Needle, Meet Haystack

Let’s be honest here: personal branding is often anything but.  People will use facades, deceit, and selective messaging to put their best foot forward – and in the case of this metaphor, they’re not even using their own shoes.  But regardless of how one uses their personal brand, it’s far more critical to manage it properly.  Here are five common mistakes that can destroy an (in)credible brand in next to no time:

1. Using disqualifying statements. You absolutely cannot be self-deprecating or wishy-washy about your skills.  Admitting that you are delinquent in an area you profess to be knowledgeable about will lead to lots of trouble, and mistrust from your personal brand’s consumers.  In fact, disqualifying statements work a lot like negatives – they remove your authority and put your expertise and reliability into question.
2. Not monitoring your output. Every bit of contact you have with others is branding currency: emails, social network messages, texts, blogs – all of it is a traceable history and record of your activities and opinions.  If you refrain from making sure that your message is consistent across all fields, you will come across as scatterbrained and two-faced.  Doing everything from setting up Google alerts for your name and branded content to self-editing your conversations in IMs and emails can ensure that you have a stable brand message.
3. Leaving large gaps in your brand identity. Do you appear on the first page of search results for your name?  Are you involving yourself with people and organizations that can help promote you and your brand?  Does your email address or website reflect your name or brand?  And if not, how many people do you think are missing out on your content?
4. Reliance on external sources. If you quote others more than creating original content, be it on a blog, Tweets, or daily conversation, you’re not showing yourself and your brand to be creative, innovative or particularly interesting.  Your audience wants someone interesting, not a parrot.  If you find yourself too involved with pop culture and quoting to distance yourself easily, go on a media fast and break the chain cold turkey.
5. Not controlling the conversation. Are you aware of what people say about your personal brand?  Is there an easy way for them to get in touch with it?  What public image are you putting forth?  If you don’t make sure to have an open dialog with your brand consumers, you will be asking these questions constantly, almost always to an empty room.  Involve yourself with those who are interested in what you have to say and offer – you’ll be able to shape your brand the way you want it with less trouble or negative feedback.

Sure, it’s not as bad as unknowingly killing your career, but if you don’t take care of your personal brand, who will?