Personal Branding Mistake #3: LACK OF FOCUS

Listing too many skills and posting content on your social pages that have no connection to your personal brand may be confusing. Be clear about your brand promise and support it with consistent messaging. 

Social media pages are checked by recruiters 63% of the time. Having irrelevant and unnecessary content on your profile places you at a disadvantage. Your profile should focus on content that compliments and supports your brand promise. Include only relevant information that supports your brand story. Make sure your profiles have clear information and imagery that presents you in a favorable light. Consistency is important with personal branding. While it’s perfectly fine to adapt content to a specific platform, one cannot assume that your audience will only be looking at LinkedIn. Keeping your content consistent and focused delivers a strong message to your audience.

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Personal Branding Mistake #7: YOU'RE NOT A PURPLE COW

Are you standing out in the crowd? Do you know where you rank in LinkedIn searches? Do you have a personal brand that sets you apart from competitors?

Cows are boring. They are all look alike and do the same things. Be a purple cow, have a distinctive brand promise and stand out from the crowd. A personal brand that says why you are different and better is key to your success. Capitalize on your brand’s uniqueness by posting interesting, relevant and innovative content that will capture your audience and set your brand apart. Be exceptional - be a purple cow. Don’t be like the rest of your peers. It’s boring, and do you really want to be boring? 

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Personal Branding Mistake #9: YOU'RE TOO PERSONAL!

New business prospects want to know about YOU, not your kids, your dog and your extended family. Being professional is important, and finding a balance between professional and personal is even more important.

Professionals often struggle with the fine line between personal and professional content for social media. Posting personal information on your professional social media platforms is not a good idea and at times totally inappropriate. Your professional audience wants to know about your brand and its value, not about your new puppy. Keep your content professional, consistent and always supporting your brand promise. While it’s okay to share your opinion, steer clear of topics that could be too controversial, like politics. Being too personal on your professional social media pages may have a negative impact on your branding. Keep professional content separate from personal and you’ll be good to go.

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Personal Branding Mistake #12: TOO MANY POSTS

You are focusing on quantity not quality posts. One quality lead is worth 100 leads that do not have much hope.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in personal branding is posting too much content. There’s tremendous pressure to be constantly visible in your ever changing social media feed. The volume of posts will depend on the specific platform. LinkedIn for instance is a low volume/high value platform. Twitter is a high volume/low value platform. Our instinct is to just post, post, post. It’s not about the quantity of your posts; it’s about the quality of your posts. Quality content is what makes your brand stand out. Engage your audience and attract new relationships and new opportunities with great content. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #13: BRANDING MEANS GETTING YOUR NAME OUT THERE

Your personal brand is not just about getting your name out there. It’s about controlling and attaching a brand promise to your name.

Getting your name out is key to personal branding success. However, your name alone means nothing if not clearly attached to your brand promise. What is the point of having professionals know your name if they don’t recognize your value? Get in the habit of attaching your name to your brand promise to win meaningful recognition from your network. Think about the relationship with Nike and “Just Do It” - it's been that way for years with a value in the billions.

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Personal Branding Mistake #14: YOUR BRANDING ISN'T CLEAR

If your brand promise isn’t clear and consistent on your social pages, how can you expect your audience to know what you stand for? 

If your brand promise is not consistently presented to your audience, then your brand runs the risk of becoming confusing. It takes 5-7 brand impressions before someone remembers your brand. To build real value, stay on message in all your social platforms. If one social media page does not align with your brand promise then your brand strength will suffer. Your brand made a promise and it is up to you to deliver on that commitment. 

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Personal Branding Mistake #25: WHY SO SERIOUS?

Your profile picture and background should look professional, but try to have a little fun while you’re at it!

75 of the Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn as an important part of their corporate hiring solutions. Companies are looking for solid citizens but pay more attention when your portrait breaks through the boredom barrier. Don’t do a deer in the headlights portrait or OMG no portrait at all. Turns out 65% of your audience are visual learners so engage them with stimulating imagery! Social platforms achieve 94% more total views with compelling images. Keep it professional but keep it engaging.

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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 #37: YOU'RE HIDING YOUR BEST QUALITIES

Although you never want to be too personal on LinkedIn, listing organizations and causes you’re affiliated with can definitely give you an edge over the competition. Employers want to hire real people with interests and passions, not just a picture and a resume.

58% of employers hire people because they got a good feel for the candidate’s personality on social media. 42% of LinkedIn users update their profile regularly to keep it fresh and showcase their brand’s value. Visuals, organizations and causes are great places to get your visitor interested in your brand personality. 

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