Personal Branding Mistake #16: NOT KEEPING IN TOUCH

A good social network with lots of dialogue can set you apart from the competition. Reach out to professionals around you and make your personal branding message louder.

Developing and maintaining a strong relationship with your network is good for you and good for your connections. Engaging with your audience is essential to building a sustainable brand. 71% of your viewers who interact with you are likely to recommend you to others. Communicating with your network on a consistent basis strengthens your brand. The most effective form of communication is brand promise driven dialogue. Share your content and provide feedback to others. Make it personal as often as you can. Get ahead of your peers by regularly keeping in touch with your network. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #20: YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU WANT YOUR BRAND TO GO

Once you've defined your brand you’re ready for outreach marketing. But if you don’t know where you want your brand to go, navigating towards your audience may be a bumpy ride. 

Having outreach marketing objectives for your brand is extremely important. Optimize your outreach with goals and a plan designed to connect with the hearts and minds of those you aim to influence. You need to know where your brand is going in order to get there. Define your brand’s target and plan the best route to reach them. It will help expand your reach, your relationships and your opportunities on the web, and beyond.

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Personal Branding Mistake #32: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING

Pay attention to your feed and see what your connections and groups are talking about. Finding out what interests your network allows you to better engage them in your own posts. 

Your social pages work best when you are engaged. Operate like a Fortune 500 brand and pay attention to your social feed. 92% of Fortune 500 brands tweet at least once a day. Check your feed on a regular basis to stay on top of what is relevant to your network. Even if it’s not your top priority, make it part of your day to engage your audience, prospects will notice. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #34: FIRST THINGS FIRST: YOUR HEADLINE

Your professional headline is a critical piece of your profile. A proper headline determines how you’ll be categorized in a search and how you’ll be perceived by other users.

A strong LinkedIn headline and summary is important. A headline’s optimal number of words is 6 and a summary of 40+ words makes you more likely to turn up in search. Your headline should deliver your brand promise in a compelling way and use strong keywords for search engine recognition. Your picture and brand story work together to support your headline to further engage your profile viewers. Headlines matter on LinkedIn in the same way they matter in a successful advertising campaign.

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Personal Branding Mistake #39: SO YOU HAVE STAGE FRIGHT?

You should always be looking for opportunities to discuss, speak and publish what you know best. Answer questions about what you do, step up when you’re invited to speak publicly and don’t fear the spotlight.

It’s time to get active. The best time to post and do outreach on LinkedIn is Tuesdays through Thursdays around noon or between 5pm and 6pm. Your LinkedIn profile is also 5X more likely to be viewed if you join and are active in discussion groups. Hiring managers are looking at your profile during those high traffic times to get a feel for who you are and why you are different and better than your peers. They also look at your social media profile to find out if you fit in the company culture. Showcasing your skills and brand personality provides your audience with a sense of who you are. Don’t be afraid to promote your brand, your next opportunity is just around the corner. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #45: THE MORE THE MERRIER

Be sure to list all relevant companies you’ve worked for, schools and credential programs. Make sure all your experience points to your brand promise. 

LinkedIn users who have education listed on their profile receive an average of 10X more profile views. Adding an industry to your profile can you get 15X more views. Adding keywords to support search will generate further engagement with your platforms. With personal branding for social media, more is more.

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Personal Branding Mistake #51: YOU DON'T KNOW THE TWITTER TRUTH

95% of marketers say they have generated business leads though Twitter. Don’t believe it? Revamp your personal brand with a sleek new Twitter profile and try it yourself!

Twitter is one of the primary platforms for engaging your audience and showcasing your personal brand’s value. Link clicks account for 92% of user interaction on Twitter, so tweet content that includes links to drive engagement. Consider including words in your posts that prompt action such as “Download” to increase clicks up to 13%. Don’t be afraid to actively drive attention by asking your audience to retweet. Tweets asking followers to “retweet” receive 12X higher retweet rates than those that do not. Include Twitter as part of your professional outreach plan. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #53: NO MANNERS

Make sure to say please when you want to connect, and thank you when you receive an invitation. Manners matter in the digital world. Good manners can get the conversation going!

Using good manners in all online interactions is an important best practice. Simple things such as “Please” and “Thank you” go a long way in the digital world. Just because conversations are brief doesn’t mean your manners should be. Be polite and be professional. With 93% of recruiters looking at your social media platforms be on your best behavior at all times. 

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