done.
Focus Your Personal Brand To Serve More People
If you’re trying to be everything to everyone, you’ll end up being nothing to no one. Choose a problem to solve that you’re passionate about, and focus your efforts on building your expertise in that area. If you’re not sure on where to start with your personal brand, request a free brand strategy call here.
Many people struggle with this idea because they resist being put in a box. But when people are looking for an expert and want to work with the best in the field, they aren’t looking for someone who can speak on and offer 35 different things. They want someone who is focused and known for the topic they are needing help with.
Share Your Personal Brand Everywhere You Go
Personal branding is all about connecting with people. If you’re not active on social media, or if you’re not interacting with your audience on a regular basis, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. You don’t have to love social media to be effective at it. You don’t have to be an extrovert to build a solid network. It takes intentionality and commitment. The easiest way to do this is to create a schedule for relationship building time each week, share it with an accountability partner, and stick to it!
Know The Unique Value of Your Personal Brand
What makes you different from everyone else? What unique value do you offer? If you can’t answer these questions, your audience won’t be able to see the value in your personal brand. One quick tip to help you start crafting your value prop is to create a list of payoffs + benefits that someone experiences through their work with you.
So there you have it, the five usual suspects that sabotage personal brands. They may seem simple, but they are ones that show up over and over again in people’s personal brand journeys.
