8 Ways You’re Destroying Your Personal Brand Without Even Knowing It

8 Ways You’re Destroying Your Personal Brand Without Even Knowing It

Why do you want to build your personal brand? Far too many people start trying to build their personal brand with the vague goal of wanting to "become an influencer." Instead, take the time to determine what your goals are. With the rest of your time, highlight interesting facts or industry news through social media and blogging, while still sharing your perspective. Startup founders often put so much focus on building their brand's influence that they fail to fully distinguish their personal brand. You and your company are not the same entity -- don't mistake building your startup for personal branding. Blogging on your company website or being the voice of your company's social media profiles can be good for your business, but if you are serious about building a brand built around you, then you need to take steps to separate your business and personal brand. For example, you might tell your followers that you'll have a new blog post for them every week. As a result, you'll lose followers and influence, perhaps permanently undermining your personal brand. As you learn to recognize these bad habits and take steps to correct them, you'll be able to build a strong personal brand that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals.

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8 Ways You're Destroying Your Personal Brand Without Even Knowing It

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From Amanda Bynes to Charlie Sheen, we’ve seen countless celebrities who have completely ruined their personal brand as a result of some pretty wild stuff. DUIs, dog fights, controversial tweeting habits and other bad behavior have quickly destroyed their goodwill with the public and ruined their careers.

Whether you’re the founder of a startup or simply trying to take the next step in your own career, few things are more important than a strong personal brand. When done right, your personal brand can help you showcase your strengths, build credibility and stand out from the competition — all essentials for lasting growth and success.

Now, you hopefully won’t ever be guilty of a major crime or a racist tweet, but chances are, you’re still doing things that hurt your personal brand. In fact, many budding entrepreneurs hurt their brand without even realizing it. Don’t let these habits derail your chances for success.

1. You don’t have any clear-cut purpose.

Why do you want to build your personal brand? It’s an essential question to consider as you define your voice and goals. Far too many people start trying to build their personal brand with the vague goal of wanting to “become an influencer.” All too often, this results in a messy situation where you try to be all things to all people.

Instead, take the time to determine what your goals are. Do you want to share knowledge from your own experiences so others view you as an expert? Do you want to demonstrate your worth to potential employers? Are you trying to increase publicity for your startup?

Understanding the “why” will ensure you keep your messaging and actions on-track.

2. You routinely engage in shameless self-promotion.

Building a personal brand will obviously require a fair amount of self-promotion. But, if you’re an endless self-promoter (especially online), you’ll have a hard time gaining much of an audience. Too much self-promotion, and you’ll be just another bland voice lost in the advertising mix.

Some experts recommend that you only use 10 percent of your posts (or conversations) to self-promote. With the rest of your time, highlight interesting facts or industry news through social media and blogging, while still sharing your perspective.

3. You blend in with the masses.

You’re super enthusiastic about blockchain technology? That’s great — but there are countless others who are just as ambitious and competent as you. Emphasizing your education and past work experience isn’t a bad thing — it’s often necessary to start building credibility. But, in most industries, this isn’t going to set you apart.

4. You neglect traditional channels.

These days, most influencers are able to accrue a large following through blogging…

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