Five Branding Errors That Make You Look Dumb

Let’s face it, we all make mistakes. Some of the mistakes we make are small while others are quite large. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes, in fact if you aren’t making mistakes then you aren’t trying or learning. However, if you make one of these personal branding mistakes you better fix it fast or you’ll pay later.

1. Turning on autopilot – Once you become a bit famous, you might start getting a bit lazy and stop putting in as much effort into personal branding. At first I did this but after awhile I felt that people might just forget who you are. When people start recognizing who you are, you need to put in more effort so you can get that exponential growth and the payout you’ve been working so hard for.
2. Concentrating on one market – If you are well-known in a specific country, it doesn’t mean you are going to be known throughout the world. Even if your industry is small, most likely the people who are overseas that are in the same industry have no clue who you are. To truly be a recognizable brand, you need international stardom.
3. Branding your name – You can’t just brand a name, you need to brand an experience and image with that name. The way you act, dress, and talk can tell people a lot about you. You need to create an image that goes well with your name so that you become more memorable. If you have a generic name like John Smith, you really need to create an image because when someone says “John Smith” they won’t be talking about you. However, if you have this great image someone maybe thinking of you when they hear the name John Smith since you created that brand experience and truly ingrained that in people’s mind.
4. Staying within your clique – As the saying goes, “networking is the key to success.” You may like staying in your cool little circle with all the popular people but you need to start networking outside your little circle if you truly want to brand yourself. To some extent, it is probably more important to network outside your circle because those people (the majority) determine how you will be perceived within your industry.
5. Becoming greedy – Let’s face it, not everyone can become famous. If everyone was famous then there would be no point in trying to brand yourself because we would all be seen as equals. At some point, you are going to have to be satisfied with who you are and the level your brand is at. Once you start getting too greedy you start thinking only about yourself and end up forgetting about the key elements that got you there. Helping others first comes to mind, but there’s far more to that story.