A management expert and author of repute Tom Peters opines, “We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer of a brand called You.”
The competitive scenario in which we happen to live, demands us to articulate our skills, experience, knowledge, and overall worth to the target audience in an appealing manner. This is the essence of personal branding. However, our strategies aimed at making ourselves stand out are often prone to fallacy and hence can backfire at times. Thereby, we have come up with a list of things that we should refrain while creating a personal brand. Go on reading and get enlightened.
Do not be fake
The edifice of personal branding rests upon the platform of authenticity. You need to be your real self, else, people would soon figure out. At times, people try to imitate others to impress the target audience, which is neither desirable nor acceptable. You cannot fool everyone every time and cult figures like Milli Vanilli, Rosie Ruiz and Lance Armstrong learnt it the hard way.
These men and women would have been better served if they projected what they actually were. Faking also takes a toll of your time and energy. The time and energy thus saved can be effectively used for activities like self-evaluation and self-improvement. Anne Morrow Lindbergh hit the nail at its head when she opined, “The most exhausting thing you can be is inauthentic.”
Do not jump into uncharted waters
The famous adage, failing to plan means planning to fail, finds relevance here too. Remember, there is no substitute for planning. Hence, you have to be impeccable with your strategy while pursuing your personal branding endeavors. It is futile to engage your resources in building Blogs, using social media, and being part of various associations, if you fail to comprehend how these activities would enable you to build your brand. Jumping into uncharted waters is not always rewarding, as you run a risk of drowning. So, do not fall prey to hasty decisions. Think and then act.
Do not lose focus
Unwavering focus is a prerequisite for pursuing any goal, personal branding is no exception either. Letting your focus to deviate means you are compromising with your success. Having a single, focused action plan and precision-based execution would help your cause big time. Running out of steam midway is not an option; hence, slow yet consistent actions would poise you for the long haul.
Do not ignore social media platforms
Courtesy modern technology, we have at our disposal social media platforms to promote ourselves as a brand. Thus, it becomes vital for you to harness the immense potential of social media platforms to the optimum. Having a strong digital presence requires a proper strategy and things you can do in the real world. You have to personalize your virtual presence and bring it to life. Having a holistic consideration of your goals can put you firmly on the way to achieving them.
Do not sacrifice quality for quantity
Many of us are tempted to sacrifice quality for quantity, which however, deters our progress. Quality makes your communications rewarding and attract those whom you need to influence. It is quality not quantity, which offers you the opportunity to leave an indelible impression on your target audience. You have to ascertain that the content you are revealing confirms to the sensibilities of your target audience, failing which you would end up losing your cherished following.
Creating effective personal brand calls for a genuine and consolidated effort on your part, failing which our brand will lose its essence.